Blowing on Dandelions by Miralee Ferrell

It's been awhile since I could finish a book back to back like this, but this is my last week of school for the summer so I decided to slack on my schoolwork a little (don't worry, I'm doing it today!). This book was too good to think about doing anything else and I'm kind of sad I have finished it. This was my first book by Miralee Ferrell and will definitely not be my last! I want to thank Lena Nelson Dooley for providing me with a copy of this book as one of her many giveaways!  Her author interviews are always insightful.

Overview:  Do Dandelion Wishes Actually Come True? 

 
Katherine Galloway knew this moment of calm wouldn’t last, blown away like the dandelion seeds she scattered as a girl. In 1880, three years after her husband’s death, she struggles to run an Oregon boardinghouse and raise two girls alone. Things don't get easier when her critical, domineering mother moves in. Katherine must make the situation work, but standing up for herself and her family while honoring her mother isn't easy. And with a daughter entering the teenage years, the pressure on Katherine becomes close to overwhelming. Then she crosses paths with Micah Jacobs, a widower who could reignite her heart, but she fears a relationship with him might send things over the edge. She must find the strength, wisdom, hope, and faith to remake her life, for everything is about to change.

My Review:  "He that dwelleth in the secret place of the most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty. I will say of the Lord, He is my refuge and my fortress: my God; in him will I trust." - Psalm 91:1-2

This verse, stated at the beginning of the book, struck me as I read each chapter as the message the author wanted to get across.  Katherine Galloway is a widow with two children to raise.  Her mother, who is all the overview describes her to be and more, is coming to live with her again.  Considering who her mother is, you would not expect Katherine to have the gentle, kind, and loving nature that she has.  You hurt with her every time her mother cuts her down, and you cheer for her every time she stands up for herself (as little as it may be).  When Micah Jacobs enters the picture, you are instantly drawn to him.  You also want to shake him for his stubborn pride. He is hurting and trying to figure out how to heal, something everyone will be able to relate to at one time or another. He is also mad at God, which is another thing we can all relate to at one time in our lives or another. Katherine's mother, Frances, is a character to behold. Getting inside her head is not easy; she thinks she's helping when she's really hurting.  You wonder what could have made her that way.  With a cast of enticing supporting characters as well, I commend the author on creating such wonderful characters. 

The love story of the book, and the overall plot, is well thought out and was wonderful to see.  I can relate to the struggle between staying loyal to your first husband/wife and your growing feelings for someone new.  The author did a fantastic job capturing this aspect of each character.  The tension created by Frances between herself and everyone else in the story was palpable. It felt like I was right there in the middle of it, and little Mandy was a great source of comic relief. There were no parts in the story that lagged, and it was a quick read. I wanted to see how the story played out. I wanted to know what would happen between Katherine and Micah.

Overall, I give this book 5 stars.  Miralee Ferrell did an excellent job creating a story that almost everyone can relate to, whether it be to problems with parents, struggling to rely on God even when bad things happen, or facing new love when it feels wrong to give up the old love.  I can't wait to see how the secondary characters come to play in the rest of the series. I'm eager to learn more out the mysterious Jeffrey Tucker, the shy Beth Roberts, and the eager Aunt Wilma Roberts. I'm also interested to see the children grow up, so I hope they play a role in the next books as well.

Check out this book, and more from Miralee Ferrell's Love Blossoms in Oregon series here: 

http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/blowing-on-dandelions-miralee-ferrell/1112120154?ean=9780781408080

*You can learn more about the author by clicking on her name in the first paragraph. You can learn more about Lena Nelson Dooley and her blog by clicking on her name in the first paragraph.*

Though My Heart is Torn by Joanne Bischof

Good morning everyone! It's well past time for this review. Good news though, I have one week left of my summer classes, then I  have three weeks off! I will get plenty of reading done in those three weeks! I am very excited to be reviewing this book for you because it was excellent. This is the second book in the Cadence of Grace series, and the third one is expected to be released in October (sad I have to wait that long for it!) Without further adu, here's my review!

From Barnes and Noble:

Overview:

Gideon O’Riley has two wives—but he doesn’t know it.

Settling into a simple life in the majestic Blue Ridge mountains, Lonnie and Gideon O’Riley have finally found happiness after the rocky start to their marriage. The roguish bluegrass musician has fallen in love with his gentle wife and the God she serves, and Lonnie rests secure in his tenderness for her and their young son. A heartless ruse interupts their peace, bringing them back to Rocky Knob—and forces them to face the claims of Cassie Allan, a woman who says she is Gideon’s rightful wife.

