Book Review: "Bathsheba Bathed in Grace" by Carol Cook

Description

Bathsheba Bathed in Grace: How 8 Scandalous Women Changed the World

by Carol Cook

Synopsis from Goodreads:

YOU'VE HEARD THEIR STORIES ALL YOUR LIFE BUT DO YOU REALLY KNOW THE BIBLE'S "REBEL" WOMEN?

Adultery, lies, deception, scandal, murder, cover-up, heartache, pain, and loss--stories with these sordid elements are relevant today. And women with shady pasts--labeled, shamed, and linked with tragedies--are part of our heritage. Bathsheba, a victim or temptress, Eve outside of Eden, Tamar posed as a prostitute, Leah stole her sister Rachel's fiance...Sarah gave Hagar to her husband and Rebekah masterminds a grave deception.

Links: 

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Christianbook | Goodreads

Review

Bathsheba Bathed in Grace: How 8 Scandalous Women Changed the World by Carol Cook is a compilation of eight retellings of the lives of women in the Bible. In order, they are Bathsheba, Sarah, Hagar, Rebekah, Leah, Rachel, Tamar, and Eve. Each of those women has a tale that is less than perfect, making readers wonder about them. These tales portray the women as flawed and misunderstood but redeemed by God’s grace.

Personally, when I read those stories from the Bible, I tend to want to think of the ladies, especially women like Bathsheba, as flawed or taken advantage of, not evil. That is the way these stories are told. Carol Cook looks at these women’s lives and writes how they were redeemed by God’s grace and shows how relatable they are to the contemporary world, even though they lived in a different time and culture.

Each of the women’s stories took up a separate chapter in the book. They were told mostly by narration with a little bit of dialogue. There were some points in the stories that I wish the author had expanded on a little bit, but overall, Carol Cook wrote their tales very well as short stories.

I recommend this book to those who enjoy Biblical fiction and short stories.

I received a free copy of this book from Book Look Bloggers in exchange for an honest review.

Book Review: "The Requiem Red" by Brynn Chapman

Description

The Requiem Red

by Brynn Chapman

Synopsis from Goodreads:

Patient Twenty-nine.

A monster roams the halls of Soothing Hills Asylum. Three girls dead. 29 is endowed with the curse…or gift of perception. She hears messages in music, sees lyrics in paintings. And the corn. A lifetime asylum resident, the orchestral corn music is the only constant in her life.

Mason, a new, kind orderly, sees 29 as a woman, not a lunatic. And as his belief in her grows, so does her self- confidence. That perhaps she might escape, might see the outside world. 

But the monster has other plans. The missing girls share one common thread...each was twenty-nine's cell mate. 

Will she be next?

Links: 
Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Goodreads

Review

Two girls. One, patient twenty-nine in Soothing Hills Asylum (that is anything but soothing as it dehumanizes its patients). The second, the esteemed daughter of the Asylum’s head doctor. Both have catlike eyes and hear whispers of words in the music they see everywhere. But there are more problems going on their bizarre connection. There is something killing some of the other women in the asylum, all of whom were roommates with patient twenty-nine before their deaths. And the head doctor has a dark side only his daughter and the servants are aware of.

The Requiem Red by Brynn Chapman is just as dark and bizarre as the one other book I have read by Chapman, The Violet Hour. Words hidden in music. Monsters in the night. Hair changing from brown to white overnight. The patients might not be the only insane ones. Then, throw in a couple whirl-wind romances…

I can’t quite figure out whether or not I like this book. It was so weird and dark but yet so interesting. It pulled me in and kept me interested in the tale of these two ladies. I figured out a couple of the mysteries, but not all. And the ending was a complete surprise. It left me hanging, and I’m not even sure there will be a second book! So frustrating. I didn’t like some of the darker elements, though they added depth and danger to this tale.

One thing is for sure, though. I will never look at insane asylum’s the same way again. Back in the early 1900’s and before, asylums were more like a prison than a place of healing. People were hospitalized for a variety of ridiculous and reasons, including when husbands wanted an excuse to remarry. The Requiem Red did an unforgettable job of showing life inside one of those asylums. Makes me feel even sorrier for my great-grandfather who was entered in an asylum around the turn of the twentieth century for stealing his family’s car (and escaped a couple of times) … but that is a story for another day.

