Book Review: Stealing the Preacher by Karen Witemeyer

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On his way to interview for a position at a church in the Piney Woods of Texas, Crockett Archer can scarcely believe it when he’s forced off the train by a retired outlaw and presented to the man’s daughter as the minister she requested for her birthday. Worried this unfortunate detour will ruin his chances of finally serving a congregation of his own, Crockett is determined to escape. But when he finally gets away, he’s haunted by the memory of the young woman he left behind–a woman whose dreams now hinge on him.

For months, Joanna Robbins prayed for a preacher. A man to breathe life back into the abandoned church at the heart of her community. A man to assist her in fulfilling a promise to her dying mother. A man to help her discover answers to the questions that have been on her heart for so long. But just when it seems God has answered her prayers, it turns out the person is there against his will and has dreams of his own calling him elsewhere. Is there any way she can convince Crockett to stay in her little backwoods community? And does the attraction between them have any chance of blossoming when Joanna’s outlaw father is dead set against his daughter courting a preacher?

Okay friends who know me..get laughing at the title of this one out of your system.

Now onto the review. Bethany house seems to have a habit in of being the one with..missing F’s and some various other letters in the books with the Early copies. Again another one I happily got from Net Galley which I am happy for but gah it is hard to read the word coffee over and over again without the f’s. Hopefully it has been corrected in the final copy.

Jo and her family are the kind I can see myself sitting around with and enjoying some good laughs. They are hard working ranchers, although Jo’s Dad and her adopted Uncles were once outlaws. They however were not the kind that ever harmed anyone and only took enough to survive and for the last 16 years have been reformed, except when Silas steals Crockett Archer off a train for his Daughters birthday. Yes I personally laughed at that as well.

Crockett ends up forgiving his kidnappers and because what happened to him basically lost him the job he was going after takes up preaching in the small local church that Jo was so desperately trying to find a preacher for. It seems a little bit idealistic but it fits with the character we learn about Crockett and brings the whole story together. This was a good read with enjoyable characters that I am going to remember for a while.

My Gemstone Rating:

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Book Review: The View from Garden City by Carolyn Baugh

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Author Carolyn Baugh tells the moving story of a young American student living in the Garden City district of Cairo. Having come to study Arabic, she learns far more from the Egyptian women, young and old, she meets within the swirl and tumult of Garden City. Living, loving, and flourishing amid the fierce inflexibility of tradition, these women reveal a fascinating world of arranged marriages, secret romances, and the often turbulent bonds between four generations of Arab mothers and daughters.

Meet the women of Garden City:

Huda, who waited desperately for the man she loved until she could wait no longer
Karima, who found her husband in a collapsing post-war world
Afkar, who paid a dreadful price for her freedom
Selwa, who suffered through the deaths of her children
Yusriyya, who left her native village for a new life in the city
Samira, who loved a man who was not hers

Rich with the sights and sounds of modern Egypt, The View from Garden City lifts the veil of privacy to explore the stunning inner strength of women torn between their dreams for the future and the sacrifices women must make in a world of harsh realities.

This is a read that I was conflicted about from the first couple of pages. The writing style put me off a little bit because it is not what I usually enjoy personally. Some of the actions that take place seemed to me a little bit off putting as well or not what is normal. There is a disclaimer from the author however that does explain that. Now those complaints aside it is a good book overall.

My favorite character I think is Huda. She at times is immature but really she is just a flawed person trying to deal the best she can with what life has given her, what one of us doesn’t do that? The scenes are painted vividly and you can almost hear the noise, smell the traffic and the spices and everything that unfolds before your eyes. This one gets a middle of the ground rating for me, but it was not a total waste of time I think if your someone who could deal with the tense it is written in better then me you will really enjoy it.

My Gemstone Rating:

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Book Review: The Art of Racing in the Rain by Garth Stein

- Ambrosia 2 Comments

Enzo knows he is different from other dogs: a philosopher with a nearly human soul (and an obsession with opposable thumbs), he has educated himself by watching television extensively, and by listening very closely to the words of his master, Denny Swift, an up-and-coming race car driver.

Through Denny, Enzo has gained tremendous insight into the human condition, and he sees that life, like racing, isn’t simply about going fast. On the eve of his death, Enzo takes stock of his life, recalling all that he and his family have been through.

