Prodigal Nights - Fun Read Friday

Prodigal Nights by Lisa Buffaloe Genres: Romance, Christian

     This is another story where the main character is ticked off at God, but then sees the light and forgives Him for all the garbage that they have had to endure in life. I'm almost starting to wonder if these books find their way into my hands through fate or divine intervention in an attempt to get me back on speaking terms with God. But I digress ...

     Bethany has a wild past but is trying to mend her evil ways. Jason has also sown his share of wild oats and is attempting to plow under this crop and follow a good Christian path. When they meet, they both felt shame about their pasts and feared that the other would find fault.

     There really isn't much "He loves me, he loves me not" in this book, which is a relief. However there is an almost annoying amount of "can I trust him/her" and fear of getting hurt and/or whether or not they deserve someone so seemingly perfect in spite of their lurid past.

     That said, the story had many light hearted humorous bits that had me laughing out loud and the end was amazingly gripping. Regardless of my responsibilities and schedules, I did not manage to set this down until the end.

The Christmas Tree Treasure Hunt - Holiday Review

The Christmas Tree Treasure Hunt Genre: Fiction, Christian

     Grace receives a letter from "the beyond", several actually. Her recently deceased Grandmother, knowing that she wasn't long on this world, had arranged for a package of letters to be mailed to Grace at Christmas. The family had a holiday tradition of having a treasure hunt in the woods surrounding their home, and the grandmother plots one last expansive treasure hunt which extends across several continents. Each letter points Grace to the next destination and an important lesson along her journey.

     This story is very Christian in nature, with lots of religious rhetoric bordering on preaching, but otherwise very interesting. This story provides a lesson that sometimes things are not what they seem and maybe one should ignore anger and/or pride long enough to at least hear all of the details.

A Victorian Christmas - Review

A Victorian Christmas (Anthology) by Chatherine Palmer Genres: Romance, Christian,    Historical Romance

     A Collection of four novellas that take place during the Christmas season within Victorian times. While the stories were fairly enjoyable they are also chock full of biblical quotes and Christian rhetoric that dangerously borders towards preachy.

     Arranged marriages were common during Victorian times and it seemed strange to me the entire concept of marrying a complete stranger, so hard to imagine in modern times. Yet all of the couples miraculously find true love within the pre-arranged nuptuals. Maybe they knew what they were doing after all, but then again, it IS fiction.

Waiting for a View - Review

Waiting for a View Book One of Bloomfield Series by Debby Mayne Genre: Christian, Romance

     Bloomfield is a tiny little town with a population of just under 10,000. Like all small towns, everyone knows everybody - and their business - and has for years. After a bad relationship, Sherry Butler has decided that she is better off alone. Naomi, who has acted as Sherry's surrogate mother since she was young, decides it is time to get Sherry out of her rut. There is also a smaller subplot where the president of the garden club is on a mission to increase the town's rating to a small town, which requires them to get over that 10,000 mark.

     Sherry's situation kind of got under my skin a little bit. On one hand, I can certainly relate to the whole concept of giving up. It is easy to get tired of the whole dating scene, frustrated with the inability to find a decent mate, realization that the relationships in one's past has only added to one's misery instead of increasing the happiness factor in one's life. However, Sherry has only had ONE relationship, not a string of idiots that she has had to deal with. Her ex-boyfriend wasn't abusive and it didn't seem to me to be all that traumatic to justify Sherry's fear of becoming involved. Maybe there was a subconcious fear of finding a man like her dad, but while Sherry was embarrassed by her father's alcoholism she never seemed to fear him.

Top Ten Tuesday - Free Ebooks

     All prices were verified when this post was written, but prices may change without notice so please verify that the deal is still available before downloading. For free ebooks, confirm that Amazon's "Kindle Price" is still $0.00. Some deals may not be available outside the United States. Most of these books are part of a series. Read at your own risk, you might get hooked ;)

1. Beyond Hades by Luke Romyn Genres: Action & Adventure, Mystery, Paranormal, Thriller
	This fast-paced paranormal thriller tells the story of an archeology professor who is forced to confront a dangerous world in which unbelievable mythological creatures exist. Originally $3.99 but is a free ebook on Amazon until Aug 15, 2012.
2. The Builder by P.S. Power Genres: Fantasy, Horror, Occult, Science Fiction
	A young boy on the verge of successfully becoming a magical "builder" attracts the attention of a set of dangerous and powerful characters in this gripping horror novel -- the first book in The Young Ancients series. Originally $.99 but is currently a free ebook on Amazon.
3. Cedardale Court by Nathan Lee Christensen Genres: Mystery, Thriller, Suspense
	A widower and his daughter move to the Oregon countryside to start fresh -- but discovering a human hand in the bushes starts them on a path to untangle a web of carefully kept secrets. Originally $2.99 but is currently a free ebook on Amazon.