August Reads

I managed to finish three books this month and almost finished a fourth! I think it might be possible to finish four books in September, but I am not making that my goal. I’m just happy to manage two a month with working full time and being a mom. Now, I’ll be adding taking a college online class to that. It’s a good thing that the class is a self-study with no homework. I just have a exam to pass, which I chose December 9th at 2:30 pm, but I have to be there at 2 for check in. You get all of these supplies with your books like flash cards and practice test. I’ll make a blog post next week about it and talk more in-depth then. Here are the three books that I managed to read!

Delirium by Lauren Oliver

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I have to say that Lauren Oliver really redeemed herself in my eyes. I really disliked Before I Fall and I didn’t have high hopes for this trilogy. I have to say that I loved this novel so much, because it wasn’t what I expected. It isn’t a cliche or similar to anything that I have read before. It is a very unique story that had me guessing at every page. I didn’t want to ut this book down and I finished it in a week. I ate this book up and cannot wait to read the next book in the series. I was really mad at the ending of this book, though. It is bittersweet and I wish it would have ended the way I wanted it to. But then, I would complain about a predictable ending. I had zero expectations going into this series and now, I don’t want to leave.

Shearwater Part One by Derek Murphy

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I didn’t realize that when I started this book, I was only getting half of the story. The other half is supposedly coming out in November. I will tell you already that I am looking forward to reading the rest of the story. I was just getting into the story, when it stopped. The beginning is very long and feels it. I do feel like this resembles Twilight, but I have hope for this book. I really enjoyed the mythology and how it was weaved into the story. It wasn’t heavy handed, which was nice. It is a pleasant story, but I would not recommend reading this until the full story is out. It feels half finished.

The Long Road Home by Lori Wick

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I enjoy books by Lori Wick and this one was no exception. It is a little darker than some of her other books, but the women are always in danger and need rescuing by men. That is one thing I don’t enjoy. I want a strong female that doesn’t need to be saved by a man. Otherwise than that, I liked the book well enough. It is a Christian novel, so prepare yourself for some Bible verses. This book shoves God down your throat less than Wick’s other novels. I will be finishing the series and they are very clean reads that anyone at any age could enjoy and understand. I’m starting to read more “adult” books and less YA.
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With Love ❤

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January Book Of The Month: A Song For Silas

A Song for Silas by Lori Wick

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

This book was my second pick for January that I finished a day or two into February. So, this book falls under February Book of The Month technically. There will be two more reviews after this one for February. I already have another review already handwritten and I just need to handwrite the second one as well. I am glad that I have the third book in the series to read as well. This series has four books and there are four brothers, but one was already married in the first book. Maybe the fourth book will be about how he/she was widowed. I have no clue what the fourth one will be about, but it is fun to speculate. I enjoyed this book, but I thought it was a wee bit boring.

DISCLAIMER:

I promise to be brutally honest with my opinion, but it should not be taken as fact. Any reader should read it for themselves, before they decide if this book has any merit or not. Do not judge this book biased solely on my opinion. If you do, you might miss out on a great read. You never know. It could happen. My review may contain spoilers, but I really strive to be spoiler-free. I bought this book through paperbackswap. This book was not suggested to me by the author. I have no affiliation with the author or his/her publisher.

Main Character(s):

This book switches POVs, but the main character of this story predominately is Silas Cameron, which I was pretty excited about. He seemed to be the cutest brother and the funniest. I loved him so much in the first book that it was so great for him to have his own book. He is the best male character portrayal. He even has insecurities that make him more relatable and likable. I just thought the world of Silas.
5 out of 5 stars

Evil Antagonist(s):

Honestly? Nothing. Maybe a bit of pride? I thought this story was going somewhere with the robberies, but it ended up as a happily ever after, so you can totally rule that out as a potential for excitement. This story really needed some excitement or conflict (not just romance complications) to bring it to life and make no boring parts. It really failed to deliver that for me.
1 out of 5 stars

Minor Character(s):

I enjoyed meeting up again with characters from the first novel and I love how they connect with the new story. They are a family and it is lovely to see such strong family bonds. The story also introduces a few other characters, including Silas’ romantic love interest, Amy. Amy does not seem to be the most developed character and I think Silas could have done much better. To be honest, I found her to be quite annoying.
3 out of 5 stars

The Plot:

