A Bride for Keeps

Paperback: 336 pages

Publisher: Bethany House Publishers (October 1, 2013)

Language: English

ISBN-10: 0764211684

ISBN-13: 978-0764211683

::From the back of the book::
 Everett Cline will never humiliate himself by seeking a mail-order bride. Not again. He's already been jilted by three mail-order brides and figures a wife just isn't in his future. However, a well-meaning neighbor hasn't given up on seeing him settled, so she goes behind his back to bring yet another woman to town for him.

Julia Lockwood has never been anything more than a pretty pawn for her father or a business acquisition for her former fiance. A mail-order marriage in faraway Kansas is a last resort, but she'll do anything to leave her life in Massachusetts and the heartbreak she's experienced there.

Although Everett doesn't see how a beautiful, cultured woman like Julia could be happy sharing his simple life, he could really use a helpmate on his homestead. Determined to prove she's more than just a pretty face, Julia agrees to a marriage in name only. Faced with the harsh realities of life on the prairie and hesitant to explore the tentative feelings growing between them, can Everett and Julia ever let each other in long enough to fall in love?



::My Thoughts::
Let me just start by saying if your a fan of historical fiction that keeps you guessing, particularly when it comes to romance...this is the book for you. I enjoyed this book immensely and was sad to see it end. The plot left me on the edge of my seat guessing what would happen next. The tension between Everett and Julia was so strong the reader can definitely feel it. The author did a fantastic job of bringing everything to life in this novel. Clearly both characters have unmistakable feelings for each other, but due to their unfortunate pasts neither of them will express their feelings.
Poor Everett put his hope in mail order brides only to have himself left being jilted by every one of them.
Julia having a frightening past with love is extremely leery of marriage. However becoming a mail order bride will help her escape the life where she isn't appreciated.
When both characters come together they finally agree upon a marriage in name only, but as feelings surface things are no longer as easy as they thought their arrangement would be. I won't deny that I've seen this plot type time and again, but the twists this one takes makes it new and exciting. I honestly did not know what would happen. I would go into greater detail but I don't want to spoil anything.
This is a very inspirational romance and it is very easy to get swept away in the historical setting. I felt as if I was right there alongside the characters. I found myself siding with each of them on separate occasions as well as becoming frustrated with each one of them at times. This book is the perfect example of faith and how God will work everything out to your own good. It was all in all an amazing read, and one I won't soon forget. I can't wait to see more from this author.


 ::About the author::

Melissa Jagears, an ESL teacher by trade, is a stay-at-home mother on a tiny Kansas farm with a fixer-upper house. Her passion is to help Christian believers mature in their faith and judge rightly. Learn more at www.melissajagears.com

Disclaimer: I received a complimentary copy of this book from Bethany House Publishers in exchange for my unbiased review.

What Your Dreams Are Telling You

Paperback: 176 pages

Publisher: Chosen Books (September 1, 2013)

Language: English

ISBN-10: 0800795652

ISBN-13: 978-0800795658

::From the back of the book::
Why Waste One-Third of Your Life Only Sleeping?
Have you ever wanted to receive wise advice about a business proposal, a relationship or a direction in life? Tonight you will have several dreams. Did you know they could contain the very advice you need?It's true.
Join dream interpreter Cindy McGill as she shows you that sleep is so much more than just a time to rest your body. If you pay attention, you can uncover a secret weapon for success--and the keys to unlocking your full potential.

Not only is it possible to remember your dreams, but when properly interpreted, they bring guidance, hope and strength to achieve what may seem impossible. Here Cindy gives you the tools for discovering and decoding these hidden messages, including

-- how to get the most out of your dreams
-- historical and present-day examples of life-changing dreams
-- common dream themes and what they mean
-- 3 steps to discover the genuine message from your dreams
-- a quick-reference guide to common dream symbols
-- how to reawaken your dream life

Solutions to your problems can come on any given night. It's time to listen to what your dreams are telling you.



::My Thoughts::
Definitely an eye opening read!
Dreams...it's something we all have, and we all try to make sense out of most of them. Usually our dreams are too complex, or we chalk them up to nothing more than a dream as we sleep. However, who knew that every dream good and bad had such a deeper meaning? Every little action or object in a dream can actually have a deep meaning. God speaks to us through our dreams. Our dreams are meant to give us advice, solve problems, and guide us.
This book has been a wonderful read for me. I have learned many things about dreams, and sleep in general that I did not know before. It has been eye opening. This book shows you many examples of common dream themes, what they mean, and how to discover the message of your dreams.
I love that this book gives examples of dreams, follow up of what actually happened, and explaining what that dream meant. This book also gives historical examples as well as the present.
The writing is very easy to understand and not at all hard to follow. I would say this book is perfect for those of you, like me, who dream often and then think about their dreams but don't know what to make of them. All of us are different and because of that even if we all had the same dream it could mean different things to each of us.
There are many object examples, theme examples, and a takeaway section to each chapter. There is also a handy dream journal in the back of the book so you can start recording your dreams and interpreting them.


::About the author::
Cindy McGill has interpreted thousands of dreams at expos, festivals, workshops, radio and TV. She travels internationally, teaching on the subject of dreams and dream interpretation and leading "dream teams" of interpreters to events such as the Olympics, Sundance Film Festival, and Burning Man. In 2011, she was featured in Dreams, A Documentary, which chronicles live dream interpretation encounters that took place at the Sundance Film Festival at Park City, Utah, and won awards at various independent film festivals around the world.



Disclaimer: I received a complimentary copy of this book from Chosen Books in exchange for my unbiased review. All opinions expressed are solely my own.

The Promise Box Review

Series: Seven Brides for Seven Bachelors (Book 2)

Paperback: 336 pages

Publisher: Zondervan (May 21, 2013)

Language: English

ISBN-10: 0310335124

ISBN-13: 978-0310335122

This book was highly intriguing. I had no idea what would happen next, and I was left guessing at the end of each chapter. I could not wait to see how things would end up!
Lydia Wyse leaves her Amish roots and comes back to bury her mother. Once back her Amish roots call to her and she yearns to know God, and return to her community. As a book editor, her publisher sees the opportunity for a new book...one all about Amish life. So in order for Lydia to stay she must write a book on the Amish.
While in West Kootenai, Montana, where single Amish men stay for six months and leave as grooms, Lydia meets Gideon Hooley. As Lydia and Gideon fight against their childhood they also find themselves with sparks flying between them. However, they both have much to work through. Lydia is just not sure if she is able to choose between her life as a book editor, and Amish life. As both want to forget the hurt of the past and move forward with their futures it had me on the edge of my seat to see if they would end up together or not.
I must say this book was just wonderful. Each character is highly unpredictable, especially Lydia and Gideon. Trying to overcome your past hurts can be extremely difficult but it has to be done in order to move on with the future. Getting back on the right path with God can be the first step in finding what you are looking for and the author did a fantastic job of reminding all of us of just that fact. I highly recommend this book. It was very realistic with emotions, descriptions, and I felt like I was right there with the characters. It definitely pulled me in, and I can't wait to read the other books in the series. This is the second book of the series Seven Brides for Seven Bachlors but I have not read the first one either. I was in no way lost and this does great as a stand alone book. I will definitely go back and read the first one however to get a greater depth of the other characters, and will look forward in more to come after this!




Disclaimer: I received a complimentary copy of this book from Booksneeze in exchange for my unbiased review. All opinions expressed are solely my own.