Family Size by Maria Hoagland

Family Size by Maria Hoagland

"Jessica loves being the mom of an ever-expanding family, but when an ultrasound throws her a curve, can she adapt with grace?

Dragged away from home, Maya feels deserted by her workaholic husband in a land of confusing accents and church cliques. What will it take to acclimate and save her marriage—or does she even want to?

 

Sloane is an algebra teacher and runner who would give up both to be a mom, but no matter what she does, pregnancy remains elusive. Can she adjust her thinking and find purpose in her life?

 

As their lives intertwine, can friendship and faith help these women hurdle expectations of an ideal family size?" (summary from author's website)

Family size tells the story of three women going through trials. Sloane is the math teacher that just can’t get pregnant, Jessie the worn out mother, who has a pregnancy with dangerous complications, and Maya, who deals with chronic pain while her husband is often away on speaking engagements for his new book. I  thought the author did a really good job of dealing with a lot of sensitive issues very realistically and honestly. From prescription drug dependence to infertility and adoption she leads her characters through their trials with sincerity and realism that makes the reader relate to and understand their choices.

That being said I think the author relied too much on offensive comments to fuel the tension for her scenes. The trope began to feel old hat about halfway through the novel to the point that it started to feel unrealistic. Another thing is that I thought the author could have improved many scenes by giving the reader critical details to set things up. For example we are never told that Jessica’s husband is an OBGYN and we have to just infer that from the context. He is also part of the bishopric, I think, but that never really factors into Jessica’s point of view as a reason for why she is so overwhelmed all the time. That is kind of a significant impact on Jessica’s family and I thought that should have been treated as thoughtfully as the rest of the challenges in the novel. 

Despite these weaknesses I still felt like the book was a worthwhile read and would be willing to read more books written by the author.

Find out more about Maria Hoagland at her website.

Fresh Courage Take by Dean Hughes

Fresh Courage Take by Dean HughesThe United States turned a blind eye when the Mormons were driven from Missouri to Illinois and finally out of the country altogether. How can the government—and Brigham Young—now be asking the Mormons to come up with 500 able-bodied soldiers to assist in the war with Mexico? And how can Will Lewis be asked to join the Mormon Battalion when it means leaving Liz and their two little boys on their own in the wilderness? How many sacrifices will be required in order for the Saints to create Zion? And in modern-day Nauvoo, Jeff and Abby Lewis are facing challenges of their own. Juggling family priorities, professional responsibilities, and Church callings becomes and almost impossible feat. It is clear that building Zion in the latter days will require sacrifices, just as it did in the time of Jeff's ancestors. In this concluding volume of the Come to Zion trilogy, beloved novelist Dean Hughes provides a unique perspective on the struggles and sacrifices—and ultimate joy—of faithful Saints in any generation. (book jacket summary)

The story of Will and Liz continues in the third volume as they are chase out of Nauvoo and Will is called to serve in the Mormon Battalion. While we read about his long marches with no water, Liz is trying to survive in Winter Quarters without him. Finally, compelled to build her own house she manages to get her children inside for the winter. Jeff and Abby are facing their own challenges when Jeff decides to start his own handyman business, working from dawn till dusk to provide for his family. In this volume we follow the characters as they are pressed through their lowest times. I still really loved the honesty of the characters emotions in this book.  The ending of the book was sort of abrupt, but we couldn’t stay with the characters forever, I suppose. All the characters do make interesting journeys even if the ending leaves a lot of the rest of their saga untold. Hughes writes a story that is inspiring and relevant to our times. I would highly recommend this series to everyone.

House on Rose Creek by Jenny Proctor

The House on Rose Creek by Jenny Proctor


"Kate Sinclair wasn't planning on inheriting her family's 100-year-old farmhouse. She wasn't even planning on going back to Rose Creek. But when her aunt unexpectedly passes away, leaving her the house, she finds herself forced to confront her past, including the family she hasn't spoken to in years. 

When she finds a journal belonging to a distant ancestor in the attic of the old house, she begins a journey that reconnects her with her faith, her family, and herself. 

But trouble looms. Kate's new love interest, Andrew, has a past full of secrets. And the state department of transportation wants to bulldoze the old farmhouse for a highway project.

Will Kate be able to see through Andrew's past? Most importantly, will she find a way to save her house and hold onto the fragile threads that tie her to her family?" (Summary from author's website)

 

So, I really enjoyed the House on Rose Creek.  One of the main plot lines does center around a non-member who eventually joins the church, which just happens to be the religion of the main love interest. I know this plot trope gets a lot of negative reactions because it has been done a lot and sometimes not all that well. However, I felt that Proctor did an excellent job with the story. Kate has real and compelling reasons to investigate the church. After finding the long forgotten journal of her ancestor in the attic of the house that her aunt left to her after her death Kate finds herself thinking not only about God, but about her family connections. Just as she begins to settle in and decides to rebuild her ties with her family, she discovers that her house is in danger of being torn down by the city so they can build a new freeway. To make matters worse her aunt’s death caused Kate to miss the paperwork that would have allowed her to appeal the decision. So, she has to discover a way to save the house that has been in her family so long and that has become her new home. In addition, to the conversion and house plotline there is also a sweet romance with Andrew.  The romance plotline felt a tad predictable to me and I didn’t enjoy it as much as the other plot threads, but over all this was a really enjoyable read with interesting characters and dilemmas that kept me reading until the last page.