As Gideon wades into the depths of his past choices, Lonnie is stunned by the revelations. She has no choice but to navigate this new path, knowing that surviving the devastating blow will take every ounce of strength  she has.

While Gideon’s guilt  and his bitterness towards Cassie threatens to burn up his fledgling faith, Lonnie wrestles to find the courage to trust the God who brought them together in the first place. Will their hard-earned love be able to conquer all?

Lonnie only wanted her husband’s love. Now that he belongs to another, can she surrender Gideon to a God with a bigger plan?

My Review:  This book was very hard for me to finish because it is so heartbreaking! Imagine: you finally get your husband to love you the way you deserve to be loved and he is ripped away from you! Joanne Bischof did an excellent job of describing the pain and heartache Lonnie and Gideon were feeling. You hurt along with them. Your heart breaks with theirs. While I don't particularly care for Cassie's parts in the story, you can't help but sypathize with her and feel her pain as well.

The message in the book is clear. God has a bigger plan for our lives and while we don't always agree with what's happening or see a way out, God does. We need to learn to lean on Him for everything. He can give us strength; He can give us peace in the midst of our storm.  This story shows Lonnie and Gideon struggling to find strength in God's wisdom and power which is something we can all relate to. I'm very anxious to see how the story ends with the third book, My Hope is Found.

You can purchase this book here: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/though-my-heart-is-torn-joanne-bischof/1113244454?ean=9781601424235

*I received this book for free from WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group through the Blogging for Books program for this review.*

CLICK HERE:
* to read the first chapter: http://waterbrookmultnomah.com/blog/2013/01/09/sneak-peek-though-my-heart-is-torn-by-joanne-bischof/
*to learn more about the author: http://waterbrookmultnomah.com/author-spotlight.php?authorid=157548
*to visit Joanne Bischof's website: http://www.joannebischof.com/

Be Still My Soul by Joanne Bischof

I am so excited to be reviewing this book for you! I received the second book, Though My Heart is Torn, from the Blogging for Books program. Naturally, I had to read the first book in the series before I could read the second! Without further ado, here is my review:

From Barnes and Noble:

Overview:

Night’s chill tickled her skin. Lonnie pressed her hands together and glanced up. He was even more handsome up close. Having grown up the shy, awkward daughter of Joel Sawyer, she’d hardly spoken to any boy, let alone the one who had mothers whispering warnings in their daughter’s ears and fathers loading shotguns.

Pretty Lonnie Sawyer is shy and innocent, used to fading into the background within her family, and among the creeks and hollows of the Appalachian hills. Though her family is poor and her father abusive, she clings to a quiet faith.  But when handsome ladies’ man and bluegrass musician Gideon O’Riley steals a kiss, that one action seals her fate. 

Her father forces her into a hasty marriage with Gideon—a man she barely knows and does not love. Equally frustrated and confused by his new responsibilities, Gideon yearns for a fresh start, forcing  Lonnie on an arduous journey away from her home in Rocky Knob.

My Review:  WOW! All I can say is WOW! This book is not a light read by any means, but it is fantastic. The description doesn't do the book justice.  It doesn't even come close to describing the emotion that is tinged in every word these two characters speak.  The characters are very well written.  Lonnie, even though she's used to "fading into the background" can be a little sassy and can hold her own when she has to.  Her faith is a "quiet faith" as the description states.  I wish I could have that kind of faith! Her aunt is her source of comfort, so when her father forces her into this hasty marriage and takes her away from everything she's ever known, "His eye is on the sparrow" is all the faith she has left! Gideon surprises me.  At times, he acts like he cares.  At other times, you want to punch him in the face. He is mean and VERY angry at the hand he's been dealt.  Through events in the story, you watch Gideon's faith take shape. I loved that about the story! He wants redemption, peace and slowly but surely, he finds it.

I cannot say enough good things about this book and this author! The plot moves along, not quickly, but not slowly enough to deter from the story.  The characters are real.  The author has a way of pulling you into their lives.  Gideon reminds me of the story of the prodigal son.  We all learn the same thing that Gideon did, as Gideon learns it. "Fear not: for I have redeemed thee, I have called thee by name; thou art mine."

GO READ THIS BOOK! You will not regret it! I am looking forward to reading the second book in the Cadence of Grace series, Though My Heart is Torn.

http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/be-still-my-soul-joanne-bischof/1108939519?ean=9781601424211

Claim by Lisa T. Bergren

Sadly, I finished the last book in Lisa T. Bergren's Homeward Trilogy Series, Claim.  I loved this series which includes Breathe and Sing (you can view these reviews on my blog as well). This is a fantastic series about God's love and the love of a family. Let's get to my review!

