August Book Reviews

In this month's book review post, I've got the rest of the Anne of Green Gables Series reviews for you! To read the previous book reviews on this series click HERE! Also, would you like to receive updates on book's I've read and my reviews sooner then once every month? If so then follow me on GoodReads.com were I've just set up an account! By following me you can read my books reviews that I'd normally only post here monthly sooner and you can also see what I've been reading as of that day. You can visit my page by clicking HERE! Enjoy the book reviews! ~Bethany

Anne's House of Dreams 

{Book # 5}

By L. M. Montgomery

{Review By Bethany}

 

To read the previous books in the Anne of Green Gables series reviews click HERE!

 

Publisher :: Random House, Inc.

Source :: Purchased at a garage sale :)

Publication Date :: 1983

My Rating :: 5 out of 5 stars

Age Recommendation :: For girls 8+

Anne's own true love, Gilbert Blythe, is finally a doctor, and in the sunshine of the old orchard, among their dearest friends, they are about to speak their vows. Soon the happy couple will be bound for a new life together and their own dream house, on the misty purple shores of Four Winds Harbor. A new life means fresh problems to solve, fresh surprises. Anne and Gilbert will make new friends and meet their neighbors: Captain Jim, the lighthouse attendant, with his sad stories of the sea; Miss Cornelia Bryant, the lady who speaks from the heart--and speaks her mind; and the tragically beautiful Leslie Moore, into whose dark life Anne shines a brilliant light. {Description from ChristianBook.com}

I have really enjoyed this book. I'm debating whether it's my favorite of the series, I can't decided since they are all equally good, but I can say it's one of my favorites! This book is not only the half-way done mark through the series, but it's also the first book were Anne is a married girl so I felt as if I was reading the second part of Anne's complete story. I loved how "homey" this book was. Anne was dearly enjoying married life and loved living in her little "house of dreams" and I just loved all the events that took place. She made new friends, re-connected with old ones, had both joys and sorrows, births and deaths, and more during her stay in the home. There was also a portion of the story that had me guessing what would happen next and it ended up turning different than I'd have ever thought making for a very exciting read! I'd highly recommend this book, as well as the whole series to all young ladies!

Anne of Ingleside

{Book #6} 

By L. M. Montgomery

{Review By Bethany}

Publisher :: Random House, Inc.

Source :: Purchased at garage sale

Publication Date :: 1981

My Rating :: 5 out of 5 stars 

Age Recommendation :: 10+

Anne is the mother of five, with never a dull moment in her lively home. And now with a new baby on the way and insufferable Aunt Mary Maria visiting--and wearing out her welcome--Anne's life is full to bursting. Still Mrs. Doctor can't think of any place she'd rather be than her own beloved Ingleside. Until the day she begins to worry that her adored Gilbert doesn't love her anymore. How could that be? She may be a little older, but she's still the same irrepressible, irreplaceable redhead--the wonderful Anne of Green Gables, all grown up... she's ready to make her cherished husband fall in love with her all over again! This Collector's Edition includes the original unabridged text, a specially commissioned biography of L. M. Montgomery, and a map of Prince Edward Island. {Description from ChristianBook.com}

This is the first Anne book that is written in the time were Anne has children and through the pages you get to known all six of them quite well! I really enjoyed this book since it had a homey feeling, it was about Anne and her family and I was always smiling and her childrens humorous quotes and stories. This book focuses primarily on the childrens adventures, and mind you, since they are young children they have quite a few scrapes along the way, making for a quite interesting read. :) I loved this book and would definitely recommend it! It was nice to see a twist in focused characters since Anne was the main character for several of the books, and though she is still in this book a lot, it focuses on the next generation. I loved seeing Anne's mothering character coming out through the book. It was so nice to see how Anne handled things such as disciplined and correction since I had read how she was once the one in the scrapes herself, but to see her grow and be the corrector was interesting and made the book feel more real since you know the background. 

Rainbow Valley

{Book #7}

By L. M. Montgomery

{Review By Bethany}

Publisher :: Random House, Inc.

