My Unfair Godmother by Janette Rallison

My review:
5 STARS

Fair Godmother Chrysanthemum Everstar is at again.  She is still trying to get in to Fairy Godmother University so she can become a Fairy Godmother instead of just a Fair Godmother.  When the opportunity arises for her to become Tansy's fair godmother so she can earn some extra credit she jumps at the chance.  Tansy is around 75% pathetic which apparently qualifies her to be sent a fair godmother.  How is Tansy this pathetic you might ask? Well, her parents got divorced and she feels her father has abandoned her, she moves in to their house and goes through a whole slew of rebellion, especially when she dates jerky Bo and she keeps finding herself in trouble, especially when she has to tell her brother why Robin Hood and his merry men are in her bedroom!  I love fair godmother Chrissy! She is disastrous and ditzy and loves to fight with the leprechaun Clover!

This was another great book by Janette Rallison!!  I was a bit surprised that the story started out so gloomy. Usually Janette writes pretty fluffy and cheerful stories but this one has some gloomy moments, but they don't last long and I think it really made the story all the more realistic to me! The characters were authentic, there was Tansy who was normal teenage girl dealing with divorce, the step-family that had a hard time understanding her, and Hudson, a police chiefs son who was suddenly her unwanted body guard. I loved the romance between Hudson and Tansy, it started as an “I hate you relationship”, and then moved to a “you’re annoying but attractive”, etc. etc.  The tension was great and the ending was wonderful and as always, Janette keeps it clean and sweet. 

My Unfair Godmother was jam-packed full of all things wonderful; villains, hunky fairy-tale men, humor, a sexy hero who fights for his woman and the healing of relationships! The story is very unique too which is always great, no way you can predict the outcome here! There is so much to write about this story that I could go on forever but I won't, I'll just say that if you love YA fiction you'll love this!

 About the book:
Tansy Miller has always felt that her divorced father has never had enough time for her. But mistakenly getting caught on the wrong side of the law wasn't exactly how she wanted to get his attention. Enter Chrysanthemum "Chrissy" Everstar, Tansy's fairy in shining, er, high heels. Chrissy is only a fair godmother, of course, so Tansy's three wishes don't exactly go according to plan. And if bringing Robin Hood to the twenty-first century isn't bad enough for Tansy, being transported back to the Middle Ages to deal with Rumpelstiltskin certainly is. She'll need the help of her blended family, her wits, and especially the cute police chief 's son to stop the gold-spinning story from spinning wildly out of control. Janette Rallison pulls out all the stops in this fresh, fun-filled follow-up to the popular My Fair Godmother. 

About the Author:

Check out my awesome book trailers!
My Unfair Godmother:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4AlRg0BNz...
My Fair Godmother: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=up1jF8caR...
Just One Wish: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oP1Nceac8...
My Double Life
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hzuswpCNL...

Janette Rallison has five children who keep her well supplied with plot ideas, sometimes even making cameo appearances in her novels. She likes to write romantic comedy because there is enough angst in real life, but theres a drastic shortage on both humor and romance.

Playing the Field was named Society of School Librarians International Best Book Award Honor Book, and both Alls Fair In Love, War, and High School and Love, Life, and the Pursuit of Free Throws were included on YALSAs Popular Paperbacks for Young Adults list. Fame Glory, and Other Things on My To Do List, was just chosen for IRAs YA Choices list for 2007    

Buy the book at Amazon:
  
The first book, My Fair Godmother:
 

A Vision of Lucy by Margaret Brownley

My Review:
5 STARS

I loved A Vision of Lucy by Margaret Brownley! Such a delightful story in the Rocky Creek Romance series!  A Vision of Lucy is about Lucy Fairbanks, a young lady who has a passion for photography.  Lucy strongly believes that the camera can capture more truth than the human eye and she longs to do something important with her talent as a photographer! Then there is the hero David, whom I just adored.  He is a quiet, rustic man who lives on the outskirts of Rocky Creek and is struggling with what to do about the past that is haunting him.  Lucy and David meet and the truths they discover will forever change their lives and the lives of others!

