Book Review: None Like Him

Today’s review is on None Like Him by Jen Wilkin

This book is so good and convicting, every Christian woman needs to read this book. It was an enriching read and I learned a lot, and realized there are things in my life that I need to change.

This book deals with 10 attributes of God: infinite, incomprehensible, self-existent, self-sufficient, eternal, immutable, omnipresent, omniscient, omnipotent and sovereign and how they are only true of God. Wilkin also showed how we as sinful human beings try to to make these attributes true of ourselves. She then ended the chapter by showing how we as Christians should view these attributes and what we can do to try to not fall into the trap of trying to make ourselves like God.

As I mentioned before, this was super convicting, especially since Jen Wilkin was so transparent and every time she mentioned some small sin that she had committed, I was convicted because I have been guilty of the exact same things. Two thoughts that constantly went through my head were “Shots fired!” and “Lord, thank you for being patient with me when I’ve committed these sins that never seemed like sin.” I am so glad that I have been saved by the redeeming blood of Christ.

I enjoyed how this book was theologically rich, yet it was a quick read. It was only about 175 pages and I flew through it. I definitely want to go back sometime and spend more time going through this book and work through the study questions at the end of each chapter.

This book deserves 5/5 Stars because it was convicting and enriching. It also taught me some things about God that I often tend to forget.

Thanks to NetGalley and Crossway publishing for providing me with an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Happy Reading,
Janelle L. C.

P.S. If you have any book recommendations let me know and I will check them out! 🙂 

Book Review: The Atonement

Today’s review is on The Atonement by Beverly Lewis

It has been several years since I have read a book by Beverly Lewis, and it was great to revisit the Amish of Lancaster County in this book. It took me a while to get into it, but once I hit the 50 page mark I flew through it because I had to get answers.

Once again, Lewis does a great job of describing the Amish culture. She weaves a tale that should how holding onto the past can hinder moving on in the future. The main character, Lucy, is 25 and not married yet and it all has to do with something that happened to her when she was 20/21. Her relationship with her father is also strained. However, over the course of the novel, through the various people she comes into contact too, she finds redemption for her past and she is able to move on.

I can’t go into detail about what happened because it will give away a lot of the novel. But the synopsis is kind of misleading because it mentions the character Dale, and it comes across as if he is going to have a big role in the novel and that the novel would also be told from his perspective, but it isn’t. The only times he was seen was if he was interacting with Lucy and her father, Christian.

I did not like how Lucy’s past was revealed in small snippets throughout the novel, because I felt like the same phrase was used every time she is thinking about her past. I also found the characters to be little bit flat at times.Although I loved the characters of Clinton and Dorothea and how their story in way kind of foreshadows what will happen to Lucy in the end.

 The story was somewhat predictable, except the ending which was a nice because I hate it when the whole novel is predictable. Like I mentioned before it was a good look at redemption and forgiveness and how holding onto the past can make us bitter. It was great to read Beverly Lewis’s work again, and I look forward to reading more of her novels in the future.

I am giving this book 3.75/5 Stars because even though I enjoyed the novel and read through it quickly, the plot wasn’t the greatest and a lot of the characters were not well-developed.

Thanks to NetGalley and Bethany House Publishers for providing me an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Happy Reading,
Janelle L. C.

P.S. If you have any book recommendations let me know and I will check them out! 🙂

Book Review: City of Bones (The Mortal Instruments #1)

Today’s review is on City of Bones by Cassandra Clare.

I was a bit apprehensive to read this book, but I wanted to read it to see what all the hype was about. Honestly, it was not my cup of tea at all. It also took me a long time to get through it because I never really got into it.

City of Bones is the first book in The Mortal Instruments series and it is a part of the Shadowhunter universe. It tells the story of Clary who discovers that she is a shadowhunter who goes around killing demons. One thing that was interesting is that this novel feature demons, angels, werewolves, vampires, monsters, warlocks etc. However, even though the author was trying to explain the world she was building, it seemed like overkill for a first book.

