Shanda’s Reviews – Page 15 – LDS Women's Book Review

The Forgiven Duke by Jamie Carie

Posted by Shanda Book Reviews, Shanda's Reviews

Sep 172012

The Forgiven Duke (Forgotten Castles #2)

Author: Jamie Carie

Publisher: B&H Bookes

Published Date: July 2012

Paperback/Kindle/Nook; 320 pages

Genre: Historical Romance/Adventure

ISBN# 978-1433673238

Reviewed by: Shanda

FTC FYI: received a digital ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review

Summary

Tethered by her impulsive promise to marry Lord John Lemon – the path of least resistance – Alexandria Featherstone sets off toward Iceland in search of her parents with a leaden heart. A glimpse of her guardian, the Duke of St. Easton – the path less traveled by – on Dublin’s shore still haunts her.

Will he come after her? Will he drag her back to London, quelling her mission to rescue her treasure-seeking parents, or might he decide to throw caution to the wind and choose Foy Pour Devoir: “Faith for Duty,” the St. Easton motto. The Featherstone motto Valens et Volens: “Willing and Able,” beats in her heart and thrums through her veins. She will find her parents and find their love, no matter the cost.

The powerful yet wing-clipped Duke of St. Easton has never known the challenge that has become his life since hearing his ward’s name. Alexandria Featherstone will be the life or the death of him. Only time and God’s plan will reveal just how much this man can endure for the prize of love.

Review

A few weeks ago I reviewed the first book in this series, The Guardian Duke. The Forgiven Duke picks up right where the first book leaves off in the story.

Alexandria is determined to find her parents by any means necessary, or so she thinks. It isn’t long before she begins to doubt whether she can go through with marrying John Lemon, not when the memory of the look in the Duke’s eyes as she sailed away keeps coming back to haunt her. Then she finds John going through her letters and reading personal information about her wealth. She gets upset with John but he manages to convince her he was just curious about her relationship with the Duke.

This is where I had an issue. In the first book, John is the one that takes Alexandria to the bank to get a credit against her fortune in the name of the Duke so she can continue on her quest. She clearly states that the Duke is in charge of her large fortune and estate, so John must already be aware of it. Unless he thinks she was making it up just to get credit in the Duke’s name, but John never mentions that he doubts it or doesn’t believe her completely. I may be misunderstanding something here, but I even went back to the first book and reread the scene. I don’t know if it was fixed before final printing though, as I have an uncorrected galley.

The adventure picks up when the Duke wants to buy a boat and hire a crew to follow Alexandria to Iceland but is kidnapped instead. As she and her group travel through the towns and landscape of Iceland, the clues Alexandria finds give her hope that she is getting closer to finding her parents. The reader is introduced to more interesting side characters. There is an incident when Alexandria first reaches Iceland that sets up for something later in the book, but to me it felt contrived. Alexandria gets her first real break from a very interesting character on the island.

For those of you who are wondering if the Duke and Alexandria actually come face to face in this book, I can assure you they do. It isn’t until 70% of the way through the book, but they do meet in a romantic and dramatic rescue, followed by something drastic that changes everything. With all of the action and suspense that builds up to the Duke and Alexandria finding each other, the remainder of the book is considerably less intense. The author still manages to end the book in a way that makes the reader want to pick up the next book immediately.

The third book, A Duke’s Promise, was released in early September and concludes the series. If you are one who likes historical romantic adventure stories, then you will most likely enjoy this series by author Jamie Carie.

Find The Forgiven Duke:

GOODREADS | AMAZON | KINDLE | BARNES & NOBLE | NOOK

Real Intimacy – Blog Tour

Posted by Shanda Blog Tours, Book Reviews, Shanda's Reviews

Sep 132012

Real Intimacy: A Couple’s Guide to Healthy, Genuine Sexuality

Authors: Kristin B. Hodson (MSW, LCSW), Alisha B. Worthington (BSW, SSW), Thomas G. Harrison (MSW, LCSW)

Publisher: CFI/Cedar Fort, Inc.