Source :: Purchased at garage sale

Publication Date :: 1985

My Rating :: 5 out of 5 stars

Age Recommendation :: 10+

Anne Shirley is grown up, has married her beloved Gilbert, and is the mother of six mischievous children. These boys and girls discover a special place all their own, but they never dream of what will happen when a strange family moves into an old mansion nearby. The Meredith clan is two boys and two girls and a runaway named Mary Vance. Soon the Merediths join Anne's children in their private hideout, intent on carrying out their plans to save Mary from the orphanage, to help the lonely minister find happiness, and to keep a pet rooster from the soup pot. There's always an adventure brewing in the sun-dappled world of Rainbow Valley. {Description from ChristianBook.com}

I really enjoyed this book. Even though I felt like it focused mainly on the Blythe childrens friends the Meredith's instead of the Blythe children themselves, I really enjoyed it and found they still did have a lot about the Blythe children. It had a lot of funny stories about the children and their "adventures" in Rainbow Valley, there little hide-out of sorts that they found out in the woods. Whether the adventure was about the "Good Conduct Club" were they kept themselves accountable for good behavior and punished themselves when they didn't meet the standards, or if it was finding a new mother for Mr. Meredith who's wife died, or making dinner over a fire in Rainbow Valley, they were all interesting and funny. I'd definitely recommend this book!

Rilla of Ingleside

{Book #8}

By L. M. Montgomery 

{Review By Bethany} 

Publisher :: Random House, Inc.

Source :: Purchased at garage sale

Publication Date :: 1985

My Rating :: 5 out of 5 stars

Age Recommendation :: 12+

Anne's children are almost grown up, except for pretty, high-spirited Rilla. No one can resist her bright hazel eyes and dazzling smile. Rilla, almost fifteen, can't think any further ahead than going to her very first dance at the Four Winds lighthouse and getting her first kiss from handsome Kenneth Ford. But undreamed-of challenges await the irrepressable Rilla when the world of Ingleside is endangered by a far-off war. Her brothers go off to fight, and Rilla brings home an orphaned newborn in a soup tureen. She is swept into a drama that tests her courage and changes her forever. {Description from ChristianBook.com}

What can I say? I LOVED this book, it was the perfect ending to the series and a great book. I definitely think this is my favorite book in the series! I loved how this book was centered on Rilla as a young woman, so you can see her transition to womanhood throughout the book. It was also nice to go from the previous two books which were mainly about younger children to a book about a young girl going to adulthood. This book was so sad, yet inspiring. I really liked seeing how Rilla became a woman, bit by bit. At first, I thought it strange that she said she had said that she didn't like children, but the special event that transpired with the unique opportunity she had with the little "war baby" was so sweet. I loved seeing her heart softened towards children/babies through that circumstance as well as how it helped her become a woman, and how she rose to the challenge before her. Another thing I loved about this book is the close relationship Rilla had with her brother Walter. You don't see thing sort of heart felt relationship between siblings very often in books, now days. They were so close and I loved being able to see what good siblings they were to each other. When he went to fight the war, I felt as if my heart ached for Rilla as she dealt with her brother leaving. I loved how it was set in the time of war, as it made the story interesting and unique. Through the situation with the war, I saw how Susan, Anne and Rilla learned to be content with present circumstances and there perseverance through the long, grueling war. The only con with this book, is that the Lord's name was used in vain several times despite the fact that the characters were Christians. Other than that, I LOVED this book and really, really enjoyed the Anne of Green Gables series!

Waterfall

{The River of Time Series, Book #1}

By Lisa T. Bergren

{Review By Bethany}

Publisher :: David C. Cook

Source :: Library {I could say the library was awesome a thousand times and it still wouldn't do it justice! I LOVE that place!!!}

Publication Date :: 2011

Number of Pages :: 384

My Rating :: 4.5 out of 5 stars {If it weren't for the cons I mentioned below, it would be a definite 5 stars!}

Age Recommendation :: 13+

Gabriella has never spent a summer in Italy like this one.

Remaining means giving up all she’s known and loved … and leaving means forfeiting what she’s come to know—and love itself.

Most American teenagers want a vacation in Italy, but the Bentarrini sisters have spent every summer of their lives with their parents, famed Etruscan scholars, among the romantic hills. In Book One of the River of Time series, Gabi and Lia are stuck among the rubble of medieval castles in rural Tuscany on yet another hot, boring, and dusty archeological site … until Gabi places her hand atop a handprint in an ancient tomb and finds herself in fourteenth-century Italy. And worse yet, in the middle of a fierce battle between knights of two opposing forces.

