Fall Mini Review: An October Bride

Title: An October Bride
Series:: (A Year of Weddings, #11)
Author: Katie Ganshert
Format: egalley
Pub. Date: September 23rd 2014
Source: Netgalley & Zondervan

Description via Goodreads:

A year's worth of novellas from twelve inspirational romance authors. Happily ever after guaranteed.

She wants to make her father's dream come true. She doesn't realize her own dream has been in front of her the whole time.

Emma Tate isn't a risk taker, so everyone in her small Midwest town is surprised when she suddenly becomes engaged to lifelong friend Jake Sawyer. No one but Jake and Emma know the true reason they're getting married---so Emma's dying father can walk her down the aisle.

While Jake and Emma plan an autumn wedding together, it becomes clear that their agreement has a few complications---the biggest being their true feelings for each other.

In this novella by award-winning author Katie Ganshert, a young woman must reconcile her dying father's dreams with her own dreams for love and for her future.

★★★★

I'll start this review off by saying that I haven't read any of the other books in the A Year of Weddings series. I was drawn in by the gorgeous cover and the promising blurb, and was in the mood for a quick romance that would put me in the proper autumn spirit. That's exactly what I got.

This novella has absolutely beautiful writing. I haven't read anything from Katie Ganshert before, but it's definitely clear that she's a talented author in this story. The descriptions are detailed, the characters have depth, the plot drew me in from the first few pages. All of these things, I usually find, are hard to come across in the format of a novella, where space is limited. While I do wish this story would have been drawn out into a book, the pacing and story-telling are well done and not at all rushed or cut to the chase.

The romance in this novella was sweet and clean without being cheesy. I fell in love with the characters and their stories rather quickly, and rooted for the not-so-real romance to bloom from early on. This book has a few laughable parts and a few sad ones, but there's this lingering feeling of hope throughout the text that I rather enjoyed. This paired with the fall scenery made for a pleasant reading combination.

One thing I wasn't aware of in this book was the Christian themes. This didn't hinder my rating or reading experience at all, it's just something that I neglected to realize at the time of download.

This is a great read for anyone looking for a short, clean, sweet romance. Though of course it can be read at any time, I recommend reading it in the fall season like I did. Though it's part of a series, it works as a standalone as well. Thanks to Netgalley and Zondervan for my copy in exchange for an honest review.

Makai Queen by Tara Fairfield

Title: Makai Queen
Author: Tara Fairfield
Format: Paperback, 207 pages
Pub. Date: February 7th 2013
Source: Diane Estrella's blog

★★★

Three indifferent stars.

Tessa is a girl who doesn't really have a proper place on Earth anymore, in a life changed after her parents' death. Contemplating her life and what's happened in it while walking along the beaches of Lanai, she is kidnapped by a man she had intended to save from drowning. He drags her into a new world, Moku-ola, a place beneath the sea that serves to protect all of the ocean's creatures. But life under the sea is torn as brothers feud, and when Tessa is called upon to be the new queen, she must decide if she wants the life the Creator has chosen for her, and who she wants to be.

---

First, and I cannot stress this enough: I am not the intended demographic for this book. I did not realize that this book was Christian fiction when I picked it up. That is my fault, and I'm not going to rip this book to pieces because I don't follow the same spiritual path. That being said, this review is going to be very short and to the point.

+The scenery/setting of this book is beautiful. I want to be on these beaches or under the waves, looking at all of the sea creatures and eating all of the ripe fruits that Hawaii has to offer. Tara Fairfield successfully created a world that I wouldn't mind seeing, and has made me decide that I definitely need to visit Hawaii before I die.

+The cover reflects this landscape. It's bright, aquatic, and the bright flower above the title is rather striking.

+I really like the idea of an oceanic shifter. The fact that Kupua can change forms into a seahorse, an octopus, or even a whale is a really refreshing change from bats, werewolves and cats that have been trending lately, especially in young adult literature.

+- I really liked the integration of Hawaiian language in this book. There's even a Pidgen glossary in the back. However, I would have liked a glossary for the italicized words too. If you're going to stress that they're non-English, than they should be elaborated by more than context clues.

-Instant connection/love. It doesn't matter what genre or age bracket, nine times out of ten it will make me have a disconnect from the story line. This novel is one of those nine.

