Book Review - The Book of Hope: A Survival Guide for Trying Times by Jane Goodall

 

In the book, Jane Goodall and Douglas Abrams, talk about hope. It's one of the most sought after but, least understood element of human nature. The book is highly relevant given our current climate and political landscape.

Typically, I don't read nonfiction books but, I was interested in reading more about Jane's life. The book is an inspirational read as Jane talks about times in her life where she almost lost hope and how things turn around. She shares personal anecdotes and memories, that are interesting and spellbinding. It's the perfect book to bring someone's hopes up if they are ever feeling down or overwhelmed.

Book Review - The Return (Amish Beginnings #3) by Suzanne Woods Fisher

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Besty Zook never questioned her family's strict rules or the affections of her beau, Hans. She never had a reason to question her life until she is taken captive during an Indian raid.  During her captivity, Besty endures brutality and hardship but, she also experiences unexpected kindness and kinship. She befriends a native named Caleb, who encourages her to find God during her time of need.  Betsy finds herself torn between her loyalty to her family and Caleb.

Hans is distraught that the love of his life, Besty has been captured. He turns to Tessa Bauer for comfort and friendship. Tessa has been in love with Hans for many years and eagerly accepts his companionship as a sign of love. Tessa is over the moon with her feelings for Hans that she ignores the warning signs that Hans's might be out for revenge. 

The novel is inspired by true events and it was an emotional read. It gave readers a glimpse of the hardships faced during the early years. At first, I was torn between Tessa as a character. I felt like she was a very complex character and different from other characters I normally read in Amish novels. She seemed naive but, also had a streak of maliciousness that isn't normally shown in Amish literature (at least the ones I have read). I felt like the author did a good job of showing things are not always black and white. I have not read the other books in the series but, I didn't feel like I was missing anything. I was, however, a bit dismayed by the ending. I felt like it was left off on a cliffhanger and this was the final book in the series.

**Disclosure - I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest opinion. This post may contain affiliate links which means I earn advertising and/or referral fees if you purchase an item through my link. Please note, there will be no extra charges to you. Thank you for your support.**

Book Review - High Cotton by Debby Mayne

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The Bucklin family has a family reunion almost every few months which is why no one really wants to go but they go to avoid being talked about. Shay Henke has mixed feelings about the next reunion. She is looking forward to meeting her family and spending time with them but she has been single for so long and knows everyone would only focus on her being single. Days leading up to the event, Shay learns a secret her sister-in-law is keeping along with juggling her childish twin cousins. When Shay's high school crush moves back home, will Shay be able to deal with all the drama?

The book is enriched with Southern heritage values with names such as Digger, Puddin', Missy, Southern gentleman values, and sweet tea. When I first read the summary, I assumed the deep, dark secret was going to be something terrible and horrendous. When, the cat was out of the bag, the secret was quite laughable especially since the person already knew. The characters' dynamics were interesting and fun to read especially at the family reunion pieces but I felt some of their values were a bit old fashioned. I also found it disheartening that three people go from being alone to finding love in less than 100 pages at breakneck speed.  Along with many characters thinking their problems would end their world but was solved a few pages in. The story was told by four females' point-of-view, but I think I would have preferred maybe just two, so we would get more details into that person's life.

**Disclosure - I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest opinion**

Book Review - The Innkeeper’s Daughter by Michelle Griep + Giveaway

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As a loyal officer of the law, Alexander Moore must go undercover as a gambling wine merchant. He was hesitant to take the mission but as he owes the General Ford, he agrees to take on the mission to find the traitor. As the master of disguise, Alex manages to convince Johanna Langely that he is a rouge but they both feel that there is more to their friendship than they want to believe.

Johanna is the proprietress of a failing family inn and she is financially struggling. When she crosses path with the roguish but dashing Alex, she is afraid of letting her guard down and trusting him. But she sees that her younger brother, Thomas and her mother are taken with the kind Alex. Will Johanna be able to let down her guard and trust Alex? Will Johanna be able to save her family's inn? Is Alex willing to follow his heart and pursue Johanna or will he follow General Ford's directive instead?

The novel was an interesting read but I felt it moved a bit slow for my liking. While, I did like the characters and hoped that they would get their "happy" ending, I felt like something was missing. I did feel like Johanna's character was a bit lacking as she is often portrayed as a failure from causing accidents to not being at the inn when her family needed her. I would have preferred a strong and dependent female heroine. 

**Disclosure - I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest opinion**

About the Book

Title: The Innkeeper’s Daughter

Author: Michelle Griep

Genre: Historical Christian Fiction

Release Date: March 1, 2018

A London officer goes undercover to expose a plot against the Crown

 
Dover, England, 1808: Officer Alexander Moore goes undercover as a gambling gentleman to expose a high-stakes plot against the king—and he’s a master of disguise, for Johanna Langley believes him to be quite the rogue. . .until she can no longer fight against his unrelenting charm.

All Johanna wants is to keep the family inn afloat, but when the rent and the hearth payment are due at the same time, where will she find the extra funds? If she doesn’t come up with the money, there will be nowhere to go other than the workhouse—where she’ll be separated from her ailing mother and ten-year-old brother.

Alex desperately wants to help Johanna, especially when she confides in him, but his mission—finding and bringing to justice a traitor to the crown—must come first, or they could all end up dead.

