The Atonement Child by Francine Rivers

 The Atonement Child by Francine Rivers

5 Stars 

What can I say? Wow. This was one of those books that stays with you the rest of your life. I did a full spoiler-free reading vlog on this book - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8VfloP09064&t= (second half of the vlog) and there were so many emotions. Francine doesn't shy away from the hard, painful realities of life, yet she handles them with such compassion, honesty and spiritual depth that while it's heartbreaking, it is also healing.

Dynah went through so much in this book. Her world shatters when she is raped and becomes pregnant from the assault. What moved me the most was how Francine really explored this journey with Dynah and not losing sight of the Lord. God was with Dynah. This book reminded me that no matter what evil befalls us....the Lord is with us through the battles, always. 

Seeing the generational addition to this book too, with Dynah's mother, grandmother and their own personal histories, really added to the book too. It was just as much their stories as Dynah's as they walked through healing. It shows the Lord can redeem even the darkest things in our lives. There is forgiveness in Christ.

Joe was also such an outstanding guy for me. We really see him be a good friend to Dynah and I loved that. 

Seeing Dynah really seek the Lord was beautiful and inspiring to me. How the Lord worked in her with Jim and his job....all I can say is...it brought me to tears.

This book really reminded me that sometimes when the world is trying to tell you all the things to think and do....that sometimes you need to step back and withdraw alone - just you and the Lord. Take your troubles to Him in prayer. He will answer. He will bring peace.

This is not a light read by any means but it's a profoundly important one. The characters are real and in desperate need of grace, forgiveness and healing.

Through it all, the Lord meets us in the darkest places and His mercy is big enough for every story. 

Content/Trigger Warnings: sexual assault (rape), unplanned pregnancy, abortion themes, family pressure, generational trauma, emotional abuse, PTSD symptoms, medical trauma, abortion procedures discussed, grief and loss, miscarriages

Amazon: https://amzn.to/4mX1tGk
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Every Home A Foundation by Phylicia Masonheimer

 

Every Home A Foundation by Phylicia Masonheimer 
3 Stars

I loved Every Woman a Theologian last year and was excited to dive into this one! This offers a hopeful vision of the Christian home as a place of discipleship, healing, and purpose.

She writes with enthusiasm about finding meaning in everyday tasks and building a culture of faith within our homes.

I loved the poetry included throughout and her stories about family, along with tips on setting routines and other ideas for maintaining a routine at home and worshiping the Lord in the every day mundane tasks.

While I appreciated this book, I struggled to fully connect with the book on a personal level.

My own home journey has looked very different from growing up in a chaotic, unstable environment where I really just wanted to get out of there as soon as I turned 18, to navigating life now as a special‑needs mother, where my home doesn't always have that routine or perfect look as many mom's crave. Some days we are just surviving honestly, lol. I don't really host people over or anything like that, so some things weren't relevant to me specifically.

Since I couldn't necessarily relate to a ton in this one or get a lot from it in the season of life I am in, my rating is really based on that, not the book itself I guess. The only negative comment I have on the book itself I guess is there were comments leading you to not worry about how your home really looks and to just be hospitable, but then leads you into all the things you do to keep you home orderly to make it hospitable, lol. I found that a bit contradictory.

Still, the book did leave me encouraged that I can continue breaking those generational curses of how I grew up and create beauty in my own home....intentionally shaping my home into a place of peace for my family.

A meaningful message, even if not a perfect fit for my season.

Amazon: https://amzn.to/4eiZkmi

Amazon links are affiliate links and a commission may be earned on items purchased from these links.

More Than Friends by Denise Hunter

 

More than Friends by Denise Hunter
3 Stars

Denise's books - I have enjoyed several but sometimes they don't always work out for me either. More Than Friends has the set up of a cozy, small‑town best‑friends‑to‑lovers romance with wild ponies, a loyal firefighter hero, and a mother‑with‑a‑mysterious‑boyfriend subplot. And while I enjoyed the setting and the heart behind it, I struggled to fully connect with the romance and characters this time.

Jenna and Tyson’s lifelong friendship turned romance was just something I didn't connect with but I think it could be a good option for my friends who like clean romance. I didn't love the third act breakup in this one and some of the romantic parts came across as awkward or slightly cringe rather than swoony, which made it harder to root for them as a couple. (ex: "their lips mated in a sensuous dance" lol)

The side mystery involving Jenna’s mom’s new boyfriend adds to the book and I liked how that ended up, she realized what she needed to.

Overall, while it wasn't a favorite, I think many would enjoy. The narration by Kim Churchill is always great!

Content: Romance is clean with kisses only, just some more odd statements as mentioned above about lips mating and being like magnets haha.

Thank you to the publisher for a complimentary e-book and audiobook to read for review. All thoughts are my own.

Amazon: https://amzn.to/4t3Ra4Q Baker Book House: https://bakerbookhouse.com/products/9781400348732_more-than-friends

*Amazon links are affiliate links and a commission may be earned on items purchased from these links.

A Deal with a Debutante by Chelsea Bobulski

 

A Deal with a Debutante by Chelsea Bobulski 
4.5 Stars rounding up to 5

I LOVED THIS SO MUCH Y'ALL! What a fun regency romance book! I loved everything about it. The romance, the banter, the laughs...

We follow an American heiress Calliope Hart, who is pushed into London's high society by her mother because she is determined to marry her off. Edward Chase is the Earl of Hayward and its on it's way to financial ruin so to save his estate, he has to marry someone and Calliope is his only hope to do so. His immediate proposal of marriage is rejected and he offers a deal....he will escort her around London to see the best sights and visit his estate....then if she still isn't interested, he will let her go...

BUT y'all know how well that's gonna go, right? Hahah! I loved it!!

So much chemistry and interactions that were chef's kiss. 

