A Love Surrendered by Julie Lessman: Book Review

ISBN: 978-0-8007-3417-6
Revell - $14.99
Release date: October  2012

About the book:  Orphaned in Iowa, Annie Kennedy moves to Boston to stay with her spinster aunt. She longs for romance to fill the void left by her parents' death. But when she falls hard for Steven O'Connor, the man who broke an engagement to her sister, Annie is worried. Will he break her heart too when he discovers who she really is?

My thoughts: Set during the 1930s Prohibition era in Boston, the story gives the reader a look into the decadent life of speakeasies, bootlegging, wanton living, easy women, and callous men.  We also are given a good look at the strength of an extended family that shares faith in and love for God and their interaction with each other and their reaction to the challenges of daily life as it is well presented by the author.

Our leading lady, Annie Kennedy is straight from small town life and she wants to experience a more exciting life than she has known thus far.  In fact, her older sister had previously lived in Boston and shared all the glitz and glitter it had to offer the young and uninhibited.

Older sister Maggie had previously been involved with Steven O'Connor who is now the man of interest in the young Annie's life.  But he declares himself as having only a big brother interest in Annie and tells her not to be involved in the wild life that Boston offered and to protect her innocence.

There is lusty magnetism involved between Steven and Annie and they both struggle to maintain control of themselves. 

The strength of family and faith in God of the O'Conners, extended family of the older Marcy and Patrick, is encouraging to read.  However, I found that in my opinion the book contained too much detailed lust and struggle with passion for the Christian fiction market.  Though there were no overtly graphic scenes in the book, I personally would not encourage this as a read for a young high school girl.  Realistically, I know this is "what is out there," but I prefer a more gracious rendering of the story rather than the passionate kisses and touches that we should be encouraging the young Christian to avoid.

The story evolves with a good ending in that the couple comes to grips with surrendering their lives to God and to His leading instead of surrendering themselves to the heat and passion of the moment.  Hence the title A Love Surrendered! It is a well written book with very nicely developed characters who you could almost see and hear as you read their story.  

About the author:  Julie Lessman is an award-winning author whose tagline of “Passion With a Purpose” underscores her intense passion for both God and romance. Winner of the 2009 ACFW Debut Author of the Year and Holt Medallion Awards of Merit for Best First Book and Long Inspirational, Julie is also the recipient of 14 Romance Writers of America awards and was voted by readers as “Borders Best of 2009 So Far: Your Favorite Fiction.”  www.julielessman.com

DISCLOSURE:  I was provided a complimentary copy of A Love Surrendered by Revell a Division of Baker Publishing in exchange for a review expressing my honest opinion.  I was under no obligation to render a positive review.

"The Boy Who Was Raised by Librarians" by Carla Morris, Illustrated by Brad Sneed: Review & Giveaway

Hardcover: $16.95
Peachtree Publishers
ISBN: 978-1-56145-391-7

This is a cute and cheerful book about a young boy who loves books, is curious about any and everything, and who spends lots of time in the library asking questions of his favorite people - the reference librarians.  His insatiable curiosity takes him beyond the pages of books as he finds his interests in the world outside (bugs), his school activities, and life in general.  But as his exploration of life and the outside world lends itself to opening doors of wonder and question, he takes his curiosity back to the library and to the reference librarians.

In this book, we find a child who is not afraid to ask the adults for help.  We see the adults (reference librarians) every ready to assist the eager, seeking child in finding knowledge withing the scope of the books and resources they have organized so beautifully in the library.

 "They couldn't help it.  That's how librarians are."

Melvin, sees first hand that organization and order are paramount to his learning and his finding what he needs.  He seeks that the skills of his reference librarians center around keeping the library organized and ready for folks to use.

This is a good book and I recommend it because the illustrations are bright, llively, and engaging and the teaching qualities of libraries and librarians as good sources for children to have as places where they can find answers to many of their curiosities.  