I couldn’t get enough of this wonderful story! Margaret Brownley does such an amazing job with connecting the reader to the plot and to the characters.  The plot was very different so once I started reading I never wanted to put the book down.  The characters were all noteworthy and fun; my favorite character would have to be babbling and loveable Lucy.  At times, I literally laughed out loud with the hilarious predicaments that Lucy found herself in.  David was also a wonderful character that I longed to embrace and help him deal with his internal battles.

I enjoyed the history on photography; I never realized how dangerous photography was until I read A Vision of Lucy.  I also enjoyed all the other historical lessons throughout the book and the spiritual threads as well.  The spiritual tones were mild but I felt like they were much needed to make the story more enjoyable.  The romance was sweet although very passionate, the kissing scenes were delicious! This story has everything desirable; romance, mystery, spiritual lessons, and history! I highly recommend A Vision of Lucy, along with the other Rocky Creek Romances.

Thomas Nelson publishers made this ARC available for me to review with no stipulations or requirements. My review is not biased by the fact that I was given this book.  I honestly read and review any book whether bought or given to me. If I did not like the book I would definitely not recommend it.  

Blurb about the book:

Trouble may follow Lucy wherever she goes, but with the help of God and the rugged, reclusive David Wolf, she'll never face adversity alone.

Lucy Bradshaw dreams of working as a photographer at the Rocky Creek newspaper. If she can earn money making photographs, then maybe her father will see that what she does is worthy, more than just a distraction. And her deepest hope is that he'll see her as an artist, the way he thought of her deceased mother, a painter. But trouble follows Lucy on every photo shoot: a mess of petticoats and ribbons, an accidental shooting, even a fire.

When Lucy meets David Wolf, a quiet, rustic man who lives on the outskirts of town, she thinks she can catch the attention of the town with his photograph. She doesn't count on her feelings stirring whenever she's near him.

Two things happen next that forever change the course of her life: Lucy meets someone who sees her as no one else has-as the compassionate, creative young woman that God made in His image. And Lucy helps David uncover a secret that forces him to change his perspective on an event that left him deeply-scarred.

God's arms are around this unlikely couple as they discover the truth about long-held assumptions and the importance of forgiveness.

About Margaret Brownley:

Thrills, mystery, suspense, romance: Margaret penned it all. Nothing wrong with this, except Margaret happened to be writing for the church newsletter. After making the church picnic read like a Grisham novel, her former pastor took her aside and said, "Maybe God's calling you to write fiction."

It turns out God was and Margaret did. She now has more than 20 novels to her credit. In addition, she's written many Christian articles and a non-fiction book. Still, it took a lot of prodding from God before Margaret tried her hand at writing inspirational fiction which led to her Rocky Creek series. "I love writing about characters at different stages of faith," she says of the new direction her writing career has taken, "and I'm here to stay."

Happily married to her real-life hero, Margaret and her husband live in Southern California.  

Where you can find the book:

Publisher Website

Authors Website

Buy at CBD

Buy at Books A Million

Buy at Amazon 
 

 

A Heart Renewed by Karen Baney

A Heart Renewed (Prescott Pioneers #2)
My Review:
5 STARS
 

I was excited to start reading book 2 of the Prescott Pioneers as soon as I finished the first book in the series but I have to stay, I was not prepared for how much I would LOVE this book!  A Heart Renewed blew me away! 

A Heart Renewed continues the story about the Colters and the Andersons.  The story starts with Julia, Will's sister, who is now in the hands of their older brother Reuben.  Reuben is angry, mean and in lots of debt and tries to marry off Julia to the highest bidder so he can get himself out of the whole he dug! Meanwhile back at Colter Ranch, Will and Hannah begin their married life and start up the business that Will has begun.  When tragedy strikes Will's sister Julia, Julia flees to her neighbor and friend Adam and he decides her life is in danger and sets out to take her to her brother Will.  Adam had already planned on going to see Will to become his horse trainer at the Colter Ranch so he easily agrees this is the best plan.  Brother and sister get reunited again and the real story begins.

