Blog Tour: The Anniversary Waltz

 

Title: The Anniversary Waltz
Author: Darrel Nelson
Publisher: Realms
My Rating: 4 Stars
Buy the Book: -HERE-


"At their sixtieth anniversary party, Adam Carlson asks his wife, Elizabeth, for their customary waltz.  After the dance they gather the family and share their story -- a story of love and courage overcoming adversity and thriving in the face of overwhelming odds.

It's the summer of 1946, and Adam has just returned from the war to his home in Reunion, Montana.  At a town festival he meets Elizabeth Baxter, a young woman going steady with his former high school rival and now influential banker, Nathan Roberts.

When Adam and Elizabeth share a waltz in a deserted pavilion one evening, their feelings begin to grow, and they embark on a journey, and a dance, that will last a lifetime."

 

When I first received an email from Glass Road Publishers asking if I would care to join in on this blog tour, I wasn't sure I would be able to commit fully with my busy schedule.  Yet, as soon as I had read the title and description of the book, I found myself responding back with a hearty 'yes'.  The first thing to catch my attention was the fact that this is Mr. Darrel Nelson's first published book.  As an aspiring writer myself, I love taking opportunities to encourage and cheer on new authors.  The second thing to catch my attention was the title itself.  With a growing passion for dance, my curiosity was piqued.  

The moment The Anniversary Waltz was taken out of its package, I began to devour it.  A lovely romance began to unfold in front of my eyes.  As the official description of the book suggests, there are many adversities and odds Adam and Elizabeth must overcome to develop their relationship.  I particularly loved the scene in which they partook in their first waltz, away from everyone's prying eyes.  It is a simple but elegant dance and paralleled nicely with the two characters new-found affection for each other. 

The writing in this book was not overly flowery or too simple for enjoyment.  While I found the pacing in a few sections to either be too long or too short, I do feel that it was planned out well for the most part.  The characters were also developed and grew throughout the course of the novel.  It can be difficult to make a romance story not seem overly focused on just the romance, but Mr. Nelson was able to build a strong case for both the couple together and the couple as individual people.  We not only were able to enjoy Adam and Elizabeth together, but as individual characters as well.  Kudos on a great book!  I will be eagerly awaiting next Spring when his new book, The Return of Cassandra Todd, hits bookshelves.

I recommend this book to women aged fifteen and up who are looking for a nice romantic love story.

I received this book for free from Glass Road  Publishers in exchange for posting a review about it. I am not required to post a positive review. Any opinions expressed are my own.

The Horse and His Boy: Book Review

Title: The Horse and His Boy
Author: C.S. Lewis
Publisher: HarperTrophy
My Rating: 4 Stars
Buy The Book:
-HERE-


"Narnia...where horses talk and hermits like company, where evil men turn into donkeys, where boys go into battle...and where the adventure begins.

During the Golden Age of Narnia, when Peter is High Kind, a boy named Shasta discovers he is not the son of Arsheesh, the Calormene fisherman, and decides to run far away to the North--to Narnia. When he is mistaken for another runaway, Shasta is led to discover who he really is and even finds his real father."

Before Peter, Susan, Edmund and Lucy returned back to England, they lived many wonderful years in Narnia. The Horse and His Boy brings us back to those glorious days, except viewed through the eyes of four others; two humans and two talking horses. Shasta and Aravis run away from their terrible circumstances to find Narnia with their two talking horses, Bree and Hwin. As they travel, they encounter several obstacles that guard their way. Yet through these obstacles, they discover a plot of a surprise attack on Narnia and Archenland. They must race the clock to help save these two great places from unsuspecting terror.

How great it is to return to Narnia again and again! C.S. Lewis has given us another masterful tale filled with the great wonders of Narnia and the lands surrounding it. The adventure is just as thrilling, the characters just as realistic and the writing just as unique.

I love C.S. Lewis' style of writing. He has a very unique, yet simple way to present his story to all. It is just as enjoyable for adults to read as it is for children. Not only is it his writing that draws me into his books, but the original plotlines and characters. Every story has an incredible ring and an unforgettable journey.

The Narnia series will forever hold a special place in my heart. :)

What's Coming Up Next?

The Skeleton Key, by Anthony Horowitz
Torrent, by Lisa T. Bergren
Life Support, by Robert Whitlow
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, by J.K. Rowling
Love on the Line, by Deeanne Gist

The Inconvenient Marriage of Charlotte Beck: Book Review

Title: The Inconvenient Marriage of Charlotte Beck
Author: Kathleen Y'Barro
Publisher: WaterBrook Press
My Rating: 2 Stars
Buy The Book:
-HERE-

"Charlotte Beck may be entering adulthood, but she can't seem to keep her stubborn, independent spirit from bucking social protocol. Fed up with her behavior, Charlotte's father, Daniel, pressures her to settle into a nice marriage, despite knowing she is set on going to college. Then Daniel sees Charlotte with the handsome but annoying English astronomer Alex Hambly, and everything changes.

