Book Review: Unrivaled by Siri Mitchell

Age Appropriate For:  12 and up for reading level and romance

Best for Ages: 16 and up 

Description: Lucy Kendall always assumed she'd help her father in his candy-making business, creating recipes and aiding him in their shared passion. But after a year traveling in Europe, Lucy returns to 1910 St. Louis to find her father unwell and her mother planning to sell the struggling candy company. Determined to help, Lucy vows to create a candy that will reverse their fortunes. St. Louis newcomer Charlie Clarke is determined to help his father dominate the nation's candy industry. Compromise is not an option when the prize is a father's approval, and falling in love with a business rival is a recipe for disaster when only one company can win. Will these two star-crossed lovers let a competition that turns less than friendly sour their dreams?

I didn’t think that Siri Mitchell could match The Messenger, but she managed to with Unrivaled.

One of the reasons I was so eager to read this book was the fact it was set around candy making and candy factories. I had never read a book with candy making as a main part of it. The candy making parts of the book were obviously well researched, and were delightful. They felt very real, but not so much detail that I got bored.

The overall story was amazing. Like with her last two books, one third in I was wondering how she was going to stretch the book for 400 pages. Two chapters from the end, I wondered how she was going to wrap up everything. She once again delivered a satisfying ending that made me sigh with contentment.

The best thing about this book had to be the amazing way Siri made me wonder who was right. Often books try to create a situation where the reader is supposed to wonder who is telling the truth. Most of the time, however, they fall short of truly creating that feeling. By the middle of the book, Siri had me wondering which set of parents were twisting the truth and who was right.

I really loved the message of this book, especially since it was subtle and woven into the story flawlessly. The end justifies the means is an ever growing belief, and this book looks into what that could cost you, but still has a happy ending.

I highly recommend this book for historical fiction lovers, sweet romance lovers, and readers who can't get enough of extremely well written fiction.

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I received this book from Bethany House in exchange for my honest review. I was under no obligation to write a positive review. The opinions in this review are entirely my own.

Writing Saturday: A Bit of Inspiration #6

Our Faith should always Inspire....

New hair cut

I got layers put in my hair and am learning to style it. What do you think?

Book Review: The Heiress of Winterwood by Sarah Ladd

Age Appropriate For:  15 and up for mild violence and thematic elements

Best for Ages: 16 and up

Description: Darbury, England, 1814: Amelia Barrett, heiress to an ancestral estate nestled in the English moors, defies family expectations and promises to raise her dying friend’s infant baby. She'll risk everything to keep her word—even to the point of proposing to the child’s father, Graham, a sea captain she’s never met. Tragedy strikes when the child vanishes with little more than a sketchy ransom note hinting to her whereabouts. Fear for the child’s safety drives Amelia and Graham to test the boundaries of their love for this infant. Amelia’s detailed plans would normally see her through any trial, but now, desperate and shaken, she examines her soul and must face her one weakness: pride. Graham’s strength and self-control have served him well and earned him much respect, but chasing perfection has kept him a prisoner of his own discipline. Both must learn to accept God’s sovereignty and relinquish control so they can grasp the future He has for planned for them.

Just when you think that authors have exhausted a theme and there is no way that they can writer something unique, someone like Sarah Ladd comes along and shakes it up.

When I started reading The Heiress of Winterwood I thought I would have a cute book that was much like many other marriage of connivance books I had read. Half-way through the book, the book was nothing like what I thought it would be. Instead, I was drawn into a story with well-developed characters, amazing settings, and a plot that took many twists and turns.

Amelia was a very strong woman and I love that she is willing to do so much to keep a promise to a friend. One thing that I have realized is that in our culture today, we don’t value keeping our promises. Amelia makes the hard decision that she will propose marriage to a stranger rather than go back on that promise. With that said, the one thing I didn’t like about the story is I felt she was also willing to break any other commitments she had made in order to keep her promise.

I liked Graham as well. I loved how Sarah Ladd lead him through the grief of losing his wife, before any serious romance developed between him and Amelia. Graham was a strong hero with all the gentlemanly qualities that I love when reading a period book.

I recommend this book for those who love period dramas, plots that twists and turns, and sweet romance.

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I received this book from the author in exchange for my honest review. I was under no obligation to write a positive review. The opinions in this review are entirely my own.

Book Review: Your Beautiful Purpose by Susie Larson

Age Appropriate For: All Ages

Best for Ages: 18+ for style and reading level

Description: Let God Breathe a Fresh Purpose Into Your Soul

We so want each day to matter--to serve God in big and small ways. But how, especially when everyday responsibilities, work, fears, and other obstacles get in the way?

