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.

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.

Bamboo & Lace

Bamboo & Lace, by Lori Wick, is about a young woman named Lily Walsh.  Lily has grown up in the Asian nation of Kashien (a fictional place) with her missionary father and brother.  Her father, as a sign of respect to people of Kashien, has raised Lily to behave like the Kashien women.  She must show obedience to her father at all times.  He is a strict disciplinarian and enforces rules such as never looking him in the eye in public.

When Lily goes to visit her brother, Jeff, at his new home in Hawaii, she is completely out of her element.  She has never seen many things that are common in America and is unaccustomed to being shown respect.  Just as she is becoming more comfortable, her brother is sent away on a business trip and Lily has to spend the rest of her trip with Jeff's best friend Gabe and his family.

The rest of the story focuses on the developing relationship between Lily and Gabe.  There are several instances where they must completely trust God to take care of the situation they are facing.  The romance between them is a very sweet story with a happy ending.

This book was a very quick read and I thought it was a great book if you're in the mood for a romance novel.  (I would also consider it to be clean and appropriately written.)  Although I did sometimes feel that Lily's character was a bit too good to be true, it was a fun book and kept my interest.

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