A Bride Most Begrudging by Deeanne Gist

Any ship arriving from England means good news for Virginia colony farmers. The "tobacco brides" would be on board—eligible women seeking a better life in America, bartered for with barrels of tobacco from the fields.

Drew O Connor isn't stirred by news of a ship full of brides. Still broken-hearted from the loss of his beloved, he only wants a maid to tend his house and care for his young sister.

What he ends up with is a wife—a feisty redhead who claims she is Lady Constance Morrow, daughter of an Earl, brought to America against her will. And she want to go straight back to England as soon as she possibly can. She hasn't the foggiest notion how to cook, she dares to argue with her poor husband, and spends more time working on mathematical equations than housework. What kind of a wife is that? Drew's Christian forbearance is in for some testing.

Headstrong and intelligent, deeply moral but incredibly enticing, Constance turns what was supposed to be a marriage of convenience into something most inconvenient, indeed.

I love the line from the back cover:
Do you believe in love at first fight?

I picked A Bride Most Begrudging by Deeanne Gist not realizing it was a Christian Romance novel. Not that that is a bad thing - I've read many good Christian books, I just hadn't realized this was one of them until I started reading. As far as Christian Romance goes this is among the better ones. Not too preachy, a great story, lots of fun exchanges between characters. Overall it was a good clean historical fiction romance novel that I would recommend. I will read more by Deeanne Gist. This was her first novel so I'm hoping for good things from her.

Content: This is a clean read with nothing objectionable.

Rating: 4.5 Stars. If you like Christian Romance I highly recommend this book. It's one of the best I've read. If you don't like the scriptures, praying and preaching that come along with the genre then skip this one.

11 Birthdays By Wendy Mass

It's Amanda's 11th birthday and she is super excited -- after all, 11 is so different from 10. But from the start, everything goes wrong. The worst part of it all is that she and her best friend, Leo, with whom she's shared every birthday, are on the outs and this will be the first birthday they haven't shared together. When Amanda turns in for the night, glad to have her birthday behind her, she wakes up happy for a new day. Or is it? Her birthday seems to be repeating itself. What is going on?! And how can she fix it? Only time, friendship, and a little luck will tell. . .

I thought 11 Birthdays by Wendy Mass was adorable! A little fantasy along with a great message makes this a wonderful book. I gave it to my 10 year old daughter to read and she stayed up way too late last night, I couldn't get her to get up for breakfast this morning because she was too tired.

The idea behind the book has been done before and I'm sure it will be done again. Bill Murray waking up over and over in Groundhogs Day came to mind more than once while reading this. But don't let that stop you from reading because this has lots of original content.

Content: A clean read. Appropriate for ages 8+ but probably enjoyed by 10+.

Rating: 4.5 Stars

My Fair Godmother by Janette Rallison

Finding your one true love can be a Grimm experience!
After her boyfriend dumps her for her older sister, sophomore Savannah Delano wishes she could find a true prince to take her to the prom. Enter Chrissy (Chrysanthemum) Everstar: Savannah’s gum-chewing, cell phone–carrying, high heel-wearing Fair Godmother. Showing why she’s only Fair—because she’s not a very good fairy student—Chrissy mistakenly sends Savannah back in time to the Middle Ages, first as Cinderella, then as Snow White. Finally she sends Tristan, a boy in Savannah’s class, back instead to turn him into her prom-worthy prince. When Savannah returns to the Middle Ages to save Tristan, they must team up to defeat a troll, a dragon, and the mysterious and undeniably sexy Black Knight. Laughs abound in this clever fairy tale twist from a master of romantic comedy.

I absolutely loved Janette Rallison's book Just One Wish. Being the fairytale lover that I am I decided to give her book My Fair Godmother a try. I shouldn't have been surprised that it was a delightful & totally entertaining read. This was a wonderful fractured fairytale with a teenage fairy who takes wishes quite literally.

Couldn't help but laugh at Rallison's humor including memoir elves who return to the magical realm with atrocious grammar and "write things in text message form (e.g., R U going 2 the mall?) and for no apparent reason occasionally call out the name Edward Cullen."

Content: Totally cute and clean! Nothing objectionable. My library shelved it as a young adult book but I would let my 10 year old read it.

Rating: 4.5 Stars. A great book by Janette Rallison.

