Delilah: Treacherous Beauty (Dangerous Beauty, #3)

I really wasn't sure what the expect when I began reading this, but it was a surprisingly good take on the biblical story of Samson and Delilah. I was glad that it did not twist the actual biblical account, but only speculated on what may have potentially gone on in the details which are not stated in the biblical narrative.

For example, the first chunk of the book is focuses largely on the events which broke Delilah and brought her to a place where she met Samson, and eventually needed him, fell in love, and betrayed him. It was interesting to see Hunt's take on what may have motivated Delilah to betray her lover--I also appreciated that in this fictional take of the true story, Delilah is shown to actually love Samson, rather than solely manipulating him purely for money. Rather, her love for her son and her need for vengeance are what bring her to the point of making the decision to betray him.

I thought Hunt did well with her take on the potential details which may have surrounded the story, and what may have motivated Delilah to do as she did. I would recommend this book in the future. I received a free copy of this book from the publisher for this review. These opinions are my own; I was not required to write a positive review, nor was I compensated for this review.

A Heart Most Certain (Teaville Moral Society, #1)

It's been a while since I've been this emotionally invested in a book. A Heart Most Certain was an awesome novel centering around Lydia King, a morally upright woman who at first does not realize she is not helping the poor or morally astray nearly as much as she thinks she is through the activities of the town's church moral society. Co-starring the novel is Nicholas Lowe, who at first glance appears arrogant and self righteous, as well as incredibly stingy and unwilling to give to "worthy" causes.

First off, I really loved the name Nicholas. I don't know why, I just did. I guess I don't see that name very often in books, and it's an attractive name. Okay, I really just loved his whole character. Although he ended up turning out better than Lydia first thought when she met him, he still had character flaws and made mistakes, which made him realistic. Plus, they both had to work for their happy ending.

I would certainly recommend this book, and will likely read it again in the future. I received a free copy of this book from the publisher for this review. These opinions are my own; I was not required to write a positive review, nor was I compensated for this review.

The Little Paris Bookshop

I was kind of clashed on my opinion of this book. On the one hand, it focuses on a man who had a relationship (including sexual) with a woman who was married. While it was stated on numerous occasions that Perdu knew that the relationship should not have existed at all, I didn't feel that the book really ever condemned it or significantly resolved the wrong that had been done.

Outside of the morally wrong relationship between Perdu and his married lover, I thought the book was well written. Each character--even the secondary or briefly mentioned--was well rounded and had a story all their own. The focus of the plot, it seemed to me, was on Perdu and his journey though grief when he realizes 21 years too late that his lover did not abandon him at all, but rather died with the entire story untold to him merely because he refused to read her parting letter.

It's a sad story, but not the kind that makes you cry--more like the kind that makes you feel super mellow and maybe a bit depressed. And rather frustrated over the amount of sex involved in the story. If I were to recommend this book, it would most certainly be to adults due to the relationship dynamics. I received a free copy of this book from the publisher for this review. These opinions are my own; I was not required to write a positive review, nor was I compensated for this review.

Back in the Saddle (Double S Ranch, #1)

This book was an interesting read for me. When I first picked it up I knew that I had not read many western's or western set books; it was only when I finished it and began my process of reviewing it that I realized I actually had never read one which was actually labeled as western. So really, I do not have much experience with westerns on which to base this review. However, despite my lack of exposure, I still really liked this book.

As far as plots go, I felt that this one was original and intriguing. I had no problem reading through it in a few days, and definitely enjoyed it. I really liked the characters. They felt very real, more real than in most books. My one negative thought on the characters was that at the very beginning, there was one section in which Noah did not sound as young as he was supposed to be. Other than that, all the characters were great and interesting, each with their own twists and backgrounds. 

Overall I enjoyed this book and would recommend it to others. I received a free copy of this book from the publisher for this review. These opinions are my own; I was not required to write a positive review, nor was I compensated for this review.

A Worthy Heart (Courage to Dream, #2)

A Worthy Heart was one book that was so much better than I had expected it to be. Okay, maybe that sounds incredibly cynical of me, but I'll be the first to admit that I pick books based on their covers. I know, it's a terrible practice, but I'm attracted to pretty/interesting covers. I try not to let my eyes decide whether to give a book a shot...but it happens anyway. Anyway, I'm getting off-topic.

I really did like the cover of the book, which led me to give it a shot. However, I was initially a little hesitant for some unknown reason. I think I was just expecting it to be very similar to many of the other books that I have already read (you know how sometimes they all start sounding the same?). Despite this, the book was quite original and very well written. I loved the tension in the book between characters, and the very real insecurities and emotions going on between the main characters. I also liked the risks the author took in what happened to my favorite character (I won't spoil it by going into details). Honestly, some authors are just scared to put the favorite character on the line, but this wasn't the case with this one. Which only made me love it more.

Overall, it was a fantastic story with very real characters and circumstances. Definitely recommended! I received a free copy of this book from the publisher for this review. These opinions are my own; I was not required to write a positive review, nor was I compensated for this review.

Letters to My Daughters: The Art of Being a Wife

This is by far the best relationship book I've read since I picked up Praying For Your Future Husband by Tricia Goyer & Robin Gunn way back in 2011. Rainey set up the book as a series of answers to a series of letters from and to her daughters, and framed them in a way that applies to all women and relationships across the board. While the advice which Rainey gives is directed toward married women, I found tons of application for myself in my close-and-serious-but-not-yet-engaged relationship.

What I liked most about this book, outside of the awesome, godly advice regarding marital relationships, was that Rainey compared marriage to many different visual/physical concepts. For example, she compared it to a masterpiece of art, to a dance, and to a garden. In each of these chapters themed around one concept, she drew out truths from things like dancing and showed how it applied to marriage. For me, a very visual and hands on learner, it was very helpful to have these tangible examples to understand more conceptual ideas in marriage. 

This is a book I will definitely read more than once, and will keep for my own collection of helpful books. I would definitely recommend it to both married women and women in serious relationships. I received a free copy of this book from the publisher for this review. These opinions are my own; I was not required to write a positive review, nor was I compensated for this review.