Published Date: August 2012

Hardcover/Kindle; 220 pages

Genre: Nonfiction

ISBN# 978-1-4621-1052-0

Reviewed by: Shanda

FTC FYI: received an advanced reader’s copy in exchange for an honest review

Summary

Based on doctrinal principles and years of professional experience, counseling real people, this uplifting volume approaches marital intimacy with a genuine desire to help couples. Learn to lovingly discuss your physical relationship with your spouse, identify false worldly ideas about sex, and reconcile your differing perspectives. Informative and engaging, this book will answer all your questions as you learn to truly become one.

Review

A quick personal history: My parents divorced when I was 18 and are now each on their third marriages. My husband’s parents divorced when he was seven, his mother remarried, and his father divorced his third wife shortly before we met. By this time, both of us were frustrated with seeing marriages fail.

We were engaged within three weeks of our first kiss (yes, that was fast) but we ended up having a nine month engagement. During that time we spent almost all of our non-kissing time talking about everything we could think of before tying the knot. We wanted to know as much about each other as we could before entering marriage. We gave each other “outs,” saying if we weren’t committed to making this marriage work, we could end it all right then and move on with our lives.

Today we are celebrating our 16th wedding anniversary. Two homes, three jobs, and four kids later, we are still going strong. It hasn’t all been smooth sailing, but I believe the reason we have overcome these struggles so well is because we talk to each other about everything. Mutual respect and devotion to each other has resulted in what both of us consider a happy marriage. (Note: I removed the “very” before that happy because my hubby is right – there is always room for improvement.)

I am so glad I agreed to review Real Intimacy. I’ve connected with and related to more in this book than any other marriage book I’ve read.

Each section is set up with an in-depth look at the topic, a “Nuts and Bolts” overview (for those who just want to read the basics), and follow-up questions for self-evaluation and discussion with your spouse. I enjoyed reading in-depth, while my husband (who isn’t a big reader) appreciated the “Nuts and Bolts” overview. I thought that we knew each other pretty well after all of our talking these past 16+ years, but several of the discussion questions at the end of each section covered new ground for us.

Even more importantly, I am glad to have this book for my children. My oldest is almost 15, counting down to getting her driver’s permit and not really thinking about marriage yet. In just a few short years, that will change. I appreciate how the authors clarify that there are many levels and aspects to intimacy, that sexual intimacy is only one part of that, and that sexuality is a gift from our Heavenly Father with the power to bond husband and wife together as well as create life.

I love how the authors clarify that a woman’s virtue and purity doesn’t change or disappear after marriage. Here is a quote from that section:

We teach our young girls to be pure and virtuous, which they should be, but don’t discuss with them how pure and virtuous they will continue to be within the confines of an intimate, marital relationship. Their virtue doesn’t change, it becomes enhanced with the added ability to create life as well as bring “life” to the relationship with their husband.

Real Intimacy covers all four aspects of intimacy: physical, emotional, sexual and spiritual. It also covers the basics of human anatomy (“Sex Ed 101”) and later, the differences in the way men and women’s brains function. The authors don’t shy away from addressing other topics such as husband and wife acting as stewards of their sex life and decided together what specifically is okay or not okay, as well as pornography, internet infidelity, sexual disorders, and when to get professional help.

In the last few years I have witnessed more than one marriage struggle and fail because of neither the husband nor wife understood the concepts addressed in this book. I appreciate the upfront and direct way that the authors address intimacy and sexuality, not as something to be embarrassed about or ashamed of, but as a sacred gift from Heavenly Father to be appreciated and enjoyed.

I wanted to include this excerpt from the back cover:

This book will teach you how to:

lovingly discuss your physical relationship with your spouse

resolve your divinely different masculine and feminine perspectives

overcome guilt from past transgressions

identify and counter false worldly ideas about sex

physically cherish your partner over the course of a lifetime into eternity

I highly recommend Real Intimacy to all married or soon-to-be married couples. Intimacy is a precious part of any relationship, and even more so in marriage where a couple is able to experience a level of intimacy found nowhere else. It’s worth the time and effort to protect and develop every aspect of intimacy in marriage, and Real Intimacy is an excellent resource for married couples in all stages of life.

To learn more about Real Intimacy and the authors, visit the website HERE.