Rise of the Evening Star by Bradon Mull

At the end of the school year, Kendra and her brother, Seth, find themselves racing back to Fablehaven, a refuge for mythical and magical creatures. Grandpa Sorenson, the caretaker, invites three specialists- a potion master, a magical relics collector, and a mystical creature trapper- to help protect the property from the Society of the Evening Star, an ancient organization determined to infiltrate the preserve and steal a hidden artifact of great power. Time is running out. The Evening Star is storming the gates. If the artifact falls into the wrong hands, it could mean the downfall of other preserves and possibly the world. Will Kendra learn to use her fairy gifts in time? Will Seth stay out of trouble? Can they overcome paralyzing fear? Find out in book 2 of this bestselling series.

My 10 year old daughter describes Brandon Mull's Fablehaven series as the best books in the world. They are her favorite. I read the first book about 2 years ago but didn't continue with the series. I finally got around to listening to book 2 The Rise of the Evening Star.

This is a fabulous fantasy series for all ages. My library has these books cataloged as young adult but my children started listening to this series at age 6, 8 & 10 and have all loved these books. They have cross over appeal for an adult audience as well. Brandon Mull has created an incredible world of secrets for Kendra and Seth to discover at Fablehaven. Full of adventure and mystery this is a series to be enjoyed by all.

Content: This is a clean read. Being a fantasy book there are mythical creatures that could be considered scary by some but they didn't phase any of my kids.

Rating: 4.5 Stars. If you haven't yet read the Fablehaven series I suggest you give these wonderful books a try!

North of Beautiful by Justina Chen Headley

Born with a port-wine stain birthmark covering her entire right cheek, Terra Rose Cooper is ready to leave her stifling, small Washington town where everyone knows her for her face. With her critical, reproachful father and an obese mother who turns to food to deflect her father's verbal attacks, home life for Terra isn't so great either. Fueled by her artistic desires, she plans to escape to an East Coast college, thinking this is her true path. When her father intercepts her acceptance letter, Terra is pushed off-course, and she is forced to confront her deepest insecurities. After an ironically fortuitous car accident, Terra meets Jacob, a handsome but odd goth Chinese boy who was adopted from China as a toddler. Jacob immediately understands Terra's battle with feeling different. When Terra's older brother invites her and her mother to visit him in Shanghai, Jacob and his mother also join them on their journey, where they all not only confront the truth about themselves, but also realize their own true beauty. North of Beautiful is the engaging third YA novel by Justina Chen Headley. This is a gorgeously-written, compelling book featuring universal themes of defining true beauty, family bonds, personal strength, and love.

Why did you write North of Beautiful?

JCH: To tell you the truth, I was sick of our society glamorizing a really narrow definition of beauty: blonde, size 00. You know. A chance comment from an acquaintance whose son has a port wine stain completely inspired the book. When I was lauding her parenting because he's such a confident, cool kid, she stopped me and said, "That's because he's a boy..." There it was, my next novel. What if a girl had a birthmark on her face? Could I tackle the notion of real beauty--true glorious beauty--with this character?

North of Beautiful by Justina Chen Headley is a well written, thought provoking book with a great message. I really enjoyed reading this coming of age story. It is a journey of self discovery, learning what is important in life and finding out what true beauty really is. A very memorable book delving into the complexity of self-esteem, family, abuse and relationships. Loved the way maps & geocaching were incorporated into the story. If you can handle the content issues mentioned below I highly recommend this book.

Content: This is not a clean read. There is a lot of mild language throughout the entire book. There is also some sexual content & innuendo. Terra allows her boyfriend's hands to wander. Although there are no graphic details given we know she has slept with him. Recommended for ages 16+.

Rating: 4 Stars to this touching, beautiful book.

His Holiday Heart by Jillian Hart

What can make a grumpy "there-is-no-Santa-Claus" kind of man smile? The sight of quirky Lucy Chapin. Something about the woman creates warm and fuzzy feelings within confirmed bachelor Spence McKaslin. So he'll just have to ignore her. Hard to do, since they're working together on a Christmas program for hospitalized children. The time with lovely Lucy soon has Spence thinking twice about spending his life alone.

I was in the mood for something light, fluffy, clean and uplifting so I picked up Christian Romance novel His Holiday Heart by Jillian Hart. This was typical Christian Romance, completely clean and thankfully not too preachy. A good uplifting read for a Sunday afternoon with likable characters I was rooting for.

I didn't realize this was the final book in the 3rd McKaslin series when I started reading it. It was ok to read as a stand alone although I'm sure I might have enjoyed all the information about the other family members more if I had read the other books in the series and knew their stories. My library only has a few books by Jillian Hart and only parts of each series which makes it unlikely that I'll read any more of the McKaslin series because I don't intend to buy them.

Content: Completely clean. Ages 13+

Rating: 4 Stars for a Christian Romance book. Kept me up late reading. Enjoyed the interactions between Lucy, Spence & his family.

