A Sensible Arrangment By Tracie Peterson Book Review

A Sensible Arrangement

 

Review Written By Madi

Book Title: A Sensible Arrangement

Author: Tracie Peterson

Source: The Litfuse Publicity Group

Genre: Christian Fiction

Number Of Pages: 324

Publisher: Bethany House Publishers

Year Of Publication: 2014

My Rating: Four out of Five Stars

  

Book Description

 

Marty Dandridge Olson is a widow looking for a way out of Texas. Widower Jake Wythe has secured a job as a bank manager in Denver, only to discover that the bank board wants him to be a married man. With Texas in his roots, he advertises for a Lone Star bride, and Marty answers the call. They both agree they are done with romance and love and will make this nothing more than a marriage of convenience.

Marty works to carve out a new life in high-society Denver as Jake works to guide the bank through a collapsing economy. But when money goes missing at the bank and accounting discrepancies point to Jake, he must find a way to prove his innocence. Yet all he wants to do is go back to Texas and own his own ranch. Marty, on the other hand, owns a ranch–one she’s never told her husband about. She hates Texas because it represents the losses in her life. But as the couple grows closer and love begins to bloom, Marty realizes she needs to tell Jake the truth. Can she come to terms with the past and her anger toward God in order to make room for love?

 

Book Review

 

 I would like to start off by congratulating Tracie Peterson for finishing this, her one hundredth book! That it quite the accomplishment, and I know that your writing has touched the hearts of many. Now, for the review! I loved the setting of this book. Though most of the story takes place in Denver, Colorado, it contains quite a bit of Texas charm with it as well. My personal opinion is that Texas is the ideal location for most novels (though I may be a LITTLE biased about my home state). I love how though Jake has become "refined" and lives a more luxurious life, he is still a Texas cowboy at heart. I wish that his personality had reflected his roots a little bit more, but I do understand that it had to be tamed a little bit to fit the story. Maybe just not as much? I also like Marty's character. Now THIS, this is a character with a backbone. Her entrance to her new, regal life was anything but. I love how she stands up for what she believes in and how she doesn't conform to what the high-society matrons expect of her. You can take the gal outta Texas, but you can't take the Texas out of the gal. Or the guy, for that matter. I love the southern roots that occasionally come through the exchanges with Marty and Jake, and I really liked Marty's simplistic views on life. Who needs all the finery that is being lavished - forced actually - on her? She is content with the clothes that she has and sees no need for fine cuisine or new draperies when the ones already in use are completely serviceable. I guess I just really like how she's so down-to-earth. Most women would be completely thrilled with the opportunity to be treated as a queen, but not Marty. Give her a day of labor in simple clothes any day. All the characters are so relatable, and I became attached to them almost instantly, (especially Alice). My only critique is that it was kind of slow for the first half or so. I was having a hard time paying attention to what I was reading. I kept finding myself admiring my pretty Azaleas that are now in full bloom, or getting up to get a snack or taking a "break". If the book that I'm reading is really interesting, I can sit in one position for hours on end. Thankfully, it picked up about halfway into it and I became fully engrossed in the story. Overall, it was a good book and I look forward to reading more from Tracie Peterson.

 

~Madi For The Literary Maidens

 

Note: I was provided with a free copy of this book by the Litfuse Publicity Group in exchange for my honest opinion. I was not further compensated to review this product and all thoughts and sentiments expressed above are completely my own and unbiased.

A Beauty So Rare By Tamera Alexander Book Review

A Beauty So Rare

A Belmont Mansion Novel

 

Review Written By Madi

 

Book Title: A Beauty So Rare

Author: Tamera Alexander

Source: Bethany House Publishers

Genre: Historical Fiction, Christian Fiction

Number Of Pages: 476

ISBN: 978-0-7642-0623-8

Publisher: Bethany House

Year Of Publication: 2014

My Rating: Five Out Of Five Stars

 

Book Description
 

From the USA Today bestselling author of To Whisper Her Name and A Lasting Impression comes a moving historical novel about a bold young woman drawn to a group of people forgotten by Nashville society--and to the one man with whom she has no business falling in love.

Eleanor Braddock, a spinster--plain, practical, no stunning Southern beauty--has long since dismissed any hope of marriage. But when a dying soldier whispers his final words, she believes her life can still have meaning and determines to find his widow. But this compassionate deed takes a harsh turn, and Eleanor finds herself dependent upon the richest woman in America and the most despised woman in Nashville--her aunt, Adelicia Acklen, mistress of Belmont Mansion. A clandestine act of kindness leads Eleanor to an unlikely path for her life--building a home for destitute widows and children from the Civil War. And while Eleanor knows her own heart, she also knows her aunt will never approve.

Gerhard Marcus Gottfried, Archduke of the House of Habsburg and fourth in line to the Austrian throne, arrives in Nashville in search of a life he determines, instead of one determined for him. Collaborating with botanist Luther Burbank, Marcus seeks to combine his own passion for nature with his expertise in architecture. But his plans to incorporate natural beauty into the design of the widow's and children's home run contrary to the wishes of practical, frugal Eleanor, who sees his ideas as costly nonsense.