And thus she comes to be rescued by the knight-prince Marcello Falassi, who takes her back to his father’s castle—a castle Gabi has seen in ruins in another life. Suddenly Gabi’s summer in Italy is much, much more interesting. But what do you do when your knight in shining armor lives, literally, in a different world? {Description from Amazon.com}

I had heard about this book on a sweet friends book review/giveaway blog a while back and at first thought "No way, not my area of interest. Two sisters going back in time through a hand-print on a ancient tomb into a different culture to help fight their war? No thanks." But after really looking into it, and hearing nothing but awesome things about the books I thought I'd see if the library had it. They did. So I came home and read it. In 26 hours. Amazing. Book. If you are looking for a teen fiction romantic Italy travel novel, then this is the book for you. 

Pros :: This book was amazing. I really, really enjoyed it. It kept me turning the pages and kept me interested at all times. If you like books that keep you at the edge of your seat, then you must read this book. It was such a neat adventure portrayed on paper and I eagerly look forward to hopefully being able to read the rest of the books in the series. I found it to be similar, somewhat, to the Narnia stories, so if you liked Narnia you are sure to love Waterfall. It was such an action-packed book that it sure to keep you interested and anything but bored. I loved how it was a bit fantisy-ish {Since she gets to Italy by placing her hand on a hand-print in an ancient tomb and all the sudden she's been moved back several hundred years.} However it wasn't too much to be a teen fiction. There was a perfect mix of romance, Italy culture/history, fantasy/sci-fi, and adventure. I normally try and not over-do the romance part when I read books, just because it can to some extent make me discontent in my single circumstance. However this book had just enough to make a good story without making me discontent, I think the romance was one of the big contributors to the great story-line. Although there wasn't a bunch of Italy history, there was a article on the historical parts in the back of the book, which I enjoyed. The book helped me to realize a bit of what it was like in Italy back then, and I think it was the perfect place for the story.

Cons :: This book, though a wonderful read, has a few cons. It is based in ancient Italy in the 1300's, I believe, so there are several war scenes. Mild violence is a part of several chapters. There was blood and Gabi had to kill a few men in battle to save the "good guys." She gets an injury in battle so there is blood involved as well. Though it was descriptive, it wasn't overly so were I couldn't read it. However I don't think this book is for a younger audience, thus I'd recommend it for ages 13+. But really it depends on what your parents are okay with. As far as language goes there were only about two words, nothing terribly bad, but still. Another thing I didn't like is how Gabi had to lie to keep her identity when she went back in time. She couldn't just say "Oh yeah I put my hand on the hand print of a tomb a couple hundred years forward and I traveled through time back a couple hundred years so here I am. Oh, and don't worry I'm a good girl, you don't need to worry about me being a spy by the other guys, so no need to kill me." :) So obviously she was forced into lying since that would have sounded completely stupid to say that and they probably would have put her in a dungeon or killed her. There is a bit of romance and 3-4 kisses. Another thing is that Gabi had quite a bit of feminism in the book, going and fighting in wars. One thing I didn't really get about the book was the title. I never saw any connection as to why they'd name the book Waterfall since to the best of my memory, there wasn't any huge reference to any waterfall. But nonetheless it's a great book. Despite the cons, I'd recommend this book, but for teens. Also if some of you girls have read any of the River of Time books then leave a comment and I'd love to talk with you about it since this is quickly becoming one of my favorite series! :)

Plain Wisdom

By Cindy Woodsmall

and

Miriam Flaud

{Review By Bethany}

Publisher :: WaterBrook Press

Source :: Library 

Publication Date :: 2011

Number of Pages :: 224

My Rating :: 5 out of 5 stars 

Best-selling novelist Cindy Woodsmall might seem to have little in common with Miriam Flaud, a woman immersed in the culture of Old Order Amish. But with nine children and almost 60 years of marriage between them, Cindy and Miriam both have found the secrets to facing life with strength and grace. Whether enduring financial setbacks, celebrating new babies and times of prosperity, grieving the crushing losses in the deaths of family and friends, or facing disappointments with their respective communities—through it all they find guidance for each day by looking to God. 

