Redemption & Restoration

Redemption & Restoration

Jul 20, 2013

Popular by Tindell Baldwin

Release Date: June 21, 2013
Publisher: Tyndale
Pages: 238 pages
Source & Format: NetGalley; e-ARC
Amazon | Goodreads

Summary (from Goodreads)

Tindell Baldwin's words best describe her passion and this book:

"My heart is for teenage girls because my story is much like so many of theirs. I was just a girl who made a lot of mistakes. I was a girl who had sex before marriage and then had a broken heart. I was a girl who was desperate to be popular. A girl who, like so many others, didn't know the dark side of sin. So my aim is to reach teenage girls, and through an honest account of my darkest sins, show them what they are up against. My heart is that teens would hear my story and flee to Christ. My greatest desire is that God would be glorified above all else."

Through a two-part journey ("Dark" and "Light"), Tindell describes how she said goodbye to her family's God and pursued popularity at all costs while climbing the social chain in high school. During a night of partying, she even encountered the man suspected of killing Natalee Holloway in Aruba. But God did not leave Tindell. The "Light" part of her story shows how she reconnected with God, changed her ways, and discovered abundant and real life through Christ.

Thoughts on Popular

Although I'm not a teenage girl and not necessarily the target audience for this book, I knew I wanted to read Tindell's story. She grew up in a family with parents who loved each other, loved Jesus and raised their kids to glorify Him. I was actually familiar with her brother's name because he is a well-known worship leader at a church here in Georgia. So, I was intrigued and wanter to hear her story.

In her teenage years, Tindell started rebelling against her parents and their rules. She didn't see anything wrong with the choices she wanted to make, and she wanted to be liked by others. Her desire to be popular caused her to turn her back on the things she'd been raised to believe. In her memoir, she calls this period "Dark." Tindell doesn't hold anything back in telling her story. She's honest and vulnerable, and you can absolutely see her heart on every page. It almost reads like a diary, and I think that made this a particularly powerful section of her book.

In the "Light" section, she describes her life and her heart after she'd truly come to know the Lord. It almost brought me to tears when she talked about finding forgiveness and grace because you can see her joy. It's truly a transformation! I was struck by a line that talked about how God forgives sin, but He doesn't take away the memory of it. I could feel her pain and regret, but her made her journey to redemption all the sweeter.

For anyone who feels like they've gone too far or made too many mistakes, Tindell brings a message of hope, of love and of restoration. But she's also honest about the consequences of her choices. Her book didn't read like a warning message to teens. It felt like someone sitting down over coffee and just sharing their story and pouring out their heart. She talks about finding a truly fulfilling life - one that isn't about the rules but is rooted in a relationship. Popular is like a conversation put to paper.

If I have anything negative to say about the book, it's only that I don't know if teens who are actually making these same choices would read it. While I think they could likely relate to the emotions and experience she describes, I don't know that they'd be open to taking the time to read Popular. Either way, I think her message would resonate with them if they did.

On so many levels, I loved this book. While I've had different experiences in my life, I still found her relatable and refreshing in her honesty. Tindell knows that she's not perfect and has truly seen the power of grace in her life.

Popular is a powerful testimony, and I love how God can use Tindell's story to touch others' lives. I think it's incredibly courageous of her to put her darkest moments out there for the world to see, and I hope that others will be touched by her message of redemption and grace.

So Quotable

"God has never won people over with dos and dont's; He wins them over with His compassion and love. And then, after He wins their hearts, He guides them to a more fulfilling life. The rules are nothing; the relationship is everything."

*I received a copy of this book from Tyndale in exchange for an honest review. I was not compensated in any way for my review.

READ POST

A Rip Roarin' Ride

A Rip Roarin' Ride

Jul 19, 2013

Stealing the Preacher by Karen Witemeyer

Release Date: June 2013
Publisher: Bethany House
Pages: 347 pages
Source & Format: NetGalley; e-ARC
Amazon | Goodreads

Summary (from Goodreads)

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 determine 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?

Thoughts on Stealing the Preacher

I have a soft spot for Christian historical fiction, and I first discovered Karen Witemeyer in 2011. I've since read all of her books and have enjoyed the sweet romances. Stealing the Preacher, her newest book, continues the story of one of the characters introduced in her previous book, Short-Straw Bride. Readers first met Crockett Archer in the previous book, but they are able to truly see him come into his own in Stealing the Preacher.

Crockett is the brother that wanted to be a preacher and the one that helped his brothers grow spiritually. Now on his own, he's headed to a church for the chance to finally lead his own congregation. His train his held up by bandits, but it's not ordinary robbery. They're stealing the preacher!