Though Alex and Charlotte can barely stand one another, Daniel offers them a deal they can't refuse: if they agree to marry, he will save Alex's family from financial ruin and grant Charlotte the freedom to go to college. Reluctantly the couple agrees, but in private they plot to annul the marriage as soon as possible.

But when Alex's feelings change and he refuses to dissolve their contract, will Charlotte find a way out of her vows? Or will she discover that maybe this marriage isn't so inconvenient after all?"

Upon reading the back of the book and finding the cover pleasing (come on, you know you judge what you're going to read somewhat on the cover, too), I requested to review this copy from Blogging for Books. It looked very promising and I really did want to enjoy it, but the fact of the matter is, I just could not fully get into the book.

First of all, I had a pretty hard time enjoying the writing style the author used. Everything was a bit confusing for me and while some of the imagery was nice and descriptive, I had to re-read some sentences several times to understand her meaning. I'm very much into wanting to have a nice, easy and connected flow to writing, but I didn't feel this book reflected much of that.

While the plot was intriguing and I did like how it all turned out in the end, I had a hard time with the briefness of some scenes. There was a lot of skipping around from place to place. For the first time in awhile, I also could not connect with the characters fully. Truthfully, Charlotte Beck acted a little too spoiled and stubborn and most times I got angry at her! I do admit, I did like Alex Hambly with his level-headedness, but that's about the only character I really did enjoy.

As I stated before, I really did want to enjoy this book. The plot certainly is intriguing, but I, for some reason, could not seem to enjoy the book.

Would you mind rating this review on Blogging for Book's site for me?
If so, please go -HERE- and do so.
Thank you EVER so much! :D

I received this book for free from WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group in exchange for posting a review about it. I am not required to post a positive review. Any opinions expressed are my own.

What's Coming Up Next?

The Horse and His Boy, by C.S. Lewis
Skeleton Key, by Anthony Horowitz
Torrent, by Lisa T. Bergren
Life Support, by Robert Whitlow
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, by J.K. Rowling
Love on the Line, by Deeanne Gist

Raising Dragons: Book Review

Title: Raising Dragons
Author: Bryan Davis
Publisher: Living Ink Books
My Rating: 5 Stars
Buy The Book:
-HERE-


"A boy learns of his dragon past; a girl has known of hers for years. They combine their faith, courage, and love to overcome an evil slayer who seeks to bring an end to dragon heritage, forever.

The kids at school call Billy "Dragon Breath" for good reason. His breath is bad! It isn't the normal, morning-mouth bad; it's the hot-as-fire, "don't-you-dare-get-near-me" bad. Trouble erupts when his hot breath sets off the fire sprinklers in the boys' restroom at school, and his parents learn that they've kept their secret for too long.

Billy finally discovers the secret. His father was once a dragon! Now that's a piece of news a guy doesn't deal with every day! Billy feels betrayed, alien, lost. When the dragon slayers traps him on a cold mountaintop in West Virginia, Billy learns to battle with weapons of steel and spirit while relying on a power he doesn't understand, a power that helps him learn to trust again.

Bonnie, an orphan, tries to find a home, someone to love her, even though she feels like a freak because of a body feature she calls a deformity. But this unusual feature becomes a life-saving attribute as she discovers that her love for others and her faith in a creator hold the answers she's looking for."

Several years ago, my cousin recommended the Dragons in Our Midst books to me. This came at a time when I was searching long and hard for a good, Christian fantasy series. After speeding through the first book, I knew right off the bat that this would become one of my favorite fantasy series of all time. This ill be my third reading through of the books, and I can still faithfully say that this still is one of my favorite fantasy series.

really enjoy the plot line and characters. We're given a solid, intriguing plot with realistic characters. First of all we have the boy-next-door Billy Bannister whose character development throughout the series is great. We also have Bonnie Silver, a stunning girl of incredible faith. But who can forget the ever-famous Walter Foley, our funny sidekick? I love every single character for their personalities and realistic touch.

As far as the plot goes, the storyline is one of great development and thought. Prophecies, legends, evil men bent on a mission, and dragons! You can never go wrong with an original storyline such as e one presented in this book

Yet one of the things I highly commend from these books is the clear telling of the faith behind Bonnie Silver. There are some great Christian fantasies out there, but this one, in my opinion, has given us, through Bonnie, a clear definition of what a Christian's walk should be. Thank you Mr. Davis for this great aspect!

I highly recommend these books for fantasy lovers aged 11 and above.

What's Coming Up Next?

The Horse and His Boy, by C.S. Lewis
Skeleton Key, by Anthony Horowitz
The Inconvenient Marriage of Charlotte Beck, by Kathleen Y'Barro
Torrent, by Lisa T. Bergren
Life Support, by Robert Whitlow
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, by J.K. Rowling
Love on the Line, by Deeanne Gist