-I found the sentences to be a bit short and choppy, making the narrative hard to get into. Similarly, I had issues with the pacing. I don't know if it's supposed to be the draw of the Creator/God figure that inspires this, but Tessa comes to terms with this new world awful quickly. She doesn't put up much of a fight, and she admits to being weak and unworthy. Now I know that this humility is good and such, but I just found her kind of whiny, and I didn't really care if she found her place.

At the end of the day, it's simple: Other people will enjoy this more than I did. This book is an adequately written piece of fantasy with strong Christian themes. It's clean with romance, adventure, and really cool "gifts" from the Creator like shifting or communicating with animals. It also includes a few discussion/book club questions at the end. I strongly recommend this to Christian young adults. If you, like me, roll your eyes at Christian fiction, pass it up.

Thank you to both Tara Fairfield and Diane Estrella for my autographed copy.

Season of Joy by Virginia Carmichael

Title: Season of Joy
Author: Virginia Carmichael
Format: Paperback, 224 pages
Pub. Date: October 16th 2012
Source: Goodreads First Reads

★★

Two Stars.

I received this book through Goodreads First Reads.

This book follows the typical Harlequin-esque romance formula. There's a busy business woman named Calista who volunteers at a local shelter. And then there's the handsome man with a hidden past that enters the picture. Romance shouldn't be in the picture, but it is, and at the end of the day love overcomes all obstacles, no matter how cliche they are.

---

+One plus that I did appreciate in this novel was that the Christian themes were relatively subtle. When I realized that this book was to do with a mission worker, I was a bit put off. I'm not anti-Christian, but I don't personally follow that path. I was pleasantly surprised that there were no preachy moments or lengthy Bible quotes, which I have encountered in other romances.

+ I don't wish to spoil anything, so I'll keep it to the minimum. I didn't see the fire coming. I thought I knew exactly where the plot was headed, but this threw me for a loop. Well played, and a tip of the hat to you.

At the end of the day, there's nothing unique about this book. It's a romance novel that, to me, will be lost on my shelf among the others. It wasn't bad, but it wasn't my thing, either. If you enjoy Harlequin romance- great! You might really like this book! But if you're looking for a different read from the usual, you might want to pass this one up.

Hot Buttons Sexuality Edition by Nicole O'Dell

Title: Hot Buttons Sexuality Edition (Hot Buttons #3)
Author: Nicole O'Dell
Format: Paperback, 172 pages
Pub. Date: October 2012
Source: Goodreads First Reads

★

One star.

I received this through Goodreads First Reads.

I can't possibly review this fully without saying mean things that I'll regret, so I'll try to keep it professional.

First, I didn't realize that this was a Christian/faith based books. And that, frankly, is my fault. Had I known, I wouldn't have bothered entering for it.

Long story short, this book is full of paraphrased/updated Bible quotes applied to sexual relationships. This book stresses a "pure until marriage" lifestyle and quite honestly, doesn't do a good job in answering the so-called "important questions" that teens "are asking."

First of all, who are the teens that are asking these things? They have to be sheltered. Most teens don't want to talk to their parents about the weather, let alone sex and advice about it. Unless you keep your kids in a Saran wrap bubble, they're going to read things, watch things, and learn things. It is inevitable. I am not anti-Christian. I don't follow Christianity myself, but I've no ill will to those who do. But the way to help your child is not to make sex seem disgusting and shameful and preach purity. Nor is it to answer with a Bible quote.

But, the reason I will never recommend this book is for the homosexuality chapter. While I respect the overall message of "Jesus loved the sinner, just not the sin", I think it's absurd that the author suggests things such as prohibiting tv or movies that portray homosexuality in a positive light, limiting friendships with gay friends, and prohibiting your children from getting into a situation that may "tempt them to try out a homosexual relationship." Seriously? Because homosexuality is an obvious choice that we all get tempted into. I know that my first gay experience, I was alone too long with a girl and thought to myself, you know what would be fun? Sex with girls. (Sarcasm. Since I know not everyone will comprehend that). I think it's extremely hypocritical to say that Jesus loves you, but never ever let your kids watch about it on tv lest they be tempted to try it. And to add to it, this "help" book uses the New International Version, and not the King James version. I didn't realize that the NIV has changed the Bible quote to read: "'Do not have sexual relations with a man as one does with a woman." Whereas, the KJV says: Thou shalt not lie with mankind, as with womankind. People often ask me why I don't take the Bible as my Word. That is your answer. It is randomly updated and changed around so much that I can't possibly start to pick and choose what was meant versus what has been "wrongly changed".

