Tag Archives: Christian Fiction

An April Bride

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Author:  Lenora Worth                      april wed
Publisher:  Zondervan
Genre:  Christian Fiction
Source: Netgalley

 

 

 

Goodreads:  War changes everything . . . even their love.
Bride-to-be Stella Carson can’t wait to marry her longtime sweetheart Marshall Henderson. But Marshall has been away serving his country and after suffering a head wound and being diagnosed with post-traumatic stress syndrome, he has distanced himself from Stella by asking her not to visit him in a Washington, D.C. hospital.
Marshall returns to Louisiana just four weeks before the wedding, but as the big day draws near, Stella wonders if the man she’s loved for most of her life still wants to marry her.

Ope’s Opinion:  If you like Christian Fiction you will like this book.  The characters are praying a lot.  Their lives are centered around their church.  

The whole book was centered around if Marshall and Stella would get married.  As short as this story was, being in limbo seemed to drag on, then all of a sudden it ended.

 

Rating:  Three Chairs – I like the book enough to suggest it to a friend or two.
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A March Bride

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Author:  Rachel Hauck                                        march bride
Publisher: Zondervan
Genre: Contemporary Christian Fiction 
Source: Netgalley 

Goodreads:   Susanna has found her true prince, and their happily ever after is just around the corner. But when Nate asks her to give up something precious to her, Susanna can’t help but wonder if it’s a sign that their love is not meant to be.
Susanna Truitt (Once Upon A Prince) is three weeks from royalty. She’ll soon marry King Nathaniel II of Brighton Kingdom. But when the government insists she renounce her American citizenship before the wedding, coupled with the lack of involvement by family and friends, her heart begins to doubt whether this marriage is God’s plan for her.
Nathaniel would do anything for his bride-to-be. But he knows his position requires that she give up a lot to be with him. Her life will never be her own — right down to her very identity. When she travels home to St. Simon’s Island, Georgia, right before the wedding, Nathaniel fears she won’t return. Gathering his courage, he devises a plan to win his bride all over again, and together they seek out a kingdom to treasure above all.

Ope’s Opinion:  This is very much a cinderella, princess story.  It was a very fast, easy read. It was a sweet story.  There was a small twist before the expected ending.

This was a faith based book, which I enjoy.  At times, I did feel I was being lectured to about faith, instead of persuaded by their faith. 

I am looking forward to the rest of “A Year of Weddings”.

Rating:  Three Chairs – I like the book enough to suggest it to a friend or two.
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Turning the Paige

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Author:  Laura Jensen Walker           paige  
Publisher:  Zondervan
Genre:  Christian Fiction
Source:  Purchased

Goodreads:  Welcome to the in-between world of Paige Kelley. At thirty-five, she’s put her dreams on hold to care for her ailing, high-maintenance mother. Three years after her divorce she’s still not dating, still working at her temp job, and still longing for motherhood even though, as her own mother often points out, ‘You’re not getting any younger, you know!’ When her Getaway Girls book club friends urge Paige to break free and get on with her life, she desperately wants to try. But how? What about her mom? The unexpected answers come from a surprising source. A trip to Scotland and a potential new love interest help launch an exciting new chapter in her life, and lead Paige to discover that God’s plan for her life promises to be more than she ever imagined.This latest release in the Getaway Girls collection delivers a smart, funny, and warm account of one woman’s challenge to reconcile who she is—a dutiful Christian daughter—with the fulfilled woman she longs to be. It will appeal to any woman whose ever forgotten, even momentarily, that God’s timing is perfect.

Ope’s Opinion:  This is the second in the series of three books in the Getaway Girls.  Once again, Laura Jensen Walker brought these characters to life.  It was good to see all three of them together again.  It was obvious Paige had a lot of faith in God. It seemed real and natural.  

This was another quick, easy read.  I was surprised how fast I finished the second one.  I think knowing all the characters made it read faster.

Although I was ready to be done with Scotland before the book was, I enjoyed the book and I am looking forward to book three.

Rating: Three Chairs – I like the book enough to suggest it to a friend or two.
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Save the Date

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Author:  Jenny B. Jones
Publisher: Thomas Nelson                                 save
Pages:  320
Genre: Christian Fiction
Source: Purchased

 

 

 

 

Goodreads:  You are cordially invited to the wedding of the year with the most unlikely bride and groom. Save the date . . . and say your prayers.

When funding for Lucy’s non-profit job is pulled, she is determined to find out why. Enter Alex Sinclair, former professional football star and heir to Sinclair Enterprises the primary donor to Lucy’s non-profit organization.

Both Lucy and Alex have something the other desperately wants.

Alex has it all . . . except for the votes he needs to win his bid for Congress. Despite their mutual dislike, Alex makes Lucy a proposition: pose as his fiancee in return for the money she desperately needs. Bound to a man who isn’t quite what he seems, Lucy finds her heart and her future on the line.

“Save the Date” is a spunky romance that will have readers laughing out loud as this dubious pair try to save their careers, their dreams . . . and maybe even a date.

Ope’s Opinion: This book definitely has God at it’s center.  It is not preachy, but obvious.  It was fun to watch the characters develop their relationships with each other and with God at the same time.  