With poignant recollections, unexpected insights, and humorous tales, the two women welcome you into their unique friendship. You’ll also gain a rare glimpse into the traditions and ways of the Amish as Miriam recalls special occasions and shares family recipes throughout the book.

Plain Wisdom is a heartwarming celebration of God, womanhood, and the search for beauty that unites us all. So grab your cup and your quilt and settle in for a soul-comforting read with Plain Wisdom. {Description From GoodReads.com}

This was a very encouraging, inspiration, down-to-earth, humble, wisdom packed book. It is written by two ladies that, though they both have very different lifestyles, they have one big thing in common: the God they serve. Miriam is an Old Order Amish woman, while Cindy is a normal English woman. Both live in the present times, yet they live completely different lives. In this book they share practical advice on living to the best of your ability for your family and for God. They humbly share many personal stories of how the Lord used certain thing in their life to teach them as well as encouragement for living for Christ. They also share recipes, as well as embarrassing, yet funny life stories and share what they have learned through their mistakes in life. Though this book was written to married women, since both of the writers are married, I still enjoyed it just as well even though I'm single. I'd definitely recommend this book to anyone interested in learning about the Amish lifestyle, or if you just want a humble book filled with wisdom found through every day life with insight on living your own to the best of your ability. I loved how each section of the book was written by both ladies, providing insight from both perspectives and life styles of both the Amish and English. I didn't find anything negative in this book and thoroughly enjoyed it.

Double Take

By Melody Carlson

{Review By Bethany}

Publisher :: Revell

Source :: Library 

Publication Date :: 2011

Number of Pages :: 271

My Rating :: 5 out of 5 stars

It's spring break of her senior year and Madison Van Buren is fed up. Stressed over Ivy League pressure, her parents' marital problems, and her boyfriend's neglect, Madison gets in her car and drives west. Meanwhile, eighteen-year-old Anna Fisher wants to escape the so-called simple life--which for her consists of caring for younger siblings, sewing, cooking, and gardening--and she's well aware that her future will simply be more of the same with a man she doesn't love. Suddenly, worlds collide when Madison and Anna meet in a small town, realize they look uncannily similar, and decide the grass is definitely greener on the other side.

Readers will love this funny and provocative tale of switching places from bestselling author Melody Carlson. As they get a glimpse into two very different worlds, they may find themselves happy to be just who they are, where they are. {Description From GoodReads.com}

I really, really enjoyed this book! It had the perfect level of both Madison and Anna's life-both Amish and English- to make it interesting and also a book with a good end value that you leave with. In the story both Anna and Madison find the Lord and find the meaning of true contentment. They both learn a lot about each others life style and I believe they both benefited from the switch they made. The story was equally as good entertaining-wise as the truth of the moral value, which the author did a good job of writing. I loved how the story went and it was so interesting and enjoyable-I read it in only two days! :) I'd highly recommend this book. It's a great teen fiction with a great moral. It showed me the importance of truly being content-and joyful-with were God has placed you and to embrace that calling to the fullest and to live without regrets. I really enjoyed this book and didn't find anything negative in it at all!

The Merchant's Daughter

By Melanie Dickerson

{Review By Bethany}

Publisher :: Zondervan

Source :: Library 

Publication Date :: 2011

Number of Pages :: 284

My Rating :: 4 out of 5 stars

An unthinkable danger. An unexpected choice. Annabel, once the daughter of a wealthy merchant, is trapped in indentured servitude to Lord Ranulf, a recluse who is rumored to be both terrifying and beastly. Her circumstances are made even worse by the proximity of Lord Ranulf's bailiff---a revolting man who has made unwelcome advances on Annabel in the past. Believing that life in a nunnery is the best way to escape the escalation of the bailiff's vile behavior and to preserve the faith that sustains her, Annabel is surprised to discover a sense of security and joy in her encounters with Lord Ranulf. As Annabel struggles to confront her feelings, she is involved in a situation that could place Ranulf in grave danger. Ranulf's future, and possibly his heart, may rest in her hands, and Annabel must decide whether to follow the plans she has cherished or the calling God has placed on her heart. {Description From GoodReads.com}