Visit Proctor's Website

The Witnesses by Stephanie Black

The Witnesses by Stephanie Black

“Welcome to New America, where patriots are traitors and religion is a crime. After government agent Daniel Lansbury fakes the executions of three believers on national television, he and the fugitives Alisa Kent, Ian Roshek, and Ian's sister, Jill face the perilous task of outwitting President Amanda Ryce and her power-hungry Council long enough to escape to freedom. While a government reformer is on their side, rigorous new security measures thwart any chance of aid. And Daniel's estranged father, Marcus, an underground terrorist leader, is hatching plans to sabotage the breakable trust between Daniel and Ian and put himself in power at the head of the nation. As faith and loyalties come under fire, the fugitives struggle to stop Marcus and his zealous terrorists and bring to light the wrongs committed against the citizens of this fragile, fledgling nation.” (summary from Deseret Book)

  I was super happy when I discovered that The Witnesses was a direct sequel to Black’s previous novel The Believer. I reread the first book so I could remember the plot for the second book. The novel leaves off right where the first left off, which surprised me a bit. I was looking forward to seeing more of the world and how things had changed in her future, but it turns out that her characters were never able to escape New America and the corrupt government. The strain of staying in hiding is threatening to tear apart the fragile bands of loyalty the group only just forged. It doesn’t help that Marcus Landsbury is still out there making plots to take over the presidency, and is still trying to manipulate his son. With the way things are going it is only a matter of time before Ian, Alisa, Jill, and Daniel are caught. What they didn’t expect was that their capture may be the key to getting the reforms that they wanted all along. I really liked experiencing another adventure with these characters and seeing how they were able to change their country for the better even if it happened in a way they would never have expected. I love how layered and complex Black’s characters are, especially her villains. She did a superb job of showing their motivations and revealing their fascinating decisions. I really enjoyed getting back into this intense dystopian world.

Visit Stephanie Black's Website

Proceed with Caution by Betsy Brannon Green

Proceed with Caution by Betsy Brannon Green
"Brooke Clayton is in trouble. Deep in the shadowy woods outside Nashville, the young activist stumbled on something she was never meant to see something she can never reveal if she values her life. Now, as an unknown enemy closes in, she must take drastic measures to disappear. Brooke s only hope for survival is to accept help from her uncle, Major Christopher Dane, and his team of highly trained operatives. Dane entrusts his niece s safety to one of his most reliable men, Hunter, aka Owl. Brooke and Owl go into hiding, posing as a married couple volunteering at a Civil War reenactment site. As Brooke comes to trust her protector, their connection deepens and their cover relationship begins to feel all too real. But when danger encroaches on their make believe world and explosive truths are revealed, Hunter and Brooke risk everything to expose the discovery she tried so hard to escape and as peril looms ever closer, it s too late to proceed with caution.” (Summary from DB)

Alright, so I wanted to switch things up a bit and Covenant has added me to a list of book blog reviewers and so I snatched this one right up, hoping it wouldn’t be a romance. Alas, I am not to escape, not at all! This one is firmly in the romantic suspense category. I still enjoyed it. I believe the book is a spin-off of other characters in her Hazardous Duty series, which I never read. On occasion, this felt awkward as if I were left on the outside of a few inside jokes among a close group of friends. I also had a hard time getting through the first chapter that felt more cliché and kind of info dumpy because I wasn’t really invested in the characters you were obviously already supposed to care about. Still, the plot and character relationships are understandable and I got invested in the story pretty quickly after that.

My favorite part of the book is when a pair of the characters have to go undercover at a civil war reenactment experience resort. This of course is when the romance line went full swing, and really it was so much fun, and sort of hilarious. I wish I could have spent the entire rest of the book at the fun resort, but alas there were bad guys to elude and dangerous missions to undertake. So, despite the rough start I ended up enjoying this book and the varied, entangled plots that ensue.

Visit Betsy Brannon Green's website

Love in the Darkness by E.M. Tippetts

Love in Darkness by E.M. Tippetts
"Alex had everything when he was with Madison. But the darkness within him wouldn't go away.

After two years apart, he returns to Pelican Bluffs and to the girl he never wanted to leave. Madison wants to give their love another chance, but Alex can't fight fate.

He is what he is.

Ruined. Crazy like his mother. And Madison deserves so much more. When his secrets spill out into their small town, Alex has a choice to make. Hide away in the darkness forever, or let love in."

So, I was a tad bit hesitant to read this one at first, but I’m glad I did. I’m not really a fan of stories told from the point-of-view of insane people, because things can get kind of crazy. Too crazy, but Tippetts seems to find the perfect balance between making Alex’s schizophrenia seem real and still gives her main character a solid and likable personality. Alex’s biggest fear is becoming like his mother who hits every stereotype of raging lunatic possible— irrational paranoia, hearing voices, escaping the house to wander the streets, not recognizing her own son.  With the help of his friends and a good psychologist Alex has some hope of keeping his mental breaks under control. That, however, doesn’t mean he’s ready to let the girl he loves marry him. Yet, Alex isn’t sure how long he can avoid Madison when she is so determined to be with him.  Alex doesn’t know how he can accept her love or carve out a future for himself when his illness makes everything so uncertain. It is very interesting to watch Alex struggle through his problems and see the strengths and skills that he has help people in their lives despite everything. I thought this was a really uplifting read and did an awesome job of portraying a character with mental illness as a real and well-rounded person.

