To Die For

To Die For, by Sandra Byrd, is a novel about Anne Boleyn. It is told from the perspective of her lifelong friend, Meg Wyatt.  Meg and Anne have been close friends since they were children.  They shared dreams of what their lives would be like and hoped to get married and raise their children together.

Meg is with Anne throughout all of the turning points in her life:  when Anne meets King Henry VIII and during Anne and Henry's turbulent romance.  In the meantime, Meg is dealing with her betrothal to a man she doesn't love while watching the man she does love give his life to the church.  Finally, Meg watches Anne's marriage begin to fail after delivering a daughter instead of a son.

If you don't know much about Anne Boleyn or this time in history, this is a good novel to begin.  Anne Boleyn and Henry VIII's lives were fascinating.  As a Christian, it is also interesting to learn more about the Reformation and how it came about that everyone is now able to read the Bible, rather than just priests.

Overall, I really enjoyed this book.  It was a bit slower in the beginning, but really began to pick up after Anne met King Henry.  The author really made the characters come to life.  While the story is fiction, it is based from facts and actual historical events.

Another bonus of this book is that the author was able to tell the story in a way that was appropriate for Christian readers.  So many books about this time in history focus on what went on in the bedroom between Henry and Anne.  This novel is not considered Christian fiction, but the author often writes Christian novels so she kept the book interesting without going too far.

Rating:  I would give this a 4 out of 5.

Bloom: Finding Beauty in the Unexpected

Kelle Hampton was a happy mother and wife until her life was turned upside down after the birth of their second daughter, Nella.  Nella was a beautiful baby, but Kelle was shocked to discover when she saw her daughter for the first time that Nella appeared to have Down syndrome.

Bloom tells the true story of the Hampton family from Kelle's point of view.  She shares the details of her parents' difficult divorce, meeting her husband, and becoming a mom and stepmom.  She describes her feelings and emotions of becoming Nella's mom and the unique challenges that came with being her mother.

Kelle is completely honest about her fears for Nella.  For me, reading about those first few days in the hospital after receiving such a huge shock were heartbreaking.  But by the end of the story, after Kelle had chronicled Nella's first year, you can see how much she has grown and feels so blessed to be Nella's mom.

Bloom was a very quick read.  I was engrossed in the story and fell in love with little Nella.  The best part of this book are the photographs.  Kelle is a photographer, and gorgeous photos are interspersed throughout the book.  I almost ordered this on my Kindle (which does not show color illustrations) and I am so glad I did not.  I would have missed out on the photography which is such a huge part in the story.

I really think any mom would enjoy this book.  It was entertaining and emotional.  Bloom does include a little bit of language, and I personally did not agree with some of Kelle's beliefs about Christianity.  However, it was a very good story overall.  If you would like to learn more about the Hamptons and keep up with Nella, check out Kelle's blog at www.kellehampton.com.

Rating:  I would give this book a 4 out of 5.

Redeeming Love

"California’s gold country, 1850. A time when men sold their souls for a bag of gold and women sold their bodies for a place to sleep.  

Angel expects nothing from men but betrayal. Sold into prostitution as a child, she survives by keeping her hatred alive. And what she hates most are the men who use her, leaving her empty and dead inside.  
 
Then she meets Michael Hosea, a man who seeks his Father’s heart in everything. Michael obeys God’s call to marry Angel and to love her unconditionally. Slowly, day by day, he defies Angel’s every bitter expectation, until despite her resistance, her frozen heart begins to thaw.  
 
But with her unexpected softening comes overwhelming feelings of unworthiness and fear. And so Angel runs. Back to the darkness, away from her husband’s pursuing love, terrified of the truth she no longer can deny: Her final healing must come from the One who loves her even more than Michael does…the One who will never let her go.  

A powerful retelling of the story of Gomer and Hosea, Redeeming Love is a life-changing story of God’s unconditional, redemptive, all-consuming love."

-book description from Amazon.com


Not only is the story entertaining because it moves so quickly, but it also makes the reader think.  Angel has been through so many hard times in her life that she does not believe herself to be worthy of anyone's love.  The author, Francine Rivers, was able to beautifully tell the story in a way that will make you realize how desperately God wants to take care of you and show you His love, even if we really don't deserve it.


I really can't find enough good things to say about this book.  The first time I read Redeeming Love, I wasn't able to put it down.  By now I have reread it several times and it just seems to get better.  And every time I happen to be discussing books with some girlfriends of mine, someone always asks, "Have you read Redeeming Love?  It is sooo good!"  Try it for yourself and see what you think!


Rating:  I would give this book a 5 out of 5.

Sold

Sold is the story of Lakshmi, a young girl living in a small village in Nepal.  Lakshmi, despite being very poor, lives a simple life and seems to be content.  She has a caring mother and is a good student.  Sadly, Lakshmi's stepfather is worthless and frequently gambles away what little money the family has.

When Lakshmi's family becomes desperate for money, her stepfather sells her to a stranger.  Lakshmi believes she is going to go work as a maid in "the city" and her wages will be sent home to help support the family.  But when she arrives in India, she discovers that she has been sold into prostitution.

Lakshmi is beaten and raped daily.  She is able to befriend some of the other girls living in the brothel, and their only outlet of escape is to watch TV during the day until the customers begin to show up after dinner.  Lakshmi hates what she is being forced to do, but she keeps hope that if she sleeps with enough customers, she will make enough money to buy her freedom.  