Like a trusted friend, Susie Larson shares practical, scriptural ways to overcome whatever keeps us from living fully in God's will. Susie will help you learn to:

• Discern the best use of your time and gifts

• Confidently pursue God's unique desires for you

• Stretch your faith and deepen your impact

Respond today to that nudge in your spirit--that desire to use your gifts and passions more fully in God's work. Lay down lesser commitments and lay hold of God's beautiful purpose for your life.

God truly gives you what you need when you need it. When I requested Your Beautiful Purpose, I was hoping for a jump start for a bible time, but I found so much more.

We all go through times when we doubt if what we are doing has real meaning. We wonder if we are doing what we are supposed to be doing or just messing everything up. This book is a wonderful reminder that God has a beautiful and amazing purpose for our lives, even when we have trouble seeing it.

Susie style was soothing for my weary soul. Unlike many books that are either fluffy or full of meat, Susie found a happy medium.  Her style was soft enough that, as I said, it soothed me but it had enough power drew me closer to God.

I loved the study at the end of each chapter. Reading the suggested verses and then writing my answers to the questions was so helpful. It not only helped me to delve deeper into the subject, but it also helped me discover things about myself.

I highly recommend this book for women who need a book to lift their spirits, sooth there soul, and draw them closer to the god that loves them.

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I received this book from Bethany House in exchange for my honest review. I was under no obligation to write a positive review. The opinions in this review are entirely my own.

Well, I meant to post more but...

It has been a crazy couple of weeks. First, my computer broke and I didn't have it for over a week. After I had finished reloading everything on to my computer, I was ready to go. However, this Thursday, I was in a minor car wreck. No one was hurt, thank goodness, but it shook me pretty bad.

Sometimes God has a very different since of timing then I do. I wanted to be done with a lot of projects done by now but it seems God has his own timing. More updates coming soon.

Writing Saturday: A Bit of Inspiration #5

I'm not a fan of Lord of the Rings but I love this quote. It always inspires me.  In fact I made these images.

Book review: Duty by by Rachel Rossano

Age Appropriate For: 16 and up (for marital themes)

Best for ages: 18 and up

Description: Tomas Dyrease, the newly made Earl of Irvaine and the village of Wisenvale, owes his good fortune to his king and the recent civil war. When his benefactor demands Tomas marry the cousin of a noble, he obeys. However, no one warned him that she wasn’t a typical noblewoman. Brielle Solarius struggles to keep her village from starvation under the new Lord Wisten, her cousin. The men rode off to war and never returned. The remaining women and children face a dire winter if they do not find a solution soon. When she learns her cousin sold her into marriage to save his life, she isn’t surprised. However, she is taken aback by Lord Irvaine’s unpolished ways. Was this man a noble or a foot soldier? Bound by the words of their vows, they face a rough future. They must forge a marriage while battling betrayal, accusations of treason, and villains from the past. Survival depends on their precarious trust in each other. Failure could mean death.

I was so excited when Rachel asked me to review this book. Although I have followed her blog and Facebook page, I had yet to read one of her books. After reading Duty, I can't wait to read another book by her.

This book kept me turning pages. From the opening line, I was hooked. It was fast paced but not dazzlingly so.  I also instantly connected with Tomas and Brielle and loved getting to know them.

This story, though set in a fictional country, felt well researched. As a history buff whose favorite time period is the Middle Ages, I was very impressed with the historical aspects of this book. I especially liked the attitudes displayed by the women at the beginning of the book. To often, we put our 21st century ideas of love, and marriage into historical fiction. Women didn't expect to marry for love, or even marry someone they knew well. They may have wanted that, but it wasn't the expectation.

The romance was so sweet. I just loved how it unfolded. Because the characters are married for most of the book,  and the romance comes after marriage, this book is for older audiences  However, Rachel was very discreet and so a someone in their middle teens might like it.

I highly recommend this book for those who like romance.


I received this story from the author in exchange for my honest review.  I was under no obligation to write a positive review.  The opinions in this review are entirely my own.

Interview with Rachel Rossano

 Rachel, Welcome to The Destiny of One blog. Please tell the readers a little bit about yourself.

Thank you for having me here today. I am honored. I have enjoyed your first book so much. I am eager to read the next as soon as I can grab the time.

My husband and I are celebrating fourteen years of marriage this year. We spend a lot of time raising our three young children. My days are full of homeschooling, keeping up with household tasks, and squeezing writing in between everything else.

I love to write. It is my escape from the stresses of everyday life. I have discovered as a mother of small ones that writing helps me keep connected to the more mature part of myself. It gives me something to talk about with others and a point of interaction with the online writing community.

