The Widow of Saunders Creek

I was intrigued by the description I read of this book when it became available for review, and had actually planned to buy it at some point to read if I was never given the chance to review it for free!  Well, it came available again in ebook form so I snatched up the chance and was so glad I did!

Tracy Bateman's book, "The Widow of Saunders Creek," is described by the publisher, "A grief that knows no boundary, a love without any limit, a need that doesn't end at death."  The protagonist, Corrie, has lost her husband of seven years in the contemporary Iraqi war.  It's been seven months since his unexpected death, and she has decided to move back to the Missouri Ozarks and live in the 150 year old farmhouse that she inherited through her deceased husband, who inherited it from his family.

Corrie believes that moving into the farmhouse where her husband spent his summers and much of his childhood will somehow draw her closer to the man she loved . . . . but all is not as it seems, and very soon Corrie finds herself facing what she believes could be a ghost, but what her husband's preacher cousin firmly states is anything but.

Apparently this is considered something of a "paranormal romance" genre of Christian fiction.  Let me say that the paranormal is dealt with well without being overboard, and appropriately from a Christian standpoint as well, I felt.  This book makes for a great read, it was just riveting enough to keep the pages turning but was also not shallow. The characters are deep enough to be well appreciated!

I would give this book 5/5 stars! That's how much I enjoyed it. I read half of it in just a couple hours!

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Thanks to Blogging for Books for the complimentary ebook copy of "The Widow of Saunders Creek" in exchange for my review. Please note that all opinions expressed are my own. 

The Girl in the Glass

The knowledge that I would be reading a book that involved Italy and the city of Florence, Italy in particular was what originally drew me to this book, The Girl in the Glass by Susan Meissner.  The synopsis sounded interesting, too, but truly it was about location, location! And I can say I was not disappointed.

I also found myself really liking several of the characters, including the protagonist.  They seemed real and engaging.

The plot itself was definitely good, with just enough suspense to keep you wanting to read more, without being a bonafide suspense or thriller! There were some very quotable phrases. I dogeared them to return and read them again!

I had never had the pleasure of reading anything written by Susan Meissner. But this book was a splendid introduction to her works!  I highly recommend it, I give it a 5/5 stars!

I would deeply appreciate it if you'd click on this link and rate my review of "The Girl in the Glass" on Blogging for Books' site!  If the link doesn't work, simply search for me by my full name under "Bloggers" on the right hand side. It's fast an easy and I'd deeply appreciate it! :) Feel free to also rate any of the other reviews of mine you see listed beneath my name, there are several. 

Thank you to Waterbrook Multnomah's Blogging for Books program for the free advanced reader copy I received. Please note that all opinions stated are my own and are in no way influenced positively or negatively by the fact that I was given a book for free in order to obtain my review.