Dragon Spear by Jessica Day George

As far as Creel is concerned, all is finally right with the world. The dragon king, Shardas, and his queen, Velika, have made a home for themselves on the Far Islands, and for the first time in centuries it seems dragons and humans might be able to live together in peace. So what better time for Creel and Luka to plan their wedding. But then Velika gets kidnapped by a band of rogue dragons in need of their own queen. And Creel and Luka leap to aid Shardas and rescue her—only to discover that Luka’s father has set his sights on taking back the Far Islands from the dragons. Torn between her love for Prince Luka and her friendship with Shardas and Velika, Creel must make the most difficult decision of her life if she stands any chance of getting to the church on time.

Dragon Spear is the 3rd and at this time final book in Jessica Day George's Dragon Slipper's series. The first book Dragon Slippers was my favorite of the series but I have enjoyed the other 2 books. My interest lagged a little bit part way through this book but my perseverance was rewarded with a great ending. If you enjoyed the first 2 books in the series I recommend you read Dragon Spear as well.

Content: This is a clean read with nothing objectionable. This is a juvenile fiction book and appropriate for ages 8+.

Rating: 4 Stars. This is a well written enjoyable story.

Oregon Flame by Sherry Ann Miller

Nicole Travis could easily fall for Wade Reilly's fiery charm . . . if only she could trust him. But, how can Nicole ever believe Wade's sincerity? He took advantage of her brother, and destroyed her relationship with her fiancee. Oregon Flame . . . a daring rescue . . . a dangerous romance.

This short little romance novel started off strong. I enjoyed the beginning of the book but it started to fizzle out as it went along. The potential was there for a great book but it just lacked the depth and story development needed to make it believable. Not enough time developing the relationship between Nicole and Wade left me not buying the ending.

This is a clean, quick read. It kept my interest enough to finish it.

Content: This is a clean read. No objectionable content. Appropriate for ages 16+.

Rating: 3 Stars. If you've got the time, enjoy clean romance and can find this at the library give it a try.

Princess of the Midnight Ball by Jessica Day George

A tale of twelve princesses doomed to dance until dawn… Galen is a young soldier returning from war; Rose is one of twelve princesses condemned to dance each night for the King Under Stone. Together Galen and Rose will search for a way to break the curse that forces the princesses to dance at the midnight balls. All they need is one invisibility cloak, a black wool chain knit with enchanted silver needles, and that most critical ingredient of all—true love—to conquer their foes in the dark halls below. But malevolent forces are working against them above ground as well, and as cruel as the King Under Stone has seemed, his wrath is mere irritation compared to the evil that awaits Galen and Rose in the brighter world above. Captivating from start to finish, Jessica Day George’s take on the Grimms’ tale The Twelve Dancing Princesses demonstrates yet again her mastery at spinning something entirely fresh out of a story you thought you knew.

The 12 Dancing Princesses has long been one of my favorite fairytales. I was raised watching Shelley Duval's Faerie Tale Theatre. The Dancing Princesses was one of my favorite stories so I was excited to read this fairytale retelling.

I love the cover used for Princess of the Midnight Ball. It is so elegant. There are so many cheesy book covers now days I'm glad this one had such a beautiful cover.

I really enjoyed this retelling. All the classic elements of the story were there from the worn out dance slippers to the silver trees to the invisibility cloak. Jessica Day George took this classic story and gave us a reason for the dancing... The princesses are cursed. Add a hero who knits into the mix and you have an excellent book.

Content: This is a clean read. There is no objectionable content. Labeled as a young adult book this would be appropriate for ages 10+.

Rating: 4 Stars. A fun read that held my interest throughout.

Hannah's Heart by Marnie L. Pehrson

With that one waltz, Hannah almost came to believe that Ephraim Marston took her seriously that she was more than a little girl tripping him up and irritating him. With the way he fixed his eyes upon hers and held her in his arms, she felt like a woman for the first time in her life, and a confidence that she'd never known filled her soul. Then, as if a storm brewed within him, Ephraim's expression grew worrisome. The music stopped, he mumbled his thanks, turned and exited the ballroom, leaving Hannah standing there wondering what she had done to set him off this time.

I picked this up because it was part of the Love Notes Collection and recommended by Marcia Lynn McClure. I've read 3 of the books in this "Romance You Can Trust" collection and have loved them.

Hannah's Heart is a really was a cute story and it's a clean read. Unfortunately I just didn't get swept away. Too much happened in too short of a time and it felt a little flat to me. Not enough time was taken to develop the romance between the characters. The potential was there for a great romance but it ended up being just a nice story.

If found it interesting to note it is based on the author's ancestors. I wished I'd know that before I read the book.