A heart-wrenching but deeply funny and ultimately uplifting story of family, love, loyalty, and hope, The Art of Racing in the Rain

I laughed, I cried I gave this book the not easy to get this year 5 gemstones from me. If I had more to give I would give it more! This is a fantastic book that has everything in it that makes for a good and emotional story. You will follow the life of Denny and his family, the ups and downs through the eyes of the loyalist friend of them all, Enzo the dog.

Having dogs myself and having always had them since I was a young child it is not hard to imagine the thoughts as they go through Enzo’s head. I have often wondered if my dogs are thinking the same thing and with some expressions they get I give them their own voice. Like Denny I often have conversations with my dogs. What true pet owner doesn’t? I think the only thing missing in the whole of things that Enzo takes on is what he would have done if there was also a cat in the house.

The events that take place in this story are so emotional. From Denny struggling to become what he wishes in his career, to his marriage, the child and his wife dying of brain cancer. As if that was not bad enough the Grandparents scheme to take his child away. All while Enzo ages but stays loyal, and shows us what is going on as a dog would see it. This is a must read for anyone.

My Gemstone Rating:

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Book Review: Trouble in Store by Carol Cox

- Ambrosia 2 Comments

Fired from her most recent governess position, Melanie Ross must embrace her last resort: the Arizona mercantile she inherited from her cousin. But Caleb Nelson is positive he inherited the mercantile, and he’s not about to let some obstinate woman with newfangled ideas mess up all he’s worked for. He’s determined to get Melanie married off as soon as possible, and luckily there are plenty of single men in town quite interested in taking her off his hands.
The problem is, Caleb soon realizes he doesn’t want her to marry up with any of them. He’s drawn to Melanie more every day, and he has to admit some of her ideas for the store unexpectedly offer positive results.

But someone doesn’t want the store to succeed, and what used to be just threatening words has escalated into deliberate destruction and lurkers in the night. When a body shows up on the mercantile steps–and the man obviously didn’t die from natural causes–things really get dangerous. Can Melanie and Caleb’s business–and romance–survive the trouble that’s about to come their way?

This was another fun read fro Bethany House. It was the first one that I have read by Carol Cox and I have to say that I enjoyed her writing style. Melanie is the kind of Lady I picture I might have been back in the days of the wild west. She sets her mind to a task and goes for it, not letting anyone stand in her way and is determined to be a woman of independent thought and means. While she may have despaired at her initial loss of job at the start of the story she did not dwell on it long and picked herself up and headed off to make the best of life that she could.

Caleb and his son Levi made me laugh several times and overall this really is a fun, fast read. Again there seems to be some editing issues with the missing of the letters F in almost every circumstance like the last Bethany House read that I read, but I did get an early copy so again hopefully it is corrected in the final draft. It did not take away from the writing and plot of the book making it a good, not overly complicated read.

My Gemstone Rating:

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Audiobooks.com

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So this summer I plan to do a lot more biking, and walking and things that will take me away from my library and so away from my books. I asked myself but how can I keep on top of my reading while I do this? I mean you all know how I am an addict to my books it would be a shame to miss out on quality reading time because I am going outdoors more. Enter Audiobooks.com! It offers a monthly subscription rate of $24.95 a month, which I find very affordable considering it is the price of one new hardback and you get a lot more value packed in. Audiobooks.com let’s you download Audio books for your Ipod or other Mp3 player easily. They have all the best sellers you could imagine and just an overall big variety of books.

Now if the ability to download as many audiobooks as you want for that monthly fee wasn’t enough, this site has another perk that sold me totally on it. I found a few other Audiobook sites that had comparable pricing and the downloading, what it did not have was the ability to download books in text to your kindle as well. I love the dual purpose of this site and the fact that there is well over 10,000 titles that you have access too. If you want to try it out before you buy it the site offers a Free seven day trial where you can download and listen to as many of the books that they offer as you want. If your someone that is new to using a subscription website or audiobooks in general (like me to both!) it is a great way to try it out make sure you love the offerings and how the service works before committing to the contract. There is also a feature where you can choose to download one book at a time instead of a subscription if you only plan on listening to a book once in a while. Overall I think if you try it, you will like it, a great tool for any reader.

Teaser Tuesday 6/11/13

- Ambrosia 1 Comment

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

• Grab your current read
• Open to a random page
• Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
• Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

“It’s snowing Papa!” Levi’s voice rang with glee as the fine wood shavings cascaded over his head. “You said we might not get to see snow again once we moved to Arizona, but I’m making it snow now. Watch me!” ~ 8% Trouble in Store by Carol Cox

Musing Monday 6/10/13

- Ambrosia 4 Comments

Musing Monday is hosted over at Should Be Reading.

