Blue Skies Tomorrow (Wings of Glory #3) by Sarah Sundin | Historical Romance Review

Blue Skies Tomorrow by Sarah Sundin

This was the first book I have read by Sarah Sundin and I really enjoyed. I was also thrilled to find the topic of the book was the WWII era. I have not found many Christian fiction authors writing on WWII and Sundin is an excellent story teller. Blue Skies Tomorrow is book three in The Wings of Glory series. I have not read book one or two and read book three just fine. Now I am going to go back and read those two after finding Sundin such a good author.
I really enjoyed every aspect of this book. It was full of romance, drama, hardships, and just everyday life. I was completely caught up in this story and didn’t want it to end. One of my favorite topics discussed in this book was courage. I loved how both Ray and Helen felt less then adequate in life but really they had a lot of courage. I really feel that a lot of times I believe Satan’s lies that I am useless instead of having courage to be what God has called me to be in life. I felt as though Sundin covered this topic very well. Psalm 139:14
I would recommend this book and I think it would make great discussion for a book club. I give this book 4 out of 5 stars. I am also happy to say I have found a new author to love!

Book Review: Save the Date by Jenny B. Jones

Save the Date
Jenny B. Jones
Christian Fiction
4 out of 5

We meet our main character Lucy, on the very night that she thinks she is about to become engaged to her longtime boyfriend Matt. When he shows up he obviously has other plans. He proceeds to break the news to Lucy that he has taken an accounting job in Dallas. This puts a bit of a damper on the relationship because Lucy is just opening her first residential home for foster children that have aged out of the system in Charleston, South Carolina.

Fast forward a bit and we meet Alex. He appears to be the solution to Lucy’s funding problems with Saving Grace, the residential home. Alex proposes that he and Lucy enter into a fake engagement in order to enhance his bid for Congress. In exchange Lucy will receive money and the deed to the house for Saving Grace.

The next delightful characters that we meet are Lucy’s cast of zany sci-fi loving friends and her as yet unknown Grandmother Clare and Clare’s personal assistant Julian. Through all of these people Lucy is slowly discovering that the life she thought she had lead was a lie. As the truth slowly unfolds, Lucy and several of the others see how easy it is to buy into the lies that Satan feeds us.

This is my first Jenny B. Jones novel and I loved it! There are just those authors that could be writing about sand fleas and you would be drawn into the story because of their amazing way of turning a phrase. Ms. Jones is one of those novelists. I thoroughly look forward to reading more of her work.

·         I received a copy of this book for my honest review. No other compensation was received.

Book Review: Waiting for Answers by Betsy Haid

Waiting for Answers
Betsy Haid
Self-Help
4 out of 5

This book is a very quick read at 125 pages, but those pages are packed full of wonderful information. The subject matter of this book is primarily dealing with the loss of a child. The author writes from personal experience, having lost a daughter in a car accident.

The book describes not only the emotional things that grieving parents go through, but also the physical and spiritual. She is very open and honest about what worked and what didn’t, what she did right and what she wished she hand done differently. Throughout the book she continually reminds you that your reaction is yours alone. Responses to grief are very individual – just like a finger print.

I’ve not experienced first-hand the traumatic loss of a child, but I still appreciated this book. It was eye opening to read about how it feels to be the one grieving the unimaginable. I feel better equipped to reach out to someone that has lost the most valuable thing in their life. I would highly recommend this book to those wanting to minister to grieving parents and also to grieving parents themselves.

·         I received a copy of this book for my honest opinion. No other compensation was received.

Book Review: Always the Wedding Planner Never the Bride by Sandra Bricker

 Always the Wedding Planner Never the Bride
Sandra Bricker
Never the Bride, Book 2
4 out of 5

With this second installment in the series we meet Emma Rae’s college roommate, Sherilyn Caine. Sherilyn has just moved to Atlanta from Chicago to marry handsome doctor Andy. Sherilyn becomes the Wedding and Event Planner at the Tanglewood Inn where she and Emma work together to bring magic to each person’s special event.

Just as Emma Rae was introduced to “After care” in the first book, Sherilyn is introduced to it in this book. All the beloved characters are back from the first book with the addition of some new and zany members. Let me just say that movie star and rehab escapee, Russell Walker, deserves his very own story! 

If you enjoyed the first book, get ready because you are going to love this installment as well. There are delicious sounding recipes and wonderful wedding and event related tips to go along with an absolutely fun story.