At first, I really didn't think I'd enjoy this book. The idea of it being a re-written version of Beauty and the Beast seemed a bit uninteresting theme to me, maybe I just imagined it as the little kid story were nothing suspenseful happens. However, despite my doubts I started to read this book and was pleasantly surprised at how much I loved it! I was originally afraid the romance level would be way over my comfort level but it was just right to make it a sweet story without going overboard. One thing I really liked with this story is how Christianity was a part of it. In the beginning since this book is based on the medieval times, Bibles in their language were scare and a rare gem. Since they were scare, I loved seeing how Annabel truly yearned to read the bible for herself and made me wonder if I have the same yearning for the Word of God. Lord le Wyse asks, at the beginning of the book, if any of his servants knew how to read Latin so that they could read the Bible to him, and Annabel did know how to read since she was raided a merchants daughter and learned to read. So there are several scenes were they are reading and discussing the Bible. I felt like it was a very sweet story with lots of twists and turns I didn't expect and it help my attention well. I really enjoyed it! The only con I found was that several times they said "Oh my G*d" and though I got the impression they were using the Lord's name in vain, I really couldn't tell at times if they were merely crying out to God in sincere prayer. But Annabel does pray a lot in the book and is constantly relying on God for protection.

A Lasting Impression

By Tamara Alexander

{Review By Bethany}

Publisher :: Bethany House

Source :: Library 

Publication Date :: 2011

Number of Pages :: 432

My Rating :: 4.5 out of 5 stars

Age Recommendation :: Girls 13+

Claire Laurent's greatest aspiration is to paint something that will bring her acclaim. Yet her father insists she work as a copyist. A forger. When she's forced to flee from New Orleans to Nashville only a year after the War Between the States has ended, her path collides with attorney Sutton Monroe. She considers him a godsend for not turning her in to the authorities. But after he later refuses to come to her aid, Claire fears she's sorely misjudged the man. Finding herself among the elite of Nashville's society, Claire believes her dream to create a lasting impression in the world of art is within reach--but only if her fraudulent past remains hidden.

The Federal Army has destroyed Sutton's home and confiscated his land, and threatens to destroy his family's honor. His determination to reclaim what belongs to him and to right a grievous wrong reveals a truth that may cost him more than he ever imagined--as well as the woman he loves.

Set at Nashville's historic Belmont Mansion, a stunning antebellum manor built by Mrs. Adelicia Acklen, A Lasting Impression is a sweeping love story about a nation mending after war, the redemption of those wounded, and the courage of a man and woman to see themselves--and each other--for who they really are. {Description From GoodReads.com}

I give A Lasting Impression 4.5 stars, and really, really enjoyed it! If it weren't for the cons, I'd give it 5 stars!

Pros ::

It's been a while since I read a book that left such an impact on my heart. This book, though VERY long {400+ pages}, was very entertaining and despite my expectations of it being boring at bits due to the length of the book, it wasn't! Usually when I least expected it, a burst of new action came. I loved how Tamara incorporated Christianity into the female character, Claire's life. At the beginning of the book Claire is involved in an occupation that was illegal and later held many secrets and occasionally told lies. However, despite the negative life Claire lives at the beginning, towards the end Claire is truly repentant and was a new woman through her finding Christ in the story. It was a wonderful story of the difference Christ can make in a woman's life when she goes from a sinner to a sinner saved by Grace. The story reminded me of the verse in the Bible which talks about being a new creature in Christ, how the old had past and all things are made new. I really enjoyed seeing that transformation in Claire. At the end of the book I was left thinking "Wow!" The story line was very well written and the plot was perfect with a wonderful ending!

Cons ::

Unfortunately this book has a few things I was disappointed with. There was a lot of lying and deceit at the beginning of the book on Claire's part. Another thing was I found the romance level to be a bit more than I'm normally comfortable with, and there were several passionate kissing scenes that I felt like skipping. The biggest thing I found offensive is towards the end of the book, Claire goes wading in the creek, with a immodest amount of clothing on, and Sutton, the male character "walks in" on her without realizing she was dressed in only her undergarments. It never went any farther than this, but I felt it could have been left out, that it wasn't necessary. Due to the cons listed above, I'd only recommend this book for girls 13+.

