Crossing Values

Amber never stays in any place long, she's been fleeing for years trying to forget her past. When she arrives in the small town Crossing, Oregon her past starts to catch up on her. Offered a job and room and board for secretarial work, she gets a warm welcome from a boisterous and loving family who are determined to help Amber find peace with her past and with God. She slowly starts to open up to this welcoming family and starts to find herself drawn to their son Luke. There's only one problem, he's already got a gorgeous and accomplished young lady by his side. But God works and mysterious ways and as the holidays approach she lets her guard down and might actually be able to open up about what she's running away from. Can she trust these people? Do they have ulterior motives? Does Luke feel the same way about her as she does about him? How does God play into all of this? A quick inspirational read that is the first in a series.

The Pretender

As far as inspirational fiction goes this wasn't this worst, but it was a little drawn out and ended in a "cliffhanger" which was frustrating. The Pretender is the first in the Caselli Family series and centers around a Christian Italian family living in South Dakota in the seventies. Tillie (known as Angel) is a very well heeled young Godly woman and Noah is a Vietnam vet, taking to drinking and womanizing. Their paths cross when Tillie finds herself in an art competition with her friends in Noah's home town and within two days the two are head over heels in love with each other and decide to get married when Tillie turns 18. When Tillie comes back to see Noah later the next month she sees a woman kiss Noah and immediately assumes the worst, she cuts him out of her life, leaving him no way to find her again. Noah has turned his life around and has been waiting for Tillie for months so they can resume their courtship but she never shows and he doesn't know why. Told through alternating perspectives, the story shows how both Noah and Tillie fell for each other, suffered heartbreak, and then tried to move on with their lives. In order to see any kind of resolution the reader will clearly have to continue reading the series.

The Queen's Handmaid

Breathtaking in scope, this historical piece takes us back to when Cleopatra was still ruling the Nile and Rome was still in all its glory. Told through the eyes of a handmaid, this tale of suspense, finding one's true purpose, and faith is inspiring and intriguing. The political intrigues and backdrop are fascinating enough on their own but author, Tracey L. Higley, goes above and beyond creating the perfect story. Lydia serves first Cleopatra in Alexandra, then Herod's wife in the Holy city. Before she fled Alexandria with Herod, her mentor entrusted her with a sacred set of scrolls to be given to a secret man in Jerusalem. For years she carries this secret burden trying to fulfill this destiny but something always manages to thwart her attempts; war, death, duty, the list is never ending. Lydia must learn to trust herself and her friends if she is ever to complete her mission.

For fans of historical intrigue, romance, and biblical history. I received this book free from LitFuse Publicity in return for my honest, unbiased opinion.

Women's Lives - Wings of Glass

Author: Gina Holmes
Title: Wings of Glass

Publication Date: 2013
Number of Pages: 400

Geographical Setting: somewhere in the country
Time Period: modern day

Subject Headings:female friendship, abused wives, Christian fiction
Appeal: engaged, honest, brutal

To say I loathed this book is a gross understatement. I despise domestic abuse stories. That being said I enjoyed the author's writing style and imagery, I just hated her story.

Penny ran away from her folks at age 17 in order to elope with her abusive lover. It's been 10 years of hell, but now that her husband has tragically lost her eyesight and she is with child, she hopes that  it wil turn him into a better man. Her new friends however are doubtful, they want Penny to get away before Trent crosses the line and hurts her AND the baby. What is she supposed to do? She loves Trent and thinks that him abusing her is part of his duty as head of household. Will she ever be able to find God's strength and run away?

Now instead of giving this review only one star I chose to give it three because there are some redeeming qualities.
1. The characters are well developed and you feel as if they are people you could easily run into in real life.
2. The writing style is very descriptive, but doesn't bog you down, I read this book in a record 2 1/2 hours.
3. The author did her research well, even though I despise domestic abuse stories, the author really got into the mentality of the abused and makes it easy for you to empathize with the victim.

Now, why I hated this soo much. For the life of me I cannot understand or relate with the excuses that battered women make. I'm not trying to sound judgemental and I know I've never had to experience what they're going through, but I just can't undestand. Penny makes excuse after excuse for her husband. She even defends him when he drunkenly pushes her friend down the stairs who was carrying her newborn child!! A man pushes a woman carrying an infant and you try to tell the police it was an accident and that your husband didn't mean to do it!? Worst friend ever. Penny's friends keep trying to help her but she's in denial. Her husband beats her, degrades her, cheats on her, and verbally abuses her and she thinks it's ok! Like all the time!! I know this happens in real life but I can't understand it. As one of her friends, Callie Mae, says "The first time a man hit me would be the last time."

If you're into domestic abuse, rising above challenges, or living in denial, then thsi is the book for you.

I received this book for free from Waterbrook Press in return for my honest unbiased opinion.

Similar Works:
Fiction:
Black and Blue by Anna Quindlen
The Color Purple by Alice Walker
What You Wish For by Fern Michaels

Non-Fiction:
More Bitter Than Death by Camilla Grebe