Sea Rose Lane

After a crushing layoff from his prestigious law firm, Eric Nash returns to his childhood home of Hope Harbor to take a short break before hunting down a new partner-track position somewhere else. Instead of peace and quiet, however, he finds himself in a construction site as his father turns his house into a bed and breakfast.  Eric continually finds himself drawn to old friends and hobbies, and also the beautiful, but prickly, architect and construction chief working on his father's house.  

Having escaped a stressful career and disastrous dating experience in Los Angeles, BJ Stevens wants nothing to do with a work-focused, big city lawyer intent on leaving town in a few short weeks.  After spending time working with Eric, though, BJ realizes that some men are trustworthy.  After his predetermined vacation is over, will Eric choose financial security with a stable job, or finally learn to take a chance and follow his heart? 

In Sea Rose Lane, Irene Hannon on a relaxing trip to lovely and peaceful Hope Harbor.  Even without having read Hannon's previous novel set in the idyllic town, readers will have no problem following this stand-alone story.  Both main characters are well-developed, relatable, and likable.  In addition, the various sub-plots and characters are equally compelling.  

In typical romance novel fashion, the story is predictable and without any real surprises.  The end, however, is sufficiently satisfying, and the themes of finding lasting contentment and security are thought-provoking.  

I received a copy of this book for free from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Whatever is Lovely

Here's another CBS devotional from a bit ago for your enjoyment!  

As many of you know, my husband returned from a 3-month deployment a few weeks ago.  As much as I would love to make deployments simply disappear forever, I do have to admit that God has always used these tough times to teach me important things about myself, Himself, and my relationship with Him.  

One thing I’ve found to be helpful during the 8 deployments we’ve made it through so far, is to pray before Ryan leaves that God would point me to a specific song, verse, or passage in the Bible to claim as my own and cling to during each deployment.  

This time around the verse I felt drawn to was Philippians 4:7-9, which says, 

“Finally brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.” 

These verses really appealed to me, because I do often struggle to control my thoughts while Ryan is gone.  As many friends have reminded me, worry is a sin, and this passage gives us a list of positive things to dwell on instead of worrying.  

What I did over the course of the deployment was choose a new concept from this list to purposefully and intentionally think about for a week.  While God showed me so much through this exercise, there’s one thing on this list that I really had to wrestle with and even adjust my thinking on.  

About half-way through the list, Paul and Timothy tell us to think about whatever is lovely.  I don’t know about you, but this adjective sticks out to me as not really fitting in with the others.  There are some pretty deep and complex concepts on this list: truth, honor, justice, purity… and loveliness?  Think about pretty things?  Don’t get me wrong-- I’m a typical girl-- I love pretty things, but to be told by scripture that thinking about beauty was a positive endeavor struck me as wrong at first.  

In all honestly, I really didn’t like that it was on this list at all.  All of negative things the Bible has to say about beauty started popping into my head:

Proverbs 31:30 says: 

“Charm is deceitful and beauty is vain, but a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised” 

I remember having to memorize this one in junior high, and it’s absolutely true: our relationship with God is what makes us praise-worthy, not anything about our physical appearance.  

I also thought of 1 Peter 3:3-4, which says:

“Do not let our adorning be external—the braiding of hair and putting on of gold jewelry, or the clothing you wear—but let your adorning be the hidden person of the heart with the imperishable beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit.”

Again, this is absolutely true: the things we wear on the outside are nothing compared to what God sees on the inside.  

But as I thought, prayed, and read more about the subject of beauty in the Bible, I decided that my initial reaction--that thinking about any type of beauty is a frivolous or even sinful waste of time-- is just as un-biblical as saying outward beauty is the only thing we should think about.  

I eventually came to three conclusions:

God made beautiful things, and reveals Himself through them 

For His invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made. 
(Romans 1:20)

The heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky above proclaims His handiwork. 
(Psalm 19:1)

We, as human beings, were made to appreciate the beautiful things God has created  

In its most basic interpretation, Song of Solomon is essentially an entire book of the Bible dedicated to a bride and bridegroom appreciating and praising the beauty they see in each other.  Admittedly, it gets a little weird... 

Your hair is like a flock of goats leaping down the slopes of Gilead.  Your teeth are like a flock of shorn ewes that have come up from the washing...

(Song of Solomon 4:1-2)

I have to assume this was a great compliment 3000 years ago.  Or maybe it just sounds nicer in Hebrew?  But the fact remains: we have been created to appreciate physical beauty, and there are 8 solid chapters of scripture that do just that.   