Karen starts this story off with a bang and right from the beginning you get immersed in the life of Julia.  Again, I felt very connected to the characters.  While I liked the first book, this book I could honesty say I loved! The characters were so deep and meaningful that you really felt like you were a part of the story.  There was a few times I teared up and just wanted to get in there and hug Julia to help her deal with the trauma that she was going through.  Julia was such a powerful character, so real and raw, she was a tomboy at heart and held strong to her values in love and marriage.  I felt Karen did an amazing job with connecting the reader to Julia and making that character and her pain very realistic! Adam was my favorite character though, he is handsome, quiet and oh so respectful! I just love a hero that is not quick to speak but a bit timid! He gets his patience tested many times but remains calm.

Karen also had a way with blending the stories of Julia and Adam with Hannah and Will that easily flowed! Their two lives merged together which I was thankful for because I definitely wanted to hear how Will and Hannah were doing now that they were married and she didn't disappoint. 

Again there was a history lesson going on throughout the story but in this book I felt the history flowed a lot better and didn't take away from the story at all.  There was a lot more character dialogue too.  The romance was sweet and clean.

The spiritual threads in A Heart Renewed were mild but oh so powerful and the message didn’t take away from the story.  I felt the issues that Julia was dealing with about God were very realistic to the situation and I enjoyed watching her faith grow as the story progressed. The spiritual message I learned most was that God's heart breaks when we are in pain, he wants us to come to Him and to seek His peace and love through the heartache and he will give us the strength to keep moving forward!

I received a copy of this book to read and review from the author. My review is not biased by the fact that I was given this book. I HONESTLY read and review any book whether bought or given to me. If I did not like the book I would definitely not give a rave review or recommend it.

About the Book:

Julia Colter struggles to accept life under her controlling brother's greed. The suitors he selects would benefit him, but are far from the ideal husband for her. When her rebellion against her brother puts her life at risk, she turns to her friend for help.

Adam Larson longs to train horses and plans to head west to the Arizona Territory to see his dreams fulfilled. When his sister's best friend shows up in the middle of the night, he agrees to help her flee. The decision changes his life, in more ways than he expected.

Can Julia forget the pain from her past and open her heart to love? 


About the Author:

Karen Baney, in addition to writing Christian historical fiction and chick lit novels, works as a Software Engineer.  Spending over twenty years as an avid fan of both genres, Karen debuts her talents with A Dream Unfolding, the first in a four book series set in territorial Arizona.

Her faith plays an important role both in her life and in her writing.  She is active in the women’s ministry at her church, facilitating numerous bible studies throughout the year.  Karen and her husband make their home in Gilbert, Arizona, with their two dogs.  She also holds a Masters of Business Administration from Arizona State University.

 
 Her website: http://www.karenbaney.com/

Mailbox Monday #3

Books for review:

Books I borrowed:

Books I won:

I did not buy any books this week so there is no books I bought this week! :-)

Blogging for books

In the past I've posted links to my reviews on Blogging for books where I can earn rewards for having people rank my reviews.  Well, they've changed the policy and so all of you wonderful people that voted on my reviews got erased....so if any of you have time to re-rate my reviews here are the links:

When the Soul Mends by Cindy Woodsmall

When the Heart Cries by Cindy Woodsmall


When the Morning Comes by Cindy Woodsmall


Departures by Robin Jones Gunn

Thank you, it means a lot to me!