If you're a Christian, maybe this book will mean something to you. If you're gay or non-Christian, don't even bother reading the first page. It's preachy, and quite honestly, unhelpful. I personally feel that if even if I were a Christian, this book would provide little parenting information.

The Year of Living Biblically: One Man's Humble Quest to Follow the Bible as Literally as Possible by A.J. Jacobs

Title: The Year of Living Biblically: One Man's Humble Quest to Follow the Bible as Literally as Possible
Author: A.J. Jacobs
Format: ARC
Pub. Date: October 9th 2007
Source: Purchased.

★★★★

Four stars.

I am positively stunned that I enjoyed this book.

First, for the record, I am agnostic. However, I have always had a fascination with things greater than myself, religions included. So when I came across this book, I had to give it a shot. I've often had problems with the literal interpretations of the Bible, & I feel hypocritical thinking that some of its lessons or rules are valid, while others aren't.

I've read the Bible. Probably not as thoroughly or as deeply as I should, but, my brain has processed its words. But this book helped me remember just how elite or absurd or what have you the good book is. I've often wondered if I could live by its literal law.

And now I know- no. I couldn't. I feel part of something that transcends my life, but in my own humble opinion, I am not disciplined enough. I'm not that devoted to following so many rules all at once. Bad? Maybe. But that's my own issue.

Another thing that this made me realize, is that if Bible is literal law- I am a horrible person. I sin more times a day than I could possibly count. But, so does he. So it's something that's learned, I suppose.

Overall, I found this book easy to follow but not easy to swallow. He kept me entertained with little jokes & stories. Unlike some reviewers who claim this to be boring, I wasn't expecting a book full of Michael Bay explosions & car chases, so I had no issues there.

This edition that I have IS however an old ARC copy, so there were some spelling errors & grammar issues. But those weren't too common.

I think that anyone with an interest in religion, no matter what path, should at least give this a try.

Glitter in the Sun: A Bible Study Searching for Truth in the Twilight Saga by Jane Wells

★★★★

Four stars.

I received this book through Goodreads First Reads.

Glitter in the Sun is a a Bible study that uses aspects from the Twilight Saga by Stephenie Meyer to emphasize and reteach common lessons and morals from the Bible. For example, that we are all "imprinted" with God's love in the way that the werewolf pack imprints their mates- a love that is there whenever we need it, always. At the end of each chapters, Mrs. Wells has provided discussion questions and activities to help spark conversation and interest with this study.

I will be the first to admit that I am not this book's target audience- I'm not Christian. However, the prospect of reading a book with a positive opinion on modern literature intrigued me. I enjoy books that look at the blending of novels and religion, but more often than not they are damning, unfavorable opinions (like in Harry Potter and the Bible: The Menace Behind the Magick). I am glad to have received this book. I took things from it despite differences in faith, and admittedly, it made me think twice about the plot of the Saga. Plus, I very greatly appreciated how the Bible stories/verses that were mentioned were summarized and easy to understand and follow. Not being well versed on the Bible, I much preferred this strategy of writing than just a slew of direct quotes.

I give this book a 4/5, and recommend it to Christian young adults who enjoyed the Twilight series.

The Merchant's Daughter by Melanie Dickerson

★★★

Three stars.

The Beauty and the Beast is my favorite fairy tale. I was so excited that I received this book through Goodreads First Reads.

Unfortunately, this book fell flat for me. I failed to realize that this was in fact a Christian publication. It didn't stop me from reading it, of course, and I have read others before. But in the end, this caused me to remain somewhat untouched by this story. I liked that Lord le Wyse and Annabel bonded over their faith, and read the Bible together. However, I felt that this story was too Bible dependent- constantly quoting or paraphrasing verses. In short, it was just too Christian for me- one who is not Christian at all.

That being said, if I choose not to think about that, it was a relatively enjoyable story. A bit cliche, and the end felt rushed, but that's sort of to be expected with the fairy tale genre, especially in a retelling such as this.

If you're Christian and love fairy tales? Great! This book is for you. If not, you may want to pick up another.