My Journey to Spiritual Restoration by Gurmay Darlington

Darlington had a rough start in life. At three months old, she was poisoned by her 12-year-old cousin. Burned and unable to swallow, she was in intensive care for several months, then discharged with a grim prognosis. But Darlington survived, only to grow up to face sexual abuse, rape, and domestic violence, plus a variety of serious medical conditions-cardiac problems, knee surgery, and the removal of a large and extremely rare tumor. Due to a medical condition, Darlington actually died and was brought back to life and began her spiritual restoration.

With the help of God, the Author and Finisher of her faith, Darlington was able to embrace the experiences that shaped her. Join Darlington on her journey to spiritual restoration, and experience the radiance that is neither electric nor sunlight but the healing light of the Lord.

I reviewed My Journey to Spiritual Restoration thinking it would be something similar to Return From Tomorrow. This was not the case but I still found the story interesting enough to finish.

If the rating could be based on the story alone this book would get a much higher rating. Darlington overcame much in her life and has an amazing story of what the human spirit can endure and conquer. While reading this memoir I was amazed and inspired by the fact that Darlington was able to forgive those who wronged her, continue fighting for herself and her children and ultimately found peace in her life.

The 2 star rating comes from the actual writing & editing.

Content: Nothing describe in graphic detail but Darlington is raped, beaten, abused, cheated on...

Rating: 2 stars.

Being Sixteen by Allyson Condie

Juliet Kendall has been looking forward to her sixteenth birthday for what feels like forever. At first, it seems like being sixteen will be as perfect as she dreamed---she has great friends, a cute almost-boyfriend, a spot on the varsity girls' basketball team, and even a car of her own. But, as the year goes on, she discovers that her sister Carly, is hiding a secret and realizes that, in fact, being sixteen may be her hardest year yet.

Being Sixteen is a coming-of-age story about two sister and their different struggles. It addresses what it means to have a testimony, what it meant to be a friend and a sister, and what's involved in the dealing with and overcoming an eating disorder.

Being Sixteen is well done LDS fiction. This is the first novel by Allyson Braithwaite Condie that I have read and I will definitely give her other books a try. Being Sixteen delves into the dynamics of a less than perfect LDS family who are doing the best they can. A touching story that brought tears to my eyes. Unlike many books in this genre Being Sixteen is not overly cheesy or preachy. A realistic look at some of the challenges an LDS teen faces.

Content: This is a clean read recommended to LDS readers ages 13+.

Rating: 4 Stars

The Gladiator by Carla Capshaw

He won his fame—and his freedom—in the gory pits of Rome's Colosseum. Yet the greatest challenge for once-legendary gladiator Caros Viriathos comes to him through a slave. His slave, the beautiful and mysterious Pelonia Valeria. Her secret brings danger to his household but offers Caros a love like he's never known….

Should anyone learn she is a Christian, Pelonia will be executed. Her faith threatens not only herself, but her master. Can she convince a man who found fame through unforgiving brutality to show mercy? And when she's ultimately given the choice, will Pelonia choose freedom or the love of a gladiator?

I won a copy if this book from goodreads giveaways. I love getting free books especially when the end up being enjoyable reads like this one.

This book is a Love Inspired Historical. For anyone not familiar with the Love Inspired Historials they are Christian romance books and thus contains all the content typical of this genre. They are very clean with Christian faith, doctrine and beliefs interspersed throughout the book. Carla Capshaw did a great job doing this in The Gladiator. Pelonia's faith was woven into the story in such a way that it didn't seem out of place or contrived - some books of this genre really force the "inspirational" aspect to make it fit.

Pelonia is a Christian who is sold as a slave to retired Gladiator Caros. From that you can guess where the story is going. Despite being somewhat predictable this book held my interest throughout and I found myself staying up to finish the story.

For anyone who enjoys a good clean romance with a great storyline this book is for you.

Content: Clean, clean, clean.

Rating: 4 Stars

Beastly by Alex Flinn

I am a beast. A beast. Not quite wolf or bear, gorilla or dog, but a horrible new creature who walks upright – a creature with fangs and claws and hair springing from every pore. I am a monster.

