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Friday, June 20, 2014

Stuck Together By Mary Connealy

When a lawman who values order gets stuck with a feisty crusader who likes to stir things up, there's going to be trouble in Texas! 


Now that she's settled in town, Tina Cahill is determined to get Broken Wheel's saloon closed for good. To that end, she pickets outside the place every afternoon. Unfortunately, so far no one has paid any attention.

Vince Yates earned the nickname "Invincible Vince" because of his reputation for letting absolutely nothing stop him. But Vince is about to face his biggest challenge yet: his past has just caught up with him. His father, mother, and the sister he didn't know he had show up in Broken Wheel without warning. His father is still a schemer. His mother is showing signs of dementia. And his surprise sister quickly falls for one of Vince's best friends. Vince suddenly has a lot of people depending on him, and Tina doesn't approve of how he's handling any of them.
With nearly every other man in town married off, Vince finds himself stuck with strong-willed Tina over and over again. Of course, Tina is the prettiest woman he's ever seen, so if he could just get her to give up her crazy causes, he might go ahead and propose. But he's got one more surprise coming his way: Tina's picketing at the saloon has revealed a dark secret that could put everyone Vince loves in danger.

MyTake

When I first started this book I thought okay so far I have nothing in common with Vince Yates or Tina Cahill! But it was interesting and entertaining so I kept reading. And I realized that I had a lot more in common with the characters than I first thought. Vince is a great guy full of charm and sarcastic whit. But his always being so concerned with turning out like his dad or mom really annoyed me. Just because your parents are a certain way does not automatically mean you will turn out to be like them. How you act is your choice.
Tina was great! You might think it's strange but I like characters - especially main female characters - who are full of spunk, like Tina is. She is sassy, independent In a way, sarcastic, and strong. Her chemistry with Vince was great! All in all I'd say this book was ok, I didn't read the other books in the series but it didn't really seem like you would have to, it didn't have two many characters so it wasen't confusing. It wasn't my typical type of book, I'd usually go for a mystery/suspense book. It was boring at times and I didn't think they were very good detectives but then again this is not an mystery book lol! All things considered it was pretty good anyway.

* I receved this book for free from Bethany House Publishers in exchange for my honest review. 

Mary Connealy 

Wednesday, June 11, 2014

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Monday, June 9, 2014

A Broken Kind Of Beautiful By Katie Ganshert


          Sometimes everything you ever learned about yourself is wrong



Fashion is a fickle industry, a frightening fact for twenty-four year old model Ivy Clark. Ten years in and she’s learned a sacred truth—appearance is everything. Nobody cares about her broken past as long as she looks beautiful for the camera. This is the only life Ivy knows—so when it starts to unravel, she’ll do anything to hold on. Even if that means moving to the quaint island town of Greenbrier, South Carolina, to be the new face of her stepmother’s bridal wear line—an irony too rich for words, since Ivy is far from the pure bride in white. 

If only her tenuous future didn’t rest in the hands of Davis Knight, her mysterious new photographer. Not only did he walk away from the kind of success Ivy longs for to work maintenance at a local church, he treats her differently than any man ever has. Somehow, Davis sees through the façade she works so hard to maintain. He, along with a cast of other characters, challenges everything Ivy has come to believe about beauty and worth. Is it possible that God sees her—a woman stained and broken by the world—yet wants her still?


  
This book was unlike any book I have ever read. It was gritty, emotional, captivating, confronting and uplifting. When I first read the description for A Broken Kind Of Beautiful by Katie Ganshert, I was somewhat skeptical. A model in the fashion industry? Not my typical type of book. But I decided to give it a try. And I am so glad I did! I learned a lot about the fashion industry and how damaging it can be to focus only on our outward appearance. In the beginning it was a little hard to relate to Ivy because she had so many walls up! However as the story progressed it was almost painful to see the growing pain in Ivy's life! My heart broke for her in the love she so desperately sought and didn't believe she could ever have. (In so many ways I could relate to her as the book progressed and the real Ivy Clark started to emerge)! This story is definitely not a usual warm, fuzzy, feel good christian novel, it was at times gritty, heart rending and difficult to read. In fact, there were times I put off picking the book up again because I knew I was going to suffer right along with these characters. It's really, A novel that digs through all the inner pains of the heart, but yet shows how great God's love is for us! If your looking for a novel that will powerfully stir your inner emotions, then this one is the one for you! It starts out kind of slow but towards the end I couldn't put it down! I ended up finishing it within a couple hours. 



What I liked: 

Davis Knight, the warm hearted hero with an eye for true beauty. 

Davis' sister Sara's ability to 'see' people. 

The books message about true beauty.

Marilyn's unconditional love even in the face of repeated rejections. 
The part of the book where David and Sara took Ivy crabbing.

My favorite quotes: 

"God gave you a special eye for his beauty. You see things the rest of us don't. You captured it, and then share it with the world." 

"I wanted you to fight for me! Just once, I wanted somebody to fight for me. To chase after me. To not let me push them away." 

"This world was never meant to be comfortable. It was never meant to feel like home. It took darkness to show me the truth. One day I'll open my eyes and I'll see Jesus."

"Gods not in the business of pampering his children. He's in the business of perfecting them."

* I received this book for free from blogging for books for this review. 

 Read the first chapter here

 More info here

Authors Website

I think this song goes perfectly with this book! 




Katie Ganshert

Author Bio:

I’m a slightly-frazzled, ever-inquisitive Midwest gal who’s passionate about Jesus, my family, writing, and all things romance, which is exactly what I write. Stories about flawed, broken characters who find faith and fall in love. When I’m not plotting ways to get my hero and heroine to cross paths, I enjoy watching movies with my hunk of a husband, playing make-believe with my wild-child of a son, hanging out with the crazy but lovable junior high students at my church, and chatting with my girlfriends at Panera®. I could talk books all day and am often spotted around town pushing a stroller, walking my dog, and reading—all at the same time.
- See more at: http://www.fictionfinder.com/author/detail/583#sthash.JqHXQhMX.dpuf
Author Image

Katie Ganshert

Author Bio:

I’m a slightly-frazzled, ever-inquisitive Midwest gal who’s passionate about Jesus, my family, writing, and all things romance, which is exactly what I write. Stories about flawed, broken characters who find faith and fall in love. When I’m not plotting ways to get my hero and heroine to cross paths, I enjoy watching movies with my hunk of a husband, playing make-believe with my wild-child of a son, hanging out with the crazy but lovable junior high students at my church, and chatting with my girlfriends at Panera®. I could talk books all day and am often spotted around town pushing a stroller, walking my dog, and reading—all at the same time.
- See more at: http://www.fictionfinder.com/author/detail/583#sthash.JqHXQhMX.dpuf