Visit Tippetts Website

Through Cloud and Sunshine by Dean Hughes

Through Cloud and Sunshine by Dean Hughes
Nauvoo was supposed to be the kingdom of God on earth, but Will and Liz Lewis are learning that it takes more than dreaming of Zion to make it a reality. Sickness, poverty, and just plain human nature add to the struggles for the Lord's people, but every now and then a glimpse of heaven shines through. Just when things are starting to get settled, though, the old problems start rearing their heads, leaving Will and others wondering if they will be there to reap the harvest they have so carefully sown. Meanwhile, Jeff and Abby—in modern-day Nauvoo—are dealing with challenges of their own. As their newborn baby fights for his life, they must come to grips with their personal faith. Can they, like their ancestors, continue to trust in God when there seems to be no trace o Him in their trials? Beloved novelist Dean Hughes skillfully interweaves the stories of two couples separated by five generations and 150 years, providing a unique perspective on Church history and showing how much we can learn from those who went before us.

  I really enjoyed this continuation of this series by Dean Hughes. Will and Liz continue to work hard in Nauvoo to build Zion. Yet, they begin to suffer persecution from other citizens in the county. The Prophet Joseph’s life is in danger and rumors about plural marriage abound. Meanwhile, their descendants Abby and Jeff are dealing with the birth of a son with a heart defect. The little guy goes through open heart surgery at only a few days old. His parents have to wait for agonizing amount of time to see if the surgery will heal the little boy’s heart. I love some of the themes that Hughes pulls out in this narrative. I love how honestly he acknowledges that death hurts us terribly even with the light of the gospel. I also love how his characters when faced with crises in faith don’t automatically question God, but also consider adjusting their expectations. Will chooses charity over prosperity even though he desperately wants to give his wife a nicer home. He’s reminded that people are more important than nice houses. I also love how Hughes made Jeff struggle with his intellectual tendencies to question everything in the church. I love how he realizes how useless his intellect is but at the same time still struggles with the fact that he doesn’t feel whole without asking his questions and trying to discover answers. He tries to find meaning in service and finds joy in his callings, but one still gets the sense that he has more to discover about himself and the gospel. I am interested to see how Hughes explores this dichotomy in the next volume.

The Wind and the Waves by Dean Hughes

The Wind and the Waves by Dean Hughes

"Will Lewis is stuck. the class system in England in the 1840s seems destined to keep him in his place as a poor tenant farmer who cannot improve his lot and will never be able to marry the woman he loves. But the "new religion" that is sweeping through congregations of the United Brethren, Will's church, may hold the key to the better life he longs for. As he listens to the preaching of Wilford Woodruff, he almost dares to hope for the Zion the young Apostle describes.
Will's struggles to believe and to face the rigors of immigrating to an unknown land are paralleled by the modern-day story of Jeff and Abby, a young married couple facing challenges of their own. When Jeff begins digging into his family history, he finds himself particularly drawn to "Grandpa Lewis," an ancestor whose life was more like his than he would have imagined.The skillful interweaving of these two stories brings Church history to life while demonstrating how much we can learn from those who went before us. Anyone who has ever faced the winds and the waves, in some form, will love this novel."

 

I know there are a ton of church history novels that are set in England and whose main plot center around conversion and traveling to Zion. Yet, this story was fleshed out so well, and gave an amount of detail about the life and opportunities of tenant farmers  that I found myself immerse in the historical narrative and the road blocks that it put solidly in the  main characters path. Indeed, I also loved how patiently Will had to wait for the Lord to answer his prayers. I loved how even when he did set out to Zion he wondered if he was making a mistake.  The characters felt so human as they dealt with their trials and struggled with their faith. 

The story lines about Jeff and Abby however did not impress me as much. Their situation was not ideal, but they never had to struggle hard for a backup plan. Their shelter was provided by parents or by an acquaintance who offered to let them live in their house when they were on a mission. So, while their situation was not what they planned and slightly uncomfortable, they did not experience the type of highs and lows that were in the parallel historical storyline.  This made their story feel weak in comparison to Will's experiences. Though, I loved the idea of them connecting to their family history to find strength and reassurance at a difficult time.

Overall, despite the fact that Jeff’s storyline wasn’t as strong as their historical counterparts I still really enjoyed this novel and was really touched by the themes and character experiences explored in the book. I think Hughes did an excellent job crafting this story and portraying both the heights of faith and struggles of mortality.

Letters in a Jade Dragon Box by Gale Sears

 Letters in a Jade Dragon Box by Gale Sears

Truth. In mainland China from 1949 to 1976, truth is all but eradicated, suppressed and supplanted by the iron will of Mao Tse-tung. Millions of people suffer untold anguish as their history, their culture, and their lives are brought under communist rule. Many flee to Taiwan and Hong Kong.

Letters in the Jade Dragon Box is the story of one such refugee. Chen Wen-shan is sent, as a young girl, from mainland China to live with her great-uncle – a former general in the Nationalist Chinese army who was one of the early converts to the LDS Church in Hong Kong.

