Twelve Unlikely Heroes

"Twelve Unlikely Heroes" by John MacArthur is a really good book. When I first started reading it, I thought it would just be a lot of stuff I already knew about some specific people in the Bible. I was wrong. This book is filled with facts that I had never heard before, including speculations on what Onesimus went on to do with his life after restoration with Philemon, details about Roman slavery, more about the world Esther lived in and reasons why four years passed before the king began to look for a new queen, etc...I thoroughly enjoyed the book and loved the fact that Mr. MacArthur briefly went back through all of the heroes in his book in the epilogue. After sharing about them again, he pointed out that the ultimate Hero in these stories is our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ!! He is the one who led Esther to the palace and used her to preserve the Jewish people again, HE is the one who did great miracles to deliver Miriam and all of the Israelites from the Egyptians, and on and on...These great people in God's Word were merely tools in the hands of a Mighty God. God wants us to be willing to be tools for Him as well. Am I willing? I received a complimentary copy of this book from Booksneeze and I was not asked to submit a positive or negative review. This is my personal opinion.

The Wedding Dress

"The Wedding Dress" by Rachel Hauck was a really good story. I told my husband that it was one of those books you could curl up with on a rainy day and just read for hours. Girls love a good romance story and here we had at least four. We were able to go back in time, learn a little history, and also learn how a very special dress could connect these special women. At times I thought the symbolism with the dress and the Gospel was a little stretched, but a good idea nonetheless. The story would've been good without any symbolism, in fact. It was an interesting addition to the book though. I found myself really wanting to see this dress after reading so much about its beauty. The ladies that we learned about in the book were amazing. Emily was daring, courageous, and not too concerned about what people thought of her. Hillary was strong enough to survive great heartache and to learn after many years that God had used her greatly. Mary Grace was a humble and grateful woman. Last but not least, Charlotte was a woman of faith and love. I would recommend this book and I would probably give it 3.5 out of 5 stars.

Thank you, Booksneeze for providing me with a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

"Blue Moon Promise"

"Blue Moon Promise" by Colleen Coble was a good book. I would not go so far as to say it was great, but it was enjoyable. You can definitely see Colleen's love for the "marriage of convenience" storyline. In fact, the last four books I've read of hers have had a very similar love story.

The main characters in this book were likable. Lucy sometimes was a bit whiney to me, but you learn to love her and cheer her on in her quest to find a true love. Nate was a very patient and committed man.

I thought that some parts of the story were rushed or underdeveloped. I was confused by the relationship between Nate Stanton and Paddy O'Brien. Unless I missed something, which is possible, O'Brien was furious with Stanton on one occasion, and on the next they seemed perfectly fine. Also, I thought the ending was rushed. I knew something big would happen, but when it did the book was just about over.

Overall, the story was intriguing and unique. It just wasn't my favorite of hers. I would still give it 4 stars and recommend it. Colleen Coble is my mother's favorite author and she's hooked me on her books as well.

Thank you, Booksneeze for my complimentary copy. I was not required to write a positive or negative review of this book.