The Sisters of Sea View by Julie Klassen

 

The Sisters of Sea View by Julie Klassen
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

When the Summers family loses their patriarch very suddenly, they find themselves losing their standing in the community that they were so well acquainted with at one time. Sarah, the acting oldest sister in the family, makes a decision that could either diminish their standing forever or could make a positive impact on their lives. Opening their home as a place for people to stay while travelling, they expect to cater to a much older crowd due to their proximity to the healing sea waters. However, they find themselves entertaining a variety of age groups and social standings. Viola, a very "special" sister refuses to do any of the grunt work but has agreed that she will read to invalid people. Each family member finds themselves having to dig deep within to save the family from leaving their beloved home.

I enjoyed this story very much. There is a couple of sweet romances brewing, a mysterious "missing" sister, an ailing mother, and lots of decision making in a time when women were frowned upon for running businesses on their own.

I am looking forward to the next book in this series!

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An Awakened Heart by Jody Hedlund

 

An Awakened Heart by Jody Hedlund
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Christine is a well-to-do woman who feels empty. She is looking for a way to make a difference in the world and is becoming discouraged by the message she keeps hearing on Sunday mornings. So many women in attendance are looking for ways to better their lives but they find it hard to do when resources are so few. They want meaningful jobs with decent pay but also need childcare, food, and clothing. Christine approaches to local minister who responds that when they women show more faith, they will come into better things. Christine disagrees and sets out to find a better solution.

Along the way, Christine finds herself falling in love with this preacher that she was so disconcerted about initially. He's finding himself falling in love with her too. They are, afterall, working pretty closely together on a daily basis so it only makes sense.

There is a bit of a dual storyline going on here as the story also features Elise and her family, along with their struggles. Everyone will all come together in the end though!

I look forward to reading more stories in this series! While this book is a little older, I'm just now finding it!

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At Your Request by Jen Turano

 

At Your Request by Jen Turano
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This was a pretty fun and sometimes funny read. I found myself laughing out loud several times while enjoying this story.

Miss Wilhelmena Radcliff is someone that I would consider a brat! She's from a wealthy family and hasn't had to want for much in life. During her coming out party, her best friend of forever proposes marriage to her. She turns him down and subsequently, her life starts going downhill. Her dad loses a bunch of money in a business deal and "Willie" finds herself a wallflower among the New York society. It's at a ball that she runs into Mr. Edgar Wanamaker, the young man who was her best friend and who proposed marriage to her. It had been several years since they'd last seen each other and their meeting is rather humorous! Will they rekindle the flames or move on with their lives?

I think I loved Edgar's mom the most. She reminds me of a very sassy woman I once knew who kept everyone on their toes. This was an enjoyable, quick read and I look forward to continuing with this series!

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Appalachian Serenade by Sarah Loudin Thomas

 

Appalachian Serenade by Sarah Loudin Thomas
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This is the story of Delilah and Robert. Both have experienced life in different ways and begin to question where God will have them. When they meet up and come together, no one could predict the beauty that they would find amongst them!

This is a sweet romance that does have a religious focus, although not over the top. This story focuses on growing where God plants you and trusting Him to lead you to the right place(s) and people.

I look forward to reading more in this series!

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The Angry Creature: A Children's Picture Book About Managing Anger, Feelings, and Controlling Emotions by Aleks Kashaev

 

The Angry Creature: A Children's Picture Book About Managing Anger, Feelings and Controlling Emotions by Aleks Kashaev
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Crank has anger issues and isn't sure how to handle them. One day his friend Zen gives him some advice, that when he follows it, helps him to get this emotions under control better than they were.

This is a great book and should be shared with kids of all ages. Everyone gets emotional and depending on how the emotions are dealt with, the outcome of the situation can be drastically affected. Share Crank's story with children of all ages and help them to develop resources to help them out when things seem to be a little out of control.

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It Ends with Us by Colleen Hoover

 

It Ends with Us by Colleen Hoover
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I wanted to read this book after finishing Verity recently. My expectations were a bit high after loving the first book I read by this author. This book, while enjoyable for the most part, was not the hit that I found in Verity. This is a hard book to read. There are so many hard things that Lily faces and has to deal with and she doesn't have the best support system either. I didn't like Ryle from the get-go and struggled with his character through out the story.

It will be hard to put this book down because you just have to know what's going to happen next. I'm looking forward to reading the next book in this series with a slightly lower expectation than I had for this one.

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The Adventures of Kitt and Gianna: Paris France: The Parisian Journey of a Curious Young Boy and His Food-Loving Labradoodle by Devin Kerzich

 

The Adventures of Kitt and Gianna: Paris, France: The Parisian Journey of a Curious Young Boy and His Food-loving Labradoodle by Devin Kerzich
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

A boy and his dog travel to Paris, France to see the sites. They go to all the important places and talk a little about the history behind each place. The illustrations are very well done in this book, however the print from the story itself is a little difficult to read due to the colors and font used.

Overall, a cute book that children will enjoy. It could inspire them to want to travel to Paris.

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