A man offers his help to a family he has helped out before and arrives to find out that the girl he considered a sister from a different mister, has blossomed into a beautiful young lady. He then falls for her and complications arise. A really sweet story, if Amy had been a bit more likeable for me. The plot isn’t the most unique, but it was interesting, if a bit boring at times.
3 out of 5 stars

The Setting:

I feel like with most of Lori Wick’s books, she is either over descriptive or hardly throws anything at you. While this did contain some descriptions, I feel like they were mostly focused on what they were feeling and very little was given to the actual setting. I feel like this is one area that she is not consistent in. If she ever decides to write books again, I wish she would try to improve in this area and make things a little more interesting for her devoted readers. Has anyone else noticed that she has stopped writing books so suddenly with no notice?
1 out of 5 stars

The Dialogue:

As usual, the dialogue is very smooth and sounds natural for most characters. However, I find Amy’s character’s dialogue to be a bit stiff and stilted. Otherwise than that, everything sounds really believable and nothing clichéd. I actually really enjoyed the dialogue between all of the characters. It was very interesting especially between Amy’s dad and aunt behind closed doors. Nothing too scandalous though.
4 out of 5 stars

Engaging Surprises:

I can only really think of one surprise in the book and it just seemed like an afterthought. Nothing really added up to this conclusion and it was anything but believable. I just kept on expecting that there would be a punch line somewhere and it just never showed up. It was actually a bit disappointing that nothing really exciting happens. I guess, this is more of a romance novel, but it is also a western. There should still be some type of action to get excited about.
1 out of 5 stars

Climax:

I can actually see the turning point in this book, unlike the first book in the series. There is a mounting tension to the climax, even if the climax turned out to be disappointing and flat. I like that there is an obvious climax even if the climax doesn’t really have anything to do with the actual story progression. That is a drawback really. The climax should be linked to the actual plot, but it was only lightly webbed through and if you were to take it out, the story would have no climax. The plot would not miss it, though. It isn’t even very necessary for the story.
2 out of 5 stars

Emotional Response:

My only response to this story was frustration. It seems like Silas got the worst wife in the series. There is no chemistry and Amy just annoys me. I have never disliked a character so strongly before (well maybe). There is nothing that I like about her at all. Silas is exactly the man that I thought he was. He seems very attractive and deserves so much better than Amy. I would even prefer a story about her dad over her again.
1 out of 5 stars

Ending:

Expected and predictable. I love that Lori Wick books always end happily, unlike real life. The ending to the story is exactly how I thought it would end. Although, I did think that it would end with a birth and it did not which was nice in an unpredictable way. I enjoyed the ending to the book and as always with Lori Wick, I look forward to reading the next one in the series.
3 out of 5 stars

The Writing:

I quite enjoy Lori Wick’s writing style and she has the creative juices down pat for love stories. I just wish that she would be a bit more descriptive. I want to know what these places really look like. Without details, I just makeup generic places in my head. How do we know what a “woman’s touch” looks like? Tell us with your words. You are so good at describing characters and romance, but when it comes to the setting, you are so out of your element/league.
3 out of 5 stars

The Artwork:

The cover is the same for me as the last one, because I am reading a two in one book. I still like the cover though. I wish the back cover had the artwork for the second book though.
3 out of 5 stars

Genre:

Wick only really writes one genre: contemporary Christian western romances. I really feel like she dominates in this category and no one comes close to her books. I wish her books were easier to find. It seems like they are a bit difficult to get your hands on. I feel that way about a few books actually. I think I something isn’t new or a “classic”, than most stores do not stock them. When I do find them, I make sure that I savor every last page. So, I will be reading the third one just as slow as the rest.
5 out of 5 stars

Title:

I get why it is called A Song For Silas, because Amy is musically talented and wrote a song about her relationship with Silas. It should have been called A Bride For Silas, since that is what the book was about. I feel like that would have been more suiting.
4 out of 5 stars

Overall, I give this book 2.7 stars out of 5, but I will round it up to 3 stars. This wasn’t the best of her books, but it is not the worst either. I enjoyed it, but I will not be reading it again anytime soon. I would recommend the first book over this one, though. I don’t think this book was a waste of time, but I wish that I would have read something else.

With Love,

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Home Is Where The Heart Is

A Place Called Home by Lori Wick

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This is the first book that I have finished in December, so I guess this will be my book of the month. At the end of this review, I will have a poll to chose a reader’s pick of book of the month. Let me start off by saying that I love Lori Wick. She usually writes very engaging books, but some of them are not as great as others. I really loved her princess series and the Texas Rose Trilogy.