The Maid of Fairbourne Hall

By Julie Klassen

{Review By Bethany}

Publisher :: Bethany House

Source :: Library 

Publication Date :: 2011

Number of Pages :: 400

My Rating :: 4.5 out of 5 stars

Pampered Margaret Macy flees London in disguise to escape pressure to marry a dishonorable man. With no money and nowhere else to go, she takes a position as a housemaid in the home of Nathaniel Upchurch, a suitor she once rejected in hopes of winning his dashing brother. Praying no one will recognize her, Margaret fumbles through the first real work of her life. If she can last until her next birthday, she will gain an inheritance from a spinster aunt--and sweet independence. But can she remain hidden as a servant even when prying eyes visit Fairbourne Hall? {Description From ChristianBook.com} 

I have read two of Julie Klassen's other books in the past, The Apothecary's Daughter, and The Girl In The Gatehouse, and while I really enjoyed those, I think this new novel by Julie Klassen is my favorite of those I've read so far! I was very excited to be able to read this book and was instantly hooked from the first chapter. At first I didn't get why there were two different ladies pictured on the book, one on the front cover and one of the back cover, but after a few chapters it all started to make sense. ;) I found this book to be a very enjoyable read, it was very exciting and it was full of lots of action and suspense. For the most part, there was hardly anything I didn't like in the book as far as appropriateness goes. There was one part were the main character Margaret {Or shall I say Nora? ;D} is in a scene were she takes a bath, and it did go into detail to some extent, I didn't find it overly inappropriate, but still something I'd wished they would have left out. I loved the story-line and found it fairly easy to follow, being that amount of characters that were involved. I feel like the story leaves an impression on you with a moral of not judging by outer appearance, and always treating everyone fairly even if they are a lower class. Overall I give this book 4.5 stars.

Ten P's In A Pod

By Arnold Pent

{Review By Bethany}

Publisher :: Vision Forum, Inc.

Source :: Library 

Publication Date :: 2004

Number of Pages :: 198

My Rating :: 5 out of 5 stars

Future historians may look back on the Arnold Pent family and describe them as the “first modern home school family.” Long before there were any state home schooling organizations or curriculum fairs, Arnold Pent declared his independence from government education and his dependence on Jesus Christ in the training of his children.

No one told him to do this. He simply read the Bible and determined to follow the clear principles found within its pages and to be obedient to God — regardless of the consequences.

Like all great visionary leaders, Arnold Pent was a man with many wonderful directives for his family. The world would probably describe these initiatives as eccentricities, but they were not.

In fact, Arnold Pent discovered something that all fathers would be well advised to consider: True Christian leadership in the household is born in the fire of adversity. The noblest and most God-blessed expressions of biblical fatherhood are cultivated always and only by taking the path less traveled.

Over the years, many readers have been attracted to the endearing stories of family life found in such classics as Kathryn Forbes’ Mamma’s Bank Account (also called I Remember Mamma), Clarence Day’s Life with Father, and Frank Gilbreth’s Cheaper by the Dozen. The beauty of this book is that it combines the very best elements of those classics, but with a distinctive and uncompromising Gospel message. As a publisher, I consider it the highest honor that the Lord and His servants, the Pent family, have allowed Vision Forum to bring to press what we believe will be a new classic for twenty-first century families. {Description From VisionForum.com}

I really enjoyed this book. It is the real story of the Arnold Pent family which consisted of eight children and with the two parents that made 10-thus the title. :) The Pent family lived in the 1940's and had a family ministry of traveling all around the U.S. and Canada to share the Gospel message through Scripture memorization/quotation, preaching and singing as a family. I really enjoyed this book because it was very down to earth and quite humorous at times. It was written from parts of Arnold Pent the thirds journal and shares a lot of their family memories of traveling and living day-to-day life in that time. The Pent family were not afraid to let everyone know that life wasn't always easy. They didn't always have a lot of money, often they were on their way to a speaking engagement/s and only had a few dollars in their pocket with ten mouths to feed and bed. Yet they always trusted God, and never did they go without, God always provided just when they needed it most. There were lots of interesting stories in this book about real experiences that happened to the Pent family including sleeping at rest stops on top of picnic tables, "interesting" encounters with people they witnesses to, and lots, lots more! 