Highly recommend for my regency romance girlies!

Romance was clean with kisses only, no content warnings, just a fun, clean read!

Thank you to Haven for the beautiful gifted book mail. I received a copy of the book from the publisher to read for review, but all thoughts and opinions are my own.

P.S. The audiobook is FANTASTIC too!

Baker Book House: https://bakerbookhouse.com/products/9780764245251_a-deal-with-a-debutante
Amazon: https://amzn.to/41PQlBB
*Amazon links are affiliate links and a commission may be earned on items purchased from these links.

Never Say Goodbye by Mandi Blake

Never Say Goodbye by Mandi Blake

Book 2 in the Unfailing Love Series
3 Stars

This was a second chance romance between Lindsey and Dakota. Let me start by saying I have LOVEEDDDD all of the Mandi Blake books I have read - over 20 books now. While this one wasn't 100% my fav, it was still a cute romance read with a redemption thread.

Dakota had a past with alcohol that rears its ugly head and he worked through that in this book. Lindsey and Dakota reconnect on their issues and resolve old wounds. The ending was really good with the added suspense piece, as always I was like whatttt I need to know haha.

Second chance is always a trope that is tricky for me personally as it is. With this one I was looking for a bit more detail between the two as they reconnected, felt like some parts were missing in a way. Either way, I am looking forward to continuing the series and seeing what's next. 

Amazon: https://amzn.to/4tGa9Du

*Amazon links are affiliate links and a commission may be earned on items purchased from these links.

 

The Water Women by Bonnie Blaylock

The Water Women by Bonnie Blaylock

5 Stars

WOW. This book SURPRISED ME Y'ALL! 

A great secular historical fiction, multi-generation book. I found this on NetGalley and didn't end up reading it from there, so after it came out, I borrowed it from Kindle Unlimited and listened to the audiobook - which was FANTASTIC.

We start in early 1900s and end in the 1990s with the family we follow. We are in Sardinia, and at the heart of this book is family legacy, specifically a legacy passed down from mothers to daughters. Allegra and her daughters are the keepers of an ancient and sacred craft: the weave of byssus, a rare sea silk spun from mollusks into shimmering gold thread. So we see the way these threads tie generations together. We go through turmoil in WWII when the timeline shifts into heartbreak. 

Zaneta's (Allegra's daughter) storyline was absolutely heartbreaking. We see her go through loss and then a tough encounter with a German deserter. Because of her experience....you empathize with her, even through her harshness with her daughter, Mira. The experience shapes her life and she is desperate to keep the tradition and family legacy alive with Mira. She starts teaching Mira about the weaving....but Mira isn't sure she wants to continue the legacy herself.....

This author really did a great job capturing the emotions of generational trauma. The relationships in each timeline were real...and layered. Even when you were angry as the reader....it was real. You sat with the characters in their grief and circumstances. You felt for them. You really THINK about their choices. 

And even if you are not someone to real multi timeline or multi character stories, this author did great at naturally shifting us to each of the women's stories. 

If you enjoy historical fiction with emotional depth and strong generational themes, this one is well worth your time. It does have some heavier content but it was a realistic view of what really happened in wartime and families. I learned so much.

OH AND THE ENDING TOOK ME OUT. That reveallll!

Content/Trigger Warnings: 1 curse word, sexual assault, multiple miscarriages, grief, loss of family in war, WWII details of war, antisemitism, death, murder, genocide, dementia, infertility 

 Amazon: https://amzn.to/3Oy5AMt
*Amazon links are affiliate links and a commission may be earned on items purchased from these links.

Handle with Care by Marybeth Mayhew Whalen

Handle with Care by Marybeth Mayhew Whalen

5 Stars

I went into this book with realistic expectations from other reviews I have seen and knowing exactly what I was getting - an intense action, women's fiction read with a suspenseful hostage situation plot. This was one of those books that pulled me in, immediately, and didn't let go. It was SUCH A FAST READ. I read this in 1 day! 

The audio narrator is fantastic, very much a good storyteller where it felt natural and emotionally involved with the tension of the plot. I listened to the first 40% and then read the e-book copy for the remaining portion, just because I was reading faster than I was listening in that "I need to know" feeling.

The majority of the book happens inside a post office, where a woman is working there...and she is covering while her co-workers have left briefly. Several other woman are there to mail something that each contain something important to their lives to get out to who they are mailing them to. In comes her husband, drunk and upset about the divorce papers he was just served to the girl working at the Post Office. She shuffles him outside and then he comes back in with a gun and holds the women up hostage inside the post office....

What stood out to me most was the character driven focus of this book. As the situation unfolds, we get layered glimpses into each woman's lives...their choices, relationships, struggles. You learn so much about each of the women and their stories while they are held hostage inside the post office that you really become invested in the whole group and situation. Those details added so much depth to the book.

This book reminds us of why reading fiction matters. It gives us empathy, compassion, understanding, puts us in someone else's shoes...and we learn from their experiences. 

I really connected with each character and their story. We really got to see what they were walking through each individually and each person came out changed from the experience. They will never be the same again after this and neither will I. 

Thank you to Thomas Nelson and NetGalley for a complimentary audio and e-book copy to read and listen to for review. All thoughts are my own.

Content/Trigger Warnings: Language: 4 D*mn, 2 a**, 1 BS, 4 B**ch. (I felt the language was minimal and situationally understandable but wanted to notate either way.) Mentioned of parental death by cancer and another parental death that was an accidental death, mention of possible dementia, domestic violence, hostage situation by gun, intense action, drinking

Amazon: https://amzn.to/42feYHR
Baker Book House: https://bakerbookhouse.com/products/9781400345052_handle-with-care
*Amazon links are affiliate links and a commission may be earned on items purchased from these links.