Nectar, Lily Prior

Book Review: Well I will start off by saying that you should be a mature adult to read this book. The content in this book is very inappropriate for young readers. 

In my opinion that is why I didnt like the book, there was to much. I did like the way the author describes her characters and the enviroment around them.

Book Synopsis: Ramona Drottoveo is a haughty, unsightly albino woman whose sole asset is her intoxicating and magical aroma. She works as a chambermaid at a luxurious Italian country estate where men desire her and she readily satiates their lust. In an act of defiance, she marries the one man who resisted her, the quiet beekeeper. But when he catches her with another man on their wedding day, he kills himself. When the beekeeper's body disappears and strange events befall the estate, the townspeople blame Ramona and her lover. Exiled, they end up in Naples, where Ramona continues to use her sexually charged aroma to get what she wants. However, when she conceives and has a child, Ramona's smell vanishes. Without money, a lover, or her spellbinding scent, Ramona humbly returns to the country estate with her daughter in tow to a surprising response and her ultimate fate. Following La Cucina (2000), Prior once again explores the power of the senses in a lush and bawdy tale of sex, desire, and the certainty of retribution. Carolyn Kubisz
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

for more information or purchase:http://www.amazon.com/Nectar-Novel-Temptation-Lily-Prior/dp/0060936827/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1251401723&sr=8-3

Love Artist, Jane Alison

Book Review: Well let me start off by saying I am very picky with my books, if they dont catch my attention in the first few chapters then I will not finish it. When I picked up this book I did not want to put it down, it catch my attention in the first few pages. I love the Jane Alison describes her chatacter. She goes in depth, so when you are reading it you can acually picture what that character really looks like or the place that she is describing. This was an awesome book and I would recommend this book to anyone. It is in the era when Emperor Augustus and the time of Jesus Christ.

I love this book so much that I want to buy it to have on my little book shelve!

Book Synopsis: Little is known about Ovid's life in exile in the first century A.D., and only two lines of his acclaimed Medea survive today. In this strong debut novel, Alison reimagines Ovid's sojourn on the east coast of the Black Sea, where Emperor Augustus, in the middle of a campaign to restore morality to his new empire, has banished the poet, displeased by the success of his Loves and The Art of Love. Here Ovid meets Xenia, a wild-eyed young woman who lives in isolation. The only literate person in her community, Xenia acts as town mystic, casting spells, healing the sick and telling futures. Ovid, who admits he believes in Amazons, with "their strong sweating thighs clutching galloping horses, wild howls coming from their parched, cracked mouths," is eager to be stunned by the "fishy, monstrous, unreal." He imagines the jealous, stormy Xenia to be his Galatea and sweeps her back to Rome, where she unwittingly becomes the muse for the lost Medea, his darkest work. From Alison's depiction of a trio of gossips at a patrician's dinner party, "dark eyes flying from one to the other like torches," to her description of an evening walk in Rome freighted with the knowledge that thousands of animals are "denned beneath the city's streets until they were let out, half starved, to devour terrified criminals or be speared in the emperor's shows," she demonstrates familiarity and ease with her subject; and her historic detail is never pedantic. Even those unfamiliar with Ovid and Roman history will delight in this tale of romantic intrigue, rife with blood, jealous rage and the consciousness of human frailty.
Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

For more information or buy:http://www.amazon.com/Love-Artist-Novel-Jane-Alison/dp/B001KZHG5Q/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1250258862&sr=8-1#

Small Acts of Grace, Alice Gray

Book review: I got this book as a Graduation gift and when I first got I was like huh? "is she trying to tell me something?" But as I started reading it I realized even if she was I didnt care because I really enjoyed the book. I read chapter a day. I love that at the end of every chapter are discussion questions/or for you to journal about. I journaled all my answers and it really made me think about things. There are some simple ways to show acts of grace. I recommend this book to all women.

