Book Review: Annie's Stories by Cindy Thomson

Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

Back Cover:
The year is 1901, the literary sensation The Wonderful Wizard of Oz is taking New York City by storm, and everyone wonders where the next great book will come from. But to Annie Gallagher, stories are more than entertainment—they’re a sweet reminder of her storyteller father. After his death, Annie fled Ireland for the land of dreams, finding work at Hawkins House.
But when a fellow boarder with something to hide is accused of misconduct and authorities threaten to shut down the boardinghouse, Annie fears she may lose her new friends, her housekeeping job . . . and her means of funding her dream: a memorial library to honor her father. Furthermore, the friendly postman shows a little too much interest in Annie—and in her father’s unpublished stories. In fact, he suspects these tales may hold a grand secret.
Though the postman’s intentions seem pure, Annie wants to share her father’s stories on her own terms. Determined to prove herself, Annie must forge her own path to aid her friend and create the future she’s always envisioned . . . where dreams really do come true.
The Positives:
I loved this book! I totally related with Annie in regard to her stories.
I didn't get into this book right away, due to some skeptic reviews other people had about another book the author wrote. But once I did get into it, I fell head over heels in love with the characters.
I love everything Irish, so Annie and her lovely red hair and stubborn streak really made me love her.
I am a writer and I LOVE books and that aspect of the book was wonderful.
Stephen was so sweet! He loved books and was nice to everyone he met. He sounded like my kind of guy; American, dark hair, and loves books. He always wanted what was best for Annie, but he did make mistakes.
Annie was a bit headstrong sometimes. She thought she was able to take care of herself, and that managed to put her in a few potentially dangerous situations.
Annie believed that God cared nothing about her and abandoned her. It took until almost the end of the book before she finally realized she was wrong.

The Negatives:
Sometimes I thought that Stephen could be a bit more assertive and masculine. But it wasn't a big downer for this story.

Overall:
This book was amazing and I highly recommend it!

I received this book for free from Tyndale House in exchange for my honest review.

Introduction of Characters: Unafraid - Part 3

Welcome to the third and final part of the Introduction of Characters for Unafraid.

I'm so sorry it took me so long to post the third part. We are in the middle of packing for a move, so I haven't had a lot of time to work on it or any of my other writing for that matter. 

The Enemy, the Commanders, and the Foundling

(Photo credit: Pinterest)

Abaddon:

Race: Unknown

Age: Not certain, over 1,000 years old

Physical Traits: Black hair, one completly black eye, one yellow eye, scar running through yellow eye, 6 feet, 4 inches
The meaning of Abaddon is destroyer. He is that. He has come to Adwar before. Over a 1,000 years ago, he tried to take over. But he lost and the King of Kings locked him in the Underworld for the next 1,000 years. And then he comes back and the people of Adwar have to fight him.

General Kiran:

Race: Lolnalian

Age: Late 50's

Physical Traits: Balding gray blond hair, blue eyes, 5 feet, 10 inches
General Kiran is the commander of the Lolnal army and is a close friend of the royal family of Lolnal. He is mentor to William and Genevieve and they trust him completely. 

Captain Phillip:

Race: Ulairoian

Age: Early 30's

Physical Traits: Dark brown hair, brown eyes, 6 feet, 1 inch
Captain Phillip is the commander of the Ulairo calvary. He is also a trusted friend of the royal family of Ulairo. He once asked if he could court Carolina, but was refused because he was much older than her. 

Earvin: 

Race: Iriorian

Age: 13

Physical Traits: Blond hair, emerald green eyes, 5 feet, 2 inches
Earvin was found by Daniel and Genevieve after Abaddon's men destroyed his village and killed his parents. He was the only survivor. They rescued him and adopted him as a little brother. Earvin will be the main character in the sequel to Unafraid, Rise Up.

Book Review: Truth Be Told by Carol Cox

Oh look! Two posts in one week and they're both book reviews! Haha, gotta love book review programs!

Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

Back Cover:
When Amelia Wagner takes over the running of her father's newspaper in Granite Springs, Arizona, she vows to carry on the paper's commitment to reporting only the truth. But Amelia soon learns that even the truth can have consequences. Her father's revealing articles about Great Western Investment
Company's business methods have caught the notice of the wrong person, and pressure mounts for Amelia to retract her father's statements.
Determined to find the truth, Amelia goes through her father's notes and begins to interview members of the community. She can't seem to shake Benjamin Stone, a Great Western employee who's been assigned to keep tabs on her for the good of the company.
The more Ben and Amelia learn, the more Amelia's father's claims appear to be accurate. In fact, it's probably worse than he realized. Even Ben is beginning to wonder if he's become a pawn in the workings of a corrupt empire. But Great Western isn't about to stand for a female reporter and one of their own men bringing down their lucrative schemes. Working against time, and never knowing what danger lurks around the next corner, Ben and Amelia set out to reveal all they've discovered before Great Western silences them for good.

The Positives:
As with most books I love, I read this in about two days or less. I was pulled into Amelia's story right away. She isn't one of those damsels in distress, but she also isn't a feminist who thinks she is better than men at everything. She was just the right combination. But don't get me wrong, she made a couple stupid decisions at times that made me want to slap some sense into her.
And Ben Stone is probably the sweetest guy in this book. He was supposed to watch Amelia as an assignment, but he ended up falling in love with her.
I loved that their relationship wasn't built on how handsome or how beautiful they each were. It did mention what they looked like and what they thought of their appearances, but it was not the main focus. The focus was on each other's character and their morals.
And the faith in this book was one of the best! Amelia wavered, as any Christian would under her circumstances. But she hanged on to her faith. Ben's faith was great to see, too. It really brought them together.
I loved hearing everything about the newspaper business!

The Negatives:
Nothing.

Overall:
This was an amazing book and captivated me. I would definitely recommend this book!

I received this book for free from Bethany House in exchange for my honest review.

Book Review: A Place in His Heart by Rebecca DeMarino

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

Back Cover:
Anglican Mary Langton longs to marry for love. Puritan Barnabas Horton is still in love with his deceased wife and needs only a mother for his two young sons. And yet these two very different people with very different expectations will take a leap of faith, wed, and then embark on a life-changing journey across the ocean to the Colonies. Along the way, each must learn to live in harmony, to wait on God, and to recognize true love where they least expect to find it.
This heartfelt tale of love and devotion is based on debut author Rebecca DeMarino’s own ancestors, who came to Long Island in the mid-1600s to establish a life–and a legacy–in the New World.

The Positives:
I was pulled into the story of Mary and Barnabas from the very beginning. I was fighting along side Mary when she said she would only marry for love. 
I felt for Barnabas and I wanted him to be happy again and not blame himself. I wanted to hit him over the head sometimes when he was being so stubborn.
His sons, Joseph and Ben, really tugged at my heartstrings. I wanted to wrap Joseph up and just hold him sometimes. He had been through so much for someone so young.
Mary's devotion and patience with Barnabas made me love her even more.
Barnabas and Mary's faith played a big role and gave the story such depth!

The Negatives:
The only negatives were that there were big gaps between chapters. Sometimes gaps from six months to almost eighteen months. It gave the story a feeling of dragging on and on.

Overall:
Even though it dragged in some places, I loved this book! It was great for the author's first book and based on her ancestors. I would definitely recommend this!

I received this book for free from Revell in exchange for my honest review. 

Through June 16^th, Rebecca DeMarino is hosting a giveaway with $250.00 in prizes!  Open to anyone with a US shipping address.

Enter Giveaway: http://www.rebeccademarino.com/a-place-in-his-heart-giveaway/