This family's love for the Lord was so obvious, one thing I found neat about their family is that through several hours of Bible devotions each day, by age 21 their children could usually quote the whole New Testament by heart from memory just because they had read it so often! This family was one of the first ever to home school their children and they shared in this book how that happened. This is a wonderful non-fiction that I really enjoyed. I would recommend it to others living in a large homeschooling, Christian family or for those who are interesting in learning about Christians of the past through a humerus, humble, inspirational read such as this one.

To Die For 

{A Novel of Anne Boleyn}

By Sandra Byrd

{Review By Bethany}

Publisher :: Howard Books

Source :: Library 

Publication Date :: 2011

Number of Pages :: 332

My Rating :: 4 out of 5 stars {I would give it 5 stars if it weren't for the cons}
Age Recommendation :: Girls 16+

Meg Wyatt has been Anne Boleyn's closest friend since they grew up together on neighboring manors in Kent. So when twenty-five-year-old Anne's star begins to ascend, of course she takes Meg along for the ride.

Life in the court of Henry VIII is thrilling... at first. Meg is made mistress of Anne's wardrobe, and she enjoys the spoils of this privileged orbit and uses her influence for good. She is young and beautiful and in favor; everyone at court assumes that being close to her is being close to Anne.

But favor is fickle and envy is often laced with venom. As Anne falls, so does Meg, and it becomes nearly impossible for her to discern ally from enemy. Suddenly life's unwelcome surprises rub against the court's sheen to reveal the tarnished brass of false affections and the bona fide gold of those that are true. Both Anne and Meg may lose everything. When your best friend is married to fearsome Henry VIII, you may soon find yourself not only friendless but headless as well.

A rich alchemy of fact and fiction, To Die For chronicles the glittering court life, the sweeping romance, and the heartbreaking fall from grace of a forsaken queen and Meg, her closest companion, who was forgotten by the ages but who is destined to live in our hearts forever. {description from GoodReads.com}

This was most definitely a bitter-sweet book. I had mixed emotions once I finished it. I loved the rich history involved but it was a very sad book towards the end. But despite the odds, I enjoyed this book though I disappointed with some things, which you can find in the cons. I am very eager to read her next book The Secret Keeper. 

Pros :: Probably the biggest pro for me is the large amount of historical facts which are found in this story. Even though it is a work of fiction, there is a rich array of history and I really enjoyed learning about Anne Boleyn and Meg Wyatt through the book. I just love books that teach you about women of the past, and found this one to be both interesting and rich in history. Most of the time when you think of history, you don't think of something that is interesting, but Sandra did a excellent job of balancing the history and fiction. I really enjoyed being able to learn in a interesting way about this time period and how they did things {minus the deaths :o} in the 1500's. I learned a lot and enjoyed the story. I also enjoyed the bit of Reformation history included as well, with the movement of Bibles being printed in the English language.

I also enjoyed seeing the sweet, loyal, faithful friendship shared between Anne and Meg. From the time they were young, to Anne's death, there were always faithful and loyal to each other and their friendship was such a sweet one.

Cons :: This book was quite sad and did not have your normal "and they lived happily ever after" ending. But, even though it was sad, it was a good kind of sad. In the end Anne died...um...how shall I say this?...a...gruesome...death. The biggest con for me was the vast detail Sandra put into this portion of the book. At a point I was completely disgusted and felt like I should skip a few sentences, which, I now wish I would have done, and advise any who are going to read this in the future to do if you feel lead. I found this scene to be entirely too detailed and violent. I mean, I understand that deaths in those days weren't exactly pleasant. But I wish she'd have at least not gone through such description of every detail. Due to this and another mature issue that came up throughout the book, I'd only recommend this book for girls ages 16+, or if any younger, you'd probably want your parents approval first. {Obviously you want parents approval with any book, but more so with this one due to the mature subjects.}

Another con I found, though not as big, if that I was for some reason, whether because of the title or the strong friendship between Anne and Meg, was under the impression that Meg gave her life for Anne. However I was surprised to see I had guessed wrong. Another con is that at times I had a hard time keeping up with the story and characters. But after a couple chapters it all started to fit together. Sometimes it took a couple pages to "get into" the story, but for the most part it wasn't all that bad.