Find Real Intimacy on:

GOODREADS | AMAZON | KINDLE | BARNES & NOBLE | DESERET BOOK

Mormons: An Open Book by Anthony Sweat

Posted by Shanda Book Reviews, Shanda's Reviews

Sep 022012

Mormons: An Open Book

Author: Anthony Sweat

Publisher: Ensign Peak

Published Date: June 26, 2012

Softcover; 246 pages

Genre: Religious Nonficiton

ISBN# 978-1-60908-811-8

Reviewed by: Shanda

FTC FYI: received a free review copy in exchange for an honest review

Summary

With the growth and exposure of Mormonism across the country and world, more and more people are curious about The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Although most Americans have an opinion about Mormonism, many of them admit they don’t really know what Mormons actually believe. Using scriptures, quotes, facts, engaging visual images, and even some humor, this one-of-a-kind book is designed to openly explain the beliefs, practices, history, and culture or Mormonism. Chapters answer such questions as “Are Mormons Christians?” “What happens inside LDS temples?” and many more. Chapters address topics such as LDS beliefs about marriage and family, the position of women in the Church, and LDS views about politics in America. There are even sections that dispel some common myths and misconceptions about Mormonism.

Written from the perspective of those who know and live the religion, the pages of Mormons: An Open Book invite you to come in, learn about, and better understand a growing body of faith in American and across the world: Mormonism.

Review

Mormons: An Open Book is an informative book, packed with explanations and clarifications as well as gorgeous color graphics and photos inside a pretty, minimalistic cover. I enjoyed reading various articles about my religion as I paged through the book. Most of the information was familiar, but there were a few things that were new even to this lifelong member.

There are three sections to the book, with several articles addressing different topics in each section. I really like the way the information is presented. Mormons: An Open Book is a great reference for those who want to better understand The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. Throughout the book the author addresses “Mormyths” and whether these beliefs others have about the Mormons are true or false.

I am glad to have this book to which I can refer curious friends and neighbors. With the national attention the Latter-Day Saints have received due to the upcoming election, having a resource like this is beneficial for every church member with curious friends and loved ones.

The contents of Mormons: An Open Book are listed below, as per the Deseret Book website:

Contents

Author’s Note
Preface
Introduction

PART 1: MORMON BELIEFS
1. Ten Facts to Know When Meeting a Mormon
2. The Message of Mormonism
3. Are Mormons Christian? Latter-day Saints and the Gospel of Jesus Christ
4. What Is the Purpose of Life?
5. LDS Priesthood Authority and Ordinances
6. Mormons and Marriage
7. Mormons and Family
8. What Happens inside LDS Temples?
9. LDS Scriptures and Sources of Truth
10. The Mormon View of the Afterlife

PART 2: MORMON HISTORY
11. The History of the LDS Church in Thirty Seconds
12. The Joseph Smith Story
13. The Book of Mormon
14. Latter-day Prophets
15. Temple Square

PART 3: THE MORMON WAY OF LIFE
16. Mo-cabulary: Understanding Mormon Vernacular
17. What Does It Take to Be a Mormon? LDS Standards
18. Mormons and Sex
19. Mormon Women
20. LDS Teenagers
21. The Organization of LDS Church Congregations
22. A Peek inside a Mormon Worship Service
23. Mormons and Missionary Work
24. Mormons and Money
25. Mormons, Politics, and America
26. The Weird and Wonderful World of Mormon Culture

Find Mormons: An Open Book-

The Cinderella Project by Stan Crowe – Blog Tour

Posted by Shanda Blog Tours, Book Reviews, Shanda's Reviews, Special Features

Aug 302012

The Cinderella Project

Author: Stan Crowe

Publisher: Breezy Reads

Published Date: August 30, 2012

Format: Kindle/Nook/ebook

Genre: Contemporary Romance

ISBN# 9781938327049

Reviewed by: Shanda

FTC FYI: I received a free digital ARC in exchange for an honest review

Summary

Committed to saving his marriage before it starts, doctoral student Nick Cairn embarks on a project aimed at finding the secrets of everlasting love. But when Moire DeLanthe, a smart and sassy research assistant, enters the picture, his Happily Ever After is put to the ultimate test.

First Line

“The first time I met Moiré De Lanthe, I was engaged to be married.”

Review

I LOVED this book. I had such a great time reading it. I wasn’t sure what to expect when I started this contemporary romance written by a man. The story is told in first person from the hero’s point-of-view. The reader gets the chance to hear the male main character’s internal dialogue as he struggles, succeeds, fails and recovers.

