Wrapped in Rain- Charles Martin

Finally, finally, finally I get to review my most favorite of authors! For literally my whole life I have dreaded the question, "who is your favorite author?". As an avid reader I certainly should have a favorite, right? Wrong. I never had a favorite, that is until about two years ago when I picked up a book by Charles Martin. Honestly, amazing. Enough about me though, let's talk about Wrapped in Rain.

When Tucker and Matthew Mason were young, their father had two attitudes towards them. He either ignored them or beat them. Growing up motherless, they were raised in a small community in Alabama as the sons of a wealthy Rex Mason. The woman who raised them, Ella Rain, was their hired black maid. She put up with Mason only because of Tuck and Mutt (Matthew's nickname).

The story begins as the  boys are grown and Miss Ella having died seven years before. Rex Mason has Alzheimer's and lives in a long term care facility. Mutt was admitted to a mental institution after Miss Ella's funeral. Tuck is a world renown photographer who spends little time at home.

Tuck returns home from a photography trip to the Caribbean to receive a phone call telling him Mutt has escaped from his institution. As he returns to his roots a person from his past collides with his current life. His former ex-girlfriend arrives on the scene with her son in tow. As the three make an unlikely trio they manage to make a home out of a mansion and meanwhile Miss Ella keeps counseling Tuck, even though he'd sometimes rather ignore her.

I won't even go into more details about the book because you need to read it to experience it. A beautifully written story that will captivate you from the beginning. Believe me when I tell you, nobody writes quite like Charles Martin. I save his books for weekends at the lake, for snowed in winter days, for special trips. Because once you start you won't want to finish and yet you can't help but keep reading.  Wrapped in Rain is one of the best.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher through the Blogging for Books (Thomas Nelson) book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own.

Dessert Gift

Jill Galloway has made a success of marriage. She has had a long standing syndicated radio talk show on marriage and now her first book is coming out. Just as she and her husband Jack are getting ready for a California book tour and long needed vacation, he tells her he is not going with her. He wants out. He wants a divorce. And then he puts her on a plane and sends her away. 


As her world crashes down around her, Jill flees to her parents' home in the California desert, wondering if everything she's built her career on- and everything she's built her life around- is a sham. She thought she'd done everything right. So how did her marriage slowly slip away? And will she ever get it back? 


I will fully admit that I am single and have never been married. I will also admit that I loved this book and was completely engrossed in it. John does an excellent job of weaving a story that grips you and makes feel alongside the characters. The depth of this story will amaze you. I walked away having learned something about relationships and about myself. It was truly a great read. I give it five stars :) 


Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher in exchange for my review. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own.

Restless in Carolina

Dreadlock wearing, tree hugging, earthy Bridget Pickwick-Buchanan is thirty-one and she's been a widow for four years. Unable to even say the words "happily ever after" her view of God and happy endings has been severely skewered. However, she's beginning to realize she needs to finally come to grips with her widowhood and move on with her life. In the midst of all of that she also needs to sell her family estate near her home in North Carolina, preferably to an eco-friendly developer. Bridget is determined to sell the estate to someone who will help preserve it's beauty and not turn it into a run of the mill housing developement.

Enter J.C. Dirk. He's a green developer from Atlanta who's extremely high energy and has a secret interest in the Pickwick estate. J.C. and Bridget meet face to face in Atlanta after J.C. doesn't return her calls. He's interested in Bridget's offer the minute her hears her family name. Sparks fly between these two as J.C.'s interest in the estate spreads further to interest in Bridget. Bridget finds her white knight but the secrets he's hiding just may break her heart.

This is a fun chick flick read with southern sass. Bridget is extremely likeable and well-developed. J.C. is a little bit of an irritant at first but he does grow on you. The "secret" part of the story could be seen coming a mile away but it did add intrigue to the story. Although not exceptionally well put together it's a light, enjoyable read. This is the third installment in the Southern Discomfort series but you can definitely read it as a standalone. It's such a cute easy read, why not read all of them? I think if I would have read the first two I would have completely fallen in love with the endearing Pickwick family.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher through the Blogging for Books (Thomas Nelson) book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own.

Thunder Dog

This book is Mr. Hingson's  account of his experience as a survivor of the attacks on the World Trade center in September of 2001.  Blind and with only his guide dog Roselle to guide him this story is about his journey down the stairs from the 78th floor and the heroism of a remarkable four-legged creature. 

The author's relationships with guide dogs started at a very young age. Growing up blind, they helped him navigate school, college, and his jobs. Hingson learned early to rely on his guide dogs dedication, loyalty, and courage. This incredible read will captivate your attention from the very beginning. The first-hand account of Roselle and Hingson's descent down 78 floors and 1,463 steps is absolutely amazing. Interspersing the terror of the day with stories from the author's childhood makes this read all the more real and delightful. It will captivate you, move you, and enrich you. 

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher through the BookSneeze®.com http://BookSneeze®.com book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own.

