Review: The Art of Losing Yourself by Katie Ganshert

The Art of Losing Yourself

Very close to a true to life story, The Art of Losing Yourself by Katie Ganshert is a story of broken people living in a broken world.  Alternating between two half –sisters, one of whom is Carmen, a married meteorologist, and the other is Gracie, who is a senior in high school.  Sharing the same alcoholic mother, both have already started out with issues.  Carmen is dealing with infertility and her marriage is suffering for it. She has started to hit rock bottom stemming from a couple of melt downs.  Gracie, sarcastic and dealing with abandonment issues, decides to move in with her sister and her sister’s husband.  In the midst of losing hope, both sisters find solace in fixing up the old family motel.  We also get to see both sisters’ views of faith and God, and the realization that Christianity is not a magic fix.  We are not promised a problem free life; however, we are promised help.   This story really deals with the brokenness of life and coming to the point to be content no matter what the circumstance is.  And that maybe through it all we will see that God’s hand was in everything.  This is a lesson I hope to long remember.

FTC disclaimer: I received this book from Blogging for Books for this review.

About the Author

Christy Award finalist, Katie Ganshert is the author of Wildflowers from Winter and Wishing on Willows. She lives in Iowa with her handsome husband, their dinosaur-loving son, and their goofy black lab, Bubba. When she’s not busy writing or playing or reading or snuggling, she is obsessing over the paperwork and the waiting that comes with adoption, which she and her husband hope to complete sometime before they are fifty.
http://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/authors/145407/katie-ganshert

Review: Love's Rescue by Christine Johnson

Love's Rescue

Love’s Rescue by Christine Johnson takes place in the Key West during 1850.  This is a story of a young woman, Elizabeth, coming home after her mother has passed away to help take care of her father and crippled brother.  Leaving her home four years earlier after the devastation of a hurricane and her brother’s accident, she left with her parents’ wishes to find a suitable spouse.  However, her heart was already involved with a wrecker by the name of Rourke O’Malley.   Returning to the Key’s with her older Aunt and still unmarried, she does not receive the homecoming she was hoping for.  Her family, still intent to see her married to a gentleman of their choosing, Elizabeth fights her deepest feelings for Rourke even though she knows it is useless to give up on him.  Facing an unhappy future, Elizabeth discovers family secrets that turn her world upside down, and she realizes she may not have known her mother and father well at all.   Infused with family secrets, history, adventure on the high seas, issues with slavery, and romance, this story has a beautiful message of what love is and what love can sacrifice and forgive.   I received a copy for an honest review from Revell Publishing and the opinions are my own.  

Review: In Firefly Valley by Amanda Cabot

In Firefly Valley

Returning back to Rainbow’s End in Amanda Cabot’s Texas Crossroads series, our previous main characters Greg and Kate have been a boon to the local economy.  They have brought in Marisa, the daughter of their chef Carmen, to be their business manager. Marisa comes back to the town where she is known as the daughter of the town drunk.  Enter author Blake Kendall and you have a start of another romance in the Texas hill country.  However, just like in the first book we have a secondary romance as well which did take me by surprise.  This book, by the cover anyway, looks like a peaceful place to go, but dealing with such issues as anger, unforgiveness, and mistrust has our characters always on edge.  Throw in the fall-out of an alcoholic and missing father, deeper issues are then touched upon. The third book having been set up nicely, is one in which I look forward to reading so that I can return to Rainbow’s End resort.  I received a copy for review from Revell Publishing and the opinions are my own.  