About the Author

Michelle Griep has been writing since she first discovered blank wall space and Crayolas. She seeks to glorify God in all that she writes—except for that graffiti phase she went through as a teenager. She resides in the frozen tundra of Minnesota, where she teaches history and writing classes for a local high school co-op. An Anglophile at heart, she runs away to England every chance she gets, under the guise of research. Really, though, she’s eating excessive amounts of scones while rambling around a castle. Michelle is a member of ACFW (American Christian Fiction Writers) and MCWG (Minnesota Christian Writers Guild). Keep up with her adventures at her blog “Writer off the Leash” or visit www.michellegriep.com.

Giveaway

To celebrate her tour, Michelle is giving away a grand prize of a signed copy of The Innkeeper’s Daughter and a $25 gift card from Barnes & Noble!!

Click below to enter. Be sure to comment on this post before you enter to claim 9 extra entries! https://promosimple.com/ps/cb72

Book Review - Many Sparrows by Lori Benton

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**May Contain Spoilers**

Tension and brutal conflicts plague the colonists of the Ohio-Kentucky in 1774, when they try to settle on land that belong to the Native Americans. The Inglesby family decides to make the journey west to search for a better life, when an accident causes Philip to venture ahead for help leaving his pregnant wife, Clare and their four-year old son Jacob alone. The mother and son, find cover for the night, but when Clare awakes she finds her eldest son missing and she is in labor. She finds that her son is being held captive by the Shawnee Indians and threaten his very safety. She enlists the help of Jeremiah Ring who is serving as a messenger between the Native Americans and the settlers. Jeremiah hesitantly agrees at first as he worries that she would be in more danger and he has to deliver an important letter to the council and delaying the message can cause more lives to be jeopardized. Will Clare be able to save her son? Why did the Native Americans capture her son?

The historical fiction novel had an interesting story blending aspects of true events into the story. However, I felt the writing fell flat and seemed tedious at some points. I also found the main character to be detestable and downright a shame to be called a mother. She worries about her lost son, but when she barely worried about the newborn child that she has. I also felt because she had a daughter, she didn't feel as invested in her as her son. She is also portrayed as the mother who would fight for her children, but why didn't she put her foot down before her husband drag their entire family into the wilderness? Why does she treat her newborn daughter as an obstacle and a burden between reuniting with her son? I tried really hard to get into this book, but I kept thinking Clare is nothing but a hypocrite and can't spend 5 minutes thinking of others before she claims injustice. She claims the Native Americans are barbaric for claiming white settler's children as their own, but the white settlers just murdered/attack the Native Americans sometimes without being provoked. At least the Native Americans didn't kill the children while the settlers murdered pregnant Native American women. Clare should open her eyes and feel compassion for others instead of being quick to judge.

**Disclosure - I received a free unedited advanced reader copy in exchange for my honest opinion**

Book Review - The Remnant by Monte Wolverton

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The  year is 2069 and  the Apocalypse has come and gone. After, a devastating war that wiped out 90% of the world population and resources, religion was blamed as the root of all evil. People who chose to continue follow their religion are punished by being sent to a work camp. Grant Cochrin lives at the petroleum camp with his family and friend for a majority of his life. After, a strange encounter, Grant starts questioning his life and wonders if there is more to life than he currently knows. With a band of friends and family, they set out to the unknown. Will Grant and the others be able to find a Christian group like them? What evils lie beyond their borders?

The book had an interesting premise about religion and  the state of the world after an end of days situation. The writing seemed a discombobulated along with having flashbacks at random points of the novel without any lead way to it. The story seemed a bit longer than it needed to be and the characters didn't seem authentic. The writing felt forced especially towards the end with fluff over detailed pieces peppered in.

**Disclosure - I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest opinion**

Book Review - The Five Times I Met Myself by James L. Rubart

Photo Source - Amazon.com

**May contain spoilers**

What happens, if you wake up one morning and you decide you are not where you want to be in your life? What happens, if you actually have the power to change that?

Everything in Brock Matthew's life is starting to unravel -- his marriage, his enterprising coffee company, his faith, and his relationships with his family.  Brook has also lately starts having ominous nightmares about his dead father. His relationship with his father was strained at best -- complete opposites who yearned for each other's love but unknown to them how to ask for it. Not knowing what to do, he turns to his best friend, Morgan for help. Morgan offers him a book on lucid dreams and how to help control his dreams, while understanding their purpose.

At first, Brock thought it would be a novel experiment.  He would try and understand what his father is trying to tell him and hopefully, he can find a way to fix his coffee business and repair his marriage. Unfortunately, not everything is what it is seems. Instead of just dreaming about the day he proposes to his girlfriend, he unintentionally travels back into time and changes his past and inconsequentially his future. As the saying goes, "With great power comes great responsibility", Brock travels back into time to talk to his younger self in hopes to change the present. The only question is, would he succeed?

The book is a quick and fun read. It offers many twists and turns with the reader rooting for Brock. It also teaches us to focus on the more important things in life because once they are gone --- they are gone.  It also teaches forgiveness, love, understanding, acceptance and putting others before yourself. We all have done things in the past in which we feel guilty of, but it's up to us to make it right. A great piece of fiction that will make you analyze yourself and make you want to be a better person. There is no point in sitting around and saying "if I can go back and change this and that" --- when you can always try to be a better person in the present.


**Disclosure - I received a copy of an uncorrected ebook for my honest opinion --- this had no impact on my review and feedback**