The writing style was interesting, I felt like Cassandra Clare did a good job. I didn’t really like any of the characters they were all kind of annoying. However, the one thing I did like about the heroine is that her whole focus was on trying to save those that she loves, like her mom, from the beasts of the underworld. This is commendable because so I often I feel like heroines often are just trying to prove themselves and they don’t really care who gets hurt in the process, but Clary is different.

Will I read the rest of the series? I don’t know, I might try the next book because someone told me that the series gets better, I might also try reading the Infernal Devices trilogy, which is a prequel series, because a lot of people seem to like that better. However, it is not a high priority on my TBR list, basically if I get to it, I get to it. There are so many better books out there that I want to read.

I am giving this book 2.5/5 Stars because I just didn’t like it.

Happy Reading,
Janelle L.C.

P.S. If you have any book recommendations let me know and I will check them out! 🙂

Book Review: The Preacher’s Bride Collection

Today’s review is The Preacher’s Bride Collection by Various Authors. 

I am going to do the same thing I did for The Texas Brides Collection, write a review on each story and then give an overall review at the end of this post. Let’s get started.

Remember Me by Kimberley Comeaux: 

This story was pretty predictable on what would happen and it was pretty anti-climatic. I did like that both the main characters were from England. 2.5/5 Stars.

Shirley, Goodness, and Mercy by Kristy Dykes: 
I liked that there was a lot of humor in this story, and it was very sweet. However, it was also predictable what would happen in the end. 3/5 Stars.

Miss Bliss and Bear by Darlene Franklin: 
I didn’t really like this story, even though it had an interesting premise for the plot. It was really choppy in some places and that threw me off. 2/5 Stars.

A Bride for the Preacher by Sally Laity: 
I also didn’t enjoy this one. It was really quick, and the main plot point happened near the end, making it feel rushed. 2/5 Stars.

Renegade Husband by DiAnn Mills: 
This was one of the longer stories in the collection. It was good, except I expected there to be more action than there was and the romance seemed to all be one-sided. 3/5 Stars.

Silence in the Sage by Colleen L. Reece: 
I liked this story, but I felt like it could have been shorter and the plot twist was just okay. 3/5 Stars.

Overall I preferred The Texas Brides Collection, even though there were more stories in it, they were shorter and I just enjoyed them a bit better. Most of the stories in this collection were too long and were really predictable – I like having some surprises along the way. Therefore I am giving this collection 2.5/5 Stars.  However, I will still read a few more of these collections even though this one was kind of disappointing.

Happy Reading,
Janelle L.C.

P.S. If you have any book recommendations let me know, and I will check them out! 🙂 

April 2016 TBR

April is going to be a busy month as the school year starts to wrap up. I have no idea how much reading I am going to get done, besides school assignments. But, as always, my TBR list for April is going to be ambitious!

1. The Atonement by Beverly Lewis

It has been a couple of years since I read a book by Beverly Lewis and I am looking forward to reading her work again. It sounds like it should be good and I am looking forward to being transported to Amish country again.

2. Where the Heart Is Romance Collection by Various Authors

I received a copy of this to review from NetGalley. It contains 9 stories written by several Christian authors I have wanted to check out. I am looking forward to reading this.

3. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire by J.K. Rowling

I am in the middle of reading the fourth book in this good series. I am can’t wait to find out what happens next, unfortunately I have had to take a break from reading it because of school. I am determined to finish it before the end of the semester.

4. Once Upon a Dream by Liz Braswell 

This novel takes a look at what might have happened if Sleeping Beauty never woke up. It sounds really interesting and I can’t wait to read it.

5. Trusting God by Jerry Bridges

I am busy reading this great book on the sovereignty of God and why we can and should put our trust in Him.

6. Splintered by A. G. Howard

I honestly don’t know if I want to continue reading this, it has been really hard to get into. I might just wait until the summer to continue reading it.

7. The Art of Not Breathing by Sarah Alexander

This sounds like an interesting book. It is about a girl whose brother died several years before the novel and as a result she has a fear of the sea. However, over the course of the novel she starts to conquer her fear as well as find out that all the details revolving around her brother’s death isn’t quite as it seems.