You think I’m talking fairy tales? No way. The place is New York City. The time is now. It’s no deformity, no disease. And I’ll stay this way forever – ruined – unless I can break the spell.

Yes, the spell, the one the witch in my English class cast on me. Why did she turn me into a beast who hides by day and prowls by night? I’ll tell you. I’ll tell you how I used to be Kyle Kingsbury, the guy you wished you were, with money, perfect looks, and a perfect life. And then, I’ll tell you how I became perfectly beastly.

Beastly is a modern-day Beauty & the Beast retelling told from the Beast's perspective. It moved along at a fairly fast pace and held my interest. Beauty & the Beast is one of my favorite fairytales and I enjoy retellings of this story.

Interspersed through the story there is a support "chat" group that the Beast joined with the frog prince, the little mermaid and several other fairy tale characters that I found to be quite humorous.

Alex Flinn did a great job writing this book that shows that ultimately it is what is on the inside that matters most.

Content: This book does contain some language throughout. There is also a few crude sexual references. Age 16+

Rating: 4 Stars - I enjoyed this retelling from the Beast's perspective.

Princess of Glass by Jessica Day George

Hoping to escape the troubles in her kingdom, Princess Poppy reluctantly agrees to take part in a royal exchange program, whereby young princes and princesses travel to each other’s countries in the name of better political alliances—and potential marriages. It’s got the makings of a fairy tale—until a hapless servant named Eleanor is tricked by a vengeful fairy godmother into competing with Poppy for the eligible prince. Ballgowns, cinders, and enchanted glass slippers fly in this romantic and action-packed happily-ever-after quest from an author with a flair for embroidering tales in her own delightful way.

Princess of Glass is a very original retelling of Cinderella. Just the bare basics of the Cinderella story were there: a prince, a ball, soot, a glass slipper, a Godmother. Jessica Day George took those basic elements and created a very unique retelling of Cinderella. 2 princesses, a curse, glass feet, and a witch combined with characters from Day's novel Princess of the Midnight Ball made this a darker version of the classic Cinderella story.

Although the ultimate outcome was predictable there were lots of twists and turns along the way. For me the ending wrapped up way too quickly leaving me feeling a little cheated.

Content: This is a clean read with nothing objectionable.

Rating: 4 Stars - I debated between giving this 3.5 or 4 stars but decided to go with 4 stars for originality. It was a good book, but not quite as good as Princess of the Midnight Ball.

Sudden Storms by Marcia Lynn McClure

Rivers Brighton was a wanderer-having nothing and belonging to no one. Still, by chance, Rivers found herself harboring for a time beneath the roof of the kind-hearted Jolee Gray, and her remarkably attractive, yet ever grumbling brother, Paxton. Jolee, had taken Rivers in, and Rivers had stayed.

Helplessly drawn to Paxton's alluring presence and unable to escape his astonishing hold over her, however, Rivers knew she was in danger of enduring great heartbreak and pain. Paxton appeared to find Rivers no more interesting than a brief cloudburst. Yet, the man's spirit seemed to tether some great and devastating storm-a powerful tempest bridled within, waiting for the moment when it could rage full and free, perhaps destroying everything and everyone in its wake-particularly Rivers.

Could Rivers capture Paxton's attention long enough to make his heart her own? Or would the storm brewing within him destroy her hopes and dreams of belonging to the only man she had ever loved?

Anyone who has followed what I read knows that I have a weakness for Marcia Lynn McClure. I love clean romances that make me smile and Marcia's books fit the bill perfectly. Sudden Storms is a really quick, fun read - I started this book when my kid's friends came over for a late night and by the time everyone had headed home and settled down I had finished the book. A perfect book to read in one sitting. Marcia Lynn McClure's books make me laugh out loud, and leave me grinning and Sudden Storms was no exception.

Content: This is a clean read with nothing more than kissing.

Rating: As with all of Marcia's books this one gets 5 stars from me.