However, I do find the author's premise that a child goes to the library every afternoon after school daunting.  Children need frequent access to libraries but daily "public library" visits may be a bit much.  So parents reading this picture book with their child should be ready to counter the argument of "Why can't I go by myself?" when it presents itself.

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DISCLOSURE:  The good folks at Peachtree Publishing provided a complimentary copy for me for rending my review. Opinions expressed are solely mine and I was not obligated to give a positive review.  The giveaway copy is also provided by Peachtree Publishing and will be sent directly to the winner by Peachtree.

Author: Carla Morris is a children's librarian. She lives in Utah.

You can visit Carla Morris’s website.

Illustrator:  Brad Sneed has illustrated almost twenty picture books, some of which he has also written. His titles include The Boy Who Was Raised by Librarians, Mr. President Goes to School, and When Wishes Were Horses. He lives in Kansas. You can visit Brad Sneed’s website.

Pacific Beach Peanut Butter™ - Review & Giveaway

Travel back a bit in time with me, if you will.  When I was a young mother (I'm a Southern Lady of-a-certain-age now) and my five children were growing up, we had "supermarkets."  But we also had the "corner" grocery where the meat market was a local butcher and he knew you and your family by name.  They had short aisles, a few various grocery items, fresh produce and you could grind peanuts in the store into your own jar you brought from home.

Once you got this old-fashioned peanut butter home, you had to be careful to stir it every time you used it, because it would separate with the peanut oil on top.  It was just peanuts ground up.  You could stir in a little salt if you wanted to, but it was stiff-stuff to stir.  It was wholesome.  And, it could become  rancid because there were no preservatives in it.  But it really didn't last long in a large family that tended to cook peanut butter cookies on a regular basis and serve-up lots of peanut butter and jelly sandwiches.

Those days of grinding your own peanuts in the store are for the most part gone.  But you can still find great tasting peanut butter that takes you back to that you-grind-it-yourself flavor. That is if you get yourself some Pacific Beach Peanut Butter!

They have perfected the method of grinding Valencia peanuts (their choice for best quality and taste) and varying it with some add-ins that really give it a gourmet kick.  Right now I have some chocolate raspberry peanut butter, some toffee peanut butter, and some cinnamon peanut butter.  Pacific Beach Peanut Butter sent these flavors to me in an absolutely beautiful and understated navy blue gift box with a gold elastic band closing it.  Inside was yellow shredded packing paper to cushion these delectable jars of peanut butter.  A beautiful and great tasting treat. (My package also had a cute silver Pacific Beach spoon included!) Don't you just hear this package shouting to you, "Give me to someone you love!"?

I have been enjoying each of these treats.  They are all crunchy, rich in distinctive flavor, and full of nutritious goodness.  I truly can't pick a favorite. I thought my favorite was the chocolate raspberry until I tasted the cinnamon.  Truly a hard choice.

These peanut butters are thick but you can spoon them out and eat them "as is" or you can follow the directions and heat a little to restore the right spreadable consistency.

I challenge you to treat yourself to this very nice gift for yourself.  But it might also be a really nice treat for the peanut butter loving person in your life to gift them with a truly enjoyable gourmet twist to his or her peanut butter. Order here!

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ GIVEAWAY ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
(USA only - ENDS OCTOBER 9 AT 12:01 a.m. EST)
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DISCLOSURE: I was provided a package of 3 jars of Pacific Beach Peanut Butter in order to render my honest review.  Pacific Beach Peanut Butter will also provide the winner's prize package and ship it directly to them.  All opinions express are my own.

"Bear in Love" by Daniel Pinkwater Illustrated by Will Hillenbrand

When you first pick up Bear in Love you will fall totally in love with these delightful, loveable, gentle illustrations of bear as he ambles along through his day.  Illustrator Will Hillenbrand has portrayed bear as a gentle giant and loveable critter for the young child to whom you will be reading this book.

Most children have a stuffed teddy bear that they already love.  So it is somewhat an understatement that they love bears already.  Well, here is another that they will love.  There are teddy bear stories abounding in libraries and book stores - example:  Winnie the Pooh, that beloved Pooh-bear.  So it is not a far stretch to say that the child in your life will fall in love with 'bear' in Bear in Love.

