BOOK REVIEW: LAKE SURRENDER BY CAROL GRACE STRATTON

Ally Cervantes’ life is in the toilet. Her husband has bailed on their marriage partially due to the fact that he can’t handle being dad to an autistic son and partly because the passion has died. Ally has to sell her home in California at a loss and simultaneously loses her job as an editor for a book publisher. Not sure how else to make it, she takes her Aunt Nettie up on her offer to come stay with her in Michigan on Lake Surrender. Even then Ally can’t get a job in the publishing industry and she takes the only job available, that of camp cook.

As Ally tries to cope with her young son’s autism and difficult financial circumstances she draws closer to God and begins to have feelings for the camp director. Stratton doesn’t wave a magic wand and promise that struggles will go away, but she does give us courage to stay the course and believe that ultimately good will win out. I give this four out of five stars.

Here's the amazon link.  Lake Surrender

BOOK REVIEW: MIRACLES: 32 TRUE STORIES

32 stories people have shared about ways they have seen a divine hand in their hardships, struggles, moments of danger and more.

This book will put any struggles you face or have faced in perspective and are a testament to the human spirit and faith in God.  I give this 4 out of 5 stars.

Here's the amazon link

Miracles: 32 True Stories

Book Review: Daughter of Joy, Brides of Culdee Creek Book 1 by Kathleen Morgan

In this historical romance Abigail Stanton is a widow who has lost a child and a husband and is still grieving. She accepts a job as housekeeper for Conor MacKay, a gruff man who has not only been through a string of housekeepers but has also lost a wife who ran off and a son who stole from him and then disappeared. He also has a child from an Indian woman and has slept with several women in his past.

While Abby wrestles with her losses and her Christian faith, she makes it known to Conor she is not open to any of his advances. Slowly the love between them grows and she helps Conor’s tough and ostracized daughter see herself as something to be cherished. 

The author builds good romantic tension between the two romantic leads and with the daughter’s resistance to Abby. I felt that Abigail can come across as a little bit too prudish at times. It is a good story of redemption and reconnecting with Christian faith after life has caused deep hurts. I give it four out of five stars.

Here's the link on amazon

Daughter of Joy (Brides of Culdee Creek Book #1)

Book Review: The Redemption by Mary Lu Tyndall

This is the first in the King Pirates series by this author.

Charlisse Bristol fleas an abusive uncle and sets off to find the father she never met but a fiece storm shipwrecks her on a deserted island.  She’s rescued by Captain Merrick head of a group of pirates.

Devilishly handsome Merrick has recently turned his life over to Christ but he still has much more smoothing out from his past to got through. He feels responsible for her safety.  Despite her distrust of men, she falls for Merrick. What she doesn’t know is that her father is actually a notoriously cruel pirate Edward the Terror whom Merrick has sworn to capture and bring to justice.

If you love historicals and pirates, you’ll enjoy this book. I give it 4 out of 5 stars.

Here's the amazon link

The Redemption (Legacy of the King's Pirates Book 1)

Book Review: Letter Perfect by Cathy Marie Hake

Letter Perfect (California Historical Series #1)

Accident prone Ruth Caldwell has been to many different finishing schools but never seems to make it through because she just can’t conform to the expectations of refinement for women of her day.

When her mother dies she goes west to find her father. When she arrives she learns he has died and she’s half owner of the ranch he held.

The love interest in this historical romance is Josh McCain, the son of her father's business partner.  As the story unfolds we learn that there’s more afoot due to Josh’s unscrupulous father who has designs on getting his hands on Ruth’s fortune.

I liked the concept of a woman not being able to conform to the standards of the day and Ruth’s low self-esteem thinking she’s worthless. It’s a good message, but overall I didn’t find the humorous situations the author tried to set up and the characters all that captivating and several times I almost gave up on the book as it wasn’t all that riveting. Even the auxiliary characters seemed to be more padding to get to a certain word count than they were of importance to the plot. I give it 3 out of 5 stars.

Here the link on amazon

Letter Perfect (California Historical Series #1)