"Well Lived: Shaping a Legacy of Gratitude and Grace" by Sally Clarkson—Review

 My Review:

"Well Lived: Shaping a Legacy of Gratitude and Grace" by Sally Clarkson is such a lovely and encouraging book! I love Sally Clarkson and her books never fail to leave me feeling inspired in my faith. This beautiful book is filled with photos of Oxford (and her time living there), along with her warm words, wisdom, and encouragement. The photographs alone make the book worth purchasing. When reading this book, I felt like I was sitting down with a sweet, wise mentor over a cup of tea. I love all the Scripture the book features and incorporates. Some of the things Ms. Clarkson shares about in the book are motherhood, being a light bearer and bringing beauty and truth to the world. The author calls each woman to embrace her own story, to become a queen over her domain and to leave a legacy of wisdom, love, gratitude, and grace. I loved how she shares practical ways to do these things. This book would make a beautiful gift or coffee table book, and I am so happy to have it in my collection. I highly recommend this amazing book!

Content: I give this book a G rating. The only content is the trigger warning below.

TW: mention of past miscarriages.

I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book which I received from the author. All views expressed are only my honest opinion.

 

A Sweet Romance with Nods to Austen! --"A Mismatch Made in London" by Melanie Dickerson--Review

 

My Review:

"A Mismatch Made in London" by Melanie Dickerson is a sweet romance with nods to Jane Austen’s “Pride and Prejudice” and “Northanger Abbey.” This story is gentle, sweet, and full of a slow-burn romance that you will be rooting for! Ms. Dickerson’s stories always have such great and moral characters who pray and talk to God. Amelia Moore, our heroine, goes to London for the social season and meets Jeremy Beaumont (the man all the women want to marry, due to his status and wealth). There is a great enemies-to-lovers and a grumpy-sunshine dynamic between the two. Facing pride and prejudice, will Jeremy and Amelia’s relationship prevail? Or will Amelia fall for the other men who have caught her eye? Amelia realizes that feeling needed makes her feel loved and it is hard for her to feel loved by Jeremy because he does not need her. Characters deal with forgiveness and realize that everyone is responsible for his own thoughts, feelings, and happiness. I thought this was such a sweet story and lovers of Regency romance will enjoy Ms. Dickerson’s latest book!

Content: I give this a low PG-13 rating. Some examples of the content: mention of paramours, gambling, and drinking; someone is pregnant out of wedlock; rumors of someone being “ruined.” SA is a big part of the storyline (see TW below).

TW: mention of past stillbirths; mention of laws about r*pe; se*ua assault (semi-detailed of an event in the past—an unwanted kiss, touch, and physical abuse).

I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book which I received from the author. All views expressed are only my honest opinion.

 

A Super Encouraging Bible Study and Commentary! --"Worthy: A Bible Study Commentary Through Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, and Philemon” by Jane Johnson—Review

 

My Review:

“Worthy: A Bible Study Commentary Through Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, and Philemon” by Jane Johnson is a super encouraging and helpful resource! I have my BA in Biblical Studies, so I am pretty picky about my commentaries and Bible studies, and this exceeded my expectations! It is the first of its kind that is geared towards women. Ms. Johnson takes us through Paul’s prison letters. In this Bible study commentary, she encourages women to dig into Scripture and find out what it is saying for themselves. I love that she has you read the passage, look at cross references, definitions, and questions that get you digging in the right direction. She supplements that with her Biblical commentary, then makes it personal and talks about how to apply it. I found this format so helpful and similar to the way we were taught to study in Bible college. I appreciate that it is theologically sound and digs into the real meat of each passage. This book deals with some controversial topics (like wives submitting and anxiety) in a terrific way. I love how the author wove the “worthy” theme throughout. I highlighted so much of this book and was encouraged in my faith. I highly recommend this to anyone who wants to grow closer to God and dig deeper in the Word. I cannot wait for Ms. Johnson’s next Bible study commentary!

I received a copy of this book from the publisher. My review reflects my honest opinion.

A Beautiful and Unique Retelling! --"Silk and Sensibility" by Mengxi Seeley—Review

My Review:  "Silk and Sensibility" by Mengxi Seeley is a beautiful and unique retelling of Jane Austen’s “Sense and Sensibility.”  I love a good Austen retelling and appreciated how unique this was, since it takes place in 16th century Ming-dynasty China. Ms. Seeley’s story is full of wonderful cultural and historical details, and I learned so much about the culture and time period. I love the glossary and family tree which was so helpful. This was a sweet and gentle story of love, sisterhood, family, and womanhood. The two sisters, Ailin and Meilin, are vastly different. Ailin is more restrained and focused on duty, while Meilin is more passionate. This was an interesting retelling and stayed true to Austen’s original story, with some minor changes in the overall plot. While I did find the story a tad slow at times, the retelling itself felt new and fresh. It was interesting to read about the cultural expectations of women in that time and how that affected their experiences with love and romance. You could tell the author has scholarly and cultural experience. It is amazing that this is a debut! I cannot wait to see what she writes next!

