About the Book:

Quinten Aspinall is determined to fulfill a promise he made to his deceased father to keep his family together. To do so, he must travel to Canada to find his younger siblings, who were sent there as indentured workers while Quinn was away at war. He is also solicited by his employer to look for the man’s niece who ran off with a Canadian soldier. If Quinn can bring Julia back, he will receive his own tenant farm, enabling him to provide a home for his ailing mother and siblings.

Julia Holloway’s decision to come to Toronto has been met with disaster. When her uncle’s employee rescues her from a bad situation, she fears she can never repay Quinn’s kindness. So when he asks her to help find his sister, she agrees. Soon after, however, Julia receives some devastating news that changes everything.

Torn between reuniting his family and protecting Julia, will Quinn have to sacrifice his chance at happiness to finally keep his promise?

My Thoughts:

When I received this book for review I did not realize that it was the third book in a series. Initially I did not have any trouble following the story, however in the last couple of chapters, there were interactions between characters that I did not understand that were clearly referring to back-story of which I was unaware. Therefore, I would recommend you read the previous novels in the series.

That said, I enjoyed the book despite these brief moments of confusion. Perhaps enjoyed is too strong of a word. Intrigued might be more accurate of a description. Some of the subject matter was quite heavy, including abuse of several varieties. I don’t enjoy reading about such things. Yet, the book offered hope and a future for its characters, with a suitable happily ever after ending.

Before reading this novel I was unaware of the number of British children who were sent to Canada as indentured servants. I appreciate the author’s research and the way that she has uncovered this rather dark segment of history and made it come alive in novel form.

I received a free digital galley of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.

About the Book:

Lady Selene Ravenwood has come into her full power as a dreamwalker–a power greater than any in history. She embraces her new role as Nightwatcher, able to intercede for her people in the dream world, but the dark shadow of war draws ever closer.

Working together, the Great Houses come up with a plan to secure the borders from the approaching Dominia Empire. But dissension, conflict, and suspicion threaten to destroy their tenuous treaty, and as the empire burns a path across their lands, Damien Maris starts to lose his ability to raise the waters, leaving the lands vulnerable to the empire’s attacks.

The only one who can keep the Great Houses unified and restore her husband’s power is Selene. But it will require that she venture deep into the dream world to confront the enemies of her past who will do anything to stop her power. Will it be enough, or will both worlds fall under the empire’s might?

My Thoughts:

Cry of the Raven is book three in Ravenwood Saga. In order to fully appreciate this story you will need to begin with book one, Mark of the Raven.

I don’t want to say too much or give away any spoilers so I’ll just say that all in all I found this to be a very satisfying completion to an excellent trilogy, fully rounding out character development, trying up loose ends and even bringing unexpected redemption.

I recommend this series to you.

I received a free digital galley of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.

About the Book:

All of England thinks Phillip Camden a monster–a man who deliberately caused the deaths of his squadron. But as nurse Arabelle Denler watches the so-dubbed ‘Black Heart’ every day, she sees something far different: a hurting man desperate for mercy. And when their paths twist together and he declares himself her new protector, she realizes she has her own role to play in his healing. Phillip Camden would have preferred to die that day with his squadron rather than be recruited to the Admiralty’s codebreaking division. The threats he receives daily are no great surprise and, in his opinion, well deserved. What comes as a shock is the reborn desire to truly live that Arabelle inspires in him. But when an old acquaintance shows up and seems set on using him in a plot that has the codebreakers of Room 40 in a frenzy, new affections are put to the test.

My Thoughts:

On Wings of Devotion follows The Number of Love in the Codebreakers series. If you haven’t already, I would highly recommend that you first read the Shadows Over England series. In this series you will be introduced to the characters and learn back story that I would argue is fairly essential to a full understanding of this series. Then move on to The Number of Love where you will be introduced to main character Phillip.

Roseanna White writes captivating stories that always keep me turning the pages. I really enjoyed Phillip and Arabella’s story. And kudos to the author for writing about a woman who is not physically attractive as the main character. It was a real story that truly showed how interior beauty can be completely captivating and that the connections that are born in the soul are the best foundation for a relationship.

I also appreciated the very human fallibility of the characters and the beauty of redemptive grace in the midst of intrigue and suspense. I loved the book and can’t wait for the next installment in the series.

I received a free digital copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

About the Book:

Caroline Adams returns to Indian Territory after tiring of confining society life. She wants adventure, and when she and her friend Amber come across swaggering outlaw Frisco Smith, they find his dreams for the new territory are very persuasive. With the much-anticipated land run pending, they may just join the rush.