Silas Robbins made a promise to his daughter, Joanna, and he's not going to let her down. She wanted a preacher, and he's ready to provide one by any means necessary. Crockett is willing to hear Joanna out, and he discovers why she's so desperate for a pastor that can help her bring her father to faith.

Personally, I didn't really love this beginning. Something about it just didn't ring true, and it sort of left me wanting a little more from the book as a whole. Silas Robbins is wary of Christians and preachers in particular. He's had a bad experience with them in the past, and he wants nothing to do with them now. But everything about Crockett confuses him. Crockett is a hard worker, and he stands up for himself and what he believes.

Of course, circumstances bring Crockett back to the Robbins' ranch... and you'll have to read the book to find out what happens from there!

This was my least favorite of Witemeyer's books, but I think it's because I wasn't really connecting to the conflict in the story. I liked that Crockett was a cowboy preacher and that Joanna was so mature and grounded in her faith, so it wasn't that I didn't like the characters. I think that it just felt somewhat predictable at times, so I felt like I always had an idea of what was coming.

There was only one aspect I truly disliked, and it involved the difference between the two main female characters. Joanna is presented as perfect and the very picture of purity, and Holly (another young lady) is depicted as conniving, selfish, and basically wicked. I disliked that they seemed like such black and white characters. It seemed very much like the angel versus the fallen woman, and it didn't really sit well with me.

The other central tension in the book is the story of Silas and his lack of faith. I found this aspect of the plot more enjoyable and realistic. While it was still somewhat predictable, I liked the discussion about and focus on telling the truth and trusting God. Both of these issues are at the heart of Silas' story, which I found much less problematic than the other conflict in the story.

While it's a book I found a little lacking, I did like this story overall. It was entertaining, and I think fans of Witemeyer or Christian historical fiction will enjoy it.

So Quotable

"Why was it that thoughts and plans always made more sense when confined to one's mind than when they exited one's mouth?"

*I received a copy of this book from Bethany House in exchange for an honest review. I was not compensated in any way for my review.

READ POST

A Royal Romance

A Royal Romance

Jul 18, 2013

Once Upon a Prince by Rachel Hauck

Release Date: May 2013
Publisher: Zondervan
Pages: 352 pages
Series: The Royal Wedding Series #1
Source & Format: NetGalley; e-ARC
Amazon | Goodreads

Summary (from Goodreads)

Susanna Truitt never dreamed of a great romance or being treated like a princess - just to marry the man she has loved for twelve years. But life isn't going according to plan. When her high-school-sweetheart-turned-Marine-officer breaks up instead of proposing, Susanna scrambles to rebuild her life.

The last thing Prince Nathaniel expects to find on his American holiday to St. Simon's Island is the queen of his heart. A prince has duties, and his family's tense political situation has chosen his bride for him. When Prince Nathaniel comes to Susanna's aid under the fabled Lover's Oak, he is blindsided by love.

Their lives are worlds apart. He's a royal prince. She's an ordinary girl. But everything changes when Susanna receives an invitation to Nathaniel's coronation.

Thoughts on Once Upon a Prince

I'll be completely honest and tell you that the cover and title of this book immediately caught my eye. Then, I read the summary and knew I was hooked. The book includes two things that I included in my Top Ten Tuesday post about words that make me instantly pick up a book - Georgia and royalty.

Once Upon a Prince opens with Susanna getting the worst news of her life. Instead of the proposal she expected, her boyfriend of twelve years is breaking up with her. The plans she made and the future she envisioned won't be coming true, and she hardly knows what to do with herself. It doesn't help that she's from a small place where news travels fast. It's not long before everyone knows that she's been rejected.

Susanna grapples with the realization that she cared more about comfort and stability than passion and devotion. Heartbroken and in shock, she confides in a man named Nate. Well, his name is actually Prince Nathaniel, but she doesn't know that yet. Nate, on the other hand, is basking in the freedom of being unknown and developing a friendship that isn't influenced by his royal title. Of course, Nate can't keep his secret forever. Sooner or later, the truth will come out.

I enjoyed Susanna's struggle to come to terms with the past and the way it's influenced her actions in the present. There was so much upheaval and instability in her parent's marriage that she's clung so tightly to what's familiar. Her relationship may not have been incredible, but it was safe. I really enjoyed this aspect - the idea of holding on to something good but potentially losing out on what's best in the process.