Content: I give this book a high PG rating (a G as far as spice). Some examples of the content: mention of concubines and a brothel; someone has an illegitimate daughter; mention of zodiac signs and astrology, mention of drinking and gambling.

I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book which I received from the author. All views expressed are only my honest opinion.

 

 

A Swashbuckling Romance! --"A Lady's Guide to Love and Pirates" by Jennifer Moore

 

My Review:

"A Lady's Guide to Love and Pirates" by Jennifer Moore is a swashbuckling romance! Many have said this book is “Pride and Prejudice” meets “Pirates of the Caribbean” and I definitely got those vibes. Annabelle Bradford is landed gentry and wealthy but also happens to be the goddaughter of a notorious pirate. She must spend every summer with him on his ship. While on a rescue mission she meets another dashing sea captain, Captain Hawke, who she teams up with to bring her godfather back safely. Sparks fly and not only do swords clash, but hearts as well. Annabelle and Hawke brave sea monsters and engage in daring sword fights. One of my favorite parts of the book was the found family aspect and how each crew member had become like a part of Annabelle’s family. I also loved Annabelle’s relationship with her godfather, Reid Courtney. While their relationship is not shown on page for most of the book, it is very much at the heart of the novel. They have the sweetest relationship, and I loved how Annabelle would do anything to save him. Readers will love Annabelle’s strong and brave spirit and the banter and romance between her and Hawke. I recommend this to those who love sweet historical romance with dashing heroes and pirates!

Content: I give this a PG rating. Some examples of the content: a doll is said to attract spirits of protection (the main character does not believe in that); mention of alcohol, drinking, and opium in the air; vague reference to prostitutes; violence.

TW: orphan; past madness and su*cide.

I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book which I received from the author. All views expressed are only my honest opinion.

 

The Cutest Rom-Com! --"The Roman Holiday Rule" by Andra Loy—Review

 

My Review:

"The Roman Holiday Rule" by Andra Loy is such a cute rom-com and surprised me in the best way with how much I loved it! This charming contemporary romance has some hints of magical realism and lots of humor and heart. Although the main character is grieving the loss of her mother and going on a trip to Rome that is connected to her mom, the grief is never too heavy or focused on too long, which I appreciated. As a huge fan of Audrey Hepburn and the movie “Roman Holiday,” I loved all the nods to those things in this book. The writing is witty, the plot fast paced and the romance super cute! The banter and chemistry are top tier! I love how the main characters leave notes to each other in Jane Austen novels and quote (or mis-quote) Star Wars references to one another. Will their Roman Holiday end better than Audrey Hepburn’s? This is the perfect escape or beach read. I highly recommend this charming book and cannot wait for whatever Ms. Loy writes next!

Content: I give this book a PG rating. Some examples of the content and trigger warnings are loss and grief.

I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book which I received from the author. All views expressed are only my honest opinion.

 

A Wonderful Story!--"The Lost Story of Via Belle" by Melanie Dobson--Review

 

My Review: 

“The Lost Story of Via Belle” by Melanie Dobson is a wonderful dual-timeline story!  The book has such great mystery and faith content.  The mystery kept me guessing until the end.  The two timelines are 1940 and 2006.  I loved how the timelines tied together and the characters in each were great.  “The Lost Story of Via Belle” is a great story about stories and a love note to clean, inspiring books.  I love that in the author’s note at the end, Ms. Dobson says that the plot of this book was inspired by the lives of Grace Livingston Hill, Agatha Christie and Dorothy Sayers.  The book does deal with some heavier topics, but it is done well and from a Christian perspective.  The author weaves in messages about grief and other beautiful Christian truths and messages.  I especially love how she shares the message that God speaks through story to help people sort out their questions.  If you love a clean mystery with great faith content, you’ll love this wonderful story!

Content: I give this a low PG-13 rating.  Some examples of the content: mention of gambling and alcohol; pregnancy out of wedlock; mention of sharing a bed.

TW: loss, grief, past loss of a child and spouse; infidelity; orphan; mention of past su*cide; alcoholic; domestic violence; emotional abuse and gaslighting; adoption; attempted child abduction.

I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book which I received from the author. All views expressed are only my honest opinion.