I devoured this book.  I finished Sold in one day because I just had to know what was going to happen to Lakshmi.  It is written for young adults, and each of the "chapters" are very short so it took no time to finish.

Sold is horrifying and will make you very uncomfortable - be prepared!  The things that Lakshmi has to endure are beyond comprehension.  It's even more sad to know that while Lakshmi is a fictional character, her story is happening to millions of women and children around the world every day.  While this book does contain mature content, I would highly recommend reading it.  

Rating:  I would give this book 5 out of 5.

Daughter of China

Daughter of China is the story of Mei Lin, a young girl living in China who hopes to become a teacher one day.  Mei Lin is also a Christian, which is a dangerous thing to be if you are Chinese.  Mei Lin and her father have to travel in secret to visit house churches and share fellowship with the other Christians in their village.  Mei Lin's faith soon leads to a terrifying situation - she is caught sharing her faith and is sent to prison.

Mei Lin not only learns to trust God's plan for her life while in prison, but she leads several other inmates to Christ through miraculous circumstances.  Mei Lin is eventually released and meets a young girl who has run away from an orphanage and is living on the streets.

If you are a Christian, I don't think you will be able to read this book without making connections between your faith and Mei Lin's.  I had known before reading the story that Christianity is not accepted in China, but I did not realize how persecuted the church really is.  We are so blessed to live in a nation where we can freely share our faith.  The author also shares a lot of other situations that are going on in China, such as encouraged abortions for parents expecting their 2nd child, the possible inhumane conditions in orphanages, and more.

Although a fiction story, I read online that the author based her characters from real people who have had similar experiences.  I think the characters could have been more developed; it almost seemed as if there was so much information to share about China and the persecuted church that the author didn't tell many details about most of the characters.  However, this is a very eye-opening book!

Rating:  I would give this book a 4 out of 5.

Child of the Mist

Child of the Mist is the first book in the "These Highland Hills" series.  It is the story of Anne, a young woman with the gift of healing, and Niall, a strong warrior who is the leader of his clan.  The book takes place in Scotland, where the clans are constantly battling.  To make peace between the MacGregors and Campbells, Anne's father gives her to Niall to be his bride.

Anne and Niall share nothing but contempt for each other in the beginning, but like a typical romance novel, they fall passionately in love in the middle of the book.  While the story is mostly a romance, it is also about the growing dissension within Niall's clan and a plot to overthrow him as leader.

Anne is not accepted in Niall's clan, because they are a very superstitious people and believe that her gift for healing others is a form of witchcraft, not a gift from God.  If Anne and Niall want to stay together, they must discover who is planning to betray Niall and defend Anne's life against the charges of witchcraft.

I was a bit hesitant to read this book when I read from the description that it involved witchcraft, but the author very clearly described Anne's healing as a spiritual gift from God.  Her gift was mostly just a good knowledge of healing herbs, cleanliness, and a passion for helping others.

The book was OK.  Not horrible, but not great.  I had a few issues with it.  First, it is supposed to be Christian fiction, but there was almost no mention of God (except to say that Anne's healing was a gift from him) until the end of the story.  Anne claimed to be a Christian, but she had no trouble falling in love with Niall when he clearly was not one.

Second, it was a pretty sappy romance.  Anne and Niall seemed to be almost obsessed with one another, yet they could launch into a screaming match over a simple misunderstanding.  (This happened several times throughout the novel.)

Third, I thought the novel was a tad too racy for a Christian novel - more so than any I've ever read from that genre.  Anne and Niall did agree to wait until they were officially married (they were handfasted for their first year together) to consummate the marriage, but it was more steamy than I thought was appropriate.

Obviously, I had a lot to say about this book!  While not terrible, I was glad that it was bought for free on my Kindle.

Rating:  I would give this book a 2.5 out of 5.

Written on the Wind

Written on the Wind, by Judith Pella, tells the story of three sisters:  Cameron, Blair, and Jackie.  It is the first in the series of four books.  The story begins at a party being held for the sisters' father, Keagan, and right away the reader begins to learn about each girl's individual personality and interests.  Keagan is a domineering and bossy parent and each daughter responds to his "tough love" in different ways.

This book focuses mostly on Cameron, who hopes to prove to her father that she can make it as a journalist without his help.  It is 1941 and she is sent to Europe to report on the war. She meets Alex, a Russian doctor, and some of the book focuses on their developing relationship.  I really enjoyed reading about her reporting the news throughout the early years of the war and there are lots of suspenseful moments when her life is placed in danger.

The middle sister, Blair, has high hopes of becoming a Hollywood star.  She is beautiful but self-centered and makes poor choices.  Blair meets a kind Christian soldier named Gary and has to decide whether giving up her wild lifestyle for him is worth it.

Jackie, the youngest sister, is a faithful Christian and college student.  She meets a young Japanese American man, Sam.  As Jackie and Sam become closer, they get a first hand glimpse of the hatred some people feel towards people of another race.  And this is before Pearl Harbor - imagine what they will go through after the Japanese attack!

For me, this book was a great read.  I am a huge fan of historical fiction and I especially like books set in the World War II years.  The book has almost 3 different plots going at once (one for each sister) but the way the author writes it, it is not difficult to keep up.  When this book was over, I went straight to the library for the next one - and that's always a good sign!

I have finished the entire series, and in my opinion, the books only get better.  Give the Daughters of Fortune series a try!

Rating:  I would give this book a 4.5 out of 5.