 

Musing Mondays asks you to muse about one of the following each week…

• Describe one of your reading habits.
• Tell us what book(s) you recently bought for yourself or someone else, and why you chose that/those book(s).
• Tell us what you’re reading right now — what you think of it, so far; why you chose it; what you are (or, aren’t) enjoying it.
• Do you have a bookish rant? Something about books or reading (or the industry) that gets your ire up? Share it with us!
• Instead of the above questions, maybe you just want to ramble on about something else pertaining to books — let’s hear it, then!

I am sure I have covered this one before but it has come up again. I know that an advanced copy is going to have some mistakes, but really do they even look at them at ALL before release them? The last couple of Ebooks I have been reading that were advanced to me (which I am grateful for) have once again been so covered in mistakes it makes them hard to read. Thankfully in the ones I have been reading recently it seems to be mostly a case of missing certain letters like F and not as bad as some others in the past, but I mean come on.

Book Review: The Quarryman’s Bride (Land of Shining Water #2) by Tracie Peterson

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Emmalyne Knox and Tavin MacLachlan were destined to be together…until the tragic deaths of Emmalyne’s youngest sisters. Family tradition mandates that the youngest daughter should remain single to care for her parents in their old age, and now that daughter is Emmalyne. Her father unyielding, Emmalyne surrenders to her duty, heartbroken. Tavin leaves town, equally devastated.

Years later, Emmalyne’s family moves, and she and Tavin meet again. Their feelings for each other are as strong as ever, but their painful past and Emmalyne’s father still stand between them. Soon both families are in the midst of the growing conflict rising between the workers at the granite quarry that Tavin’s father owns and operates. When a series of near-fatal accidents occur, Tavin must figure out who is behind the attacks before someone gets killed.

Bound by obligation, yet yearning for a future together, can Emmalyne and Tavin dare to dream that God could heal a decade-long wound and change the hearts of those who would stand in the way of true love?

This is the second in a series of books by Tracie Peterson that takes place in 1800’s Minnesota. I am always drawn to books that take place in my home state because I tend to know the places they are talking about and can understand much of the culture and trends that are going on. Emmalyne’s family is of Scottish origin and has a lot of the old traditions, like the one that forces her to take care of her parents and give up the engagement to the love of her life Tavin.

The story itself for this was one good, and emotional taking a lot of turns and a family as well as the people as individuals all learned how to grow and love. The biggest lesson learned by this book is that it is never to late for love. Whether it is love of a man and a woman who wish to marry, or the love of a father. I am looking forward to reading the next of this series, because the characters are so enjoyable and loveable. Tavin by far was the one who I most connected with.

My one and only complaint and I am sure it is because I got an early copy from Netgalley (very glad to have it as well!) is that there were a lot of formatting errors that needed correcting. F’s were missing among other things. Otherwise it was a perfect read.

My Gemstone Rating:

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Book Review: The Secret Bride (In The Court of Henry VIII #1) by Diane Haeger

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Mary Tudor, the headstrong younger sister of the ruthless King Henry VIII, has always been her brother’s favorite-but now she is also an important political bargaining chip. When she is promised to the elderly, ailing King Louis of France, a heartbroken Mary accepts her fate, but not before extracting a promise from her brother: When the old king dies, her next marriage shall be solely of her choosing. For Mary has a forbidden passion, and is determined, through her own cunning, courage, and boldness, to forge her own destiny.

The Secret Bride is the triumphant tale of one extraordinary woman who meant to stay true to her heart and live her life just as her royal brother did- by her own rules…

Mary Tudor is one that is not often talked about unless there are whispers about her marriage to Charles Brandon, or they are talking about her not overly historical portrayal on The Tudors. Diane Haeger creates a great story of the events of young childhood through to adult hood of Mary Tudor and it all takes place from her point of view. From the loss of her Brother Arthur, to her parents to watching as her Brother becomes a fine King in his own right, but then also begins down the path that he is most remembered for. How many Mistresses and Wives he had.

The story is solid and entertaining weaving a good amount of fact with in the fictions to keep it very interesting. There are a few points that drag on a little bit slow but over all it is an entertaining cover to cover read. A good read for the Tudor era.

My Gemstone Rating:

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