At the death of Chairman Mao Tse-tung, fifteen-year-old Wen-shan receives a mysterious wooden box that holds a series of beautiful painting and secret letters that reveal the fate of the family she has not heard from in more than a decade.

These letters shed light on a time and a place where, despite all odds, truth refused to be broken. (jacket flap summary)

So I know this book won a Whitney Award for last year, but really I was just blown away by how well the author pulled this book off. I felt like I could hold this book up to any national market novel in the same genre and subject matter and it would still shine like a gem. This book is so beautiful. The language it uses, the images it provokes, and the heart of its characters touched me deeply on so many levels. It is obvious that the author put a lot of thought and hard work into portraying Chinese culture and history, as its little details are woven seamlessly throughout the novel and make the character’s world seem so real and immediate. Just go read this book now.  I would recommend this novel to everyone.

                                 
Visit Gale Sears Website

The Guy Next Door by Kate Palmer

The Guy Next Door by Kate Palmer

On the surface, Eva Black's life seems practically perfect. The small-town kindergarten teacher is set to wed ambitious lawyer Sean Langley, and their plans for a dream wedding are well underway. Eva accepts that she will soon live life in the spotlight as a member of the prestigious Langley family, but can she overlook her fiance's tendency to dominate the details of her life and push the limits of her standards?

Mere weeks before the wedding, Eva is thrown into a traumatic, life-changing event that changes her view of family commitment and creates a sharp contrast between her ideals and Sean's. With her engagement to Sean in jeopardy, Eva finds herself relying on the support and encouragement of Peter, her kind and attentive next-door neighbor. Faced with a choice between her penitent fiance and the increasingly mysterious Peter, Eva is unprepared for the consequences—and peril—that come with her decision. (amazon summary)

I really liked the way the author wrote the two love interests in The Guy Next Door. Sean was a decent smart guy that Eva could have built a life with. I like that he and Eva disagreed, but  that he never really turns evil. He kind of is a jerk when Eva adopts her baby niece Melody, as he had a different opinion about children than she does, but he doesn’t ever turn into evil guy. I like how the author shows the layers of their relationship to the reader so you can see the strengths as well as the weaknesses of it so the reader finds it believable that they break up without being cliche or too melodramatic.

I found it refreshing that Peter wasn’t the typical cookie cutter Mormon love interest. He’s got long hair, a goatee, and a suspicious job. I liked how the author showed how comfortable Eva felt around him and found their love story to be super sweet. Though, I found it a bit unbelievable that Eva wasn’t more suspicious about his job, and thought that should have been less of a big reveal, as I felt it was obvious. Perhaps there could have been some hints as to non-disclosure contracts and all that to give Peter more of a reason to stay silent about his “consulting business.”  I just felt like he should have given her a more solid reason as to why he wouldn't discuss his work.

Other than that I was sad that the novel was over. I wanted to read more about Peter and Eva and the special relationship that was blooming between them. I wanted to discover if they really found one another as compatible as they first thought, and how Peter’s job turned out.

Overall, I really liked this unique romantic suspense novel that portrayed unique and layered relationships. I am glad that I had the opportunity to participate in the blog tour and receive a e-copy for review.  

As part of the tour, Kate is generously offering a grand prize giveaway of a copy of The Guy Next Door plus Junior Mints (Eva’s favorite candy), and a copy Eva’s lemon chicken recipe.

To enter to win these prizes, simply fill out the Rafflecopter form provided. (Each tour stop will have the same Rafflecopter form)

• Open from October 2 to November 2.
• Must be 13+ years of age to enter
• US mailing addresses only

Earn entries by doing any/all of the following:

• Leaving a blog post comment
• Liking Kate’s Facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/KatePalmerAuthor)
• Tweeting about the giveaway (once per day)
• Subscribing to Kate’s blog (http://www.katrinapalmer.com/)

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Castles in the Sand by E.M. Tippetts

Castles in the Sand by E.M. Tippetts

“Madison Lukas knows her place in the world. She's not pretty, not interesting, and therefore easy to forget.

John Britton has been praying for fifteen years to find the sister he lost in his parents' divorce. She is beautiful, talented, and makes kindness a fine art.

When John and Madison cross paths, he recognizes her at once, but Madison is certain that he's got it all wrong. Even if she is his long-lost sister, she can't possibly be the exceptional, amazing girl he thinks she is, can she?” (summary from Amazon)

 

I found the premise of this book so interesting at first glance. A missionary finds his long lost sister while on his mission. Madison doesn’t even know she has family other than her mother who is so obsessed with her pottery that she doesn’t have time for Madison at all.

 

Yet, her mother confirms it. John Britton is indeed her long lost brother and now that he has found her he is not going to let her go. Though Madison is annoyed at first by his emails and messages she comes to rely on his encouraging words and in them she finds the strength to make better decisions for herself. As Madison is not Mormon she makes decisions that aren’t really all that pretty, especially when she doesn’t consider herself worth all that much, but I was happy to read about how she finds the strength to stand up for herself.