Book Synopsis: Among the many wondrous ways of a woman is the inborn desire to make a difference in the world. For as long as she can remember there has been a deep longing to nurture, comfort, help, teach, and bless those around her. A woman's dreams can be as magnificent as training a child, as lofty as launching a corporation, as gentle as wrapping her arms around someone in need, or as innovative as a little girl opening a lemonade stand to raise money for charity.
In Treasures for Women Who Make a Difference, best-selling author Alice Gray helps women celebrate the joy in touching someone else's life with help and hope. At the same time it is a guide for those still looking for their path of purpose. courtesy of Amazon.com

For more information or purchase: http://www.amazon.com/Small-Acts-Grace-Difference-Ordinary/dp/084990448X/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1245954884&sr=8-1

The Outsider, Ann H, Gabhart

Book Review: My friend bought me this book and when I saw it I thought it was going to be a really good book. It was a good christian romance novel, but as a christian I didnt believe in the things the "shakers" believed. I am not going to get into what they believe, but if you are a christian then you probably will be the same way. If you like romance then this book is good for that. All I really have to say is that I am glad that I was not raised the way the children are raised in this book.

Book Synopsis:Shaker romance" might seem like an oxymoron, but Gabhart (Summer of Joy) pens an interesting if emotionally lukewarm historical tale that explores the fascinating world of a religious Shaker community. The predictable story line is less compelling than the details about the Shakers and their stringent religious beliefs, with celibacy key to the plot. Set amid the War of 1812, the point of view shifts between the two romantic leads. Twenty-year-old Sister Gabrielle Hope's spiritual visions enable her to see future events. Although she's committed to the Shaker community of Harmony Hill (based on Kentucky's real-life Pleasant Hill), a few words and a kiss from the widowed outsider Dr. Brice Scott cause her to question the life she and her mother have chosen. More uncertainty follows as the strict rules of the community separate mothers from their children. Disappointingly, the romance never tingles, and even the novel's darker scenes of suicide and military execution are emotionally flat. But fans of Beverly Lewis's Amish novels may find Gabhart's well-researched historical fiction to their liking. (Aug.)Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

for more information or to purchase:http://search.barnesandnoble.com/booksearch/isbninquiry.asp?r=1&r=1&ISBN=9780800732394

Praying through life's problems, Stormie Omartian and other women

Book Review: I was a little worried about reading this book, because I have read alot of self-help books and I just get really bored with them really fast, but this book I wanted to finish reading. Reading the stories that these Godly women wrote and what the faced made me really think about my own life, and that my struggles are not as bad as some of theirs. Even these women had a hard time with focusing on the Lord in their times of trouble, but they all showed me many ways that I can rely on the Lord and come back to His faithfulness. We may think that He is not there, but He always is and is waiting patiently for us to talk to Him.

Book Synopsis: When the pain of life hits, where do you go with it?
Praying Through Life's Problems urges you to take your suffering to the One who numbers the hairs on our heads and gives us our very life and breath. Offering transformational messages from Stormie Omartian, Joni Eareckson Tada, Leslie Vernick, Catherine Hart Weber, Dr. Joseph and Mary Ann Mayo, Linda S. Mintle, and Diane Langberg, this book will help you stay on course and stay connected to God when hard times come.
From praying through every situation that arises, to developing a healthy body image and working through both the wounds of the past and the fears of the future, this book offers page after page of gentle hope. Hope that will whisper God's love to your soul as He calls you to an extraordinary trust in Him. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

For more information or purchase: http://www.amazon.com/Praying-Through-Lifes-Problems-Extraordinary/dp/1591452031/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1242409756&sr=8-1

Ransom, Julie Garwood

Book Review (By Ayla): I started reading this book and couldnt even get past the second chapter because it was boring.

Book Review (By Mimi): First let me say that this book was originally reviewed by Ayla, and for a while a considered simply commenting on her post with my review, it seemed easier to insert it into the body so it's all together! Love you Ayla! lol:O)

After reading her review on Ransom, I HAD to read it for myself! Simply because I ADORE Historical Fiction and its counterpart Historical Romance. In my opinion they should go hand-in-hand! Yes, I'm a romantic at heart!

