“Dreams Rekindled” by Amanda Cabot ~ Book Review

“Dreams Rekindled” by Amanda Cabot

Book Two in the Mesquite Springs series

Review copy from the publishers

My rating: 3 out of 5 Stars

About the Book:

When a dashing newspaper man comes to Mesquite Springs, aspiring writer Dorothy Clark sees her dreams coming true–until a man arrives with altogether different plans for the town and its newspaper.

My Thoughts:

I didn’t realize this book was the second in a series when I requested it for review – but I was glad to find that it was still enjoyable and understandable to read on its own. :) I’m sure reading the first one would certainly have its benefits and I would get more of a backstory on some of the characters, but since I missed that, I didn’t feel like it hindered my enjoyment of this one.”Dreams Rekindled” is a sweet, easy story. The first pages pulled me in right away, and kept my interest, but when I reached the halfway mark, it seemed to drag for me a bit. I’m sure it won’t be that way for everyone who reads it – I just found it that way. The characters were good, but I felt like the plot had some fillers. Through 3/4 of the book, the plot was taken up with a specific thread, but then another thread came into play and that was the one that was resolved in the ending. By reading the author’s note, we learn that the particular thread I mentioned will be continued in the third book. However, I felt like the other thread should’ve taken up more of the book than the first, since we won’t get to see the result of that one until later. If that makes sense. For me personally, the story felt like it was captivating to begin with, slowed down in the middle, and then finished in a whirlwind of a plot point that only came into play in the last third of the book.  I did enjoy aspects of the book, and the writing was good. The characters were memorable, especially the dog – I am not a dog-person, but I really liked Nutmeg; the dog felt very much like a central character which was pretty cute. ^.^

I’m also looking forward to seeing more of Laura’s story in the next one – the third book won’t be specifically about her, but the author also mentioned in the author’s note that she’ll be returning and will have her story told in it so that will be nice. :)

Thank you to Revell for the review copy! 

“Miriam’s Song” by Jill Eileen Smith ~ Book Review

“Miriam’s Song” by Jill Eileen Smith

Biblical Fiction

Review copy from the publishers through Interviews and Reviews program

My rating: 2.5 out of 5 Stars

About the Book:

Miriam and her people have prayed for deliverance from the cruel tyranny of Egypt for generations. She believes her brother is the long-awaited answer to their pleas. But how can the exiled prince-turned-shepherd Moses stand against the most powerful man in the world?

My Thoughts:

I’m sorry to say that this book was a miss for me. I so enjoyed the author’s past two books that I had been eagerly anticipating this one, but “Miriam’s Song” did not sit well with me.As it started out, I was pulled in and interested, moved by the glimpse we got into the time of Moses’ birth, how his life was spared when so many baby boys were killed by the Egyptians. But as the novel continued, and much time passed, my concerns grew. With how much the book jumped from time period to time period (sometimes only days, or months, but then other times by a decade or more), I didn’t really get the chance to bond to the characters themselves. But even so, I held on, knowing that covering such a significant time span would be difficult but necessary. However, I got such a feeling of disrespect from the female characters for the male characters and God even, that it could not sit well with me. Miriam came across extremely prideful for the majority of the book, but it wasn’t portrayed as if that was bad. And from each of the female characters, it was so often stressed that they were the real leaders, and stronger at least emotionally than the men…and the men came across as much weaker characters. I’d even go so far as to say that the way Moses was portrayed for a portion of the book was almost wimpy. He never stood up to his wife, and just came across as weak. I don’t like to give a book a low rating, but for many reasons, I’m afraid I can’t personally recommend this book. Even the portrayal of the Holy character of God felt watered down. Yes, it was stressed how Holy He is, but when I read the sections revolving around Him in this book, they didn’t seem to really be of Him, but rather a watered down portrayal of a fictional character.Perhaps this book won’t sit this way for others. And I’m hoping that I will enjoy the author’s next works as I have her previous two.

this book was provided courtesy of Baker Publishing Group (Revell), through Interviews & Reviews.  

“Marriage, Melodies, and Rewritten Conclusions” by V. Joy Palmer ~ Book Review

*I thought I had already posted this back when I posted it on goodreads, but apparently not! So here is a late review…

“Marriage, Melodies, and Rewritten Conclusions” by V.Joy Palmer

Review copy from the author

My Rating: 4 out of 5 Stars

About the Book:

Kaylee McGrurd feels like life has left her behind. Her best friends have all moved out, married, or are in the process of matrimony. Meanwhile, she’s lost another job, and her daily diet consists of noodles that are better suited as packing material. Then Kaylee’s ex, Gabe Sanders, enters the equation.

Gabe walked out on Kaylee without warning or explanation nine years earlier, but now he’s been brought back to the area for the unforeseen future. And he’s in need of new lead vocalist for his wedding band.

A dwindling account balance calls for desperate measures, and Kaylee reluctantly accepts Gabe’s offer. While the former couple works together in the midst of happy marriages and heartfelt melodies, secrets and the need for forgiveness highlight the strife between them…and the hope that maybe God’s rewriting the conclusion to their story.

My Thoughts:

First, I have to say how utterly impressive the covers and formats are for this fun series by author V. Joy Palmer! They’re so beautiful, and I love how they each have their own look and yet still relate to each other.

“MM&RC” is the third and I believe final book, and can stand on its own, though it’s fun to see the familiar characters come in, and that Epilogue at the end is a total nod to all three books which was lovely! But yes, MM&RC is Kaylee and Gabe’s story. It is both a lighthearted and serious read. I won’t give away spoiler details, but Gabe struggles with a past, and has to learn how to forgive himself. Kaylee struggles with feeling left behind in life, and her ex-fiance’ coming back into her life causes some emotional stress for her, bringing her to learn how to move on and truly extend forgiveness. Following along their journey connects you through the pages, and while sometimes I personally found the wit a little too much, it was a fun story and I look forward to more books by this talented author.

*I received a complimentary copy of the book from the author but I was not required to write a positive review. All thoughts expressed are my own.