 

Once again I loved the way E.M. Tippets gives each character in her novel such honest weaknesses. Even her picture perfect Mormon characters feel like real people with such human flaws. Yet, her characters are not evil or bad people--just real. It is so refreshing to read about real, complex, and deep characters in any genre this days and Tippets does it with real skill. 

E.M. Tippetts Website

 

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Paige by Annette Lyon

Paige by Annette Lyon

After a bitter divorce from her unfaithful husband, Paige moves from Utah to California with her two little boys and vows to make a fresh start. She finds a job at a dental practice that helps her get back on her feet, but it’s the friends she makes at her new book club who help her realize how strong she is and who give her support to carry on as she faces the challenges of being a single mom. She also meets Derryl, a wonderful, kind, attentive man who treats her right—something her ex never did. Yet, Paige struggles to figure out who she is as a woman rather than a wife, how to help her boys adjust to a broken home, and whether she can ever trust a man or love again. As Paige leans on the book club ladies and Derryl’s ever-present care, one thing becomes clear: healing from the past requires more than a change of address.   

After reading two other books in the Newport Ladies book Club I not exactly sure what to say about Paige. The plot is much similar to the other two books in that many of the major events are the same, and several others were hinted at in the storyline in Daisy’s novel. The book is different in the fact that Paige is a divorced LDS woman having a hard time finding a place to fit in, and so she joins the book club to find friends. She becomes close to Daisy, who also knows what it is like to be a single mom.

She also starts dating a non-member named Derryl who serves as the love interest in the book. He is kind and handsome and endearing, but I was kind of disappointed not necessarily in the fact that Derryl and Paige didn’t get together, but in that he seemed kind of pointless to the plot. Since Derryl and Paige don’t get together his sole meaning in the narrative to teach Paige that she needs to break up with him so she can spend more time on herself, spend more time with her kids, and aim for marrying a Mormon. Except for these are all the kind of surface answers that were basically no brainer from the beginning.

So, I am disappointed in the fact that the character arc in this story fell flat for me. I feel like the book ends where it should have started at the beginning.  The story  made me feel like the character just ran in a huge circle, and didn’t really make any real forward progress at all.

Despite my complaints Lyon maneuvers her character smoothly across all the major plot points of the series with perfect timing and transitions.  Paige is a good character, and the conflicts she faces are well developed and engrossing. I cared about her as a person, and empathized with her as a mother, and enjoyed reading her story.

For more info on the series visit the Newport Ladies Bookclub Blog

The Hidden Branch by G. G. Vandagriff

The Hidden Branch by G. G. Vandagriff   
"Paul Mardian is a shining example of the American dream. The grandson of an Armenian immigrant who fled to the United States during the genocide of 1915, Paul is a self-made industrial tycoon and one of the most eligible bachelors in the country. But the dream is shattered when Paul turns up dead and his valuable collection of ancient Armenian artifacts goes missing. Hired to find the murdered man’s heirs, professional genealogist Alexandra Campbell and her sidekick, Briggie, are brought to the swanky beaches of Southern California and a community of Armenian relatives who all seem to be hiding a secret. When another family member is suddenly murdered, Alex discovers there is more at stake than an unclaimed fortune or missing antiques, but piecing together Paul’s complicated family tree may be more dangerous than she ever anticipated. Author G. G. Vandagriff combines mystery, suspense, and romance in this page-turning thriller!" (description from deseretbook.com) 

I liked the change in Alex’s character, much less mopey and more interesting to read about, now that she isn’t so angst ridden by her past. I felt the mystery in this story wasn’t as compelling as the others in the series. I think this in in part because the cast may be so huge or that the initial stages of the mystery were so chaotic. It seemed like there were many random clues and there were so many family members to keep track of and eventually three different crimes that had to be linked together. So while the mystery seemed frustrating to me at first I really did like how the author characterized the family members and I found them all pretty interesting. The setting made this book a perfect end of summer read, and I got caught up in the plot despite my earlier feelings that it got off the ground slowly.

Visit G. G. Vandagriff's website 

Daisy by Josi Kilpack

Daisy by Josi Kilpack

Daisy never had an easy time raising her children as she did most of it herself. She first got pregnant as a teen with a boyfriend who refused to marry her. Relying on her family she worked her way through high school and found herself a good job and life. Ten years later she finds herself pregnant again and unmarried, though this time her boyfriend decided to at least try marriage. Several years later the marriage fails and Daisy find herself as a single mom once again. Now that her older daughter is expecting a child and her younger daughter is in the last year of high school Daisy is very ready to move into a new phase of her life without children.  Both she and her husband Paul are counting down the days until they get the house and their time schedules all to themselves.

Then Daisy starts to get signs that she is pregnant, and offends her daughter so badly that she decides to go live with her dad. She realizes that perhaps her view on life needs adjustment, as she goes through the struggle of accepting her new pregnancy she learns to embrace the opportunity to be a mother again.

At first I was worried that it was going to be awkward to read four books that were interrelated over many of the same events and time period, but I think this series manages to make the characters with diverse enough lives and situations that they manage to keep the story interesting.  Daisy the second novel released in the Newport Ladies book club tells the story of a main character, who is very different from Olivia in the first book.  