DISCLAIMER:

I promise to be brutally honest with my opinion, but it should not be taken as fact. Any reader should read it for themselves, before they decide if this book has any merit or not. Do not judge this book biased solely on my opinion. If you do, you might miss out on a great read. You never know. It could happen. My review may contain spoilers, but I really strive to be spoiler-free. I borrowed this book from my local library. This book was not suggested to me by the author. I have no affiliation with the author or his/her publisher.

Main Character:

Christine is more of a little girl than a woman, when the story first starts off. This gives a great canvas for character development, however; she seems to stay this naive and trusting little girl until the very end. I did like her as a character, but she kept falling for easy traps. I feel like there could have been more action if she ever fought back, but Wick’s strength is in romance and witty banter, not action nor adventure. She was a likable enough character, but I wish that she had more substance to her.

3 out of 5 stars

Evil Antagonist:

Well, there are really two strong evil characters in this book. One is living without Christ in one’s heart, which I believe is really pushing the issue. The other is Mr. Jeffers, who is a truly despicable excuse of a man. I really like his character, but he didn’t really make much sense like who did he owe so much money to? Wick keeps him one-dimension and doesn’t delve into his character for some reason, even though she does several point of views from him throughout the book.

3 out of 5 stars

Minor Characters:

The characters in this book are simply delightful. I love Grandma Em and Silas, especially. I cannot wait to read the second book, because it is about Silas. I found the characters to be endearing and easily likable. I liked Julia even more after hearing her story, although the story is kind of masochistic. Wick, at times, stereotypes her characters, which is not always a great read, to each their own, I guess.

4 out of 5 stars

The Plot:

The story is an interesting one filled with excitement. I like the switching point of views. At times, it seems like there are too many POVs and Wick doesn’t really delve into the minor characters’ POV very well. She leaves many questions unanswered, not to make the reader reflect. I think that she just “forgot” to finish parts of the story. These exclusions take away from the overall story.

3 out of 5 stars

The Setting:

I really can find no fault in Wick’s description of the world in which the characters reside. Her world is beautifully crafted and I love the vivid imagery. I cannot say anything more about it.

5 out of 5 stars

The Dialogue:

For the most part, Wick is really good with knowing what real people say, but at times, the dialogue is stilted or strained. It seems that she is trying to force a character to say something out of character and it just ends up being awkward instead of the mysteriousness or dual sided personality that she is going for. Otherwise than that, she is really true to human speech and her characters.

4 out of 5 stars

Engaging Surprises:

I have to say that this story followed a pretty predictable plot line. Now, that being said, I did find a few surprises. I really liked the identical twin aspect to the story. I did not see that one coming. Someone is murdered, which I did not expect in a Lori Wick book. An evil character tries to rape someone and that “rape” seems really out of character for a guy that just wants to see that someone dead. All in all, not very many good surprises.

2 out of 5 stars

Climax:

The high point of this novel is more like a bump in the road and the ending is rushed. Wick seems to gloss over Christine’s situation and makes it brief. I feel like there was no point to the story, except to see a love story blossom out of very imagined danger. She could have done so much with this, but she just lets the story fall flat and lifeless.

2 out of 5 stars

Emotional Response:

I laughed at the funny bits and gushed at the romance slightly. Otherwise than that, I didn’t feel for the characters. I also thought that Luke was overbearing and sexist at times. He was right though, Christine was a damsel in distress. She didn’t even try to defend herself. She was very much a child.

2 out of 5 stars

Ending:

There wasn’t much of an ending. Everything was hurried up and glossed over. It was very predictable and it just seemed like Wick just wanted to get it over and done with after seeing how many pages she wrote. I can quote the exact page when the rush starts.

1 out of 5 stars

The Writing:

I really enjoy Lori’s style, which is why I have almost read all of her books. I am very disappointed to hear that she stopped writing novels, because I think even a crappy book written by her is worth reading. This book is not one of her best, but it is not her worst either. These novels are definitly the best Christian Chick Lit.

3 out of 5 stars

The Artwork:

Let’s face it: the covers are old and dated. If she revamped her books, she could sell more of them to a younger audience. Her books are for adults, but for some reason, they seem more young adult to me.

1 out of 5 stars

Genre:

This book fits the genre of a Christian romance. There is nothing more to the story here, so look away if you are looking for anything more.

