At Love's Bidding by Regina Jennings

At Love's Bidding tells the story of Miranda Wimplegate and her grandfather as they love high society Boston and travel across country to a tiny town backwoods town in search of a painting.

Miranda works with her family in their auction house.  While selling items for a family a painting goes up on the auction block and is sold that wasn't to be there.  When the family that was selling the item threatens to ruin them if the painting is nor ruined, Miranda's grandfather purchases an auction house at a ridiculously low price in belief the painting is there.  Imagine their surprise when they get there that the auction house doesn't sell priceless antiques but rather cattle! 

Wyatt Ballentine runs the auction house and is annoyed when he finds out the new owners know nothing about cattle.  While Miranda's grandfather tries to "get rich" scheme with several different people, Miranda tries her best to learn what she can about selling cattle and between her and Wyatt they try to keep her grandfather out of trouble.

Through it all with Wyatt learn the truth about why they are they?  Will Miranda and Wyatt form an unlikely partnership?  When Wyatt does learn the truth what happens to their relationship?


While I have read some other of Regina Jennings' books.  I did not find this one as good as the others.  It was very difficult to get into and I found it to be uninteresting.  It wasn't until near the end of the book that I found it to be getting exciting and that the book was moving along.  I feel like this book could have had more excitement in it and that it could have moved faster at the start of the story.








"Book has been provided courtesy of Baker Publishing Group and Graf-Martin Communications, Inc."  I was not required to write a positive review.  The opinions I have expressed are entirely my own.

Until the Dawn by Elizabeth Camden

Until the Dawn tells the story of Sophie van Riijin.  Sophie lives in the Hudson River Valley in the late 1800s.  In the small island where she lives is a mansion that was abounded by the family nearly 60 years ago.  The Vandermark family believes their family home is curses.  There has been mysterious deaths and none of the females in the family lived very long.   

Sophie has set up a weather station on the roof of the mansion and makes daily reports to the new Weather Bureau that has been created.    Out of the blue one day heir to the family estate Quentin shows up with his son Pieter with the intention of destroying the mansion on the orders of his grandfather Nickolaas.

When the truth of what has been happening at the mansion when no family has been living there, Quentin immediately fires the two staff who have been taking care of the mansion and orders Sophie to stay away.  Sophie is able to convince him to hire her as cook and eventually re-hire the staff.  When Nickolaas shows up the truth of the mansion slowly starts to come out.  Not out does the truth of the mansion comes out, but so does the reason for the wealth of the family.

Sophie works hard to not only save the mansion but to also change Quentin in the way he feels about life and his relationship with his son. 

Ms. Camden does a remarkable job.  You can almost see the beauty of the mansion and the surrounding areas.    Sophie's sunny disposition is a bright part of the story.   You feel Quentin's agony through the constant pain he is and her desire to help him.    Ms Camden draws you into each character.  I very much enjoyed this book and it was very hard to put down! 

"Book has been provided courtesy of Baker Publishing Group and Graf-Martin Communications, Inc."  I was not required to write a positive review.  The opinions I have expressed are entirely my own.

The Painter's Daughter by Julie Klassen

 

 The Painter's Daughter by Julie Klassen is about Sophie Dupont.  Sophie assists her father in his studio and does her own work as well.  A young man by the name of Wesley Overtree comes to learn from her father.  When Captain Stephen Overtree comes looking for his brother to bring home, he finds his brother has sailed for Italy and has left Sophie in series trouble.  He does the honorable thing by offering Sophie marriage "in name only".  If he were to die in battle, she would be a respected widow.  Stephen is the complete opposite of Wesley, but realizing she has no other choice, Sophie agrees to the marriage.  Sophie returns with Stephen to his home in Overtree Hall.  What happens as they settle in?  What happens when Wesley returns to find the love of his life married to his brother?  What happens when Stephen goes off to battle?  Will Sophie and Stephen ever truly learn to love each other?  What will their families think when they discover the truth?

Julie Klassen has written another remarkable story.   She captivates you from the very beginning and draws you into the characters.   You feel the heartbreak of Sophie and the anguish in the decision she has to make.  You feel the dismay Wesley feels when he comes home to find Sophie married to his brother.  You also wonder about the mysterious nurse Winnie and what she is up to.  Her descriptions of Overtree Hall is almost like a paining that you are looking at.    This is a book that once you pick it up, you don't want to put it down - especially as you near the end! (Which is why I was up to 1am one night finishing it!)

"Book has been provided courtesy of Baker Publishing Group and Graf-Martin Communications, Inc."  I was not required to write a positive review.  The opinions I have expressed are entirely my own.

Delighting in God by A. W. Tozer

Delighting in God is a collection of sermons by A. W. Tozer. 

He talks about many of the attributes of God and what God has revealed about himself to us.  He takes those and applies if to our Christian life and worship.  He mentions several times how are we are here to serve him but we can do that better by knowing and delighting in who he is.  By doing this we can find joy and comfort.

Many of the sermons I did enjoy. He talked about the problems that were facing the church in his time, of which many you can still see in the church today.  I love how he ended each chapter with a hymn.  Many of the ones he used I have never heard of before.

While there were aspects of the book I enjoyed, I found several parts hard to fully understand.  Maybe it's because I was reading a sermon and you can't hear the tone or inflection of the preacher's voice as he is preaching, but I felt some of what he was saying not easy to comprehend.

I think this book would be a good study book.  One to be read slowly and discussed in a group.

I received this book from Bethany House Publishers for the sole purpose of this review.  I was not required to write a positive review.  The opinions I have expressed are entirely my own.