Here’s to a good reading month!

Happy Reading,
Janelle L.C.

P.S. If you have any book recommendations let me know and I will check them out! 🙂 

Book Review: Playing the Part (A Class of Their Own #3)

Today’s review is on Playing the Part by Jen Turano

When I started reading this book, I was expecting it to be a light, fluffy romance. I was wrong, but in a good way. Playing the Part was a pleasant surprise because even though it did have a typical happy ending, there were so many things that happened that I was not expecting. This book was perfect mixture of mystery, intrigue and romance.

This is the third book in the A Class of Their Own series, but it can be read as a stand-alone because the only connection to the other books is that the main character is friends with the other main characters, and it refers to their stories several times. I have not read the other books in this series, but after reading this one, I think I will try and read them sometime in the near future.

Lucetta Plum is an actress who is forced to flee after one of her admirers tries to gain possession of her. She ends up at Ravenwood, a castle situated outside New York City, and meets the eccentric owner, Bram Haverstein. While in hiding she discovers that Ravenwood contain several mysteries of its own, as well as the owner.

I loved the characters in this book, especially Lucetta and Bram who grow as characters, as well as discover that often times there is more to a person than meets the eye. Bram, who is infatuated with Lucetta, discovers that she is not the kind of woman he believed her to be, and that intrigues him. Both are interesting because they believe that the other is so different, but yet they are very similar.
 At times Lucetta came across as too independent, however once more of her back story is revealed it makes sense.My favorite character probably has to be Abigail, Bram’s grandmother, because she takes on the role of matchmaker for all the young, single people in her life and how she goes about doing it is so funny.

The plot, as mentioned above, was fantastic. When I thought the novel was going to wrap up all of sudden several plot twists took place that added to the story. I can’t go into too much detail because I don’t want to give a whole lot away, except to say that the first 100 pages seem to be a typical Christian romance novel, but it gets so much better and so much happens in the rest of the book.

I highly recommend this book to anyone who enjoys Christian fiction, mystery, or just a good book in general. I am giving this book 4/5 Stars because it surprised me and I loved it.

Thanks again to NetGalley and Bethany House Publisher for providing me with an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Happy Reading,
Janelle L. C.

P.S. If you have any book recommendations let me know and I will check them out! 🙂 

What I Read in March

I can’t believe it is already the end of March, but with that comes the list of what I read in this month. At the beginning of the month I went through a reading slump, it was only when Spring Break started that I started to read a lot. Here are the books I read this month:

1. Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban by J.K. Rowling

It was hard for me to get into this one at first, but after the first 120 pages it started to get really good. I loved revisiting this world and finding out more about what happened to Harry’s parents. 3/5 Stars because it was a slow start.

2. A Daring Sacrifice by Jody Hedlund 

I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley and the publisher. I liked it, but it wasn’t as good as An Uncertain Choice. It was pretty predictable. I will have a longer review up soon. 3.5/5 Stars.

3. The Black Stallion by Walter Farley

This was a lovely, nostalgic read and I flew through it. I can’t believe I never read this when I was a child. 4/5 Stars.

4. Worlds of Ink and Shadow by Lena Coakley

This was an interesting read, although it took me a while to get into it. The author does a good job of describing not just the world of the Brontes but also their created worlds and it made me want to read more about them. 4/5 Stars.

5. None Like Him by Jen Wilkin

The title of this book alone intrigued me. I flew through it and loved it! It is about several attributes of God and how they only pertain to Him. Jen Wilkin is a great writer and it was saturated in Scripture and it was super convicting. I will have a longer review up soon. 5/5 Stars

6. Playing the Part by Jen Turano

I expected this book to be a fluffy romance, but I was wrong. This book was so interesting as it had romance and mystery. There were so many different plot twists that I was not expecting to happen at all, especially at the end! I will have a longer review up soon! 4/5 Stars.

Happy Reading,
Janelle L. C.

P.S. If you have any book recommendations let me know and I will check them out! 🙂