It was interesting to read about how Daisy reacted to the events in the book group as she did have a unique take on all of the conversations in book group.  Being in a stage where she thought it was weird she was having pregnancy signs when she was certain she wasn’t pregnant lent a lot of new tension to scenes I was already familiar with. It was also nice to get to know a few more details about others in the book group. Daisy interacts with Paige on a more regular basis, for example, although she knows little about the struggles others are going through.

 I really loved the balance the Kilpack was able to strike in the book. The main character was not a Mormon but her friend Paige was. This lead them to have a few interesting conversations about god and Mormonism, but not in a context that was missionary in tone. Their conversations were really natural and were meaningful without being info dumpy.  I also loved the balance the author was able to achieve in the ending.  This book does not have a very happy romantic ending, but it was still an uplifting read. I loved that about this book.  The ending was not fairy tale perfect but at the end of it I felt really proud of the way the main character had navigated the most recent crises in her life. I felt like she was moving on to better and happier places. Daisy had come to understand the most important priorities in her life and was willing to accept the changes (good and bad) that her new mindset would bring.       

 To find out more about this series visit the Newport Ladies Book Club website

Daughters of Jared by H.B. Moore

Daughters of Jared by H.B. Moore

"Naiva, daughter of the dethroned King Jared II, lives in the shadow of her privileged elder sister, Asherah. But when Asherah develops a secret plot to return their father to the throne, Naiva’s resentment turns to fear. Thwarting the scheme becomes more complicated when Naiva discovers that Akish, the first man who has shown interest in her, is an integral part of the plan.

Asherah traps Akish in a ploy to make him marry her, breaking Naiva’s heart and leaving her feeling more alone than ever. Somehow Naiva must find the strength to stand against the encroaching evil in the kingdom and a sister who will stop at nothing to become queen. When Akish’s wickedness escalates and threatens to destroy the bonds of sisterhood, Naiva must decide between protecting her sister and honoring her new belief in the true God—a forbidden belief that could cost her life."

The Daughters of Jared is H.B. Moore's newest historical fiction. After writing a series of books that followed the chronicle of Abinadi, Alma the Elder, Alma the Younger, and Ammon, she turns to a another time period in the Book of Mormon. The book of Ether outlines the dramatic rise and fall of kingdoms and the wickedness of those who sought for power. H.B. Moore weaves a story from the life of Asherah.

One of the things I really enjoyed about this book was that is was told from the point of view of Naiva, Asherah's fictional little sister. While Moore has shown herself adept at weaving tales from the point of those who make wrong decisions in their lives. It was nice to read the story of someone who while not a saint or even a believer in the gosple, hadn't set out to live a life of wickedness. In fact, I found Naiva's integrity and strength of character refreshing. When Akish decides to marry her elder sister, though he admits he is really in love with Navia. I really love the fact that Navia refuses to look at him as a romantic interest any longer, and builds her own life.

Once Asherah and Akish are married the consequences of Asherah's foolishness become more and more apparent. As times wears on Akish becomes more cruel and power hungry. Navia must decide whether providing her sister and her children with protection is more important than escaping to make a new life as a believer with  Akish's brother, Levi.

This is my favorite of H.B. Moore's books that I have read, and I really loved how she has improved at adding little historical details, which always added such a cultural ambiance and vivid details to her novels, in more nuanced and natural ways. I really felt like her skill in this arena has improved and made the reading of the novel more immsersive and smooth.

Visit H.B. Moore's Website

   

Paint Me True by E.M. Tippetts

So a couple years ago I read a new release by E.M Tippetts. Loved the cover, loved the story, loved the writing. Then I discovered that she had a falling out with her publisher over some contract details and I was sad because it didn’t look like I was going to read any books by her for a long time. So, I was thrilled when E.M. Tippetts contacted me to let me know that she had a new book out, Paint Me True. This time she had decided to indie-publish.
Paint Me True by E.M. Tippetts

The story of Eliza a thirty-year-old looking for love in a singles ward begins as she is breaking up with Len, her boyfriend for the last six months. She thinks he was going to propose and instead he throws her a celebratory break up dinner instead. With her pride hurt, Eliza limps back to her life as an artist, paining in an empty house that her stepmother can’t sell in the housing market.

Then she receives a phone call from her Aunt Nora in England, who has broken her arm and refuses to get treatment because she doesn’t want an x-ray. Eliza, having lost her mother, two sisters, aunts, and grandmothers to cancer because of a genetic mutation that runs in the family, packs and leaves everything to help the last living female relative in her family. While dealing with her aunt’s stubborn attitude toward all medical institutions Eliza paints scenes for Nora of her deceased husband to keep her motivated and strong.   As in all good plot lines not everything about Nora’s life is as it seems, as her medical conditions complicate, and her noisy relatives reveal past secrets, Eliza learns about true love, friendship, and how to change after making a huge mistake. 

My Review:

The breakup scene was hilarious and I empathized more with Len than I did with Eliza, who really was a rather shallow thirty one-year-old. It was pretty obvious that she looked down on Len for some of his nerdy and sloppy habits. Still, despite the fact that it seemed like this guy hadn’t bought himself any new clothes since his mission his genuinely caring personality comes out. Therein lies the genius of this romance novel. Even when Eliza is in Britain dating a hot new doctor, the reader’s heart is commiserating with the lonely soft-hearted computer/gamer geek back in the states.

