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About

Experience God’s Presence in a Whole New Way

There’s just something about people who are close to God. Through the ups and downs of life, they remain secure, hopeful. If you want a more rewarding spiritual life, if you want the pleasure of knowing your Creator’s heart, this soul-lifting book is for you.

Learn from Dutch Sheets as he shares his life lessons for cultivating an intimate relationship with God. Each of the thirty short chapters reveals a simple practice or biblical mindset that will help draw you away from the noise of life and into the Lord’s peaceful presence.

With profound insights from the Bible and stories you won’t soon forget, The Pleasure of His Company is like a spiritual mentor, showing you simple ways to enjoy God more.

This powerful book can also be enjoyed as a daily devotional.

Review

I don’t usually read or review nonfiction. However, I have read several of Dutch Sheets’ books and I could not pass this one up. In case you are wondering if this is book is for you, here are some things to consider:

Have you ever asked yourself what does it mean to “delight yourself in the Lord’?

or

What does it mean to “seek ye first the kingdom of God”?

If you’ve ever asked yourself either of those questions, then this is the book for you, because Mr. Sheets explains what that means and what that looks beautifully.

If you’ve ever read any of his books before, than you know that he starts off each chapter with his trademark funny story before getting into the important things. This book will give you something to think about and will linger long in your mind after you finish it. I read this book as a daily devotional and while it didn’t really follow the structure that I usually look for in devotionals, since it is thirty chapters and there are generally around 30 days in a month, it makes for a nice month that focuses on knowing Jesus.

Overall, a very good book with life-changing principles if you apply them.

**I received this book from Netgalley. My opinion was not affected in anyway.**

Today is my birthday! Another year older already!

Have you ever found an author, fell in love, read all their books, but then overtime noticed that their books no longer hold your interest? I have. So how can authors began to lose readers who loved them? This is how:

1. The author changes their time period. There are a few authors I have read who I really like when they write contemporary, but have a hard time with when they write historical. You would think that it wouldn’t matter considering I love both time periods equally, but I have noticed that sometimes their heroines will stay the same from contemporary times but fail to translate well in historical periods. That said, there are some awesome writers who can do this really well, but there are some who can’t.
2. Their novels don’t change. There is one author I just really liked. I read every single book she wrote, but then I began to notice patterns. The heroine always reacted the same, I knew the hero was going to do x right in the middle of the book. It was so predictable, I just stopped reading her.
3. The author has a tendency to place her main characters in some tense positions…all the time. There is this one author, who is fairly famous. And when she writes a good book, it’s amazing. But when she writes a not so good book, it’s usually really not so good (though she still gets five star reviews, so she’s not bad). What makes me hesitant to read her books? I never know what she’s going to put her main characters through and whether or not I want to handle it. She’s not a light read, and I’m not excited to read a book that will make me heavy.

   So, are there any authors that you have given up on (you don’t have to name names!)? If so, why?

I haven’t done a Feature Friday in a while, and I was thinking and thinking, who can I highlight? Robert Whitlow! He is an amazingly gifted writer. He writes southern legal thrillers that somehow let you know that this man is a lawyer, a southerner, and he has an intense relationship with God. Though his novels often have a light dusting of romance, romance is low on the scale of importance in his books. And yet, he can’t write a novel without me purchasing it. So if you haven’t read any of his books, here are some of my favorites! Check them out:

   You really can’t go wrong with any of his books. They will entertain you with a mystery and make you want to have a closer relationship with God. Happy Reading!

About

Allie Kirkland has always heard the call of her father’s unfinished destiny. When she’s offered a production assistant’s job on a docudrama filming in the hills near Moses Lake, Texas, the dream of following in her director-father’s footsteps suddenly seems within reach. The reenactment of the legendary frontier settlement of Wildwood is a first step into the film industry. A summer on set in the wilderness is a small price to pay for a dream. 

But in 1861, the real Wildwood held dangerous realities. Town founder Harland Delavan held helpless residents, including young Irish schoolteacher Bonnie Rose, in an iron grip. Mysterious disappearances led to myths and legends still retold in the region’s folk songs. Eventually, the entire site was found abandoned.
 
When filming begins, strange connections surface between Allie and the teacher who disappeared over a century ago, and everyone in Wildwood–including Blake Fulton, Allie’s handsome neighbor on the film set–seems to be hiding secrets. Allie doesn’t know whom she can trust. If she can’t find the answers in time, history may repeat itself…with the most unthinkable results.

Review

I will admit that when I first read what Wildwood Creek was about, I thought, this could either be good or very scary. Well, I can assure you that you won’t be scared though there will be great suspense. And I thought that the book was very good, if a bit ambitious.