Winter Garden by Kristin Hannah

From the author of the smash-hit bestseller Firefly Lane and True Colors comes a powerful, heartbreaking novel that illuminates the intricate mother-daughter bond and explores the enduring links between the present and the past.

Meredith and Nina Whitson are as different as sisters can be. One stayed at home to raise her children and manage the family apple orchard: the other followed a dream and traveled the world to become a famous photojournalist. But when their beloved father falls ill, Meredith and Nina find themselves together again, standing alongside their cold, disapproving mother, Anya, who even now, offers no comfort to her daughters. As children, the only connection between them was the Russian fairy tale Anya sometimes told the girls at night. On his deathbed, their father extracts a promise from the women in his life: the fairy tale will be told one last time - and all the way to the end. Thus begins an unexpected journey into the truth of Anya's life in war-torn Leningrad, more than five decades ago. Alternating between the past and present, Meredith and Nina will finally hear the singular, harrowing story of their mother's life, and what they learn is a secret so terrible and terrifying that it will shake the very foundation of their family and change who they believe they are.

Winter Garden by Kristin Hannah is a great mix of contemporary and historical fiction. Well written and very interesting to me. I enjoyed the fairy tale style that was used to tell the mother's story. Lots of emotion in this book. A great family drama with great characters who ultimately learn to overcome the obstacles life threw at them.

It did wrap up a little too quickly and a little too neatly but overall a good book.

Content: This is an adult book. Quite a bit of language throughout including about a half dozen uses of the F word. Also there is some sexual content between 2 unmarried individuals. Most of it is not graphic but it was a little more than I like to read in a book.

Rating: 4 solid 4 star book.

The Visions of Ransom Lake by Marcia Lynn McClure

Youthful beauty, naïve innocence, a romantic imagination thirsting for adventure-an apt description of Vaden Valmont, who would soon find the adventure and mystery she had always longed to experience-in the form of a man. A somber recluse, Ransom Lake descended from his solitary concealment in the mountains, wholly disinterested in people and their trivial affairs. And somehow, young Vaden managed to be ever in his way-either by accident or because of her own unique ability to stumble into a quandary. Yet the enigmatic Ransom Lake would involuntarily become Vaden's unwitting tutor. Through him, she would experience joy and passion the like even Vaden had never imagined. Yes, Vaden Valmont stepped innocently, yet irrevocably, into love with the secretive, seemingly callous man-Ransom Lake. But there were other life's lessons Ransom Lake would inadvertently convey to her as well. The darker side of life-despair, guilt, heartache. Would Ransom Lake be the means of Vaden's dreams come true? Or the cause of her complete desolation?

The Visions of Ransom Lake is one of Marcia Lynn McClure's best! I couldn't put this one down and had to finish despite being exhausted and sitting on a freezing cold tile floor in a cold hallway reading by the light from a bathroom. (There was no where else to read because every other room had someone trying to sleep.) Full of everything I've come to expect in one of McClure's novels: fabulous characters, humor, romance, lots of kissing but nothing more... Great book!

There is just something about the ways Marcia writes that just draws me in and makes me smile.

And the title...what a great title for this book.

So good I read it again!

Content: Like all of Marcia's book this is clean read.

Rating: 5 Stars. I loved it!

The Dark Divine by Bree Despain

A Prodigal Son

A Dangerous Love

A Deadly Secret

Grace Divine—daughter of the local pastor—always knew something terrible happened the night Daniel Kalbi disappeared and her brother Jude came home covered in his own blood.

Now that Daniel's returned, Grace must choose between her growing attraction to him and her loyalty to her brother.

As Grace gets closer to Daniel, she learns the truth about that mysterious night and how to save the ones she loves, but it might cost her the one thing she cherishes most: her soul.

I've read a lot of werewolf paranormal romance this summer. The Dark Divine by Bree Despain is a great addition to the genre. Well developed characters and an interesting werewolf mythology make this a very entertaining fast paced book. If you enjoy paranormal romance I suggest you give this one a try.

I'm looking forward to the sequel The Lost Saint which gets released at the end of the year.

Content: Just a few mild swear words scattered throughout, other than that it is a clean read.