Conclusion :: I overall, enjoyed this book due to the rich history and sweet friendship in the story. I think it had a wonderful balance of fiction and history and was quite interesting. However, to those wanting to read it, beware the mature content! The level sort of took me by surprise. However know that you will read a wonderful, historically rich story of a sweet friendship between two girls that lived long ago.

The Secret Keeper
{A Novel of Kateryn Parr}

By Sandra Byrd

{Review by Bethany}

Publisher :: Howard Books

Source :: Library 

Publication Date :: 2012

Number of Pages :: 331

My Rating :: 4 out of 5 stars {I would give it 5 stars if it weren't for the cons}
Age Recommendation :: Girls 16+

Mistress Juliana St. John is the lovely, forthright daughter of a prosperous knight’s family. Though all expect her to marry the son of her late father’s business partner, time and chance interrupt, sending her to the sumptuous but deceptive court of Henry VIII.

Sir Thomas Seymour, brother of the late Queen Jane, returns to Wiltshire to conclude his affairs with Juliana’s father’s estate and chances upon her reading as lector in the local church. He sees instantly that she would fit into the household of the woman he loves and wants most to please, Kateryn Parr. Juliana’s mother agrees to have her placed with Parr for a season and Juliana goes, though reluctantly.

For she keeps a secret.

As Juliana accompanies Kateryn Parr to court, Henry’s devout sixth queen raises the stakes for all reformers. Support of firebrand Anne Askew puts the queen and her ladies in life-threatening jeopardy, as does the queen’s desire to influence her husband’s—and the realm’s—direction and beliefs. Later, without Henry’s strong arm, the court devolves to competition, duplicity, and betrayal. The risks could not be higher as Juliana must choose between love and honor, personal fulfillment and sacrifice. Ultimately, her course is driven by a final kept secret, one that undoes everything she thought she knew. {Description from GoodReads.com}

After finishing To Die For I was very excited go continue the story of King Henry VIII and his Queens, in The Secret Keeper! Overall I give it 4.5 stars, if it weren't for the cons I'd easily give it 5 stars. Sandra Byrd's Tudor fictions are quickly becoming a favorite for me! I'm starting to realize just how much I enjoy Tudor fiction, and if any of you have read similar books, leave me a comment and I'd love to look into reading them! :) I simply cannot wait to read book number three in Sandra's The Ladies in Waiting Series about Queen Elizabeth I, called Roses Have Thorns in April 2013!

Pros :: This book was a wonderful continuation of To Die For, starting about 10 years after we left off the last book, with a new Queen and new characters. Yet again Sandra Byrd takes Tudor history and displays it in an exciting, well written and informative book-a perfect sequel if you ask me. Like To Die for there is an over-abundance of history incorporated with the fiction, which I really enjoyed and learned a lot from. I love how much history is in this book and felt very informed about King Henry VIII and the Queens after reading these two books, were before-hand I didn't know hardly anything about this time period. Due to the large amount of history in Sandra books, they would easily make wonderful homschooler history resources!

I really enjoyed learning about Kateryn Parr, when was King Henry VIII sixth and final wife. The events always worked out perfectly so that you were left wanting more and couldn't put the book down! :)

Cons :: Like To Die For, this book was a bit hard to follow at first. It wasn't really so much the plot as it was getting the characters in order, for me personally. I seem to have a hard time getting all the characters in my mind and remembering who is who and how they connected to the last book, but after I got that part down, it was a very enjoyable, easy to follow read. Though this book didn't have near as sad of an ending as To Die For with the death, there is still one death scene in this book were a Christian was killed for her faith. Though there wasn't as much detail in the death as the last book, there was still quite a bit of detail, which sort of made me uneasy. Then there was a rape scene, and two or three similar situations after that, so I'd definitely only recommend this book for a mature reader. I don't really want to put an age on it, since it varies depending on maturity and what you have been exposed to in the past, but probably around 16+.

Overview :: Overall, I loved this book and found it full of history and very interesting. I can't wait to read the third book in the series about Queen Elizabeth, and was very pleased with the previous two in the series!