Whisper on the Wind

Whisper on the Wind by Maureen Lang

Review by: Melissa J. MacDonald

Genre: historical Fiction

Publisher: Tyndale

Date: 2010

Whisper on the Wind takes the reader on an intriguing historical journey into Belgium during World War 1. Occupied by the Germans Belgium is no longer safe for its people and they are longing for escape. Against all odds Isabelle Lassone manages to sneak into Brussels in a desperate attempt to rescue the love of her life Edward Kirkland. Edward, however, has no desire to be rescued as he is busy running a very important underground newspaper that brings hope and revolution to his country.
Okay, let me pause for a moment. Don’t immediately dismiss this book because Isabelle and her
“daring” rescue into Belgium sounds simply ridiculous. I almost did and if I would have I would have missed out on an excellent historical read. At first Isa seems foolish and stupid and in many ways she is, she’s not even 18 yet and she’s from a wealthy family. Her heart is good but her methods are naïve. She soon realizes that she is not going to get her own way with Edward so she begins to work on his behalf.
Isa makes herself indispensible to the cause and to Edward’s family. She houses them in her Belgium mansion and eventually the entire printing of the illegal newspaper takes place in her secret basement. As the plot grows so does Isa’s maturity and faith. In the end she becomes quite likeable and admirable. Edward begins to find himself quite drawn to the brave beautiful young woman.
Danger lurks in Belgium in World War I and the plot twists will keep you guessing and cause you no small amount of anxiety. Germans invade the mansion and the woman Edward loves in suddenly in extreme danger.
And that’s all I’m going to tell you.
Lang writes with wonderful description and thoroughness. However, if you are looking for a light easy read this is not the book for you. The plot is a bit slow moving at times and the extremely descriptive war chronicles can get very long especially if you are not familiar with World War I. Isa is completely unlikeable at first but I promise she will grow on you. Edward is entirely intriguing either but he too becomes a character rich with depth. The plot is clever and will keep you guessing. As always, I appreciated the historical aspects but in many ways this was even a bit much for a history buff like myself. It’s definitely worth a read though, just be ready to sit down for awhile.  

Rated: Pg-13 for war violence

Billy Graham in Quotes

Sigh....I absolutely love this book. Billy Graham has recently become my hero (for reasons I will explain in a later post) so when I had the chance to review this book I jumped at it. I'll also fully admit that I haven't read every single little quote yet because I'm still mulling them all over. Anyway, enough about that.


Billy Graham in Quotes is a unique collection of the thoughts of the most well known evangelist and pastors of our time. The authors have gleaned material from Graham’s seven decades of ministry, drawing from both his published and personal works. The material is then arranged topically for easy reference, covering subjects from A – Y, abortion to young people. Each quote is footnoted so you can find the source of the quotation.

A full 387 pages long this book will keep you reading and learning for days. There is nothing particularly profound about any of the quotes. They clearly reflect their author as they are straight shooting, down to earth, and easy to understand. Quotes such as, "once you have been to the foot of the cross, you will never be the same." and "God welcomes our prayers. He is much more concerned about our hearts than our eloquence." are absolutely beautiful in their simplicity.

This is a book you will want for your library. I've been using it as part of my devotion time and I am loving it. Graham is a man of integrity and a man who has walked with God steadfastly though his life. He continually points to Jesus and therefore I can read this and enjoy what God can do in a single willing soul.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher through the BookSneeze®.com http://BookSneeze®.com book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own.

The Inconvenient Marriage of Charlotte Beck

Charlotte Beck is young, impetuous, and she has big dreams. Alex Hambly likes looking at the stars and has no room for Miss Beck in his life. Quite unexpectedly Charlotte falls literally into his arms one evening. Sparks fly, and not the good kind. Charlotte is an American heiress on the verge of becoming a lady of society and Alex finds her both disarming and annoying all at the same time. Through a series of predictable events Charlotte and Alex are thrust into each others lives over and over again.  When Alex's father dies and he learns his family estate is almost in ruins Charlotte's father steps in to save the day. Promising Charlotte to him with a handsome dowry attached Alex and Charlotte agree to marry. Their marriage of inconvenience starts out as a sham but as you would expect it grows into something much more.

I'll be honest, Y'Barbo is not my favorite author. Her stories always sound enticing and fun and the covers always look amazing and yet I am always left wanting when I'm done reading. She's published a number of books so I can't say it's lack of experience but she almost writes that way. The characters are not well developed and in many cases she adds unnecessary characters to prove a point and it just gets messy. For instance, Alex's older brother who is troubled after war and is not able to take over the estate. He's brought in so the reader knows why Alex has to take over and then we never hear about him again. It's just a little messy and unnecessary in my eyes. However, this was an easy cute read. The Beck family is good friends with Buffalo Bill Cody and I enjoyed reading more about his Wild West Show. Alex's commitment to his marriage is admirable and ultimately the book ends just as you would want and expect.

I received this book from Waterbrook Multnomah for the purpose of review. All opinions are my own.