The Proposal by Lori Wick

William Jennings is content to live alone and enjoy his life as a bachelor. Disdaining the vain, deceitful women of London's high society, he feels no need for a wife. However, when three children arrive at his home with the news that he is now their guardian due to his cousin's passing, his comfortable bachelor's life is thrown into upheaval. Determined to parent the three children as best he can, he visits his estranged sister where he meets the enchanting Marianne Walker and learns that parenting is not an easy job. During his visit with his sister, he questions his beliefs about love, family, children, and most importantly, God. Will he ever find the peace he searches for and can he ever win the attention of Marianne Walker, a woman who his children adore?

I love most of Lori Wick's books and this one is no exception. She draws in the reader in the beginning of the story and doesn't let go until the very last page. This book was romantic and even humorous at times. The characters were well-rounded and realistic. Even Thomas, who was remarkably mature sounding when he spoke, was acknowledged by the other characters that he was overly mature for his age.

I recommend this book to anyone looking for a sweet, romantic read.

Plain Promise by Beth Wiseman

Sadie Fisher is a young, attractive, Amish woman who loves many things: her God, her home, her friends, and her way of life. Still, she struggles with loneliness and her desire to have a family. When faced with the choice of marrying a good, Amish man, or giving up her hope of marriage because of the love she has for an Englischer, who she can never marry, she finds that her choice is not merely about marriage, but about her trust in the loving God she has always worshipped.

This was my first time reading a book with an Amish setting. I was pleasantly surprised at how much I enjoyed this book. It was well-written, the plot moved along at the perfect pace, and the characters engaged me. Sadie, in particular, was an encouragement to me because I enjoy reading about women who are strong in their faith. Her life does not always turn out the way she hopes for, but though all the doubts and struggles, she clings to her God and grows closer to him.

I would recommend this book to anyone who is looking for an inspirational, sweet, entertaining romance story.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from BookSneeze.com as part of their Blogger Review Program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commision's 16 CFR, Part 255: "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising."

A Modest Proposal

In A Modest Proposal,author Jonathan Swift offers what he considers an acceptable proposal to help end poverty, homelessness, and a plethora of societies problems. He objectively lays out his proposal and all the reasons he can find to support it. He writes clearly of how his proposal can be implemented and what could be the expected outcome.

I admit that before I read this I didn't know that it was a satirical work. I was quite shocked when I read that his proposal to remedy societies problems involved killing and eating young children as if they were young animals. I think it would have been helpful to me to know some information regarding the political climate of Ireland at the time. At the end, I still found myself confused as to what Swift was saying to or about his society. Overall, I did not like A Modest Proposal. Not only was it somewhat confusing to me, but I also found the ideas revolting and the imagery disgusting. Perhaps that I what the author intended? Perhaps not, who knows?

Grace

Grace by Richard Paul Evans is the fictional story of two teenagers whose chance meeting one evening changes both of their lives forever. Grace, a runaway teenage girl who is sheltered by a somewhat innocent, teenage boy, harbors an ugly secret that threatens to ruin not only her life, but the lives of those around her. As their time together continues, their relationship grows and develops into young love which is threatened when Grace's secret can not longer stay hidden.

Ultimately, Grace is a story about growing up and realizing that sometimes life is not the happy fairy-tale that we envision it to be when we are children. While this was not a book that kept me constantly wanting to turn the page, I did enjoy it. Evans' writing style was engaging and believable.

One of the things that I really liked about this book was the reality factor. Things did not always work out perfectly for the characters. Such is true of life. Sometimes things do happen like we want or expect them too; but many times, they do not. I think that too often in fiction books, the happily ever after ending is too predictable from the start and it seems the protagonists almost always have loving Christian families to support them. Unfortunately, that is not true of real life. Grace resonates with an authenticity that many books lack.

Overall, Grace is an excellent read and I would recommend it to a person of any age.