The Requiem Red was as fascinating as it was bizarre. I recommend it to lovers of the weird with a dose of YA romance.

I received a free copy of this book from the author in exchange for an honest review. 

Audiobook Review: "Porcelain Keys" by Sarah Beard

Description

Porcelain Keys 

by Sarah Beard

Synopsis from Goodreads:

Aria's life is full of secrets--secrets about her mother's death, her father's cruelty, and her dream to go to Juilliard. When Aria meets Thomas, he draws out her secrets, captures her heart, and gives her the courage to defy her father. But when tragedy strikes and Thomas disappears, Aria is left alone to transform her broken heart's melody into something beautiful. Porcelain Keys is a captivating love story that will resonate long after the last page is turned.

Links:

Amazon | Audible | Barnes & Noble | Goodreads

Review

Ever since her mother’s death, Aria’s father has hated Aria’s music. He starts drinking and becomes volatile and abusive. One day, after escaping her father’s anger by hiding in the neighbor’s tree house, Aria wakes to find a boy invading her sanctuary. Thomas is the neighbor’s hot grandson and has moved in next door to clean up the place to sell. But trespassing and a bed-head is not the greatest first impression.

Porcelain Keys by Sarah Beard is the classic story of a senior in high school falling for the new boy who moved in next door. In some ways, it was a story that has been told a million times. You’ve seen it on TV and read it in a dozen books about high school, with the popular girl trying to steal the boy away and that girl’s ex-boyfriend using the main character to make his Ex jealous. But this book had a lot more going on that just that. It reached deeper levels, touching on abuse, grief, music, and the lasting effects of love. For those reasons, I enjoyed this book as more of an original.

Another reason why I like this story is because it does not stop at the end of high school. The characters get through a couple years in college, family changes, deaths, heartbreak, second loves, and much more. Yet, they find their way back to each other through the mess. Forgiveness and grief are major themes in this story, and they were addressed well, considering how hard such topics are. Each of the characters reacted to their grief in a different ways and had to come to terms with it in their own ways. They then had to learn how to forgive each other for the hurt they inflicted while in pain themselves. And the healing power of music had a part to play. There were a lot of hard topics in this book, and I enjoyed it all the more for it.

The audio version was pretty well done. There were a couple times in which the reader's voice would change in loudness, but she did a very good job giving voice and emotion to each of the different characters.

I enjoyed Porcelain Keys. I wish it was more original in some ways but appreciate the minor differences and hard topics addressed. I recommend it to those who enjoy a good, clean YA/NA romance.

I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Book Review: "Escape from Witchwood Hollow" by Jordan Elizabeth

Description

Escape from Witchwood Hollow

by Jordan Elizabeth

Synopsis from Goodreads:

Everyone in Arnn - a small farming town with more legends than residents - knows the story of Witchwood Hollow: if you venture into the whispering forest, the witch will trap your soul among the shadowed trees.

After losing her parents in a horrific terrorist attack on the Twin Towers, fifteen-year-old Honoria and her older brother escape New York City to Arnn. In the lure of that perpetual darkness, Honoria finds hope, when she should be afraid.

Perhaps the witch can reunite her with her lost parents. Awakening the witch, however, brings more than salvation from mourning, for Honoria discovers a past of missing children and broken promises.

To save the citizens of Arnn from becoming the witch’s next victims, she must find the truth behind the woman’s madness.

How deep into Witchwood Hollow does Honoria dare venture?

Links:

Amazon | Goodreads

Review

After Honoria and her brother lost their parents in the 9/11 attack, they move to Arnn, a small town in the country with their aunt and uncle. Honoria soon discovers the town’s mysterious legend about the so-called Witchwood Hollow. Those who enter those woods never return, so the legend says. When Honoria and her new friend begin exploring the town, they begin to discover that there might be more to the legend than pure fantasy.