Now, when most people think of Historical Romances, they wouldn't be necessarily wrong if they lumped it all into the Harlequin Romance genre. But a well-written Historical Romance or HR for future reference, can be a beautiful thing! I never read an HR for the sexual content, as is the first comment I get when I tell them I'm reading this genre. The sexual content is least of what interests me, if at all! A well written HR explores much more! It is usually a study in period norms which includes dress, habits, transport, architecture, literature, art, lifestyle, fashions, speech, vocabulary, historical facts and characters loosely or not so loosely based in fiction, etc.!!!
I'm also into the traditionally dashing, debonair, heroic gentleman of the romanticized Renaissance and the burly, demanding knight of the middle ages...not necessarily in that order! Coupled with the equally romanticized intelligent yet feminine, strong-willed yet delicate heroins of the traditional HR! Escapism right?

Julie Garwood captures these features in her characters with Ransom! She has a truly refreshing take on the dashing knight and the princess-in-need-of-rescue theme! Some of the key elements in Brodick Buchanan (a Scottish Highlander) and Lady Gillian's story, in a nutshell:
- Her father is murdered by an evil Lord Alford.
- The story centers around Arianna's Box, a stolen jewelled box that belonged to King John's mistress.
- An evil plot is hatched by a Highland traitor to murder the laird of a Highland clan whereby his young brother was set to be kidnapped.
- Lady Gillian rescues the unfortunate boy and so meets Brodick.

What I thoroughly enjoyed about this book is the utter chivalry of the male characters. In the modern day and age where women are portrayed as liberated and equals of men it is indeed refreshing to see an author with a different view of the female-male relationship. The female characters in Ransom are far from shrinking violets! They are strong, brave, resourceful and in this is their beauty. The male heroes are far from overbearing and ogre-like, but instead they value the women they are portrayed with, they are quick to sing her praises, protective to a fault, respectful, and sincere.

As for the adult content in this novel, I was glad to see that the author upheld a Christian-like and indeed old-fashioned outlook on intimacy. For all the novels in this genre that I have read which contain a more 'modernized' narration of sexual intimacy, this book was refreshingly old-fashioned.

I would definitely recommend this novel for any reader who is not only interested in the Historical Romance genre, but also for anyone who is looking to escape to the realm where knights wear shining armor...or kilts(!) and women who are in need of rescuing!

Book Synopsis:In Ransom, New York Times bestselling author Julie Garwood returns to her beloved Highlands and the dark days of the despotic rule of King John to reacquaint readers with Scottish chieftain Brodick Buchanan, first introduced in The Secret. Brodick finds himself playing protector to Gillian, an exquisite English beauty, who is desperate to find her long-lost sister and a treasure of incalculable worth--one for which many already have died, including Gillian's own father. Coerced by the fiendish Baron Alford, who murdered her father before her eyes and usurped her birthright 14 years earlier, Gillian must return to England with Arianna's Box, a bejeweled golden box commissioned by King John, or her beloved Uncle Morgan will be tortured to death. In spite of Gillian's fragile looks and her loathsome English bloodlines, Brodick encounters a woman of immeasurable courage and determination, one not at all intimidated by his legendary temper or imposing size. And as he realizes that he has met his match in Gillian--whose sense of honor and duty equals his own--their passion for each other grows ever stronger in this thrilling historical. --Alison Trinkle --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.


For more information or purchase:http://www.amazon.com/Ransom-Julie-Garwood/dp/074347418X/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1241634055&sr=8-1

The Relief of Imperfection, For Women Who Try Too Hard to Make It Just Right, Joan C. Webb

Book Review: I bought this book when I first started my membership with Crossings. I have read it. I really did not enjoy it, but maybe it is because I do not strive to make everything just right. If you are a women that is a perfectionist and have to have everything perfect or your day just does not go right unless it is perfect then this is a great book for you to read.