After reading Duty, I must say I am very curious where you got the inspiration for the story.

The book idea really did begin with the opening line: “’The red one is mine,’ he said.” It was the winning line in an opening line contest I hosted on my blog to celebrate my 100th blog post. Then, while driving my kids around, I listened to an ancient history course from The Learning Company. The lecturer spoke about a king sending an army of men loyal to him into a hostile area and having them settle there, intermarrying with the population. From there, I developed the idea of an army being sent into an area to establish a loyal force near a border needing reinforcement. The idea took off from there.

Who was the inspiration for Brielle?

I didn’t pattern her after any one person in particular, but tried to create an amalgamation of characteristics that would make her a great natural leader. I wanted the reader to accept that a village could have elected her their leader in the absence of their actual overseer. She needed to be a woman able to stand alone. She needed to be a woman that others respected despite her youth.

From my first story, writing heroines has been a huge challenge for me. The right mixture of femininity and strength is hard to create. I knew from the moment I chose the opening line that my heroine was going to take offense at being claimed like a piece of clothing. But, the nuances of how she expressed her reaction would define her character for the whole book. It took me a few tries to get that reaction just right.

 

Did you base Tomas off someone you know? I really liked him.

Again, there is no one I can point to as the inspiration for him. In creating him, I had a pretty solid beginning with that opening line. The challenge immediately became how to craft a likable hero who could still speak those offensive words in character. Why would a decent man worthy of marrying Brielle say something so arrogant? I, through Brielle, spent the rest of the book finding that out exactly what kind of man he was. To be honest, I loved every moment of exploring his character and his backstory.

Why did you choose to set Duty in a fictional country?

I wanted to have the liberty of creating history to fit the story’s needs. I chose a familiar world because I was writing on a deadline. The creator of the opening line, and others, were eager to read the story I wrote. Although I hadn’t committed to a set end date, I initially wanted to get on with other projects. After all, Duty was supposed to be a short story. Ha! God had other plans.

When I say the world was familiar, I am referring to the larger alternative world of which Rhynan is only a small part. My very first book (a short story/novella) was set there. I have set total of seven novella/novels in the same fictional world. Only a few of them are in print though. The Mercenary’s Marriage takes place in Braulyn, a country to the south east of Rhynan. The Theodoric Saga, of which only one novella is in print at the moment, centers around two generations of the ruling family of Anavrea, the country directly south of Rhynan.

If you could pick one character to meet in real life, who would you choose?

Since I am stirring around ideas for the sequel, I would love to corner Lord Dentin. He has spilled some of his back story, but he refuses to tell me his name. If you have any suggestions, I would be happy to hear them.

You have many lovely locations in Duty. Which setting was your favorite?

Oh, that is a hard choice. I would love to wander around the vargar. I love exploring buildings and long to tour a castle or two someday. However, I also love walking about in the woods, as long as there is no risk of a snow-laden branch falling on my head.

Will we ever get to read more about Tomas and Brielle?

Yes. I hope so. Perhaps a book or two even will lie in my future. I am gathering ideas for a sequel (Lord Dentin’s story). Also, their oldest daughter has insisted that I tell her story, which will be a third book if I get that far. I hope I am able to do a trilogy.

Now that you have finished Duty, what’s next for you?

Two short stories (possibly three) and a science fiction novel are on the top of my writing task list. Also, the three remaining Theodoric Saga books need editing and publishing.

Another novel of mine is coming out this year, too. Wren: A Romany Epistles Novel is the story of my most unconventional heroine. Wren Romany fights, hunts, and holds her own in a men’s world, but can she straighten out Tourth Mynth’s problems before it is too late. She is my most bold and confident heroine ever.

Thank you for coming by today.

Thank you for inviting me. 

March of Book: Another giveaway

Win a copy of Love Finds You in Liberty, Indiana 

In a divided town during a dangerous era, who can be trusted? Liberty, Indiana, is home to a stop on the Underground Railroad operated by Anna Brent and her father, covert abolitionists who harbor runaway slaves traveling toward freedom. The Brents must be very careful; anyone caught aiding runaways is subject to imprisonment under the Fugitive Slave Act of 1850. So when Anna begins to write columns denouncing slavery in the local newspaper, she must adopt a pen name. Even the newspaper?'s editor, Daniel Stanton, does not know the author?'s true identity. Daniel takes a risk publishing the columns his job, his newspaper, and his very life might be in danger. When Anna?'s work on the Underground Railroad is threatened, can she turn to Daniel, a man she barely knows, to ensure the safety of the slaves so dear to her? Will she and Daniel be willing to risk everything for their beliefs including their personal liberty?

Open to US residents only due to shipping costs.

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