Sandra has a delightful way of telling a story. She brings the characters alive with their witty and very funny dialogue. Her description of events always leave me laughing out loud. This series is a great addition for any book club…just think of the recipes that you can try out while discussing the story. Yummy!

·         I received a copy of this book for my honest opinion. No other compensation was received.

Amish Values for Your Family by Suzanne Woods Fisher

Amish Values For Your Family by Suzanne Woods Fisher

Suzanne Woods Fisher is thrilled to announce the release of Amish Values for Your Family, her latest non-fiction release. "It offers loving ways to bring your fractured home back to life-Amish style. Read it and apply generously! It’s a beautiful book-funny, charming, soulful, and beautiful." -Mary Ann Kirkby

My thoughts:

I loved Amish Values for Your Family. We are expecting our second child come January so I was excited to review this book. What surprised me was how much the Amish and my own family have in common. I tend to read a lot of Amish fiction and enjoy it. After reading this book I realized why. The Amish value family and faith the way my own family does.
One chapter in particular that I really enjoyed was Laundry Day. Suzanne tells a story of twin daughters and their mother and how much work went into wash day. It took all day and was a ton of work that took the three of them working all day by hand. Then one day their father decides to buy a washing machine for Christmas and the mother says no.  The father asks “But why? It would save you so much time! It would cut the job in half.”  The mother responds, “As I wash those clothes, I use the time to pray for each one of my children. That’s not time I want cut in half.”
This story really blew me away. As a stay at home mom in the modern world I am constantly doing what appears to be meaningless tasks. I am glad that I now have a different perspective on how my day is spent and even in doing the tasks that feel meaningless I can be using my time to do so much more than that simple task. I really loved this book and it was perfect timing for me. Sometime it’s easy to forget what is important and for me that is my family. When I am home with my son that is the most important thing I can be doing and this book helped me to see that. I give this book 4 out of 5 stars!
*I received a copy of this book for my participation in this blog tour. This review is my own.

Save tons on college text books. The RambleSAHM way!

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    Book review: Dandelion Summer by Lisa Wingate

    Dandelion Summer
    Lisa Wingate
    Contemporary Fiction
    5 out of 5

    There are some books that you read and enjoy and then promptly forget about them once they are finished. Then there are those books that linger for days, weeks, even years. All you need to do is see the cover or hear the title and you will be brought right back to what you felt while reading that particular book. Dandelion Summer is destined to be one of the lingering books for me.

    I can’t even begin to tell you the amount of people that I have read aloud the first two pages and last two paragraphs. If you are waffling on whether to read this book read those two sections. Go ahead; read the last two paragraphs, it won’t spoil the ending. It will only enhance the need to read this beautiful story.

    J. Norm Alvord is an old man living out the rest of his days thinking all of his usefulness is in the past. Epiphany Salerno is a young woman thinking that she’ll never have a chance to make a lasting difference in this world. The two of them begin a friendship out of need for what the other can do in their life. This novel of cross generational friendship is a great reminder that we are all valuable, no matter who we are or where we come from. 

    If you want a lasting story…go pick up Dandelion Summer. I can’t wait to read more from this very talented author.

    *I received a copy of this book for my honest opinions. No other compensation was received.

    Book review: Safe From the Past by Patricia Miller Mauro

    Safe From the Past
    Patricia Miller Mauro
    Contemporary Fiction

    A kidnapping, the divorce of her parents, the loss of her father, temporary abandonment and extreme poverty are just some of the issues the author dealt with as a young child.

    Her mother finally tells her she must go to college so she can break out of this cycle of poverty and hopelessness. But how can she when she has no money and absolutely no confidence or self esteem?

    Read this true story to discover what hope, faith and determination can do to change a life.

    A truly inspiring, deeply personal tale of perseverance in the face of unimaginable hardships, Safe from the Past makes clear the restorative power of an education.

    Told in an open, honest voice with the deepest sincerity, the author's life story serves as a rousing inspiration to those with the desire to create a better life than the one they are currently living.

    No matter how helpless you feel, everyone has the power to shape their own life.

    My thoughts:

    I really enjoyed this story. I picked it up and was done reading it in two hours! I found it to be incredibly interesting look into poverty and how to overcome it. My husband is a college student right now so I could relate to some of the hardships the author went through. It was a great read for me to see past my life and realize that we never know what others may go through. I hope that I am kind and can offer help to anyone in a similar situation. I would give this book 4 out of 5 stars. Reading this book made me realize just how important my job as a mother is. A mother shapes so much of the person we will become. Anyway, a great fast read!

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