What I liked about the book:

The suspense was amazing. The novel flips between two povs: Allie and Bonnie Rose. And yet, the suspense does not let up, no matter whose voice is telling the story.

 I really enjoyed the way the mystery of Bonnie Rose is slowly unraveled through Allie’s eyes. I even liked the way the narrative bounced between both women. I thought that was really nicely done.

I became totally invested in Bonnie Rose’s story. I don’t know how Ms. Wingate did it, but I was on the edge of my seat completely worried for her and hoping everything would turn out alright.

If you’ve read any of the other books in this series, than you’ve been to Moose Creek before, but this was such a unique angle of it and so clever. It was also very nice to see Mallory again.

Spiritually, the book deals with the notion of not really knowing what you believe until you’re in a tough situation. And it is not until you reach this point that you can really grow.

What I didn’t like:

I felt like Allie and Bonnie Rose’s stories almost should have been separate books. They both had a lot going on, and I wanted to know more. To a certain degree, I felt that Bonnie Rose was shortchanged in the romance department and Allie was shortchanged in the mystery department (the ending completely surprised me).

Also, I think I am still confused about what happened in 1861 in Wildwood Creek. I was trying to explain it to someone and I got lost in my own explanation.

Overall, a really great suspenseful read. What happened to Bonnie Rose? Well, you have to read it to find out.

Romantic Scale: 7

**I received this novel from Netgalley. My opinion was not affected in any way.**

About

Molly Zook’s always liked being in control, so she’s struggling with her mother’s wish that, to save the family farm, she marry Mervin Mosier. Especially after Molly meets Leon Fisher. He’s from Montana but is now training horses at a nearby ranch. He’s tall and muscular and confident–Molly has never met anyone like him and she’s sure he feels the same about her.

Determined to let nothing get between them, Molly tries to coax Mervin into falling back in love with Molly’s best friend, Hannah. A weekend camping trip in the Poconos could be just the place…but things quickly go awry, and it seems Leon and Hannah might be falling for each other instead! Will Molly keep struggling to control everyone and everything around her? Or will she learn to let God handle the twists and turns of her life?

Review

When I saw that Leslie Gould had another book out, I had to get it. Though I am generally not an Amish fan, Ms. Gould manages to write her characters in such a way that her Amish people don’t appear to be….ahem….strange. They come across as real people who just happen to live an Amish lifestyle. And, Ms. Gould manages to combine Shakespeare with the Amish, which always present an interesting twist. Minding Molly is based on A Midsummer Night’s Dream which is one of my favorite Shakespeare plays. However, this novel somehow didn’t manage to do it for me. Here is what I noticed:

Molly is an amazing heroine. Ms. Gould manages to write ladies who are totally relatable; women who have flaws, but you still get them anyway. Molly is no different and I loved being in her mind. The novel did manage to give you that Midsummer Night’s Dream-feel to it, though I think it lacked the humor that the the comedy intended.

But, we are told Molly is a people person and that she is controlling. Based off of this book, Molly is not a people person. She had a hard time getting along with others and frankly, I never saw her as controlling. She was very much into the details, but I didn’t see anyone else trying to help Molly when she was getting things done. I just saw other people being lazy (Maybe I have Molly’s Type A personality…maybe I don’t). 🙂

Molly meets Leon and almost immediately they fall in love. I’m not such a huge fan of insta-love and I found myself even less invested in their relationship when after only two meetings they were having problems with where they should live when they got married. Don’t get me wrong, it was completely something to consider. But even though I adored Leon, I failed to see why Molly did so intensely.

Hannah, Molly’s best friend was so annoying. I could not see why they were best friends. She was not someone who even remotely looked out for Molly. It was all about her from day one.

Beatrice, the mean sister, who constantly criticized Molly, completely failed to see her own flaws. 

Poor Molly, I just felt like she worked so hard and got very few breaks. 

Spiritually, Molly learns to be less controlling and learns to trust God more with everything that goes around her. 

Overall, though nicely written, this book wasn’t my favorite and left me more than a bit confused.

Romantic Scale: 6.5

**I received this novel from Netgalley. My opinion was not affected in anyway.**

I don’t know about you, but once again I find myself stuck in the polar vortex that is this winter. That means that I leave the house rarely and I spend a lot of time looking for books. I found myself a bit surprised by some of the books coming out in the next couple of months, so I decided to list some just so you don’t miss them as well. Here goes:

What are you looking forward to reading in the next couple of Months?

About

Review

I really enjoy historical romance fiction and sometimes you just want an uncomplicated book about the old days (though as we know, things were very complicated in the olden days). And this book delivers that.

What I liked about it: The novel is told mostly from Katherine and Micah’s viewpoints. I really felt like I got to know both of them really well. I understood why they made the decisions they made and why they reacted the way that they did. I found them both very fascinating and I found myself invested in their romance. 