You know how this book is going to end from the beginning, but is fun to go down the path.  At the beginning, Lucy seems to be more clumsy then I felt was realistic.  I think the author was trying to show her development in her confidence, but I felt it was a little too exaggerated for me.  I guess that is petty.   

I am going to pass this book on my daughters mother-in-law.  She likes Christian Fiction, like I do.  

I will be looking for more of Jenny B. Jones books to read.

Rating:  Four Chairs – I like the book so much I know several friends to share it with.
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Hometown Ties

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Author:  Melody Carlson                                 hometown
Publisher:  David C. Cook
Pages: 336
Genre:  Christian Fiction
Source:  Purchased

 

 

Goodreads:  In this second installment of Melody Carlsons engaging Four Lindas series, four fifty?something women discover you really can go home again . . . but its not always easy! After decades out of touch, four fifty?something childhood friends have returned to the little coastal town of Clifden, Oregon, where they grew up. They look forward to supporting one another as they reinvent their lives. But second acts can be a challenge, and each woman feels the stretch. Widowed lawyer Janie struggles to leave the past behind. Emerging artist Marley wrestles with painters block. Empty?nester Abby fears no one takes her seriously, while beautiful Caroline has all she can do to keep her Alzheimerspatient mother at home . . . and wearing clothes! Plus, old resentments and new misunderstandings are beginning to strain the friendships they all count on. Can the Four Lindas sisterhood continue to thrive in the close quarters of one little hometown?

Ope’s Opinion:  This is the second book in The Four Linda’s series.  It is even better then the first one.  It carried the reader along in all four of their lives.  I really like how the friendship from when they were young has developed and continued into their adult lives.  They  take care of  each other.  It is really nice to read about women who are supportive of each other – not catty or back stabbing.  I would wish everyone friends like them.

Someone said these books had a christian tone.  I like it said that way.  It is not preachy, but you know God is a part of their lives.

I am looking forward to reading the third one.

 
Rating:  Four Chairs – I like this book so much I know several friends to share it with.
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The Prayer Box

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Author: Lisa Widget                                         prayer box
Publisher: Tyndale House Publishers
Pages: 400
Genre:  Christian Fiction 
Source: Kristi of Kritters Ramblings

 

 

Goodreads:  When Iola Anne Poole, an old-timer on Hatteras Island, passes away in her bed at ninety-one, the struggling young mother in her rental cottage, Tandi Jo Reese, finds herself charged with the task of cleaning out Iola’s rambling Victorian house.Running from a messy, dangerous past, Tandi never expects to find more than a temporary hiding place within Iola’s walls, but everything changes with the discovery of eighty-one carefully decorated prayer boxes, one for each year, spanning from Iola’s youth to her last days. Hidden in the boxes is the story of a lifetime, written on random bits of paper–the hopes and wishes, fears and thoughts of an unassuming but complex woman passing through the seasons of an extraordinary, unsung life filled with journeys of faith, observations on love, and one final lesson that could change everything for Tandi.

Ope’s Opinion:  Lisa Wingate really knows how to tell a story.  I never felt like I was being preached to or that judgement was being passed on the characters in the book.

Wingate let the characters, especially Tandi grow and become independent.  Watching her healing process showed that God could heal anyone.   Her self esteem was slowly restored, which made it feel real – not rushed.

I am not usually a fan of books in letter form.  This one was better then most.  The writing carried me through parts that I thought were a bit slow.  I had just finished reading The Sea Glass Sisters – it was such a short, fast moving book – I was wishing this one would have been a bit faster moving.  

 

Rating:  Four Chairs – I like this book so much I know several friends to share it with.
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Lambert’s Code

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Author:  Rachel Hauck                                  lamberts code
Publisher: Barbour Publishing
Pages: 173
Genre:  Christian Fiction
Source: Purchased

Goodreads:  After three years of medical treatment, Julie Lambert faces the irrefutable truth: She will never have children. Devastated, lost, and alone, she buries her pain by making several life decisions that threaten her relationship with her husband, Ethan. Ethan Lambert can’t imagine a life without Julie. Yet, his marriage is failing and he doesn’t know how to save it. Urged by his grandpa, Ethan launches a journey to understand the Lambert Family Code – submit one to another. Can Ethan and Julie overcome the loss of their dream and rediscover their love for each other? Will they learn to live by Lambert’s Code? Fall in love with this inspiring love story and our entire collection of Christian romance novels from Heartsong Presents!

Ope’s Opinion:  If you enjoy Christian Fiction you will like this book.  The story is very God centered. Not preachy at all.  This is one of the first books Rachel Hauck wrote.  Her newer books are still God centered, but not as blunt.

This book has wonderful characters with flaws.  It was great to read about a marriage as a work in progress.  Ethan and Julie have difficulties to overcome and work out.  They weren’t always being mature and communicative.  This is so real and awesome to read about.  It was nice to see the people who surrounded Ethan and Julie wanted their marriage to succeed.  So many books are written as though a marriage is disposable.

This book is very uplifting and encouraging.  I will be reading more of Rachel Hauck.

Rating:  Three Chairs – I like the book enough to to suggest it to a friend or two.
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