In fact, it becomes rather clear that Eliza has made a huge mistake but if she thinks it is going to be easy to get Len back she has got another thing coming. E.M. Tippetts turns romance tropes on their head by switching gender stereotypes as Eliza now has to be the one who wins the guy back after her huge lapse in character judgment. In this touching novel characters are painted with true and realistic personalities that make them memorable, lovable, and endearing.  I laughed out loud, felt the deep loneliness of the single life, and was strengthened by Eliza’s patient faith in the face incredible trial.

The formatting of the book is beautiful with lovely chapter headings and a professional cover. As I reader I didn't like Eliza at first, as she is kind of a jerk but I think the novel does a good job of making her sympathetic by showing that she is willing to grow and change. There were a few typos, and there was a mistake when Eliza’s home teachers gave her a blessing. They sealed the blessing even though it was only a blessing of comfort and counsel and not a healing blessing. Despite these mistakes I loved this book and I am thrilled that I get to read another LDS Fiction work by E.M. Tippetts again.

Her next book is coming out in December, Someone Else’s Fairytale. According to her blog it will be free the entire month of December. So be sure to pick it up and sample this wonderful author’s work. I hope you love her work as much as I do and purchase, Paint Me True.

And don’t forget! It is Whitney nominating season!

Visit E.M. Tippetts Website

Cross My Heart by Julie Wright

It was Easter last Sunday and so I decided everyone in the house got a book and some candy. Except Sera— she, of course, can’t have candy, but she did get a book. (Olivia by Ian Falconor) The husby requested I don’t want to kill you by Dan Wells. So, while I shopped online for an Easter book for me I settled on Cross My Heart by Julie Wright. I had read the first chapter on her website and was so incredibly charmed that I could not resist. Since I had a good excuse to buy a random book just for me it became my girly Easter purchase.
My husband laughs at me when I read girly books (read: chick lit novels), and this book was full of enough drama, romance, and humor to keep me entertained. I even skipped my afternoon nap for this one. High praise indeed from a sleep deprived mother of an exhausting newborn.
This book snatches you from the first pages with the witty, and sometimes scathing voice of the main character Jillian, a successful designer at an advertising agency. She fled her literary hometown—Boston to escape her fiancé, Geoffrey. He stole one of her ad ideas and got a promotion based off of it. She ended up in L.A. until her boss transfers her back to the Boston office with a mission to uncover who has been stealing the ad agencies accounts.
On the way there she meets a dentist named Allen, who has recently been dumped by his girlfriend for a hotshot advertising guy. She soon discovers they are connected in an unlikely way. Her fiancé is engaged to his girlfriend, but she will have to discover if this connection will help the form a relationship or only stand in their way.
As stated before the voice is charming, and I really liked the main character Jillian. She was hilarious, smart, and sympathetic. She really makes the entire book, and the plot has several enjoyable comedic twists that makes the romantic comedy genre so much fun to read. Sometimes, you just need a drama fest to feel better about life! So, if you are looking for a light, fun romance. I would totally recommend you pick up this book.


Author's website

Bumpy Landings by Donald J. Carey

Bumpy Landings by Donald J. Carey

"All his life, Jordan MacDonald has dreamed of taking flight and soaring above the majestic mountains of his native Hawaii, but he doesn’t dare disobey his mother, who has absolutely forbidden him from flying. Suddenly everything changes when, spurred by the pain of a failed relationship, Jordan begins working toward the coveted pilot’s license. Just as he finds love again, Jordan’s lies start to close in around him, and he soon learns that a life full of dishonesty attracts more turbulence than he’s ever faced in the air.

Set against the exotic backdrop of the Hawaiian islands, this thrilling tale of romance and self-discovery is a perfect vacation from the average love story. Join Jordan as he tests the limits of friendship and finds out just how far his dreams can carry him. Entertaining and engaging, Bumpy Landings will take you to new heights with each turn of the page." (summary from novel backliner"

The author does a good job helping us sympathize with his main character, Jordan, who is fresh off his mission and ready to use the techniques he learned there to become less insecure and shy. He finds varying success as he tries to pursue girls on BYU—Hawaii’s campus. He really is quiet nerdy, and a bit spineless, but is still quite lovable because he tries so hard.

His main antagonist is his mother who forbids him from pursuing his dream of becoming a pilot, and tries to break up his relationships with girls she doesn’t like. She was a rather nasty character, and easy to hate. But Jordon wants her approval and so lies to her about take flying lessons, and stays in a bad relationship far too long as a result.

When he is finally caught in his lies he must face up to what he really wants despite what others may think. Bumpy Landings reads like a typical college romance story, but is made unique by the Hawaiian setting and the fact that is told from the point of view of a male protagonist. The ending did seem a little predictable (it is a romance novel after all.), but the characters are drawn realistically, and you’ll root for them, flaws and all.

I did enjoy reading about Jordan and his challenges; the Hawaiian setting was fun and refreshing, and there was enough conflict in the plot to keep me hooked into the story. Overall, a nice read for those that miss the sunshine, and wish they were out on the beach.

To find out more information about Bumpy Landings visit the Donald Carey's website.

