Sunday, July 21, 2013

Review of Wishing on Willows by Katie Ganshert

A three-year old son, a struggling café, and fading memories are all Robin Price has left of her late husband. As the proud owner of Willow Tree Café in small town Peaks, Iowa,  she pours her heart into every muffin she bakes and espresso she pulls, thankful for the sense of purpose and community the work provides.                                      So when developer Ian McKay shows up in Peaks with plans to build condos where her café and a vital town ministry are located, she isn’t about to let go without a fight. As stubborn as he is handsome, Ian won’t give up easily. His family’s business depends on his success in Peaks. But as Ian pushes to seal the deal, he wonders if he has met his match. Robin’s gracious spirit threatens to undo his resolve, especially when he discovers the beautiful widow harbors a grief that resonates with his own. With polarized opinions forming all over town, business becomes unavoidably personal and Robin and Ian must decide whether to cling to the familiar or surrender their plans to the God of Second Chances.

I'll be honest and say that this book was a bit long. The theme was: widow has cafe, developer comes in and tries to buy cafe from her. That is the main story line. The same conversations take place over and over throughout the entire book between these two characters, so when the book finally ended one almost sighed in relief that it was done. It seemed like there were a lot of loose ends left undone and wondered what happened a lot of the times in a lot of situations with a lot of the characters. I don't mean to bash this book or the author by any means...it just wasn't my personal favorite.

Waterbrook Multnomah sent me this complimentary copy to review for them. The opinions expressed are mine alone. 

Saturday, July 20, 2013

A Big Year for Lily by Mary Ann Kinsinger and Suzanne Woods Fisher

Lily Lapp's family has settled into their new home in Pennsylvania, but life still holds big changes and big steps for Lily. Good changes, like once again living close to her beloved cousin and best friend, Hannah. Bad changes, like a mean girl who plays tricks on her. And no change at all where Lily would most want one--Aaron Yoder sits near her in school and relentlessly teases her. Surprises are in store for Lily as she learns, with Mama and Papa's help, to manage the ups and downs of growing up Amish.

Today's blog post comes to you from Alina, my 9 year old daughter, who read the book. This book is the third in the The Adventures of Lily Lapp.

I like that you always want to know what happens next in the book.

I liked the chapter about the sandwich switch because Lily gets blamed for switching lunches with someone else's lunch and she was brave to stand up for herself because she didn't do it.

I like how the authors describe what's happening and the words they use are just right in understanding what they mean.

I would recommend this book to girls. I can't wait for the fourth book to come out!

Available July 2013 at your favorite bookseller from Revell, a division of Baker Publishing Group.

Revell Books sent me this complimentary book to read for them. The opinions expressed are my daughter's own.

Review of Dolled Up to Die by Lorena McCourtney

When Cate Kinkaid receives a frantic call about a triple homicide, she drives to the scene against her better judgment--aren't triple homicides more up the police department's alley?--only to find that the victims are not quite who she expects. Now she has a new rule to add to those she's learned in her short stint as an assistant private investigator: always find out if the victims actually have human DNA. Because these three do not.
But who would shoot this nice lady's dolls? What possible reason could the shooter have? And then there's the startling discovery of another victim, who definitely does have human DNA . . .

This is the 2nd book The Cate Kincaid Files. The series continues with Cate Kinkaid getting into another sticky situation. A great who-dun-it book that will keep you flipping through to the last page. Lorena does a great job twisting up who you think the murderer is and throws in a lot of humor along the way. There isn't a ton of info from the previous book that would confuse the reader, so this book can stand easily alone on it's own.

If you like a light mystery with a splash of humor and that isn't graphic, this is the book for you. I'm hoping there is a 3rd one!

Available July 15, 2013 at your favorite bookseller from Revell, a division of Baker Publishing Group.

Revell Books sent me this complimentary book to review for them. Opinions expressed are my own.