 Finally, as believers, when we recognize and appreciate the lovely things God has made, we are worshiping Him

“When I look at your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have set in place, what is man that you are mindful of him, and the son of man that you care for him?... O Lord, our lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth!” (Psalm 8)

I can attest to the fact that as I made myself intentionally think about and praise God for the lovely things around me, I was continually led to worship.   

Like the Psalmist, when you see a sunrise or a sky full of stars, how can you fail to stand in awe of the One powerful and creative enough to make them?  

Or like Solomon, when I look into the beautiful faces of my husband and children, how can I not praise God for giving them to me?  How can I not marvel when I see my husband's and my features perfectly blended together, then knit inside me to form two precious little boys?

God made beautiful things, He uses them to reveal Himself to us, and for us to appreciate and praise Him in response.  Therefore, if we aren’t thinking about whatever is lovely (along with whatever is true, honorable, just, and pure) we are missing out on a chance to worship God.  

From This Moment

Talented and determined illustrator Stella West suddenly leaves her glittering London life and career when she learns of her beloved sister's death in Boston.  Convinced of foul play, Stella quickly makes enemies in Boston's elite circles with her brash attitude and seemingly baseless accusations.  That is, until she finds an ally in Romulus White.  

Successful magazine owner, ladies' man, and pillar of Boston society, Romulus offers to help Stella with her quest in an attempt to convince her to join the staff of his beloved Scientific World.  Both Stella and Romulus feel an immediate attraction and camaraderie, but each also has priorities that seem to prevent any sort of relationship.  When Stella's questions put her in physical danger and begin to threaten Romulus's business, will their troubles draw them together, or push them apart forever?  

In From This Moment, Elizabeth Camden takes her readers on a page-turning adventure through 1890s Boston.  Rich in historical details from the worlds of publishing and engineering, Camden's latest work is truly a delight.  

As usual, her characters are complex, believable, and unique.  Along with gifted story-telling, Camden always manages to create multi-layered characters who act in real and unpredictable ways.  She expertly tackles issues of faith, forgiveness, and self-examination naturally, and without overt preaching.  

While Stella and Romulus are both well-developed, this reader still isn't sure if they are also likable. Romulus-- with his fashion obsession, ridiculous name, inability to commit, and pomposity-- is often difficult to accept as a romantic lead.  Similarly, Stella's arrogance and lack of tact are less than endearing.  The continuing story of Clyde and Evelyn Brixton from Camden's novella Summer of Dreams, however, is much more compelling, and beautifully concluded.  While perhaps not the best of Camden's work thus far, From This Moment is definitely worth the time.  

I received a copy of this book for free from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

Summer of Dreams: A From This Moment Novella

Left without a mother at a young age, Evelyn White spent her childhood bouncing among the households of her extended family while her father pursued his army career.  As a result, Evelyn vows to never marry a man in uniform.  When Clyde Brixton-- a cadet at nearby West Point Academy-- enters her life for one blissful summer, she begins to wonder if this determined and talented young man can make her dearest dreams come true after all.  

In her talented way, Elizabeth Camden does a beautiful job telling a fun love story against a fascinating historical backdrop in  Summer of Dreams.  A quick and entertaining read, the novella does what it is meant to: convince readers to pre-order Camden's next full-length novel From This Moment.  

As the daughter of a Navy pilot who would forcefully swear to never even date anyone in the military... and is now marking my husband's tenth year as an Air Force pilot, much of this love story resonated with me on a personal level!  Camden does an excellent job chronicling Evelyn's inner struggle to trust Clyde's ability to give her the home and family she has always longed for.  

While I thoroughly enjoyed the novella, I desperately wish I had not read the included excerpt of From This Moment.  In it, Camden reveals some disturbing news about Clyde and Evelyn's future that I desperately hope she addresses in the novel, even though Evelyn's cousin Romulus is the 

protagonist. 

Summer of Dreams is available for free on Amazon.  

To Love a Stranger

Quiet, unassuming, and responsible Bessie Randall has always lived in the shadow of her vivaciously beautiful younger sister Lenore.  When she discovers that Lenore has been corresponding with a soldier out west under Bessie's name-- and has even married him by proxy-- Bessie chooses to protect her sister from forgery charges by traveling to Wyoming to meet her legal husband.  

Expecting the lovely and adventurous Lenore, Jasper Mendenhall is shocked and visibly disappointed when he discovers he has technically married Bessie instead.  When the army moves up Jasper's orders to move to Fort Bowie, he has no choice to take Bessie along and sort out the legal mess when they arrive in Arizona.  In that time, can Bessie prove her worth and convince Jasper to allow her to stay and build a family instead of sending her back to Boston in disgrace?  