Author Daniel Pinkwater understands children and what they like to hear and see in a story.  So he has created a gentle bear who awakens to a gift from an unknown friend.  A friend he wants to engage.  A friend whom he, too, tries to befriend with a gift.

Amble along with bear as he discovers his new friend.  Enjoy the beautiful illustrations.  Have the child to whom you are reading this book discover details in the art and in the story that enlighten and teach.  Enjoy!

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DISCLOSURE:  I was provided a complimentary copy of this delightful hardcover book by Candlewick Press for the purpose of rendering my honest, unsolicited review.  I was under no obligation to speak positively of the book.  The prize copy for the winner of the giveaway is also provided by Candlewick Press and will be shipped directly to the winner by Candlewick.

Balance Bar 'Bare' - Review & Giveaway

 

The good folks at Balance have graciously provided a box of 3 assorted flavors of the Balance Bar "Bare" for me to try and let you all know what I think about them.  I really believe these are my "most-favorite" Balance Bars to date.  And I rank the three flavors as #1 - Sweet & Salty Chocolate Almond, #2 - Sweet & Salty Peanut Butter, and #3 - Blueberry acai.  But that is just a matter of personal preference.  They are all REALLY GOOD!

Sweet, meet Salty. Salty, meet Sweet. Rich chocolatey flavor spends quality time with real almonds and whole grain oats. Our Sweet & Salty Chocolate Almond Balance Bar is a delicious combination that delivers all the energy you need.

Nutrition at a Glance:

• 15g Protein
• 200 Calories
• 6g Whole Grain
• 5g Fiber
• Excellent Source of Antioxidants
• 19 Vitamins & Minerals

 
Real roasted peanuts and creamy peanut butter flavor combine with the whole grain goodness of rolled oats to provide a perfectly balanced sweet and salty Balance Bar snack, with energy to spare.

Whole grain nutrition and hearty rolled oats meet a burst of blueberry and acai fruit flavor, offering lasting energy for any activity – with a sweet finish that satisfies your taste buds.

The nutrition of each of these is basically the same.  Lots of protein, fiber, antioxidants, and vitamins and minerals.  Good stuff for you! Get the real low-down on nutrition on these bars at http://balance.com.

I shared some of my treasure trove of "Bare Bars" with my son and his wife.  They live and eat very healthy and exercise to stay fit.  These are right up their alley!  You should have seen the grins on their faces when I said, "Have some!"

I love packing these in my desk drawer at work for when I have a low moment or simply work past lunch.  Keeps me feeling like I'm not so hungry and it is also a "feel-good-to-eat-this" food for me.

GIVEAWAY

My friends at Balance Bar are also graciously providing a GIVEAWAY for one of my readers to win.  Simply follow the RAFFLECOPTER giveaway guidelines.  GIVEAWAY ends October 2 at midnight EDT.
a Rafflecopter giveaway
DISCLOSURE:  BalanceBar provided my box of Balance Bar Bare for me and my family to sample and for me to render my honest opinion in this review.  They are also providing a box of the same for one of my readers who will be chosen from among the entries using Rafflecopter.com and a random selection.

"Mortal Fire" by C.F. Dunn: Book Review

Paperback: 384 pages
Publisher: Monarch Books (3/2012)
ISBN-13: 978-0857212023

About the book:  When Emma D'Eresby - a 29 year-old, self-contained Professor of History - leaves her Cambridge college for a post in an exclusive university in Maine, USA, she hopes to learn more about a curious 17th-century journal in the College library. Instead, it leads her to a secret that should never have been uncovered. In the States, Emma meets the enigmatic 33-year-old surgeon, Matthew Lynes, a quiet and thoughtful widower. Driven to learn more about him, Emma takes the unique journal from the College library in which she believes there are clues to his family's English past. Meanwhile, the sinister Professor Kort Staahl mounts a psychotic attack on her. Matthew's courageous intervention saves her, but as he nurses her back to health, his unusual attributes raise questions he is unwilling to answer. As Part One ends, she returns to her claustrophobic family, avoiding her domineering father and wrestling with despair ...