Grad student Nick is working on his dissertation and after hours of observing couples in romantic situations, watching hundreds of romantic movies, reading dozens of romance books, and studying nearly a thousand brain scans of couples in various stages of love, he is almost done with his research. When a beautiful woman that is not his fiancé shows up at the lab requesting to be hired as his research assistant, Nick is hesitant. He doesn’t want anyone potentially tempting him and distracting him from his devoted commitment to his fiancé, Ella.

Nick is a hard worker, a good student, and a great guy. I really liked him. He has a few thoughtless moments of being a jerk, which only made his character more believable to me as he stepped in it a few times trying to make up for those moments. He gets confused when his fiancé becomes overly emotional at times while planning their wedding, but makes a serious effort to keep the peace and show his love for and devotion to Ella.

I loved how the friendship between Nick and Moiré developed. I appreciated how devoted Nick was to his fiancé even though there were a few times I wanted to knock him upside the head. I loved the scene at the Italian restaurant, and the tuxedo shop, and the outdoor mall, and the park, and the cathedral. I laughed whenever male ego reared its head. I wanted to hug Nick when he was hurting and frustrated.

The Cinderella Project pulled me in from the start and I enjoyed it even more than I expected. It was refreshing to read this male-written romance from a male point-of-view. I hope that it won’t be the last. I would love to read more books like this one.

If you like good, clean, entertaining romance I highly recommend The Cinderella Project. I gladly add this book to my “Favorite Romances” list and look forward to reading it again in the near future.

Find The Cinderella Project on KINDLE | NOOK | SMASHWORDS.

Click HERE for a list of blog tour reviews and author interviews.

Author Bio: Born to a to a teacher, Stan was reading before age 4, and has loved books since. In kindergarten, he won a local writing contest and became a published author for the first time.

Stan Graduated from Brigham Young University in 2004 with a degree in civil and environmental engineering. Still, writing ran through his veins, and he continued producing fiction even while he was designing homes and preparing cost estimates for bridges.

Read more about Stan and The Cinderella Project on his BLOG.

Books for fans of Lego Ninjago

Posted by Shanda Book Reviews, Shanda's Reviews

Aug 282012

A Ninja’s Path (Reader #5)

Adapted by: Tracey West

Published by: Scholastic

Published Date: October 1, 2012 (available for pre-order)

Softcover; 32 pages

ISBN# 978-0545435932

Genre: Early Reader

Reviewed by: Shanda

FTC FYI: received review copies of A Ninja’s Path, Jay: Ninja of Lightning, Kai: Ninja of Fire, and Lego Ninjago: Collector’s Sticker Book in exchange for an honest review

Goodreads Summary of A Ninja’s Path

Lego Ninjago toys are a hit with boys 5 – 9! Scholastic’s books are based on the popular Cartoon Network series.

Quiet Zane isn’t like the other ninja. His weird humor sometimes gets him in trouble with Cole, Kay, and Kai–especially when he leads the ninja into a mission that ends in the destruction of their home in Sensei Wu’s monastery. Now Zane must hope that a new path will rise from the monastery’s ashes….

Review

All of my children love Lego Ninjago, not just my 5-year-old son. In fact, we plan on dressing up as all of the different Lego Ninjago characters for Halloween this year. (I get to be Nya.) So I was happy to receive a few Lego Ninjago books from Scholastic and hand them over to my kids to see how they liked them.

My five-year-old son went straight for A Ninja’s Path. The color pages and familiar pictures from the TV episode kept him turning pages and asking me to read it to him. My three-year-old daughter was happy to join us. We’ve read it several times and they have flipped through the book looking at the pictures many times since. Of all of the books we received, that one is their favorite. It doesn’t come out until October, but Amazon is accepting pre-orders and it’s priced decently at $3.99.

We also received two chapter books, Jay: Ninja of Lightning and Kai: Ninja of Fire. While these just happen to be my two youngest’s favorite ninjas, the chapter books are a little old for them. They don’t have the color pictures of the first book, and my little ones don’t have the patience or comprehension to sit through me reading the story to them, at least all at once. My 11-year-old read through them and said she liked them for the most part, but she may be a little too old and more advanced of a reader for them. However, if you have a 7-10 year old reluctant reader (boy OR girl) that happens to love Lego Ninjago, these may be just the thing to get them reading. There are also chapter books for the other two ninjas – Cole: Ninja of Earth, and Zane: Ninja of Ice.