Book Synopsis: Dear Lord, I pray that all limitations, weaknesses, defects, pain, hurt, mistakes, embarrassment, and imperfection in my personal and public life, relationships and circumstances be eliminated. This book is for any woman who has ever prayed this prayer or for the one who has even thought it. Joan Webb, a self-proclaimed recovering perfectionist, knows how hard it is for determined and caring women to step into the relief of imperfection. And yet, this is exactly what God wants for us. The Relief of Imperfection encourages the reader to believe the truth about God, others, herself and her reality, thus eventually releasing her from the pursuit of perfection to relax in the relief of imperfection. Webb provides real-life stories, including how Jesus lived in the midst of imperfect surroundings, to show that it is OK with God to cease trying to appear perfect and have all the right answers all the time. Readers will find permission to stop pretending and start enjoying authentic, intimate relationships with others, with themselves and with God. Courtesy of Amazon.com

For more information or purchase:http://www.amazon.com/Relief-Imperfection-Women-Hard-Right/dp/0830744819

To Kill a Mockingbird, Harper Lee

Book Review: This book was a reading assignment in High School. We had to read it and write a report on it. I was the first one done with reading the book, but I never did the report because I cant write a report worth anything, so I got half credit, oops! I enjoyed reading the book. I laughed and worried when the characters were.

Book Synopsis:Harper Lee's classic novel of a lawyer in the deep south defending a black man charged with the rape of a white girl

One of the best-loved stories of all time, To Kill a Mockingbird has earned many distinctions since its original publication in 1960. It won the Pulitzer Prize, has been translated into more than forty languages, sold more than thirty million copies worldwide, and been made into an enormously popular movie. Most recently, librarians across the country gave the book the highest of honors by voting it the best novel of the twentieth century. Courtesy of Barnes and Nobles( www.bn.com)

For more information or purchase:http://search.barnesandnoble.com/To-Kill-a-Mockingbird/Harper-Lee/e/9780446310789/?itm=4

Burned, Ellen Hopkins

Book Review: I was in Barnes and Nobles just looking around and I picked this book up and I told my husband that I wanted it, so we bought it. I read it that night, I really enjoyed this book about a Mormon girl. I related to a lot of things she was going threw and the things she wanted to do. I thought it was a good read. I also loved the poetic way of writing in this book, it made it easier to read!

Book Synopsis:Raised in a stern, abusive Mormon household, a teenage girl starts to question her religion and struggles to find her destiny.

Her father is abusive, her mother is submissive, and her church looks the other way. Confused and angry, Pattyn Von Stratten acts out and is sent to live with an aunt on a Nevada ranch. She finds the love and acceptance she craves, with disturbing consequences. Courtesy of Barnes and Nobles (www.bn.com)

For more information or purchase:http://search.barnesandnoble.com/Burned/Ellen-Hopkins/e/9781416903543

Hope for a Woman's Heart, Kathy Troccoli

Book Review: This book was inspirational to me. I enjoyed reading it. I have it next to my bed on the table just in case I need a little inspiration. I love Kathy Toccoli's music, I sang her song "Go Light Your World"! She is very inspirational to me. Even though this book is very small it has alot of things that touched my heart dearly!

Book Synopsis:Award-winning Christian artist, Kathy Troccoli has also gained popularity as a speaker and respected author in recent years. Known for her deep compassion and strong convictions, Kathy ministers hope to hurting women in her book, Hope for a Woman's Heart. Having gone through difficult times in her own life--including losing both of her parents to cancer and struggling with depression--she speaks with the conviction of one who has walked the road of the brokenhearted.

Through song lyrics, real-life stories, and inspirational thoughts, Kathy praises God for His sovereignty and encourages women to lean on the One who can offer rest, comfort, and healing.

--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

For more information or purchase:http://cgi.ebay.com/New-Hope-for-a-Womans-Heart-by-Kathy-Troccoli-HB_W0QQitemZ390014877545QQcmdZViewItemQQptZUS_Nonfiction_Book?hash=item5aceb2bf69&_trksid=p3286.c0.m14&_trkparms=72%3A1205%7C66%3A2%7C65%3A12%7C39%3A1%7C240%3A1318%7C301%3A1%7C293%3A1%7C294%3A50#ebayphotohosting

Anne of Green Gables, Lucy Maud Montgomery

Book Review: I love this book, I have the Anne of Green Gables 3 volumes in 1! I could read this book a million times over. I love that the television production by Kevin Sullivan was based on the book. I could watch THAT a million times! My favorite time to read this book and watch the TV adaptation is during the fall. I could go on about this book, but my mind is so busy trying to think of what I need to say about it. I love the period it took place, I would love to be back there and experience the things they did.