My thoughts:  I found the book interesting and perplexing.  I found very little connectivity between "The Journal" and the plot except for the fact that the heroine's main reason for accepting the position in the USA was because it housed the original "journal" a transcribed portion of which held her interest since childhood.

The introduction of each character is slow but thorough and lends to the surface flow of the story.  However, the slow progression of the story almost lost this reader before I could engage in the seemingly main idea.  This main idea is truly not one that you can really grasp as it is most elusive in nature.  In fact, where the title "Mortal Fire" gets its genesis is lost to this reader.

I did finish the book and ultimately I found it quite interesting.  It seems as though the "hero" of the story is somewhat supernatural, not human, or most rare and unusual at the least.  There is not a clue as to why he is different, he just is.  He is certainly a gentlemanly and kind individual of many talents and strengths.

I found this read in the land of academic interesting because they being highly educated individuals are ultimately pretty normal folks after all.  But some really interesting personalities were revealed in the characters Ms. Dunn created for Mortal Fire.

I am sensing connection between the "hero," The Journal, and the dying grandmother (wife of the grandfather who introduced our heroin to "The Journal."  Only future books will reveal if this is indeed so.

I am not overly fond of books in a series unless they can still be read as "stand alone" books.  This one literally begs to be finished and the promise of completion only seems to be in the upcoming sequel, "Death Be Not Proud." 

The genre is Christian fiction thriller or mystery.  There is an element of Christian emphasis in the book, through not strong.  The heroin is a Christian and endeavors to let her faith in Christ be her guide and her strength.  There is an element of evil and danger, of love and romance, of friendship and avoidance, and of family love.  There is also the element of things seemingly being non-Earthly or other-Worldly.

Would I recommend it? Let's just say I could recommend it.  The author, C.F. Dunn, certainly has a gift with words and the telling of a story. Mortal Fire is just a bit different from that which I normally read - even when I'm ready for a heavier read instead of the lilting light reads that you settle down with when you need to simply relax.  I do think I would like to read the followup book/s.  The cliff hanging ending has just simply whetted my appetite.

Watch the video trailer here!

About the author:   C F Dunn runs a special school in North Kent for children with dyslexia, autism and other difficulties.  For more information check Ms. Dunn's website here.


DISCLOSURE:  I was provided a complimentary copy of Mortal Fire by C.. Dunn in order to participate in a blog tour sponsored by Kregel Publications and render an honest review.

"The Quill Pen" by Michelle Isenhoff: Book Review

The author's historical fiction has always flowed flawlessly with beautiful wordsmithing bringing wonderful word pictures to the young readers who have chosen to read her books.  The young reader will inevitably learn new vocabulary as well as true historical fact and descriptions of settings when they read a Michelle Isenhoff novel.

However, The Quill Pen, while set in a long-ago seaside village is not historical fiction per se it is a venture into fantasy.  You see, the quill is a feather pen of magical qualities - it is capable of writing without true ink events and happenings of the future and they do transpire as written.

Micah is a young teen boy held under the domineering and stoney thumb of his unfeeling father.  Micah wants a different future from that which his father has planned, and Micah sees how the feather/quill pen can be the instrument of his attaining this different future.

Characters in the story:  Widow Parsons, a sharp-tongued lady; Gabby and her family, outcasts from village society because of an issue of race; Micah, tormented by the possibility that he will have to accede to his father's planned future for him.

Middle school readers will find themselves enjoying the conversations and actions of the characters as they are exposed to the beautiful, fluid writing style of Michelle Isenhoff.

I enjoyed reading The Quill Pen but was expecting more of a historical fiction from the pen of Ms. Isenhoff.  I usually do not read fantasy, but found this fantasy enjoyable and I would recommend it.
DISCLOSURE:  I was provided a complimentary copy of The Quill Pen by the author in exchange for my honest review.  All opinions expressed are my own.