From Barnes and Noble: 

Overview:

Sent west by their father to make a new life, the St. Clair siblings have done so—but hardly as he’d wished. Beautiful, headstrong Moira, after pursuing a career on the Paris stage, has returned to Colorado Springs—older, wiser, and certainly much poorer—to see if there’s anything left of a relationship she’d left behind. Older sister Odessa and her husband, Bryce, are struggling to rebuild their ranch after a devastating winter. And then Nic, the prodigal son, turns up—broken, haunted, and sick about leaving his sisters.           
At last the family is reunited. But Dominic is still at loose ends, seeking a peace that has always eluded him. Only as he mines an old claim deep in the Rocky Mountains and begins a romance with a local schoolteacher does he begin to understand how passionately he is loved—by God, his family, and a good woman. But even as he relinquishes his fury, Nic discovers there is one last battle to fight…

My Review:  As I said in the beginning, this was a very satisfying end to a series about three siblings and their fight for their lives. This book focused more on Dominic and Moira's struggle to return home and seek what they have been trying to find for years - peace.  I loved reading about how God was working in each of their lives.  You could see God wearing each of them down and bringing them back into the fold.  But my favorite part of the story was watching Dominic grow to love, to learn to claim God's will for his life. That's what this book's subtle Christian theme was: claiming what God has in store for you and letting Him lead your life through faith in Him.

Lisa T. Bergren makes her characters believable  She makes them real.  She has a way of making the settings, characters, and plot feel so real and relatable. I admire that in any author. I really enjoyed this book, but I wish more of it was about Dominic. I felt like she focused a lot more on Moira than necessary, but that's ok. It didn't diminish my love of the family or this book. Go check it out! It's absolutely fantastic!

http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/claim-lisa-bergren/1100570547?ean=9781434702241

Upcoming Review:  Be Still My Soul, The Cadence of Grace Series #1 by Joanne Bischof

Sing by Lisa T. Bergren

Hello everyone! It's been awhile, I know. School... it just gets in the way. :p  I was finally able to finish the second book in Lisa T. Bergren's Homeward Trilogy Series, Sing.  Let's get to the review!!

From Barnes and Noble:

Overview:

Moira St. Clair has done exactly what her father forbade her to do: chased her dreams to sing on the stage. But even as her star rises, she becomes more vulnerable to those who wish to use her—or bring her down….

It is 1886, and the St. Clairs are living out their dreams in three very separate parts of the world—Paris, Brazil and Colorado. And while each has found a measure of success and joy, each is haunted by past sins and secrets.Once home in Colorado, the St. Clairs struggle to learn what it means to sing praise to God—even in the face of tremendous loss—and trust Him in all things, even when forced to fight for their very lives.

My Review:  This book was hard for me to get in to.  I found Moira to be self-centered, selfish, and immature.  I was also VERY disappointed at the choices she made in this book.  However, I took a step back for a minute and really focused on the message of Moira's story.  Aren't we all a bit selfish, immature, and self-centered sometimes? Who was I to judge (yes, judge a fictional character) Moira when I myself have been guilty of the same traits? After I came to that realization, I was able to get into the story more.  Moira made some bad choices. She, like everyone else, thought God was no longer interested in her and wouldn't want anything to do with her. How wrong was she!  Even after all she had done, God whispers to her "I AM grace." That gave me chills! I AM GRACE. Those three simple words. God wants us to realize that HE is grace and we need to sing praises to him and trust in him no matter what comes our way! Isn't it great to know there is one bigger than us to help us and to lean on in our lives?

It was nice to visit with Odessa and Bryce and Dominic again as well.  Odessa and Bryce face their share of problems in this book too, but Odessa faithfully reminds Bryce that God gives us life. This passage struck me enough to want to quote it for you: "But it is God that grants us life. We must praise Him, Bryce. Even when it's hard. Even when all seems dark. We must remember what is good, what is true, rather than believe fears and half-truths. That is how we cope with the day. That is how we keep living our lives the way He would have us live them, embracing them rather than just surviving them." Each character struggles to grasp the meaning of rejoicing and singing in the Lord's grace and mercy.  Each character continues to grow, and we get to watch all three of them evolve into the men and women the Lord is shaping them to be. Lisa T. Bergren provided another excellent book with well thought-out plots, intriguing characters, and enough action to not make it boring.  