Book Synopsis:Anne, an eleven-year-old orphan, is sent by mistake to live with a lonely, middle-aged brother and sister on a Prince Edward Island farm and proceeds to make an indelible impression on everyone around her.

This is the classic and immensely popular first novel in the series about Anne Shirley, an irrepressible red-headed orphan. The Cuthberts decide to adopt an orphan--a strong, hardworking boy to help with the farm chores. Anne is sent to live with them by mistake. Talkative, romantic and imaginative, Anne must convince the Cuthberts to keep her. Once adopted, Anne embraces her new life with energy, and no one who meets her is ever the same. Courtesy of ebay.com

more information or purchase:http://cgi.ebay.com/Anne-of-Green-Gables-by-Lucy-Maud-Montgomery-_W0QQitemZ370195867960QQcmdZViewItemQQimsxZ20090502?IMSfp=TL090502119004r18307

The Inheritance, Louisa May Alcott

Book Review: This the the first book she has written. She wrote it at the age seventeen, so I was a little hesitate to read it. But after the first chapter I was hooked. I love her characters and I feel that the main character could be a representation of Louisa May Alcott. I read parts of "Little Women", which is one of her famous books, and I enjoyed it, I think I am going to go back and read the rest of it. Inheritance is some what of a love story, but it is based upon one girls life that is poor and lives with the wealthy.

Book Synopsis:Here at last is the book "Jo" wrote. Generations of fans have longed to plumb that first romance, hinted at so captivatingly on the pages of Little Women, Alcott's autobiographical classic. Now, after nearly one hundred fifty years spent among archived family documents, Louisa May Alcott's debut novel finally reaches its eager public. Set in an English country manor, the story follows the turbulent fortunes of Edith Adelon, an impoverished Italian orphan whose loyalty and beauty win her the patronage of wealthy friends until a jealous rival contrives to rob her of her position. In the locket around her neck, she carries a deep secret about her natural birthright. But an even greater truth lies hidden in Edith's heart - her deep reverence for the kind and noble Lord Percy, the only friend who can save her from the deceitful, envious machinations of Lady Ida. Reminiscent of Jane Austen in its charms, this chaste but stirringly passionate novel affirms the conquering power of both love and courtesy. Synopsis Copyright of Barns & Nobles

For more information or to purchase:http://www.amazon.com/Inheritance-Penguin-Classics-Louisa-Alcott/dp/0140436669/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1241401657&sr=8-1

Loving Your Man Without Losing Your Mind, Susie Davis

Book Review: Is an awesome book to read if you want to know a little more about how your husband thinks and reacts to certain things. Gives some good insight on how we as wives should treat our husbands. I thought it was a really good book, I read it in a day and a half.

Book Synopsis: Why is marriage so much harder than anyone ever dared to imagine? And how could the one man that a woman loves most in the world end up becoming the one person that she struggles to live in harmony with? In Loving Your Man Without Losing Your Mind, Susie Davis delivers biblical perspective and practical application intended to open the door for a woman to love her man with an abundance of understanding and grace. Using humor and wise insights, Susie equips wives to contribute to their marriages beyond their wildest expectations creating an atmosphere in which, with the help of God, they realize the marriage of a lifetime. Exploring all the biggies where conflict and problems in marriage are concerned, this book also reminds women to remember often why they married their spouse. Loving Your Man Without Losing Your Mind is the companion at a woman s side to offer straight talk, encouragement, laughter and hope for loving the man of her dreams her husband. Synopsis courtesy of Amazon.com

You can purchase this book at http://www.amazon.com/Loving-Your-Without-Losing-Mind/dp/0830743715