Rating: 4.5 Stars. One of the better werewolf books that has been released lately.

13 to Life by Shannon Delany

Something strange is stalking the small town of Junction…

When junior Jess Gillmansen gets called out of class by Guidance, she can only presume it’s for one of two reasons. Either they’ve finally figured out who wrote the scathing anti-jock editorial in the school newspaper or they’re hosting yet another intervention for her about her mom. Although far from expecting it, she’s relieved to discover Guidance just wants her to show a new student around—but he comes with issues of his own including a police escort.

The newest member of Junction High, Pietr Rusakova has secrets to hide--secrets that will bring big trouble to the small town of Junction—secrets including dramatic changes he’s undergoing that will surely end his life early.

After reading a book like 13 to Life I have to ask myself why do I start reading a series as the first book comes out. I keep telling myself to just wait until I can read the entire series. Someday maybe I'll learn! This book set up a intriguing story line then left us hanging at the end.

13 to Life is a debut novel for Shannon Delany. This novel is 300 pages of setting the stage for what I hope will be a great werewolf series. It moved along at a fairly fast pace but gave us lots of details and interactions between the characters in the story. We don't even get to really see any werewolves or learn a whole lot about them until the end of the book.

I'm looking forward to the 2nd book in the series and am grateful it's only 8 months between the release of this book and its sequel Secrets and Shadows. At least the publishers are not making us wait the normal year between books in a series.

Content: There is mild language throughout the book and a few instances of stronger language. The F word isn't actually used but there are a couple times where the person stops short of saying it. What the f___.

Rating: 4 Stars

The Grip of the Shadow Plague by Brandon Mull

Kendra and Seth along with Grandpa and Grandma Sorenson discover that someone or something has released a plague that is turning the light creatures of Fablehaven into creatures of darkness. And for the first time, Kendra and Warren must visit another magical preserve called Lost Mesa in Arizona and try to recovery another hidden artifact. Can the plague be stopped? Can the artifact be found? And most importantly, is the Sphinx a traitor?

My children adore the Fablehaven series. I'm not sure how many times they have listened to these books. We seem to always have one title or another checked out and I'm constantly trying to track down missing CDs that are due back at the library. From all that listening they've done I've heard bits and pieces of the series but never listen to the entire thing. Glad I'm finally making the effort because this is a fabulous series.

I really am impressed with this series by Brandon Mull. The writing seems better with each book and the story has sucked me in. Looking forward to reading the last 2 books in the series. The Grip of the Shadow Plague is a great fantasy book filled with lots of mythical creatures, lots of adventure & mystery and characters I just can't help liking.

Content: This is a clean read. My 8, 10 & 12 year olds all love this series.

Rating: 4.5 Stars

City of Angels by Sheralyn Pratt

Rhea Jensen is your typical twenty-something single girl if by typical you mean a private investigator who studies ways to escape from handcuffs while waiting to take down another serial sleaze. But when a seemingly open-and-closed embezzlement case goes awry, her on-again-off-again boyfriend starts fooling around behind her back, and some Mormon missionaries stop her on the street during a stakeout, Rhea realizes her life is anything but typical even by her standards. This exciting first installment of the Rhea Jensen series by Sheralyn Pratt boasts a fair bit of suspense, just enough romance, and a whole lot of heart. City of Angels is a great read for the amateur detective in all of us.

Wow! City of Angels by Sheralyn Pratt was a surprise, it was such a good book. Seriously, I loved this book. I was drawn in from the first chapter and despite having other things on my to do list finished in less than 24 hours.

This book is fun. It's LDS fiction at its best. Not preachy, not cheesy, a great storyline, awesome characters. Action, mystery and a little romance make this story of private investigator Rhea Jensen fast paced and completely enjoyable.

I'll most definitely be reading the rest of the series and anything else Sheralyn Pratt writes.


Content: This is a clean read for an adult. Rhea isn't a Mormon so there is talk of drinking and sleeping around but nothing graphic. There is one bedroom scene but it stops abruptly with the realization that it would be a big mistake.

Rating: 5 Stars - As good as LDS fiction gets.