The last book we received was the Lego Ninjago: Collector’s Sticker Book. While my five-year-old glanced through it, my three-year-old daughter had the most fun with it. She loved pulling the stickers off the sheets and putting them in the book. She didn’t really understand or care about the spaces where you can track when you received a certain Lego Ninjago set, but she had fun putting all the stickers in their places. The sets pictured in the book are from the earlier Ninjago days, and some of the newer sets are not included. Still, my three-year-old liked it.

If you have Lego Ninjago fans in your house, they might enjoy one or all of these books as well.

The Guardian Duke by Jamie Carie

Posted by Shanda Book Reviews, Shanda's Reviews

Aug 272012

The Guardian Duke (Forgotten Castles #1)

Author: Jamie Carie

Publisher: B&H Books

Published Date: February 2012

Paperback & Kindle; 320 pages

Genre: Historical Romance/Adventure

ISBN# 978-1433673221

Reviewed by: Shanda

FTC FYI: received a galley ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review

Goodreads Summary

The Guardian Duke is award-winning novelist Jamie Carie’s most exciting story yet, a uniquely arranged Regency-era romantic adventure where hero and heroine know each other through written letters but have yet to meet.

Gabriel, the Duke of St. Easton, is ordered by the King to take guardianship over Lady Alexandria Featherstone whose parents are presumed dead after failing to return from a high profile treasure hunt. But Alexandria ignores this royal reassignment, believing her parents are still alive and duly following clues that may lead to their whereabouts. Gabriel, pressured by what are actually the King’s ulterior motives, pursues her across windswept England and the rolling green hills of Ireland but is always one step behind.

When they do meet, the search for earthly treasure will pale in comparison to what God has planned for both of them.

First Line

“Heaven could be found in music.”

Review

I love good, clean historical romance. I could read them all day long. Especially if they have Scottish Highland lairds or English Dukes. I know, it’s cliche, but I still love it.

The Guardian Duke begins with Gabriel Ravenwood, Duke of St. Easton, enjoying an opera. He finds peace in the music, away from the pressures of the life of a duke. All of that changes when he receives a letter appointing him guardian of Alexandria Featherstone. Quite suddenly he is overcome with a mysterious malady that renders him unconscious and affects his hearing at various times throughout the book. His ability to hear music and escape from life is gone. He exchanges letters with Alexandria, intrigued by this young woman he has never met and yet seems to understand him so well.

Meanwhile, Lady Alexandria Featherstone decides to defy the King’s orders and search for her missing parents on her own. For me, this is where the book becomes more adventure and a lot less like a romance. If I had read the summary above before starting The Guardian Duke, I wouldn’t have spent so much time anticipating their first meeting. I started to get a little frustrated as Alexandria dodged the Duke again and again and I got closer and closer to the end of the book and they STILL hadn’t met yet. They do eventually meet, briefly. Most of their relationship develops through the letters they exchange. Knowing this ahead of time might have spared me that frustration.

Other than not realizing about the letter-writing, I enjoyed the rest of the story. It felt more like a romantic adventure novel rather than the typical “historical romance.” After Alexandria sets off on her journey, she meets a few additional characters who become her traveling companions and protectors: an older, former soldier, his handsome son, and an Irish giant married to a woman who looks like a fairy and sings like an angel. I found these characters interesting, with depth and stories of their own.

I received an uncorrected galley proof, so there were some formatting and proofing issues which were most likely fixed before publication. The writing was well-done for the most part, and the pacing of the story carried me through without feeling too rushed. I kept wondering when we were going to find out about what was wrong with the Duke, but that question isn’t answered in this book as the doctors are unsure about what is going on. I hope it is something we do find out before the end of the trilogy, though, as otherwise it will feel like a plot device.

There are mentions of God and prayer, but it isn’t preachy at all. There isn’t a big cliffhanger at the end of the book, though I was glad to discover that I had the galley for the second book in the trilogy on my Kindle. (Yes, I’ve read it and yes, I will be reviewing it soon.) If you like clean historical romance with a large dose of adventure, then you will most likely enjoy The Guardian Duke.

Find The Guardian Duke: GOODREADS | AMAZON

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