In To Love a Stranger, Colleen Coble tells a story of true love that grows out of respect and sees beyond outward appearances.  While intriguing, Bessie and Jasper's situation requires the reader to suspend reality.  Why would a level-headed young woman go traipsing across the country to live with a complete stranger just because her sister has acted irresponsibly?  Coble hints that perhaps believes this is her last chance for marriage, but this paints her as awfully desperate for the daughter of a wealthy Boston family.  In that vein, why do her parents-- who Coble often describes as elitist-- allow their daughter to marry a poor soldier?  

Similarly, Coble never truly delves into Bessie and Lenore's relationship to sufficiently explain why Bessie would go to such lengths to protect such a terrible sister.  The reader never gets a clear picture of Lenore herself either-- is she a spoiled, selfish, conniving debutante?  Or just a beloved, but naive friend?  She seems to be an unsatisfying blend of both.  

That said, Coble's descriptions of army life and westward travels are vivid and entertaining.  Full of action and adventure, the story is fast-paced and progresses quickly.  While readers recognize that in a romance novel the main characters will not live happily ever after until the very end, Jasper and Bessie's happy ending could have come much earlier had they bothered to communicate with one another.  This does not seem to be asking too much of two reasonable, thoughtful, and Christ-seeking people.  The basic plot outline and interesting backdrop had potential, but unfortunately the execution fell flat.  

I received this book for free from NetGalley for free in exchange for an honest review.  

The Beautiful Pretender

When the King orders the Margrave of Thornbeck to quickly find a noble woman to marry, Lord Reinhart decides to invite 10 suitable young ladies to his castle for two weeks in an attempt to discern their true character.  Simple maidservant Avelina finds herself among the lucky 10 to be tested when her mistress— the daughter of the Earl of Plimmwald— disappears with a lowly knight.  Can Avelina manage to save her home and her family by impersonating Lady Dorthea for two weeks?  Despite her best efforts to keep her distance, will she eventually admit her growing feelings for the Margrave?  Will Lord Thornbeck be able to forgive her deception before an even bigger threat takes his castle from him? 

With her typical creativity in melding classic fairy-tales with medieval history, Melanie Dickerson creates a vivid and compelling story for her readers in The Beautiful Pretender.  Unlike some of her previous novels, Dickerson doesn’t strictly retell a well-known fairy-tale, but instead loosely pays homage to The Princess and the Pea.  The first half of the book reads more like a season of “The Medieval Bachelor"-- complete with conniving mean girls, secret tests, and romantic interludes.  

While the story-telling is excellent, the dialogue often seems stunted and unnatural, and Avelina’s initial “interview" with Reinhart comes across as more cringe-worthy than endearing.  That said, the characters themselves are well-developed, believable, and likable.  With a hint of humor and plenty of interesting historical detail, Dickerson produces a delightful and entertaining piece of historical fiction.  

I received this book for free from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.  

Anchor in the Storm

Never one to be intimidated, plucky young pharmacist Lilian Avery moves to Boston to fulfill her dreams of independence during the early weeks of World War II.  Frustrated by her gender, physical disability, and questions regarding unusual orders, her new boss constantly threatens to replace her.  Lillian's primary comfort is her budding friendship with her brother's best friend, Ensign Archer Vendenberg.  Shaken after seeing and experiencing so much carnage at sea, Arch struggles with his nerves, and notices some concerning behavior from his crew as well.  As he and Lillian begin to investigate, will the dangers they face encourage or crush their fledgling relationship?  Will Arch ever trust Lillian to truly love him, rather than his wealth?  Can Lillian ever allow herself to be vulnerable enough to accept love?

In Anchor in the Storm, Sarah Sundin tells a fascinating story of Boston at the start of WWII.  This second installment in her Waves of Freedom series picks up where the first left off, chronicling the lives of ordinary citizens and US Naval officers at a critical time in American history.  Having focused on aviation and nursing perspectives overseas in her previous trilogies, the plight of Americans on the home front paints a new and interesting picture.  These first two Waves of Freedom novels have also included fun and suspenseful mysteries for the main characters to solve.

With her characteristic devotion to historical accuracy as well as sweet love stories, Sundin has created yet another action-packed, heart-warming adventure.  Lillian and Arch are both well-developed, relatable, and realistic, and their romance is compelling and lovely.  This reader also enjoyed getting to follow the stories of favorite characters from Through Waters Deep as well!

I received this book for free from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.