Escape from Witchwood Hollow by Jordan Elizabeth Mierek is a novella whose tale spans centuries. A witch flees from her abusive family and finds sanctuary in the woods. But she decides to hurt others as she has been hurt, and so traps any wanderers in the woods, never to age or feel the passage of time. Honoria is but one girl slowly discovering the mysteries of the woods. Another point-of-view character is Albertine, a young woman traveling to Arnn to meet her father and fiancé, who gets trapped in Witchwood Hollow.

The story was very interesting and had a great start. There were layers of history and mysteries to unravel that had been hidden for centuries. A bit of romance affected several characters’ lives, as well. The story was not creepy or horrific, but filled with mystery and the normal problems of a teenaged orphan and an older girl missing her family. It held my attention throughout.

The main thing I had a problem with in Escape from Witchwood Hollow was the ending. I didn’t like the end one bit. There is a little hope and happiness, but it wasn’t enough. A couple of the questions weren’t answered to my satisfaction and it wasn’t summed up very well at all. And ***spoiler alert*** the main character, Honoria, died at the end! I hate it when author’s do that. It was very unnecessary, too. ***end spoiler***

So, overall, I did enjoy the beginning and the mystery, but I wanted to throw the book at the wall because of the ending. Take it as you will. If you dare to read this book, I would recommend it to YA and urban fantasy readers.

I received a free copy of this book from the author in exchange for an honest review. 

Book Blitz & Giveaway: "The Cinderella Theorem"

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Book Review: "Fading Starlight" by Kathryn Cushman

Description

Fading Starlight

Kathryn Cushman

Synopsis from Goodreads:

When Her Big Shot Blows Up on Her,
How Far Will One Woman Go to Regain Her Dream?

Lauren Summers is in hiding. Her fashion house internship was supposed to launch her career, but a red carpet accident has left her blackballed. The only job she can find comes with little pay, but at least it offers a free place to live--a run-down cottage in the shadow of a cliff-side mansion. Planning to live on savings until she figures out what's next, she's unprepared to be contacted by a reporter.

Kendall Joiner is researching Charlotte Montgomery, a former Hollywood ingénue who lives a reclusive life in the cliff-side mansion. Rumors have swirled for decades about Charlotte, and now Kendall wants to find the real story. In return, she may just have the key to getting Lauren back into the fashion world. Desperate to restore her dreams, Lauren's not sure she can turn down the offer--but as she and Miss Montgomery get to know more about each other, Lauren realizes nothing is quite as it seems.

Review

Just as Laura’s career in fashion gets off to a great beginning, it comes to a dramatic end in a red carpet catastrophe. Laura is devastated, until a former professor references her to another fashion job willing to hire her. A temporary living space is provided, but it turns out to be a seaside cottage in a kind of gated community with extremely strict rules and cranky neighbors. As Laura is settling in, a reporter promises to investigate a possible sabotage in the fashion disaster if Laura agrees to spy on one of those neighbors. But that neighbor and reporter may have more going on than meets the eye.

Fading Starlight was a sweet inspirational story with beautiful settings, complex characters, and fascinating historical details. I especially enjoyed the different details on fashion, sewing, and jewelry. 

What happens when someone is so hurt by the betrayals of the past that she can't move forward with her life or trust the people around her? This story explores some of the consequences and contrasts them with other characters who have been similarly betrayed yet recovered. It was an interesting study on human beings as well as a sweet tale of friendship, recovery, and faith.

Laura’s Christian faith was also interesting to see. I wish I could say that I would have acted differently in the story - loved my neighbor better, mainly - but I believe Laura's reactions to be realistic and my expectations to be unrealistic. Even so, not many would have reacted as well as Laura did in the situations presented to her. It was good to see her grow in her faith and love for others in this manner throughout the story.

That said, I don't particularly like the “inspiration fiction” genre and this book was no exception. It was interesting in its way, but it still bored me because of its slow pace and lack of much action. The ending was pretty neat, though.

I recommend this book to those who enjoy inspirational, Christian fiction.

I received a free copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.