I adore movies like The Princess Diaries and The Prince and Me, so I was already predisposed to love this book. There's just something about the idea of a happily ever after, of an ordinary girl who is chosen by a prince, that just resonated with me and made for a delightful read. As a Christian fiction novel, it's a clean, light and feel-good read. The romance is sweet and charming (although lacking in the swoon department), but I still found myself grinning at the pages.

In many ways, it really did read like a modern-day Cinderella. The only aspect of the plot that I didn't really love was the character Aurora, who was essentially the fairy godmother of the story. She felt a little too magical and didn't really fit with the tone of the rest of the book. Otherwise, from the setting to the sweetness, I thoroughly enjoyed this fairy tale!

For someone who is so obsessed with William and Kate, this book really hit the spot. I've already recommended it to a few friends who can't get enough of royal romances!

*I received a copy of this book from Zondervan in exchange for an honest review. I was not compensated in any way for my review.

READ POST

The Joy of Strife

The Joy of Strife

Jul 17, 2013

Lucy Maud Montgomery: The Gift of Wings by Mary Henley Rubio

Release Date: October 2008
Publisher: Doubleday Canada
Pages: 684 pages
Source & Format: Bought; Hardcover
Amazon | Goodreads

Summary (from Goodreads)

Mary Henley Rubio has spent over two decades researching Montgomery's life, and has put together a comprehensive and penetrating picture of this Canadian literary icon, all set in rich social context. Extensive interviews with people who knew Montgomery - her sons, maids, friends, relatives, all now deceased - are only part of the material gathered in a journey to understand Montgomery that took Rubio to Poland and the highlands of Scotland.

From Montgomery's apparently idyllic childhood in Prince Edward Island to her passion-filled adolescence and young adulthood, to her legal fights as a world-famous author, to her shattering experiences with motherhood and as the wife to a deeply troubled man, this fascinating, intimate narrative of her life will engage and delight.

Thoughts on The Gift of Wings

It feels like I've always adored L.M. Montgomery because her books are so intertwined with my childhood. I first fell in love with Anne Shirley, but I quickly grew to love her other heroines and quirky secondary characters. I'd originally planned to re-read a number of her books last summer, but I ended up just spending time with the first three Anne books.

Well, I got the L.M. Montgomery itch again this year and picked up on the Anne series where I'd last left off. Revisiting a series that meant so much to me was a delight, but I also saw some aspects of it in a whole new light as my age and experiences brought new parts of the books to life. That's something I love about re-reading - a book is never quite the same each time you read it. The words may not have changed, but your interaction with it does.

So, my Anne re-read made me curious about the woman behind the books. What was she like? How did her life impact or inspire her writing? And what was her story? While I knew a little about her life (from previous reading), I didn't know her full history. This book is considered the definitive Montgomery biography at almost 700 pages, and I was excited (but a little intimidated) to dive in.

As with many biographies, this book will likely be most interesting to Montgomery fans. While it's a well-written and engaging book in its own right, I do think that you'd want to have read and enjoyed some of her books to fully appreciate this biography. For the most part, I found the book to be incredibly interesting. It never felt boring or pedantic (although I did enjoy some sections more than others).

Since Montgomery lived various places during the different stages of her life, Rubio has divided the book into sections that correspond to those places and time periods. Montgomery was a prolific journaler throughout her life, and I believe the book sections also correspond to the five volumes of her journals that have been published. I did wish for a little more information about the Prince Edward Island period of her life since it covers the largest span of time (36 years) but only represents about a fourth of the book. I do have theories about why this is the least represented time of her life (such as the fact that she appeared to journal more heavily in her later years), but it did leave me wanting more in the very beginning of the book.

I have not read Montgomery's journals, but Rubio does reference them often in the book. I didn't feel as though I needed to have read them to understand the events taking place, but there were a few times that I wished Rubio had perhaps elaborated a little more on certain events. However, in other cases, there were a few details that were repeated a number of times (within a few pages of each other and almost word-for-word) to the point that the repetition was a little annoying. Either way, the research that Rubio put into this book is clearly evident.

What's interesting about Montgomery's life is that there is a central conflict between, as she describes it, her "passionate Montgomery blood and the Puritan Macneill conscience." This battleground - the tension between passion and conscience - is highlighted throughout her life. Another key discussion point in her life is depression and mental illness. Montgomery and her husband both suffered in ways that made their lives so tragic. These overarching themes make for a fascinating character study, particularly in light of how "happy" most of her novels are.

There is also interesting information about her sons, one of whom broke her heart and embarrassed the family with his behavior, and the way her relationship with them impacted her mental state. I was also intrigued by the information about the lawsuits with her American publisher and getting a peek at her writing process. She was continually producing more work - from full-lenth novels to short stories - and I loved getting to see how her books and life both overlapped and diverged.

