E-book sale: 99 cents for Eve: In the Beginning by H.B. Moore

Get the e-book of Eve: In the Beginning by H.B. Moore for only 99 cents! 

This is a fascinating perspective and I gave it 5 stars. 

You can read my review here.

(Be sure to check the price since e-book sales are for a limited time)

Synopsis

The first love story on earth... Haunting... Lyrical... Unforgettable...

In a world where everything is perfect, yet the same day after day, Eve must decide if she wants to live forever in the garden with Adam and never know what lies beyond the walls. When she makes a choice with terrible consequences, the pain of mortality is swift. As she and Adam explore their new world, and her body changes, Eve discovers the sweetness of first love with the man who has always been at her side.

E-book sale: $1.99 for Beyond All Dreams by Elizabeth Camden

Only $1.99 for the e-book of Beyond All Dreams by Elizabeth Camden! 

I loved this book and gave it 5 stars- read my review here.

(Be sure to check the price since e-book sales are for a limited time)

Synopsis

Anna O'Brien leads a predictable and quiet life as a map librarian at the illustrious Library of Congress until she stumbles across a baffling mystery of a ship disappeared at sea. She is thwarted in her attempts to uncover information, but her determination outweighs her shyness and she turns to a dashing congressman for help.

Luke Callahan was one of the nation's most powerful congressmen until his promising career became shadowed in scandal. Eager to share in a new cause and intrigued by the winsome librarian, he joins forces with Anna to solve the mystery of the lost ship.

Opposites in every way, Anna and Luke are unexpectedly drawn to each other despite the strict rules forbidding Anna from any romantic entanglement with a member of Congress.

From the gilded halls of the Capitol, where powerful men shape the future of the nation, to the scholarly archives of the nation's finest library, Anna and Luke are soon embroiled in secrets much bigger and more perilous than they ever imagined. Is bringing the truth to light worth risking all they've ever dreamed for themselves?

Review: A Bouquet of Love by Janice Thompson

My rating: 2 stars / It was okay

Synopsis

Cassia Pappas has found herself in a nearly impossible situation. She wants to spend her time immersed in her new job at a Galveston Island floral shop, arranging blooms and brightening occasions with her lovely creations. But her huge Greek family–especially her father–has other ideas. They’ve all relocated to Galveston to open up a new family restaurant location on the Strand– directly across the street from the Rossis’ popular pizza place–and they want Cassia’s full participation.
To make matters worse, as Cassia is trying to develop a strong professional relationship with Galveston’s premier wedding coordinator, Bella Neeley, her own father is intent on stealing all of the Rossi family’s faithful customers. Not exactly the best way to get into Bella’s good graces!
Still, at least Alex, that hot delivery guy from the nursery, is always hanging around the flower shop...

My Review

This was a cute and funny story, but waaaay too chick-lit for me. Written in first person perspective from Cassia's POV, her love interest Alex played second string to a host of other characters, mainly her gruff and stubborn father who alienates his family and neighbors. Definitely reminded me of the film My Big Fat Greek Wedding. By the end of the book the story was focused 100% on Cassia's father and the family's passive-aggressive attempts at changing his competitive mindset. I ended up doing quite a bit of skimming, trying to find a continuation of the storylines involving the flower shop and romance, but they were only referenced briefly. The ending was incredibly cheesy but I suppose it would work in a romantic comedy. I guess this author's style just isn't for me.

(Thank you to Revell Publishing for a copy of the book in exchange for my honest review)

Review: A Brush With Love by Rachel Hauck

My rating: 3 stars / I liked it

Synopsis

Revealing the beauty in other women might be Ginger Winters’s specialty—but it will take an unexpected kind of love to help Ginger see the beauty in herself.
Ginger Winters drapes her hair over her right shoulder and adjusts the scarf around her neck to cover her scarred, withered skin. She’s had the scars since she was twelve, but she’ll never get used to the ugliness.
The fire changed Ginger’s life, but out of the pain and humiliation of her own disfigurement, one quality unexpectedly emerged: a gift for bringing out the beauty in other women. In a twelve-year ascent from top salon jobs in New York, Atlanta, and Nashville, Ginger traveled the world as personal stylist to country music sensation Tracie Blue. The success was almost enough to make her forget her own appearance.
Almost. Now that she’s opened her own salon in Rosebud after a dozen years away, the truth is staring Ginger in the face again: she’s still that girl, ugly and scarred, forever on the outside looking in. And this weekend she’ll be looking in as “beauty-maker” for the Alabama society wedding of the decade.
But when high-school crush Tom Wells shows up looking for a haircut, Ginger’s thinly veiled insecurities threaten to keep her from love once again . . . despite Tom’s best efforts. Can this professional beauty-maker manage to recognize the beauty in herself, or are some scars too deep to powder over?

My Review

I loved how this book started out- such an interesting plot with dynamic characters, but as Ginger keeps on angsting and playing the victim, as well as not giving Tom a chance, the flow stalled for me since there was not much progression happening. Tom's religious and preachy conversations with a mentor also slowed the pacing down. Tom and Ginger had some nice moments together, but Ginger retreats back into her defensive shell so quickly that it was hard to savor. She didn't allow herself to believe that she was worthy of his attention, and her never-ending doubts put a real damper on things. Her perspective on beauty and confidence is skewed by her past trauma but also the tactless and shallow comments by her mother from the time of the accident to present day. It's only once Ginger finds happiness that her mother is able to see the true beauty in her daughter. I was disappointed that the full romance between Tom and Ginger was left out at the end of the story and the epilogue jumped forward to the "happily ever after."

(Thank you to Zondervan Publishing for a copy of the book in exchange for my honest review)