I liked Hannah's Heart enough that I will try another one of Marnie L. Pehrson's books since I know she writes clean romance. I think I'll read Angel and the Enemy next.

Content: This is a clean read. There is nothing objectionable at all. Written for women but appropriate for ages 13+.

Rating: 3.5 Stars. It was a good book and I worth the hour and a half it took to read it.

Shadow of the Giant by Orson Scott Card

Bean's past was a battle just to survive. He first appeared on the streets of Rotterdam, a tiny child with a mind leagues beyond anyone else. He knew he could not survive through strength; he used his tactical genius to gain acceptance into a children's gang, and then to help make that gang a template for success for all the others. He civilized them, and lived to grow older. Then he was discovered by the recruiters for the Battle School.
For Earth was at war -- a terrible war with an inscrutable alien enemy. A war that humanity was near to losing. But the long distances of interstellar space has given hope to the defenders of Earth -- they had time to train military geniuses up from childhood, forging them into an irresistible force in the high-orbital facility called the Battle School. That story is told in two books, the beloved classic Ender's Game, and its parallel, Ender's Shadow.
Bean was the smallest student at the Battle School, but he became Ender Wiggins' right hand. Since then he has grown to be a power on Earth. He served the Hegemon as strategist and general in the terrible wars that followed Ender's defeat of the alien empire attacking Earth. Now he and his wife Petra yearn for a safe place to build a family -- something he has never known -- but there is nowhere on Earth that does not harbor his enemies -- old enemies from the days in Ender's Jeesh, new enemies from the wars on Earth. To find security, Bean and Petra must once again follow in Ender's footsteps. They must leave Earth behind, in the control of the Hegemon, and look to the stars.

I finally finish all the Ender's Books. It took me over a year to get through all 9 books in the series. My husband and I listened to most of them on audio together.

I made the mistake of reading Ender in Exile before reading Shadow of the Giant. Don't make that mistake. A good portion of Shadow of the Giant is summarized in Ender in Exile.

Even knowing a lot of the storyline I enjoyed this book! I admit it is really slow in places. There is so much strategy, politics and war games. That part didn't hold my interest as much as the relationships did.

This book actually made me cry near the end. I don't cry very easily especially while reading Sci-fi books but my mother's heart ached while reading parts of this book and the tears just came.

I think when the next and I think final book in the series comes out I will take the time to reread this series.

Orson Scott Card is a phenomenal writer! I'm amazed at how much he was able to interweave between books.

When I started the series I wasn't sure which order to read the books in. You can read them chronologically or in the order they are written in.

My recommendation is to read the series in the order they were written:

Ender's Game

Speaker for the Dead

Xenocide
Children of the Mind

Ender's Shadow

Shadow of the Hegemon

Shadow Puppets

Shadow of the Giant

Ender In Exile - Don't read until after you have finished the other 8 books.

Content Warning: If you've ever read an Orson Scott Card's book you know what to expect. There is mild language throughout the book. This is war so there is violence but I didn't find it to be graphic or gruesome. There is also some innuendo. I think this series is appropriate for ages 16 and up. I know it is read by those much younger but I will wait until my boys are 16 to suggest they read this series. My son's 12 year old friend read Ender's Game and told me it was "so bad" in places due to the language, crudeness and innuendo.

Rating: A solid 4 star book and series. I highly recommend this series. Orson Scott Card is a phenomenal writer!

Dragon Flight By Jessica Day George

With the Dragon Wars over, Creel finds herself bored with life as a seamstress. Then word comes that a bordering country has been breeding dragons in preparation for an invasion. Never one to sit around, Creel throws herself headlong into an adventure that will reunite her with her dragon friend Shardas, pit her against a vicious new enemy and perhaps rekindle a friendship with Prince Luka that seems to have gone cold. Funny, heart-felt, and action packed, this is a sequel that will satisfy on every level.

Dragon Flight is the second book in Jessica Day George's Dragon series. I loved the first book Dragon Slippers and was excited to read the sequel. I think I liked Dragon Slippers just a little better than the sequel. The first half of Dragon Flight dragged a little bit for me but it picked up and had a fabulous ending making it a great read in the end. Start with Dragon Slippers if you enjoy it I'm sure you'll love Dragon Flight.

Content: This is a clean read. There is nothing objectionable in it. Just a fun fairytale type story appropriate for all ages. It would make a great read aloud for ages 8+. As a read alone perhaps ages 10+.

Rating: A solid 4 star book. A great read that I'm glad I read. Well worth the time. I'll definitely read the next book Dragon Spear. In fact it's already on hold at the library ready for me to pick up.