Montgomery's work was highly praised when her debut novel, Anne of Green Gables, was published but she had fallen out of favor with the literary world by the end of her life. It was heartbreaking to read about how a beloved author was ultimately shunned and shut out from the world she loved so much. This was an aspect that made me want to do further research on her place in Canadian literature.

There's so much I could say about this book - from the research that went into it to the revelations about her life - but I think it's enough to say that this has been one of my favorite reads of 2013 so far. If you love Montgomery's books, I'd highly recommend this biography for a look at the woman behind the pages. I think Montgomery's struggles make me appreciate her books all the more because it's even clearer to me now how much writing meant to her.

So Quotable

"One cannot have imagination and the gift of wings, along with the placidity and contentment of those who creep on the earth's solid surface and never open their eyes on aught but material things. But the gift of wings is better than placidity and contentment..."

READ POST

All Bets Are Off

All Bets Are Off

Jul 16, 2013

Perfect Scoundrels by Ally Carter

Release Date: February 5, 2013
Publisher: Disney Hyperion
Pages: 328 pages
Source & Format: Library; Hardcover
Series: Heist Society #3
Amazon | Goodreads

Summary (from Goodreads)

Katarina Bishop and W.W. Hale the Fifth were born to lead completely different lives: Kat comes from a long, proud line of loveable criminal masterminds, while Hale is the scion of one of the most seemingly perfect dynasties in the world. If their families have one thing in common, it's that they both know how to stay under the radar while getting - or stealing - whatever they want.

No matter the risk, the Bishops can always be counted on, but in Hale's family, all bets are off when money is on the line. When Hale unexpectedly inherits his grandmother's billion dollar corporation, he quickly learns that there's no place for Kat and their old heists in his new role. But Kat won't let him go that easily, especially after she gets tipped off that his grandmother's will might have been altered in an elaborate con to steal the company's fortune. So instead of being the heir - this time, Hale might be the mark.

Forced to keep a level head as she and her crew fight for one of their own, Kat comes up with an ambitious and far-reaching plan that only the Bishop family would dare attempt. To pull it off, Kat is prepared to do the impossible, but first, she has to decide if she's willing to save her boyfriend's company if it means losing the boy.

Thoughts on Perfect Scoundrels

I loved the parallel between this book and the very first, Heist Society. In the first book, Kat's con affected her dad and his future. Now, she's got to risk everything for her boyfriend, W.W. Hale the Fifth, and it's a job that could change his entire future.

When Perfect Scoundrels begins, things are finally looking up for this couple. It's taken forever (!) for them to be together, but it finally seems like they are on the same page and their relationship is moving forward. I was SO EXCITED because hello, I love Hale. He's handsome, rich, kind and mysterious enough to keep you guessing (but not in a bad way).

And then... Hale's grandmother passes away and he unexpectedly becomes the head of her billion dollar corporation. It's a role that means a lot to him because of his relationship and love for his grandmother. Since he's often overlooked by his family, this news feels like validation and confirmation that he is capable of doing great things.

The new responsibility introduces a little tension into Kat and Hale's relationship. After all, the gap between their two worlds is widening by the minute. And the tension just grows when Kat suspects that the will might have been altered and be part of an elaborate con. Should she tell Hale? And if she does, how will he take the news that the gesture that meant so much to him might not have been real?

Kat is wrestling with what seems like an impossible choice. If she investigates the suspicious events, will she lose the boy in the process? I loved seeing Kat navigate these tricky waters and figure out what the right thing is to do, regardless of the risks or result.

Just like the previous two books, the group dynamics are one of my favorite parts of this series! I love when the team is all gathered, brainstorming and debating how they'll pull off an impossible heist. From the names of the cons to the hilarious banter, Ally Carter really nails this aspect. It makes these books such a fun read!

I also loved that we see a little more depth in this book. Whereas the previous two were very light and funny, these have a little more emotional weight. It's still ultimately a fun read, but I loved the relationship tension because it gave both Kat and Hale a chance to grow and mature. The loss of Hale's grandmother sparks some emotional moments that made the characters seem more real and made me love them all the more.

This is my absolutely my favorite book of the series. It's got all the elements of the previous books (an impossible heist and the incredible group) with the added dose of emotion and tension that had me wishing for a book four so I could see where the characters go from here. Hopefully, there will be more Heist Society books to come!

So Quotable

"The things that are most precious to us are sometimes the most secret."

READ POST