Heaven is for Real Book Review

Heaven Is for Real: A Little Boy's Astounding Story of His Trip to Heaven and Back by Todd Burpo
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I had seen this movie before I read the book. Heaven Is for Real is a true story about a little boy's journey to heaven during the battle of his life from a ruptured appendicitis.

If I hadn't seen the movie first, I think I would have had a hard time following the story. The prologue jumps to the summer after Colton's ordeal, then the first chapter takes us back to the beginning. I preferred the order of events in the movie over the book. Regardless, Colton's illness, in addition to his recovery, was a much longer and rocky road. I flew through that part of the book. The story brings hope and comfort to those who have lost loved ones. In addition to giving us an idea what to expect when we make our own journey.

It's a wonderful story that I think every Christian family should read.
The one irony of Colton's story that boggles my mind, the people who should believe him are the biggest skeptics!





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Beauty's Beast by Amanda Ashley

Beauty's Beast by Amanda Ashley
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Beauty's Beast is Beauty and the Beast meets The Phantom of the Opera. Kristine, condemned for murder, escapes the executioner's blade when the cursed lord of Hawksbridge Castle buys her to be his bride.

I've been looking forward to this book ever since I read a sneak peek. I'm a fan of anything B&tB and this tale didn't disappoint. The plot was interesting and stayed true to the classic tale. Even so, I found parts of it to be unpredictable. There was a part in the book that reminded me of Maiden's Song, but the plot twisted from there. One thing that frustrates me is I can't remember the name of the book I read that begins the same way with the condemned heroine. They cut her hair off, too. I wish I could remember the title, but it continues to elude me.

I recommend this book if you love Beauty and the Beast and/or The Phantom of the Opera. Another good read from Ms. Ashley!




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10 Books That Have Never Left You

Here's my list of 10 books that have never left me, in no particular order.

1.  Beauty and the Beast by Gabrielle-Suzanne Barbot de Villeneuve
2.  A Rose in Winter by Kathleen Woodiwiss
3.  Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte
4.  Until Forever by Johanna Lindsey
5.  The Bride and the Beast by Teresa Medeiros
6.  Immortal Sins by Amanda Ashley
7.  The Giving Tree by Shel Silverstein
8/9. Lords of Midnight series by Teresa Medeiros
10. Left Behind by Tim LaHaye & Jerry B. Jenkins

What are your books?  It doesn't have to be a list; you could name only one or two books that have stayed with you.

I continue to work on revisions for The Whisperer of Storms.  I have a tendency to head-hop with POV, thus I'm remedying that.  I have more time to work on revisions now that school has started.
  
Have a good weekend!

Veronica

Jayce

It's been a difficult couple of weeks.  I used to marvel at how my class made it all the way through high school and had two reunions without losing any fellow classmates.  Unfortunately, the inevitable happened.  It hit very close to home.  He was an old friend of mine; taken away from us too soon.  Apart from family, he was my first friend.  I keep waiting to wake up and realize it was only a nightmare.  He can't really be gone.  But he is.  Instead of Hope in the cemetery like Christine Daae wishing he was somehow here again, it's me.  Now, I have the life experience to write about an unexpected death.  I now truly understand the emotions enough to describe them and to make them believable.

I started writing again and I never told him.  He'll never know how much of an influence he had been.  I had captured our friendship in two of my characters in The Whisperer of Storms.  He was my Jayce.  Selfless, loyal, dependable, and gifted.  I find that working on Jayce's character development is therapeutic for me.  It's my way of keeping his memory alive and of letting the world know him.  I think many people who know me will be surprised that I wrote The Whisperer of Storms before he died.  I only wish he knew.

Every morning, I wake up in blissful forgetfulness and it takes a few seconds for me to remember that he's gone.  Many say that we find forgetfulness in sleep.  Then, we wake every morning and the reality sets in that they're gone.  Is it truly forgetfulness, or is it comfort?  Perhaps it is only in sleep that we can hear them speaking to us?

Hold your loved ones close and get in touch with a friend that you haven't seen in a while.  You never know when someone you hold dear will be taken away from you.

Veronica  

Stormy Persuasion by Johanna Lindsey

Stormy Persuasion by Johanna Lindsey
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I enjoyed reading another book from the Malory series. I sometimes had a hard time remembering extended family members from previous books. A family tree would have come in handy. I had a little difficulty focusing on the romance between the main characters, due to a vast number of characters in the story. It left me looking forward to the next novel in the series, which I'm guessing will be Jack Malory's story. I'm left wondering what really happened to her during her ordeal? Hopefully, the next book will elaborate more on it. I recommend this one if you love the Malory's. There's plenty of James and Anthony, but not enough Jeremy.

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Finally by Wendy Mass

Finally by Wendy Mass
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I think the main character of this book should be renamed Murphy, because whatever could go wrong, did! What a hilarious story with an impressive moral. This is a fun story to read with tween-age girls! It was a little slow in the beginning, but picked up speed with Rory's "Murphy" moments. I liked 11 Birthdays more, but this one gave me some good laughs.

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New Teaser Graphic

Dragon Slayer recently completed an updated teaser graphic for The Whisperer of Storms.  I love what she came up with!  I told her to go for a dream-like look and she came through once again.  

Veronica