Thursday 19 July 2012

Changes of Heart by Paige Lee Elliston

Just finished reading another book.  I was not at all happy with the ending.  It was a very well written book and did really keep me guessing till the end! 
It's about a recently widowed woman who has two very different men interested in her.  At first she can't even fathom looking at someone romantically.  Eventually she realizes she has a decision to make.
I wanted her to pick the opposite person.  I won't say much more because I don't want to wreck the ending.  Suffice to say, there is a happy ending but that it wasn't the man that I would have picked.  Maybe you will feel differently!

Gifts of Hope by Heather Hunt

Gifts of Hope is the second in The Gift Series.  This can be read as a stand alone, however, so if you haven't read the first one yet, no big deal!  Dive right in.  I think you'll like it.
I enjoyed this book.  I liked that it wasn't trying to be the typical Christian fiction, you know, all nice and tidy and neat.  For instance, where the worst transgression is a huge misunderstanding between friends.  Don't get me wrong, I like that too!  This one had a misunderstanding of mammoth proportion.  But I liked that that the author wasn't afraid to show the messy side of things.  I liked thinking, "Boy, if they had just followed the path that God lays out, none of this would have happened."  It gives me hope that my own kids will, hopefully, follow the paths of righteousness.  Yet, if they did mess up, there is forgiveness, grace, and mercy.  I, for one, am SO relieved that God majors in grace!
The story was intriguing, the characters well developed and the love portrayed seemed very realistic.  I did find the 6 year old a bit older than her age.  I found her quite precocious though, so I was able to get past it.  I do wish sometimes, that characters would open up and be honest a little sooner.  Of course, that would have considerably shortened the novel, so I can understand why the book wasn't written that way. 
Overall, a great book.  I will definitely read more of her work.

Gifts of Life by Heather Hunt - a review

I just finished reading Gifts of Life by Heather Hunt.  I liked it a lot.  So much so, that my next read is Gifts of Hope which I will start right after this blog post!
The main character experiences some serious tragedy and I like that it was realistic.  I also like that the author didn't focus on the crime as much as she focussed on the woman.  We got very good insight into her heart and head.  I enjoyed that.  I also liked that things weren't so tied in a pretty bow from the outset.  I love that the rascally man had anothe side to him.  And I enjoyed that the author focussed on both of them, their thoughts, their actions and their hearts.
The story itself was pretty fast paced.  We got a very good look at what life as helicopter pilot and nurse looks like.  The intrigue, the adrenaline rush, the sad fact that not everyone can be saved.
It was a really good story with incredibly descriptive moments.  I would recommend it and I will definitely be reading more of Heather Hunt's material! 
Happy Reading everyone!

Down 23 pounds!

Actually, if I take the measurement off the scale from this morning, it's close to 25....but after I hit a new number, it goes up and down a bit (time of day etc) for a couple days before holding steady. So I'll just report the 23....for now.  Yay!  I have never lost weight like this before and am so pleased! 
To date, I've lost six inches off my waist, my chest has gone down so much, I probably need new bras and today I tried on a 'large' at Labels and it fit!  So ya, I'm pretty pumped!