The Kiss of a Stranger by Sarah M. Eden
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

3.75 stars. Cute book. A bit repetitious in places, but very clean and sweet. I can recommend Sarah Eden’s books to anyone who doesn’t want to worry about inappropriate content, but also wants something thought-provoking. This book touches on abuse. The ending is satisfying and happy, though. I liked it.

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An Ivy Hill Christmas by Julie Klassen
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

This definitely falls into the realm of Christian romance ... so you know it’s going to be squeaky clean. Uplifting, but slightly heavy on the “cheese” factor. I’m not a huge fan of super overt, in-your-face preaching, and this book got pretty close to that. And the ending was weird. Hence the three stars.

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First Date

First Date

by Krista McGee

2 stars

336 pages

Published Jan. 10, 2012 by Thomas Nelson 

 

If you like christianity being shoved down your throat and all things "The Bachelor," this book is clearly for you.

Now, I am a christian, but this book is just not my cup of tea. Every page has some religious ideology and prayer on it. Religion for me is a personal thing. I go to church - I enjoy it, but I don't want my beliefs turned into a YA romance filled with saccharine, eye-rolling and lack of plot. It may have helped if the writing was better and the relgious down-the-throat-shoving was toned down to just "religious overtones."

The only reason I gave it two stars is because there is no swearing, sex or bad stuff. And it obviously touts the benefits of christian thinking - forgiveness and love.

And I finished the thing. I guess that counts for something.

Serendipity

Serendipity (Only in Gooding #5)

by Cathy Marie Hake

2 stars

336 pages 

Published Nov. 1, 2010 by Baker Publishing Group

I was in the mood for a romantic novel, but I don't like all the graphic sex scenes, so I opted for a Christian version. I was quite happy with the lack of swearing and sex, but that's basically all the good I can say about this book.

It was booooring. And the ending was abrupt and did not satisfy many loose ends. But what bugged me the most was the mother-in-law. She was a horrible, horrible person. And for a Christian novel, I was surprised that the author did not offer any glimmer of kindness or charity in this character. All she did was berate, insult and degrade the woman her son had married.

I was confused, too, at the development of the love between the two main characters. It was choppy and terribly written.

I will not be reading any more books by this author 

The Swiss Family Robinson

The Swiss Family Robinson

by Johann David Wyss, Scott McKowen (Illustrations), Arthur Pober (Afterword)

4 stars

 

352 pages

First published in 1812

 

I tried reading this book with my kids, but the vocabulary was beyond my 3rd and 5th graders - this edition one of the first translations, so many, many words were archaic and out of use. I'm going to find an Illustrated Classic version to read to them, which I think they'll enjoy.

I loved this book, though. A lot of the flora and fauna which the Robinson family found on their island was improbable - elephants on an island? Bison? Plus so many types of birds. That many birds would mean being close to a major landmass, and hence in shipping lanes, and hence being found much sooner. But I loved the book anyway. I wish I could be as knowledgeable as Mr. Robinson - he had an encyclopedic knowledge of, well, everything. He knew how to make drawbridges, looms, treehouses, husbandry, farming, slaughtering and wide variety of animals, etc.

I can see why this book is a classic. It's a fun read.

A Sinner in Paradise

A Sinner in Paradise

by Deborah Hining 

4 stars

426 pages

Expected publication: Aug. 28, 2013 by Light Messages Publishing

When I picked up this ARC, I wasn't sure what to expect. Is it a romance? A smarmy cheesefest? A fictional memoir?

Instead, I found it to be an uplifting tale of a woman named Geneva who journeys from the throes of immaturity to a life filled with wisdom and humility by eschewing city life and returning to her roots in rural West Virginia. I was happily surprised with how much I liked it!

The writing was fluid and easy to read. I usually hate it when accents are phonetically spelled out, but the author Deborah Hining does it well. It’s actually easy to read. I could hear the accent in my mind.

The ebook had some punctuation problems, but that is easily overlooked in favor of the prose.

Hining has a knack for descriptive writing. Her descriptions of the mountain country where Geneva lives were beautiful, and they transported me to the times I have been in the mountains and experienced that natural splendor.

One theme of the book: every person in your life can be a source of knowledge. Every person on earth is equal, and they all have the ability to enrich your life. Geneva starts out looking down her nose at the “hillbillies” she meets and morphs into a woman who appreciates and loves them. She learns from every person that she meets.

There are religious elements to the story, but it only gets overly preachy two or three times, and those are towards the end of the book when the main character is discovering and trying to fix her flaws.

My favorite characters in the book are Lilly and Sally Beth. Whenever those two show up together in the prose, you know you are going to get some hilarious bickering. I loved it. I delighted in discovering that there was more to Sally Beth than a bickering cousin. She made me want to look at people differently.

One reason I gave it 4 stars instead of 5 is that the ending was a bit abrupt. All the concerns that Geneva brings up about her situation are not resolved satisfactorily.  The ending also leaves the other three men in Geneva’s life hanging – they were all in love with her. It seems unfair to leave them unhappy – they were all good men. There is also a smattering of mild swearing and premarital sex.

I can recommend this book to those in the mood for an uplifting, Christian book.

Thank you NetGalley and Light Messages Publishing for the opportunity to review this book.