Wicked River by Jenny Milchman - Don't read

Wicked River by Jenny Milchman
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

Thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for allowing me to review this book. I am torn with this book. It was semi-interesting. The plot was pretty interesting, but the big drawback is that the characters are pretty shallow. I have a hard time getting into a book when I don't feel connected to the characters. If you like a good fast-moving plot, you may enjoy this one.

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Enough by Sharon Jaynes

Enough: Silencing the Lies That Steal Your Confidence by Sharon Jaynes
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for a free ARC digital copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I read this book very slowly. I loved the way it was organized. The author listed the popular lies that women believe and then countered them with truth from the Bible. She used numerous personal testimonies as well as testimonies from people she has encountered along her ministry.

This is a book that will speak to your heart time and time again. It will be a good book to keep handy to go back to in times of need.

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Bring Me Back by B.A. Paris

Bring Me Back by B.A. Paris
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me to have a free digital ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Another great book by B.A. Paris!! I love this author's writing. It took me a little while to get into. I don't normally empathise with male characters in 1st person point of view. This book was another fast page turning novel that was extremely hard to put down near the end. I think I got a slight case of whiplash from going back and forth so much in my mind about how this one was going to end. Highly recommend!!

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Fledge by Brenda Yoder

Fledge: Launching Your Kids Without Losing Your Mind by Brenda Yoder
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for a free digital ARC in exchange for an honest review.

"To fledge" has a double meaning. First of all it speaks of baby birds who are growing wings and about to fly. Secondly, it speaks of fledging an arrow. "To fledge an arrow means to put feathers on it to prepare it to fly toward a mark." Author Brenda Yoder does a wonderful job in this book of explaining the trials and heartaches of nudging our children out of the home nest as well as how to equip them to fly toward the mark that God has for them.

She writes from her own heartbreak and wisdom. She shares her mistakes as well as her successes. Personally, as the mom of a 15 year old, I can emphathize with many of the author's experiences as well as taking to heart wisdom for the future years. This book will certainly be a "go to" book in the future as I personally fledge my own child from the nest.

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This I Know by Eldonna Edwards

This I Know by Eldonna Edwards
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me to receive a free digital ARC copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This book is going to be hard to review. This is not a book you can literally critique, this is a book that you feel. Grace is one of 4 daughters of a pastor's family living in the 70s. She had a twin brother who died during birth. Her mother is suffering from postpartum depression after the birth of her last baby. Aside from the previously mentioned hardships, Grace's life is pretty normal except for one important thing. Grace has what she calls "The Knowing". Grace believes that she can still hear her dead brother talk to her. She can see things about people that other people would not know. She can touch objects of a missing person and know what has happened to him. Some people would call what Grace has a gift from God and others think it's of the devil. Her father's opinion is the latter. There is a real struggle throughout the whole book between Grace, who only uses her "gift" for good, and her father's opposition to it. The reader is left pondering his own beliefs about "The Knowing".

As I said before, this is a book that you feel. You feel for Grace as she grows up with practically no mother to guide her through her teenage struggles. You feel for Grace as she desperately wants her father's approval, but feels like she will never get it. There are also many tragedies throughout the book that tug at the heartstrings. There is a missing girl at one point in the story, a girl who was raped, a missing son in Vietnam, and a homeless man who was wrongly accused. The reader sees all of these tragedies through Grace's eyes. As a Christian, I really don't know where I stand on such things as clairvoyance or ESP. God is a big God and it certainly would be within His power to allow certain people to be able to sense things more than others. I do believe such matters are very sensitive matters because such powers could definitely be evil as well.

I would have rated this book as a 5, but there were a few scenes in the book that I would have rather not read (I actually skipped over them) due to their graphic nature. All in all, this was a great book that will make the reader really think - which I believe is the highest qualification of a good book!

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In the Middle of the Mess by Sheila Walsh

In the Middle of the Mess: Strength for This Beautiful, Broken Life by Sheila Walsh
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC of this book. "As a follower of Jesus, there is power in your story when you don't hide it. Your authority lies in your scars. I can't speak to things I've never struggled with; I can only confess my story, invite Christ into it, then invite you into it too." Sheila Walsh invites the reader into her "mess" through this book. As a woman who has had her father taken from her through suicide as a young girl, and suffered a mental breakdown, she is well-qualified to give advice to many of us who struggle day to day. Reading this book draws the reader closer to the grace of the Father and whispers "it is okay not to be perfect, you may be in a mess right now, but I can use this pain for something good. Just trust me."

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My Name is Venus Black by Heather Lloyd

My Name Is Venus Black by Heather Lloyd
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC of this book. The best part of this book was the characterisation. The characters seem to come alive, and strangely I felt myself wondering what was going to happen to them even when I wasn't reading the book!

Venus Black is a 13 yr old girl who is incarcerated for about 5 years for killing her stepfather. Meanwhile, her little autistic brother is kidnapped. Most of the story takes place after she gets out of prison. She changes her identity so that she can start her life over. We see Venus trying to live her life as an adult woman for the first time in her life after prison. There are many twists and turns throughout the whole book. The reader finds out what happened to the brother and is taken into the life of the brother's kidnappers. Venus finds a place to live in a house with a man and his young niece. Venus develops a mother-daughter type relationship with the young girl only to have her ripped from her life by the girl's aunt. There is even a possible romantic relationship between Venus and an attractive man she meets at the diner where she works. When Venus finds out he is a cop, she thinks there is no way she can continue with him.

Throughout the book, the author never truly reveals what led Venus to take the life of her step father, although the reader is given a few hints. When we finally find out Venus' motives, we are faced with the moral dilemma of siding with Venus or the law.

All in all, this book is entertaining and full of emotion. There is suspense, laughter, and tears wrapped up in this book. Highly recommend!!

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