The children: Amanda, Lucy, and Zach. They are not just extras thrown in to look cute and make mom and dad fall in love. They add an extra tension to the novel and they have their own longings and desires that they want to come true. 

Katherine’s mom, who manages to come across as real in both her meanness and her brokenness. 

Spiritually, I like how though Micah has run away from God. God has not run away from Him and how he is able to see God through His people. I also liked how Katherine had to balance honoring her mother and dealing with her mother’s rudeness (though I do think it wouldn’t have been wrong if she confronted her a time or two).

What I didn’t like:

It took Katherine and Micah a minute to start their romance, and when they did, it happened fairly quickly. They spent a portion of the novel misunderstanding each other and frankly, dealing with their own personal problems. I had hoped the romance would start a bit sooner.

Otherwise, I got exactly what I wanted. A sweet romance that was God-uplifting!

Romantic scale: 7.8

About

Finding himself the man of the family, London dancing master Alec Valcourt moves his mother and sister to remote Devonshire, hoping to start over. But he is stunned to learn the village matriarch has prohibited all dancing, for reasons buried deep in her past.

Alec finds an unlikely ally in the matriarch’s daughter. Though he’s initially wary of Julia Midwinter’s reckless flirtation, he comes to realize her bold exterior disguises a vulnerable soul–and hidden sorrows of her own.

Julia is quickly attracted to the handsome dancing master–a man her mother would never approve of–but she cannot imagine why Mr. Valcourt would leave London, or why he evades questions about his past. With Alec’s help, can Julia uncover old secrets and restore life to her somber village…and to her mother’s tattered heart?

Filled with mystery and romance, The Dancing Master brings to life the intriguing profession of those who taught essential social graces for ladies and gentlemen hoping to make a “good match” in Regency England.

Review

I will admit that when I read what this book was about, I was very skeptical. The hero is a dancing master? Where is the pride in that exactly? But, I love Julie Klassen so I knew I had to read it anyway. This book exceeded my expectations. To be sure, it took me a minute to get invested, but once I was, I didn’t want to put the book down. 

Alec is not your typical hero. He is a Beta in every sense of the word. He’s more interested in fashion, he loves to dance (obviously), you won’t see him getting his hands dirty, and he works in a kind of service profession. But, he’s still a man. He’s still doing everything he can to take care of his family and put food on the table. And I promise, that it won’t take long before you’re rooting for his complete success.

Julia is almost Alec’s exact opposite. She is impulsive, flirtatious, quick-tempered and demanding. She’s a bruising horse-rider (Alec can barely sit a horse). She tries to make things happen (Alec’s definitely more passive). She loves confrontation (Alec not so much). When I first met Julia, I almost threw my hands up in the air. She is everything I usually cannot stand in a heroine. And yet, I was so much in her corner. Somehow Klassen wrote Julia in such a way that I liked her, and well before the book ended (and so I’ve learned, a great author can take any personality and make you like them!)

This novel also had a great little mystery that slowly unraveled one layer at a time. Everything was not as I thought it was, and I thought it all came together nicely.

Romantically, I enjoyed watching Julia and Alec together. There was that nice tension and yet, class differences that only regency novels can aptly portray. It was the best kind of romance. The one where the couple must learn what it is to be friends first. 

Spiritually, we learn a lot about grace and forgiveness which I think is portrayed well. 

Overall, I really enjoyed this book. Let me say, if you’re a new reader, you may find this novel to be slower than most, but as a Jane Austen/Georgette Heyer fan, that slowness is exactly what makes the novel great.

Romantic Scale: 8.7

**I received this novel from Bethany House. My opinion was not affected in any way.**

I noticed recently, that generally if I don’t like a book, I blame the girl. Not the boy. I like my heroes anyway you present them: Alphas, Betas, introverts, extroverts, nice guys, bad boys (in need of redemption!), younger than their love interest, older than their love interest, fathers, widows, never been married, no children, laid back, great sense of humor, devastatingly handsome, ordinary, Godly, in need of a walk with God, etc. In fact, I’ve noticed that the more different they are from the typical hero, the more I usually love them. 

But, I realized that I don’t give such deference to heroines. In fact, there is a whole list of attributes that usually make me groan, when the heroine has them (though they are not indicative of whether or not I will like the book): flighty, not serious about God, too old, too many children, meddlesome, worrisome, dramatic, impulsive, too needy, too tough, etc. 

And then…I realized that I was describing women who are the opposite of me (or even the opposite of what I would like to be). So do we as female readers try to impose our personalities on the heroine and that is why she usually gets the short end of the stick?

Thoughts anyone?