The Sound of Rain by Sarah Loudin Thomas

The Sound of Rain by Sarah Loudin Thomas
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me to have a digital ARC of The Sound of Rain by Sarah Loudin Thomas. If you are a fan of clean, sweet, southern romances, this is the book for you! A West Virginia man travels to Myrtle Beach, SC after a coal mining accident leaves him slightly wounded and looking for his purpose in life. While in Myrtle Beach, he finds an unlikely job for a coal miner - logging. He also unexpectantly meets the beautiful and vivacious Larkin. Larkin is the boss' daughter and dreams of going to Appalachia to minister to the unfortunate. The reader will learn a thing or two about the wisdom of waiting on God when the plans you've made just don't seem to be working out.


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Stolen Jesus by Jami Amerine

Stolen Jesus: An Unconventional Search for the Real Savior by Jami Amerine
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for allowing me to have a digital ARC of this book. I was so excited to hear that my favorite Christian blogger had written a book. When I saw it was listed on NetGalley - I was thrilled!

This book did not disappoint. I you have ever read Jami Amerine's blogs, her book is true to her writing style - humorous, REAL, honest, and humorous some more. If you have never read her blog, I suggest you drop everything and go there right now - Sacred Ground and Sticky Floors. I honestly cannot remember how I came across this author, but I am glad I did.

In Stolen Jesus, Jami goes through many false "Jesuses" she thought she knew until she found the real deal. Actually, what happened was that all her life she was embracing a religion - not Jesus. When she, and anyone else, experiences the real Jesus, life will never be the same.

I am glad that I got a free digital copy of this book, but I may have to go out and buy a few copies to share with others.

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A Time to Stand by Robert Whitlow

A Time to Stand by Robert Whitlow
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for a digital ARC of this book.

I believe this book has a wonderful theme - justice for all. However, I could not get into this book. The characters were pretty forgettable. In fact, I read this book for a while and went almost all week without reading it and didn't wonder about what would happen in the book. It seems pretty predictable.

I was hoping to find a really good Christian fiction. Instead, I would say that it is pretty typical of the genre. The characters were pretty predictable as well as the plot.

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Beautiful in God's Eyes: The Treasures of the Proverbs 31 Woman by Elizabeth George

Beautiful in God's Eyes: The Treasures of the Proverbs 31 Woman by Elizabeth George
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

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

I both loved and hated this book. I loved it because Elizabeth George clearly laid out what a "proverbs 31" woman should look like. I hated it for the same reason. Studying the Proverbs 31 woman exposed some real weaknesses in my life as a wife and mother that I did not care to change. It is not comfortable when the Holy Spirit reveals areas that you are weak in. However, Elizabeth George has accomplished what a good Christian writer should - to create a book in line with the teachings of God's word that, through application and God's help, changes the reader.

I now have a more clear vision of what I want to be as a wife and mother thanks to the encouragement through these pages.

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The Girl Who Came Back by Kerry Wilkinson

The Girl Who Came Back by Kerry Wilkinson
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

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

I enjoyed this book very much. It is very suspenseful and keeps you wondering up until the very end. The story begins with a young woman who claims she is the lost daughter of Sarah. She supposedly disappeared when she was a little girl and was presumed dead.

There is a subplot about a girl's life named "Lily". The reader is thrown back into time to look at her life as she was growing up.

I will not say how these two are connected, but I will say that the author did a great job of pulling off the plot of this book!



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When You Disappeared by John Marrs

When You Disappeared by John Marrs
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for giving me an ARC in enchange for an honest review.

I love seeing those 5 stars light up! I go through lots of mediocre books to finally find a great one! This book kept me guessing at every turn. Although I had a suspicion of how the book would end up, I still had a few jaw-dropping moments.

This book is about a once-married couple named Simon and Catherine. They had what looked like the perfect family until one day Simon disappears without a trace for no apparent reason. The story is told in 3 ways. The present day, and the past from the alternating eyes of Catherine and Simon. If it seems like this strange point of view would get a little confusing, don't worry - it doesn't. The author does a wonderful job of mastering this point of view.

Shortly into the story (in the present day part of the story) Catherine is visited by a nice-looking, older gentleman who looks a little familiar. After she finally realizes that it is her long lost husband, he begins to tell her the whole story and explains why he felt like he needed to come back one last time.

At the end, they both realize that a majority of their marriage was not what it seemed. And Simon realizes that he spent his whole life blaming others for his own faults.

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Good Me, Bad Me by Ali Land

Good Me, Bad Me by Ali Land
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for a digital ARC of this book.

Milly did a very brave thing. She turned her mom into the police. Milly's mom is a serial killer. She spent her whole short life living with a woman who took other children an killed them.

After Milly turned her mother in, she was committed to foster care. She is placed with a foster family who just happens to have a psychologist as the father. The family also happens to have an older sister, Phoebe, who has friends who bully Milly. Phoebe is not innocent. She torments her foster sister as well.

Milly wants to do the right thing. She wants to be normal, but is it possible? After all, she is the daughter of a serial killer.

As I write this review, I had almost decided that I didn't want to finish the book. However, I believe I will continue reading. I think I just made myself want to read it ;)

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