5 out of 5 stars

Title:

I think the title is fitting and Wick ties it into the story beautifully. I see nothing lacking in the title.

5 out of 5 stars

Overall, this book gets 3.7 out of 5 stars for me. I really enjoyed it and thought that it was worth reading. I have said about everything there is to say about this book. I am already reading the second book in the series and bought the third book as well.

With Love,

Selena Hannah xoxoxo

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Amazon Haul: Everything But The Fire

Heya Aspiring Gurus!

It is the weekend and you know what that means! Yes, I actually have time to write really nice blog posts with all of my free time. I decided to share an Amazon haul with you all today. I still have another Amazon haul in the works and the Lush one as well. I didn’t end up going out to shop today, because I woke up with severe hip pain. I’m hoping it will be much improved by tomorrow, because I am planning on buying a Christmas Tree, looking at new used cars, going to the Christmas Tree Shops, the Dollar Tree, Kmart, and Petsmart. I have a few Christmas DIYs in my mind as well and I’m sort of still thinking on how best to execute them. Hopefully, I can get back on track tomorrow. Anyways, here are the goods that you have been waiting this entire post to read about.

Replacement Brush Head Acne Cleansing 3 Pack for 6.02 USD

These are knockoff replacement Clarisonic brush heads that feel like the real thing. I think these are a tad softer than the legit Clarisonic heads and of course, these are not antimicrobial. Still, I feel like I can get a month’s use out of one brush head, which still makes it a better value over the Clarisonic version. I wouldn’t feel safe for using the heads for longer than a month, because I do not want to harbor bacteria. I might try a different kind in three months, when these are all used up. I’m thinking about trying out the deep pore cleansing brushes next. I am really happy to be back to using my Clarisonic again. I missed it so! It really does give my face a better clean that you can really feel.

Essence Mask Combo – 10 Different Kinds for 9.95 USD

I tried the seaweed one today and I have to say that I quite enjoyed it. I actually know have twenty of these with that whole mishap with my package. I cannot wait to try all of these out and you can bet that I will be doing Sample Wednesday of each different kind of mask. I will then do a review of the Brand of Masks as a whole. I’m going to be very thorough with this, since this venture into paper masks is very new to me. Does any of these look good to anyone? Which one do you want me to try next? Thanks in advance. I have to say that it wasn’t what I was expecting, but in a really good way.

The Long Road Home (Book 3 of A Place Called Home Series) by Lori Wick for 3.37 USD

I read the first book and enjoyed it (a book review to come!). The book that I got on paperbackswap was a two-books-in-one type, so I am already reading the second book in the series. I want to own the whole series, because I really enjoy the books by this author. I am pretty sure that I will like this book, but if not, it was only a few dollars and really no big deal. Lori Wick is to me like Meg Cabot is to Danielle: aka a really big deal. Although, I do enjoy Meg Cabot as well. I really wish that I could read all of the great books in the world. I know that I will never really read all the books I have ever wanted to read, but hey, I’m gonna try.

The Sims 3 Expansion Bundle With World Adventures & Generations for 17.11 USD

This was a really great two for one deal. I am saving this for a Christmas present to myself, so I refuse to open it. I have since wrapped this up, so I do not have to be tempted. I am super excited that I will be getting to play World Adventures. I have heard so many great things about it and I just cannot wait to play it. Generations looks like it will add a lot of great features to the game. The features that I am most excited for are the chemistry experiments and the bachelorette parties. I should make a little Sim movie and upload it. I think that that would be very fun and different. There are really just two computer games that I play: The Sims and Nancy Drew. Those are my nerd obsessions.

The Sims 3 Island Paradise for 19.99 USD

I bought this at Walmart, because I thought that it looked really cool and like I said, I am sort of obsessed. I was upset to find out that Walmart does not price match to their online price. I think that that is ridiculous and stupid, even Kmart price matches in the store. Whatever. I am never buying games at Walmart ever again. I am so disappointed with the store. I haven’t played this game either, because I am saving it for Christmas. I have two four day weekends coming up. One for Christmas and one for New Years, back to back, so I will definitely be getting a lot of game play soon enough.

So, that is my amazon haul, except for the one item that I bought at Walmart. I hope you all enjoyed this haul and this sneak peek into my life. Every day is getting us closer…to CHRISTMAS!! Talk to you guys soon!

With Love,

Selena Hannah xoxoxo