Check it out here: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/sing-lisa-bergren/1100570546?ean=9780781404372

Upcoming review:  Claim (Homeward Trilogy #3)

Breathe by Lisa T. Bergren

Howdy folks! Boy, has it been an interesting week here. We had a huge storm come in on Thursday evening (when I first intended to post this blog) that knocked out my Internet. Friday, it was time to do my homework I had been putting off all week (boo!). So, now that I've finished my homework for the week, it's finally time to sit down and write this review! I've also been researching on Google+ and gotten some very good ideas to implement on my blog. So here it goes!!

This week's book is called Breathe by Lisa T. Bergren. I have not read any of her books previously, but downloaded the second book in the trilogy, Sing. Now, if you're like me at all, you can't just jump into book 2 of a series when you KNOW it's not the first one! So, I did my research and downloaded the whole trilogy (so look for review #2 within the next week!).

From Barnes and Noble:

Overview

Devastated by the loss of four sons to tuberculosis and his wife in childbirth, a Philadelphia patriarch sends his three living children west in 1883 to make a new life in the clean mountain air of Colorado Springs. Odessa is struggling to survive consumption; Moira is beautiful and dangerously headstrong; and pugnacious Dominic is charged with establishing a new arm of the family business-a business he doesn't want. Readers will love The Homeward Trilogy, in which the St. Clair siblings struggle to follow where the heavenly Father leads them. In Breathe, Odessa arrives at a famous sanitarium seeking a cure for the disease that killed her brothers. While Moira and Nic establish themselves in Colorado Springs society, Dessa inches her way back to health . . . and into love with a soft spoken fellow patient, rancher Bryce McAllan. When she witnesses a murder-in the very hospital where she is recuperating-and other patients begin to die, Dessa struggles to breathe again. She'd always expected to die young, but now that she has a reason to live, can she hold on to her fragile health to solve the mystery?

My Review:  This book is fantastic. It has it all. Love. Mystery. A touch of Christianity. It's the story of three siblings, told from all three points of view. I thought I might find this distracting, but I didn't. It actually added to the story and made you want to keep turning the pages to find out what happens!  When Odessa arrives in Colorado Springs, you're thinking, WE JUST MET THIS CHARACTER! IT CAN'T END ALREADY! And you're glad when it doesn't. The mystery is intriguing, the love story is sweet and subtle, the bond between the siblings is one I can relate to (having a sister of my own). I love how they affectionately call each other "sissy" and "brother." The Christian undertone of the book cannot be denied, but it's not overwhelming in any sense, and I related to each characters struggle to accept that God wants us to live, to breathe, and to accept his creations and his path for our lives, come what may. I loved the ending and am eager to finish the second book as well. The book is well written, the characters are just beginning to grow (as all three books will feature points of view from all three siblings) but are already lovable and I'm rooting for them. Overall, I really enjoyed this book and I hope you do too!

http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/breathe-lisa-t-bergren/1100570534?ean=9781434767080

Upcoming Review: Sing (Homeward Trilogy Series, #2)

The Girl in the Gatehouse

I am such a nerd. I finished a book on Thursday evening, and decided to re-read a book that I've not yet reviewed, and finished it LAST NIGHT! I was up until 3 am! Yes, I''m a little crazy... :)

The Girl in the Gatehouse by Julie Klassen is a wonderful book about God's forgiving grace and learning to not only accept that grace and mercy, but to forgive yourself as well. I love this author and I've read several of her books (though this is only the second review I've written for her, which I intend to fix!).  She always writes about issues that were not commonly written about back in that time period. Her characters are so real and relatable. The plots are interesting and captivating. She is just a great author!

This book introduces us to Miss Mariah Aubrey and Captain Matthew Bryant. Miss Aubrey has "fallen" from society and her father decides to hide her away so her shame will not ruin their family. She goes to live with her aunt at Windrush Court in the gatehouse. Mariah is a lovely heroine. She acknowledges her mistake and lives with the consequences. She is ashamed of herself, and like most of us when we sin, believes she has fallen so far even God couldn't want her still.

Captain Matthew Bryant has been trying to prove himself worthy of a certain "lady's" love and affection for the past four years. He is strong willed and determined, to a fault. He is also a very relatable character because his pride is what keeps him from acknowledging his growing feelings for Mariah, and then keeps him from realizing his mistakes (for a while anyways). Don't we all struggle with prideful ways? I know I do sometimes!

The character development in the book is believable and fantastic. I love seeing the slow transformation in each character as those around them teach them to accept the gift of God's forgiveness and to learn to forgive themselves in the process. Throw in a little mystery and some romance, and this book moved to one of my favorites!

I highly recommend this book, and I hope you all enjoy it too! :)

http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/girl-in-the-gatehouse-julie-klassen/1100203662?ean=9780764207082