Yet as the construction project continues, Marcus and Eleanor find common ground--and a love neither of them expected. But Marcus is not the man Adelicia has chosen for Eleanor to marry, and even if he were, someone who knows Marcus's secrets is about to reveal them all.

 

Book Review
 

 This book was FABULOUS. I read the first book in this series (A Lasting Impression), and loved it so much that after I returned it to the library I went out and bought my own copy and have read it multiple times since. Tamera Alexander is a wonderful author, and I have yet to read a book of hers that I did not thoroughly enjoy (and I have read several). She always creates such candid characters that grasp my heart with two hands and pull me through their story with them. I love how she gives each character their own little trademark quirk. It's just precious. For example, in this novel, Eleanor has a thing about pink. She detests it with her whole being. And her father, Theodore, has a soft spot for sugary treats. It's little things like these that endear a character to readers, and I'm very impressed with how well Alexander incorporates these type of things into her books. She really makes sure that you know the character you are reading about. You know their personality, looks, preferences, and background before anything huge happens so that you can see the issue at hand through the eyes of her characters. I also like how her last couple of books were rather lengthy. I know that a lot of people consider that a downer because of the time that it takes to read a book so large, but I get so caught up in her stories that I'm sad when they're over. When good books are longer, it gives you more time to fully understand what's going on, and it lets you spend a little bit more time in your favorite novel. Now if it was a rather BORING book, I would want it to be much shorter, but A Beauty So Rare is anything but boring, and when you read it you will be glad for it's length. I'm gonna travel a little off topic for a second and talk about the cover. Isn't simply gorgeous? Thumbs up to whoever designed it! It perfectly represents the story. It looks so nice next to my copy of A Lasting Impression. Another thing that I like about this book is that although it is  part of a series, it is a stand alone novel as well. That means that you can read this book (the second one) without having to read the first one. You won't feel totally lost and not know what's going on if you don't read A Lasting Impression first. There are small connections to the two books to tie them together, but nothing so major as the story plot. I can't wait to see what this author writes next!

~Madi For The Literary Maidens

Note: I was provided with a free copy of this book by Bethany House Publishers in exchange for my honest opinion. I was not further compensated to review this product and all thoughts and sentiments expressed above are completely my own and unbiased.

Claiming Mariah By Pam Hillman Book Review

/ / Claiming Mariah / /

 

{Review Written By Madi}

Book Title: Claiming Mariah

Author: Pam Hillman

Source: The Litfuse Publicity Group

Genre: Christian Fiction

Number Of Pages: 373

ISBN: 978-1-4143-8975-2

Publisher: Tyndale Publishers

Year Of Publication: 2013

Rating: Four Out Of Five Stars

 

/ / Book Description / /

 

In light of her father's death, Mariah Malone sends a letter that will forever alter the lives of her family. When Slade Donovan, strong willed and eager for vengeance, shows up on her front porch, Mariah is not ready to hear his truths: her father's farm, the only home she's ever known, was bought with stolen gold. With Slade ready to collect his father's rightful claim and force Mariah and her family out on the streets, Mariah must turn to God for guidance. Though Mr. Frederick Cooper, a local landowner, promises to answer her financial woes if she agrees to be his bride, Mariah finds herself drawn instead to the angry young man demanding her home.With the ranch now under Slade's careful eye, he will unearth more than he ever imagined as a devious plot of thievery, betrayal and murder threatens more than the well-being of the ranch, endangering the lives of those who hold it dear. With days dwindling until the rest of the Donovan clan arrive to the Lazy M ranch, Mariah and Slade must rise above the resentment of their fathers and see their true feelings before greed alters their futures forever.

  

 / / Book Review / /

 

Let me start off by saying that I love western novels. Being from the South, (Texas, no less), I find it quite intriguing. I love country living and western romances, so this book had it's genre going for it before I even started reading it. When I started it, the first chapter had me kind of worried. I was afraid that it was going to be poorly written. And while Pam Hillman turned out to be no Mary Connealy, she did write an interesting story. I enjoyed it a lot! I personally think that Slade was the best part of it. He has a gruff exterior partnered with a great disdain for Mariah and her family, but underneath was hidden a compassionate heart that just needed a little bit of nurturing to be brought to it's full potential. I also liked Mariah's character. She is a strong person, but she knows when to toss in the towel. Though I much prefer my heroines to be a spitfire with a backbone of steel (which is much easier to relate to), I think the author made Mariah just the way that she needed to be in order to help Slade in the ways that she did. She is a tenderhearted character that is willing to give up almost everything for Slade's happiness. She hopes that her small efforts will show him how much his heavenly father loves him, even if his earthly father did not. Though I find this admirable, I think that there was a better way to go about it. I would have liked to see Mariah stand up for her family a bit more in the beginning, and I would have liked to see Slade's point of view a little bit more often throughout the book. Don't get me wrong, I really liked it, but it's not exactly a page turner. It is, however, a good time passer, and I would encourage some of my friends to read it if they were looking for a light, quick read.

 

 ~The Literary Maidens

 

Note: I was provided with a free copy of this book in exchange for my honest opinion by the Litfuse publicity group. I was not further compensated to review this product and all thoughts and sentiments expressed above are completely my own and unbiased.