Bethany House book reviews

Larkspur Cove by Lisa Wingate

I received this book to review for free from Bethany House. When I read the synopsis of this book I wasn't so sure how good it would be. I was pleasantly surprised! Larkspur Cove is the story of Andrea, starting a new life with her son in the place she grew up. She's struggling with her new role as a single mother after being betrayed by her husband of several years. She wants to prove she can handle it all, even a new job as a social worker/counselor and a son who shows her more attitude than affection. The other half of the story is about Mart. He's dealing with loss himself, but works hard as a wildlife ranger in Larkspur Cove. He values honor and respect. He and Andrea's son have a run-in at the beginning of the story, and the two adults continue to connect as they are both trying to figure out how a mentally challenged outsider in town has become the guardian of a little girl. The story has just the right amount of depth, romance, and suspence.

One thing I have come to appreciate about contempory Christian fiction is the way that the authors use point of view. The contemporary novels I've read lately use a lot of first person, which I like. You really get an insight on what the character(s)are thinking. This book is no exception. In this book, however, we got the perspective of two characters. The chapters take turns telling the story from Andrea and Mart's first person point of views. I loved that. There were also little quotes at the beginning of each chapter that I thought were fun and fit well into the story. I also like when I feel a sense of completion when I finish a story. All of the issues aren't resolved, but your left with the feeling that they will be. That's how I felt at the end of this story. The only thing I felt was lacking was a more in-depth physical description of the main characters. There was some description, but I was left wishing for more. Overall, I would say this book was a good read and would recommend it!



Paradise Valley by Dale Cramer
I received this book for free to review from Bethany House.
This book is the story of a group of Amish families, in particular the Bender family, and how they move to Mexico to escape the persecution of white "Englishers". The English in their town are forcing them to send their children to a consolidated school, or face jail and their underage children sent to a children's home. Caleb Bender decides to uproot his family and move to a land that is fertile and will provide them with the freedoms they desire. Along the way we learn about the Amish way of life, the struggles they face as they travel and live in an unfamiliar land, and the love they have for each other.

The beginning of this story moved a little slow for me. My initial impression was this was going to be a somewhat depressing book about all the ways that the Amish were misunderstood and persecuted. I had no idea where the move to Mexico was going to take the story. I was bracing myself for tragedy. Thankfully, I was wrong. There were happy times and victories that the Bender family experienced. I hate to say it, but there was even a little scandal. It helped the pace pick up a little, but then it just kind of dissolved, leaving me a little disappointed. I wanted to see a little more resolution. I liked the Amish values, their hard work and willingness to embrace those from different walks of life. Midway through the book, I started seeing a potential romance being formed, and that was exciting. I sped through to the end, staying up late to see what was going to happen. I was disappointed to see that kind of fall flat and leave me hanging. This is the first book in a series, so I'm guessing that we'll be able to read more about the romance later. I guess that's the point (to want more and buy the next book) but it was frustrating to me. I've read lots of books that are part of a series, but most of them leave me with a sense of completion and satisfaction. This one didn't. I did think the author (a man) did a good job showing the female perspective in the story, but I thought there could be a little more on the romantic side. Overall, a good, clean, sweet story...I just wanted more!

Once again...happy reading!