Growing up parentless, all Frisco Smith wanted was a place to call his own. It’s no wonder that he fought to open the Unassigned Lands. After years of sneaking across the border, he’s even managed to put in a dugout house on a hidden piece of property he’s poised to claim.

When the gun sounds, everyone’s best plans are thrown out the window in the chaos of the run. Caroline and Frisco soon find themselves battling over a claim–and both dig in their heels. Settling the rightful ownership will bring these two closer than they ever expected and change their ideas of what a true home looks like.

My Thoughts:

Regina Jennings writes fun and lighthearted historical novels with a fair amount of ironic humor thrown in. They are always a good choice for curling up on the couch and relaxing on a Sunday afternoon.

The Major’s Daughter is the third book in the Fort Reno series. It could easily be read as a stand alone novel, but there are characters from the previous books (including Caroline) who are introduced without their background info, so there are things that you would only know about them if you have been reading through the series.

I found myself really enjoying the in depth look at the Oklahoma land rush. The author introduced some of the darker elements of the contest without bogging the book down with them. The romance developing between Caroline and Frisco, as they learned to look past the surface to the hopes and dreams of another, was a sweet story that rounded out an interesting read.

All in all, I’d recommend The Major’s Daughter as a light and engaging read with a good entertainment value. I received a free digital copy of this book in exchange for sharing my honest opinion of the novel.

About the Book:

Making something beautiful in a broken world can be harrowing work, and it can’t be done alone.

Over the last twenty years, Andrew Peterson has performed thousands of concerts, published four novels, released ten albums, taught college and seminary classes on writing, founded a nonprofit ministry for Christians in the arts, and executive-produced a film—all in a belief that God calls us to proclaim the gospel and the coming kingdom using whatever gifts are at our disposal. He’s stumbled along the way, made mistake after mistake, and yet has continually encountered the grace of God through an encouraging family, a Christ-centered community of artists in the church, and the power of truth, beauty, and goodness in Scripture and the arts.

While there are many books about writing, none deal first-hand with the intersection of songwriting, storytelling, and vocation, along with nuts-and-bolts exploration of the great mystery of creativity. In Adorning the Dark, Andrew describes six principles for the writing life:

• serving the work
• serving the audience
• selectivity
• discernment
• discipline
• and community

Through stories from his own journey, Andrew shows how these principles are not merely helpful for writers and artists, but for anyone interested in imitating the way the Creator interacts with his creation.

This book is both a memoir of Andrew’s journey and a handbook for artists, written in the hope that his story will provide encouragement to others stumbling along in pursuit of a calling to adorn the dark with the light of Christ.

My Thoughts: GET THIS BOOK

Honestly, I had pre-ordered a copy before I had an invitation to review this book and I want to buy copies for all my friends. This is a beautiful book on life and beauty and community and the creative process.

I’m not a songwriter or an author. I’m a visual artist who loves beauty and art and adorning the dark. And this book is entirely relatable to me.

I have been moved by the discussions of place-making (even as I continue to wrestle with the transient life of “sojourner” that God has called me to). I have journaled chapters about what it looks like to root myself in the soil of the kingdom and in the uncertain spaces of rented flats. I wept over the beauty of a life that wants to declare the dominion of God to every place within its reach and I spent a whole week re-reading just one paragraph. This book has sparked so many thoughts!

I’m reading this book slowly and I have no qualms about reviewing a book I haven’t quite finished, because the portion I have read has been filled with seeds of beauty planted in the soil of my heart. This is not a book to be rushed, nor is it a book to be shuffled off to a specific group of artists. This book is beautiful and I think it has worth for every reader and especially for those who have chosen a Creative vocation.

I bought the book first, but I also got a free copy for review. All my opinions are my own.

And if I haven’t convinced you to buy the book yet, here is a fabulous interview by The Cultivating Project that you should read.

Link to Interview

That anyone at all in the world would set their sad heart and tired hands to working beauty out of chaos is a monument to Grace. It reminds us of light and high beauty, and it laments the world’s great sorrow. It gives the heart language to rejoice and language to mourn.

Creation groans like a woman in labor? Even so. And we know every birth is a tight-wound cord of fear and joy, pain and pleasure, striving and surcease. Let those who can, tell that story. Let those in Christ whose hands paint worlds, whose tongues limn loveliness, whose ears hear astral strains–let them make, and make, and make. And let the made things adorn the dark and proclaim the coming Kingdom till the King himself is come.

Andrew Peterson – Adorning the Dark: An Artist’s Benediction