The False Princess by Eilis O'Neal

 My Review:

4 STARS

What if you found out were not a princess like you thought you were but instead you were practically a nobody?  This is the story of Sinda (Princess Nalia first), she lives in a palace and has a life any girl would dream about but that suddenly changes when she finds out she isn't the princess but just her decoy. They traded Sinda with the real princess to keep the princess safe from the tale that said she would be killed before her 16th birthday.  I almost cried when they kicked her out with only a few belongings and told her it was best to just sever the relationship fast so it would heal quicker.  How could anybody do this I thought?!  This story sounds familiar but it doesn't end like you would imagine!

I decided to pick this book up to enjoy a simple and fun read and I was not disappointed. I really enjoyed this cute story! The False Princess is jammed packed with a unique plot, delightful characters, action/adventure, mystery and of course romance!  The story line is unpredictable and unique and I was sucked in to the drama right from page one.  I thought at times I could figure out how it was going to end but I never did.

I loved the characters; Sinda was quirky, clumsy, and a bit dreary and she reminded me of a typical teenage girl. She was so full of anger at times that you just couldn't help but to relate to her, very realistic character.  Kiernan was also wonderful, he was always sarcastic but I just loved that he made an effort to continue to encourage Sinda to be the best and not beat herself up.

Some of the story was not as good as I would have hoped; like cheesy lines and not enough dialogue between the characters but this was still a great book.  Very clean romance scenes that I would let my daughter read at any age. Very good story!

About the book:

Princess and heir to the throne of Thorvaldor, Nalia's led a privileged life at court.  But everything changes when it's revealed, just after her sixteenth birthday, that she is a false princess, a stand-in for the real Nalia, who has been hidden away for her protection.  Cast out with little more than the clothes on her back, the girl now called Sinda must leave behind the city of Vivaskari, her best friend, Keirnan, and the only life she's ever known.

Sinda is sent to live with her only surviving relative, an aunt who is a dyer in a distant village. She is a cold, scornful woman with little patience for her newfound niece, and Sinda proves inept at even the simplest tasks.  But when Sinda discovers that magic runs through her veins - long-suppressed, dangerous magic that she must learn to control - she realizes that she can never learn to be a simple village girl.

Returning to Vivaskari for answers, Sinda finds her purpose as a wizard scribe, rediscovers the boy who saw her all along, and uncovers a secret that could change the course of Thorvaldor's history, forever.

A dazzling first novel, The False Princess is an engrossing fantasy full of mystery, action, and romance.

Goodybye Hollywood Nobody by Lisa Samson

About the book:

Charley’s off to Scotland with her new beau, and Scotty and her dad travel to Maine in search of Scotty’s mom. When they land on her mother’s last known trail, will their questions finally be answered?  

My Review:
5 STARS

Goodbye Hollywood Nobody is the final book in the Hollywood Nobody series by Lisa Samson.  This is an amusing series about Scotty Fitzgerald and her unique family situation and un-common living situation.  Goodbye Hollywood Nobody is about Scott traveling with her dad in search of her mother.   During the course of the summer Scotty grows up a lot more than she has already and is working of self-discovery of what God wants from her life. 

I was pleasantly surprised by this book.  I had not read the other books in the series but thought this book sounded pretty cute so I picked it out as a book to review.  I was skeptical that I would not enjoy the book because I hadn’t read the other books.  Well, I was surprised that was not the case.

I easily connected with the powerful characters right from the start.  Scotty is just an amazing teen and her personality was so refreshing! I just loved how she would have internal battles about what God would want her to do and what her instant reaction to do was, that made her feel like a more believable character.  I enjoyed watching her grow spiritually and see her step out in faith even though it went against what she desired to do.  That alone made me want to re-examine my life and think about the times God asked me to step out on the line and I refused.  I have to say that that the term Jesusy just literally had me laugh out loud!

This story well very well-written and there was a lot of depth and soul searching that I just didn’t expect in it.  I really think that even though I read the last book first I really do now want to go back and read the previous books.  I highly recommend this series to young teens, older teens and maybe even some adults like myself, you will not be disappointed.

 I received this book free from NavPress Publishers as part of their Blogger Review Program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commision's 16 CFR, Part 255: "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising."