Never give up! This book takes a twist from what I predicted it to be about. I was still pleased with what is was really about. This book shows students and adult to never give up on something that is required or that you want to do. Like the book, sometimes we have to find something that will help us focus and keep us consistent. In the book it was the little girls dog that helped her keep focus and reach her goal. This book is perfect for younger students who are learning to read and to those struggling readers who are ready to give up. 

LEXILE: AD500L

This is gonna be painful.

First of all, I want to say that I like Ashley John. He said some smart and insightful things at times when they were needed to be said. So, it's not an issue of personal dislike.

But, maaaan, I feel like I've read a completely different book than everybody alse. Everyone, especially people I follow, respect and somewhat worship, loved it. And in a way, I can see a lot of potential for the love here. Elias is one MC with baggage. His family is the complete opposite of what family should be, although his sister had some redeeming qualities. Caden is sweet and caring, has a great family. His issues are more on the... philosophical side? Well, let's just say, he is my picture perfect nice boy, with a relatively sheltered life, who has been loved and cherished for who he is most of his life, and it showed. That's not something negative, it was just the complete opposite of Elias. Like I said, the potential was there. Not saying that the plot ideas were bad, maybe a little over the top, but not bad. Then there was reality and the very real execution of the ideas. At which point I'm going to hide the ranty spoilers, just in case you're not in the mood for bitching.



First of all, the location. A very small town, almost a village, where everybody knows you, and you can walk from one end to the other on your own two feet without any problems. This little, small village is also home of THE super-mayor, controlling and intimidating everyone and everything, hosting a huge ball, having a massive glass-steel-home with guards and the whole nine yards. Wow. Some village that is. CONSISTENCY, anyone? I had issues with it throughout the whole book.

The mayor. I was constantly thinking of Regina in Once Upon a Time, although Regina at least had somewhat plausible reasons for acting like the control-freak bitch she was. I mean, hello? Evil Queen. But Elias' mother? What the actual fuckity fuck? She was portrayed like the super-duper villain. Almost like a cartoon and with no motivations, no real explanations, just a whole lot of crap on top of more crap, and some evil mojo. I was NOT convinced.

The sister was better. Even though I felt for Elias in the beginning, because he just wants help and his sister acts like she couldn't care less about him, she was also the one person in this book that actually felt real to me. Because, if you like it or not, when a loved one betrays and hurts you again and again and again, you will build up some walls and a whole lot of distrust and defense mechanisms. Doesn't make her acceptance or ignorance of how Elias was treated his whole life any better, but like I said, at least she felt real to me.

The Magical Dick. Beware, ladies and gentleman, of the magical dick in books. This is one of my absolute no-go's. NOT OK. Here we have Elias, fresh out of rehab - again - feeling like crap and still an addict - because you are not healed after rehab - and with a whole lot of issues. And in the beginning I was okay with how it all developed. He was not instantly okay, he was tempted, he felt weak, he tried to substitute one deathly substance with another. It might not have been the most accurate description, but I'm not reading romance books because they all portay reality so well. My real issue probably started halfway through the story. Because once Elias and Caden were fucking - pardon, making love - it all was just fine and dandy. Which, okay, isn't even that far off in the beginning. Right after rehab, falling into a new relationship, feeling all the love for one person, needing them as an anchor, is not unrealistic. But not experiencing the crash afterwards? Battling addiction with only one person as real support, and without learning to actually stand on their own two feet again?! No. Way. It's jsut not possible. Granted, love can survive something like this, make the addict feel stronger and/or more willing to fight. But it can NOT substitue for everything else. Which is exactly what happened here. And it pissed me off royally.

The Writing. It did not work for me at all. It's not really bad. It just didn't touch me. There were some constant repetitions that annoyed me, and parts of the dialogue felt too stilted and akward. Most of all, I felt like things were told to me rather then shown, and in a very simple way too. Like I couldn't understand what the author wanted to tell me without him spelling it out specifically. Which is really not what I'm looking for in a book. For example, you don't have to tell me again and again how hard and cold someone acts, looks AND talks - I get it. I even get it if you just show me the actions and leave the actual words completely out of it.

So yeah, I was so not happy with this book. I probably should have DNFed it, but I didn't want to. Firstly, because it came with high praise from people I adore. Secondly, because I could see the potential - in the story and the writing - and I was hoping for better chapters. Granted, they didn't come, but I still wanted to try.

So now here I am, grumpy and unhappy, writing a really grumpy and unhappy review. And feeling like the odd one out. But, it can't be helped, so I'm giving it 1.5 stars rounded up to 2, because potential was there, execution just rubbed me the wrong way. Hard. With a metal sponge.

Now I'm done. I promise.

I received a copy from the author, for which I saw thank you. For me, this was a powerful second-chance story. There are elements that mirror my own life one way or another. The positive attitude of Will that everything would work out no matter what endeared him to me. His life had not been an easy one and he was willing to own up to his mistakes. His love for his children was strong and he wanted them to remember their mother and stay connected. As for Callie, she had the strength to live on her own after dealing with her cheating ex-husband and to finally accept the positive outlook of Will. I enjoyed the relationship between her and her grown children. This is a second-chance story of an older couple, showing that true love can find us at any time. It shows the struggles of bringing baggage and children into a relationship. During this story, I laughed, I cried, I fretted, and I sighed. Thank you for an enjoyable journey. 

Kimberly approached me recently, asking if I'd be willing to review her book.  Because my own focus tends to be devotional or spiritual-growth in nature, I gladly accepted and she sent a PDF version of the ebook to facilitate my review.

First off, I have to say I love the cover art!  Growing up near the ocean and always loving waterways of all types, this image totally appeals to me on so many levels.  The artwork would seem to indicate a drop-off near a few of the stepping stones in the water, suggesting a person with great balance would put one foot in front of the other while walking near this place where the water falls away.  The stones eventually veer away from this drop-off as they make their way toward the water's landing place a distance away.  This image is so true to life lived in the spiritual realm for the believer.  Some steps in life seem so close to falling over the edge, while others lead closer to safety.  But the stones leading to safety are not reached unless the traveller passes over the stones so close to peril and danger.  For the person looking at their devotional life and wondering how on earth they will ever get into a routine or be more biblical about it all with so much going on around them, they might be on the stones near the drop-off at this time.  

Kimberly's book will take such a reader from that perilous position, and walk them through a series of changes in mindset toward the whole concept of devotions, offering a foundation from which to move towards regular, active and rewarding personal quiet times spent between them and God in the Scriptures.

Kimberly begins with the smashing of a whole list of misconceptions many believers have regarding the concept of personal devotions.  With that out of the way, she then asks the reader to assess their priorities and take steps to eliminate distractions.  After that, she offers some very good tools and focus options when considering where to begin and how to continue.  I have to give her a huge slap on the back for encouraging the reader to steer clear of following their emotions or "their heart" as the world puts it, and instead, put action into place regardless of how they feel.  Scripture, in various words and ways, teaches through principle that when we do what is right even when we don't feel like it, the feelings will eventually follow.  Kimberly draws this out very well.  This is extremely important when developing a consistent personal devotional life.

She mentions one common statistic that tends to change depending on what study you look at or from whom it came, but she mentions how long it typically takes to build a new habit.  Her sources suggested 90 days or three months.  Other sources suggest 30 days or 40 days.  Depending on your personality and how quickly you latch onto new routines, any of these three time frames could be what you need to develop a new habit.  I had to darkly chuckle at the 90 day suggestion, because my own life seems to change routine every three to six months.  As a single mother, that has made a consistent time frame for personal devotions almost non-existent at various times in my life.  Sometimes life will throw curveballs that throw your current routine out the window.  When that happens, I'd encourage you to look for a different time slot, place, or routine that can help you stay in God's Word on a regular basis.

Kimberly's book is undergoing further preparations for eventual debut on the printed page.  The ebook does have some overlooked edits that will hopefully be caught enroute to becoming a physical book you will enjoy holding in your hands.  But overall, I give this book a solid 4 out of 5 stars.  If the concept of personal devotions seems daunting to you, make sure you buy a copy of this book!

I read these books back-to-back and decided to do one big review, starting with the first book. The series is from the Harlequin's Love Inspired line, so here is my quick scale of faith-based fiction preachiness:

1 - vague mentions of faith

2 - general faith

3 - prayers written, Bible verses mentioned

4 - Bible verses written into story

5 - just go read the Bible already

The Wedding Journey by Cheryl St. John

The book was well executed typical Harlequin formula. Maeve Murphy is a decent character in and of herself and was a heroine that I rooted for. There was moments early on that went into Mary Sue turf, but the author made her more human as the book went on. The romance was realistic (no insta-love), if a bit rushed, as the couple weds before the ship docks into Boston harbor; considering the length of the trip, they knew each other all of two, maybe three weeks tops. Maeve and Flynn worked together, and their work was intense at times, mundane at others. For this being the first book in the series, I expected more info-dumping than what the book offered - definitely a positive. The book also sets up secondary characters with enough back story to make them interesting without taking away from the main characters. Flynn's angst is sincere and realistic. Preachiness scale: 3. Overall a solid and serviceable effort. 3.5/5 stars.

Mistaken Bride by Renee Ryan

Worst book out of the trilogy - straight out of the gate. Insta-love abounds--too bad I can't stand that trope--before Bridget Murphy even got off the boat! She (on a boat that just docked into harbor) feels a pull toward Will, the mystery man on the docks and his beautiful eyes--best damn pair of eyes does Bridget have to see that far! But the author, in another case of inconsistency, changes Will's eye color halfway through the book.

Also there was the insta-love, maternal-child style, between Bridget and Will's kids. Caleb and Olivia are cute and realistic, so they did not disrupt the story - and at many times throughout the book they were the best part of the story. Will's angst from his past was done really well; Bridget's angst was based on a stupid reason that I rolled my eyes at every time it was mentioned.

The story dragged, Bridget was a complete Mary Sue, and I just wanted to get through this book to ensure I didn't miss any storyline that begins in the book and continues into the last book. A sub-plot that was not much of a sub-plot from book one was finished in this book, but I really didn't care for it--the resolution was too easily wrapped up. I think the author put in this conclusion to the not needed sub plot to ensure she made the word count. The faith of Bridget and Will felt very tacked on, as though the author remembered to put something churchy in the story after she wrote it. Preachiness: 1. Overall, I would skip this book and just read book one and two - there wasn't much in here to read/know for the last book. 1.5/5 stars - because of the kids.

A Baby Between Them by Winnie Griggs

So book one was solid and book two was a skip it, yet I am so glad to start at the beginning of the series so that book three could shine. And hell yeah it shone -- like a diamond! First, consistency returned to the story. Second, the FEELS I got reading this story were amazing. I loved Nora and Cameron - I wish more historical romance writers would draw characters like these two. I rooted for these two since chapter one. There was a major sub-plot that was started in book one--well executed and so important for the romance to progress. I can't recommend this book enough - the payoff was so worth reading books one and two. Nora is my kind of heroine - real enough to avoid the Mary Sue affliction that caught the other two heroines, but good hearted and hard working with an independence streak that reminded me of ....me, lol. Nora saw her two younger sisters married off, but she didn't sulk about being the only maid left in the family - she decided to start her own business instead! Preachiness: 3. I will probably turn to this book for comfort reading, so 5/5 stars. So looking forward to reading more by this author!

Overall I give these trilogy 3.5 stars due to the weak second story. Page counts are based on the story and the questions for book club discussions, so the stories are really 190-200 pages in length.