Link to my review of Amanda Cabot's At Bluebonnet Lake: 
http://pausefortales.blogspot.com/2014/11/review-at-bluebonnet-lake-by-amanda.html

Review: Dauntless by Dina L. Sleiman

Dauntless

Dauntless by author Dina Sleiman is a young adult read that has a lot to offer for teens and adults.  In this ever popular genre, Dauntless doles out just what is popular like a strong heroine, a possible love triangle, true love, plenty of angst, and even a type of dystopian novel.  Taking place during the medieval ages our heroine Merry is a type of Robin Hood character only different.  Having been forced from her home due to a corrupt king, Merry and her band called The Ghosts of Farthingale Forest have learned to survive unseen.   However when her old friend, Timothy Grey who has long thought her dead, identifies her, loyalties are questioned and love becomes a test.  This is a time where you know the bad guys are bad and the good guys are good.  Add a touch of supernatural and you have the makings of a most engrossing read.  I highly recommend this to teens and adults and I look forward to reading the second in the series.  I received a copy of this book for an honest review from The Book Club Network, (TBCN) and the opinions are my own.

Review: Always on my Mind by Susan May Warren

Always On My Mind

Welcome back to Deep Haven and for another visit with the Christiansen family.  Always on my Mind focuses on middle son Casper and his volatile relationship with Raina, the love of his life.  After discovering that Raina and his younger brother Owen had a history, he fled to South America on an archaeological treasure hunt.  Realizing he missed his family, he heads back home only to discover a very pregnant Raina living with his sister Grace.  Casper, wanting to fix things with Raina is unable to express to her how he really feels.  He also struggles with letting go.  Raina is running from her own sorry circumstances and feels that she and Casper just will not work especially since she is having his brother’s baby.  This read packed an emotional punch but shared some really great truths.  Raina was self-destructive and making some poor life choices.  She would not see reason and trust those who cared about her.  That was hard to watch and sometimes I just wanted to shake her.  However, Casper who wanted to swoop in and be her hero began to rely on prayer.  When she would not see him, he prayed for her.  When she would not listen to him, he prayed for her.  I really liked how Ms. Warren showed in her writing that that was the best thing to do, especially when someone is so determined to not listen to good advice and thus they choose to go it alone.

Adding a thread of suspense, this story also involved an old mystery surrounding a legend of the town that Casper and Raina are trying to unravel.  Darek, the older Christiansen brother has a prominent role in the book as his story continues especially dealing with his struggles in running his family’s resort and being there for his pregnant wife, Ivy and his son Tiger.  By the end of this book Ms. Warren sets up the next story nicely which is about younger sister Amelia and I hope we see a glimpse of the other missing brother, Owen and his return as well.  I received this book from The Book Club Network, Inc. (TBCN) for an honest review and the opinions are my own. 

Review: Yesterday by Amanda Tru

Yesterday

Yesterday by Amanda Tru was a fun, hard to put down read in almost one sitting kind of book.  It was a time travel romance, need I say more?  This was a well-crafted story and the timelines were easy to follow and made so much sense I could see why she needed to travel in time.  Hannah, not knowing she possessed this gift or how it is happening has changed some people's histories.  For the better, I personally think.  Especially hers and her love interest Dr. Seth Mcallister.  However, time traveling does have its consequences and I hope as the series progresses we get more answers.  Yes, this is the first in a series and I can’t wait to get my hands on the next book after that ending of Yesterday.  I received this book for an honest review from The Book Club Network Inc., (TBCN) and the opinions are my own.  

Review: As Love Blooms by Lorna Seilstad

As Love Blooms

As Love Blooms was just the sort of book I was craving for and didn’t even realize it.  This was a lighthearted romance and yet a great history lesson of the prejudices women went through in the past.  From wearing pants, to working outside the home, and eventually the suffrage movement for women to vote, I appreciated all the more what our fore-mothers fought for: our freedoms that so many of us take for granted now.  I liked the tenaciousness of Tessa and how she would not be bullied by anyone.  I also liked how Reese (love that name!) was just the man to not only let her be herself, but to keep her grounded as well.  Their love story was not without its ups and downs and some secrets on both sides that needed to see the light.  Supportive family and a bit of mystery turned adventure rounded out this well told story.  This was a first read for me by Ms. Seilstad and the third in the series.  However, I look forward to going back and reading about her two sisters’ adventures.  I received a copy of the book for an honest review from Revell Publishing and the opinions are my own.