Pocket of Guilt by Dora Lee Thompson

Pocket of Guilt by Dora Lee Thompson

"The Schulz family, all members of the Mormon church, is trying to survive in Germany, during and after WWII. When Hitler invades Poland and the war officially begins, the family is quickly feeling its strain, as they have less and less food to eat. Anna Schulz often stands in line for hours, only to find the market shelves empty. This becomes the least of her worries though, when, one by one, the men of the Schulz family head off to defend their country. The story follows Dieter, the middle son, just 10 years old when the war begins, as he learns to cope with the war around him. Read about his stubborn streak and spontaneity, and how it gets him into trouble, how he defies Hitler's law by giving aid to a Jew and subsequently finds himself in the biggest trouble of his life, and what happens when he has to decide between loyalty and love. Will Dieter ever be able to forgive himself for all of the things he has had to do to survive the war, or will he have to live with his guilt forever?"

I enjoyed reading Pocket of Guilt for the most part, but there were more than one instance in the book where the author made it pretty obvious that this was her first book. I think she tried to tell too much story in one book, and the story would have been more enjoyable as a series. There are many story lines in the book, and many of them aren’t fleshed out very well. I would have loved to see a trilogy here. One book could have dealt with the beginning of Nazi persecution against the Jewish population and how Dieter and his father tried to help them. An entire other book could have been written on Dieter’s new addiction to stealing food and other items to avoid starvation and his path to redemption. Another volume could have dealt with how Dieter got Leo, an orphaned Jewish boy to safety in the middle of a huge war, and without catching the notice of a nasty Hitler Youth bully.

As the book stands it has all three of the above plot lines plus three romance stories, and other little side trips. The most developed character is Dieter, but we also get points of view from his family. I felt like some of these points of view were inserted randomly just so the author could get more historical information put into the book, which made a lot of scenes feel forced. There is also a scene where the author inserts a biography of Adolf Hitler that sounds like it comes from a 21st century textbook rather than a teenaged Hitler youth giving a report to his classmates.

The book is only 300 pages long, but felt much longer, because of how many story lines the book contains. With that being said I really felt like I came to know Dieter and his family, and I cared about what happened to them. It was interesting to read a book from the point of view of and LDS family in Mannheim, Germany during WWII. The advantage of the book all being one novel is that we get to find out what happens to Deiter and his family. We get to see the family at their highest and lowest points, and we get to see them slowly recovering after the war also. The timeline of the book covers from the beginning of the war to the end of the war, and a little bit after during the American recovery.

So, I felt like too much happened in this book, but that the characters were interesting, the story told from a unique angle, and most of the writing was enjoyable. So, this is not a perfect debut, but still an okay read.

Visit Dora Lee Thompson's website

Alma the Younger by H.B. Moore

Alma the Younger by H. B. Moore

"As night falls, a scarlet-robed man emerges from the temple and a hush falls over the waiting crowd. Studying the hooded figure with enmity, Alma recognizes that this is the man who incites rebellion among the people of Zarahemla. This is the man who dares preach from the very place where King Benjamin uttered his final blessings upon the people of the church. Defiling the tower with his very presence, the man who embodies evil raises a hand to silence the drums, then calls to his followers through the eerie quiet. And that’s when Alma realizes the terrible truth: this man is his son.

Alma the Younger, son of the aging high priest, once was taught by the wisdom of prophets. Now the young man is a thief — ensnared by the wiles of strong drink and harlots; a bitter dissenter determined to overthrow the church, to lead the people into new “freedoms.“ He has gathered a strong army to create a revolution, which only begins with the desecration of the temple and will escalate to calamity once he captures King Mosiah’s daughter. But en route to his malicious mission with his royal henchmen, Alma is halted by an unexpected opponent: an angel of the Lord, a messenger of the very God he has sought to defame. And what unfolds is a story of miraculous redemption, a story building on the poignant Book of Mormon account to show how even the vilest of sinners can be transformed by the Savior’s amazing grace."

H.B. Moore has created another detailed scriptural retelling of the life of Alma the Younger. Using historical research based on Mayan cultural traditions she makes her characters setting and daily life seem very relatable and life like. I think she does a really good job at this and I enjoy the little details about food, hunting, and other traditions that give her stories a rich background. Alma’s bad decisions are the main basis for the plot and Moore has obviously put a lot of thought into the reasons and motivations behind Alma’s apostasy. The main bulk of the writing focuses on this part of Alma’s life, and I sort of wished she had spent a bit more text focusing on the conversion of Alma and the sons of Mosiah after they had seen the angel. In specific I wish she could have added more detail for their motivations to go on missions to the Lamanites. That part of the story seemed a bit rushed to me. Yet, I think she did a good job of showing that Alma’s and the sons of Mosiah’s actions had consequences, some of which they could never fix.

Moore said that a major challenge to portraying Alma’s character was the fact that it was hard to create a character the reader could care about as he went around doing bad stuff, and I think she did a good job of making him likable despite his faults, but around the middle-end of the plot I kind of got impatient for his conversion to come, and was ready for the focus of the plot to change. As a result this wasn’t my favorite scriptural retelling story, but I found that I did gain some new insights into motivations behind apostasy and the historical details of the scriptures. Moore ultimately delivers a thoughtful and useful scriptural retelling that matches up to the quality of her previous novels. This novel includes a map, author preface, character chart, historical chapter notes, and a selected biography.

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