Book Review: The Shack by William Paul Young

Author: William Paul Young
Title: The Shack
Genre: Christian Fiction
Pages: 248
First Published: May 2007
Where I Got It: My Shelf (Xmas gift a while back)

Mackenzie Allen Philips' youngest daughter, Missy, has been abducted during a family vacation, and evidence that she may have been brutally murdered is found in an abandoned shack deep in the Oregon wilderness. Four years later in the midst of his "Great Sadness," Mack receives a suspicious note, apparently from God, inviting him back to that shack for a weekend.

Against his better judgment he arrives at the shack on a wintry afternoon and walks back into his darkest nightmare. What he finds there will change Mack's world forever.

This has been collecting dust on my shelf for a bit. My aunt got this for me. I've avoided it because I knew this was going to be a crier and this did not disappoint. Also, this is technically a "Christian Fiction", so not normally something I grab, but sometimes I'll stumble upon one that looks good. 

Let's go back to the crying-ness. There some sad tears and some happy tears. Mostly sad tears. Ugh....I can't imagine having to deal with this...not at all. I do not have children of my own yet, but I have children in my life I care about. Just...horrible. 

Now, this book is about Mack (the father of the child) and his journey to self-forgiveness and coming to peace with what tore his world apart. It is also a book about Mack finding his way back to God and self-love. 

I didn't expect what the author did when Mack got to shack. Crazy and different. This was the part that got very heavy handed with the religious talk. It was interesting to read the author's view on Christianity. Now, I must applaud the author for not shoving Christianity down the throats of reader. This can be read by those who are not Christians. 

The ending was good. It made me cry. But it was happy tears. 

There is more I would like to say, but there are a lot of spoilers. I will say that I loved Mack's (and even his family's) road to recovery and being able to move forward. I loved the message that was given about forgiveness. Forgiving is important, but one won't ever forget what happened. Forgiving someone who did you ill is not necessarily for the person who did the bad thing...it is a way for the wronged to be able to move forward and not be stuck in the past and wrongs. 

In  the end, this was certainly worth the read even though it was a Christian Fiction and made me cry. I liked the characters. The religion was poured on a little thick, but that is my bias. I shall stamp this with 4 stars. 

Book Review: Legend of the Highland Dragon by Isabel Cooper

Author: Isabel Cooper
Title: Legend of the Highland Dragon (Highland Dragons #1)
Genre: Historical Romance, Fantasy, and Paranormal
Pages: 329
First Published: December 2013
Where I Got It: My Shelf (Given to me by a friend)

Descendants of an ancient alliance, they live for centuries, shifting between human and dragon forms. Some wander the earth; some keep to their lands in Scotland. And Stephen MacAlasdair, the newest lord of the family, must go to London to settle his father’s business affairs. He brings an object of great power and greater darkness. He finds an enemy from his past, whose wrath is still living and deadly. And he meets an ally he’d never have expected.

1894 London, doesn't provide an easy life for women of the lower class, but Mina Seymour has managed to work herself up to a position as the secretary of a famous scholar. When a tall, dark Scottish stranger demands to see her employer, Mina is irritated; when MacAlasdair's departure leaves the professor worried, she’s suspicious. Determined to figure out the situation, she investigates further - and finds a world and a man she could never have imagined.

Love dragons. I don’t read enough books with dragons in them. I should really read more with dragons in them, but they are hard to find. My friend gave this book for me to read since it combines dragons and another love of mine…romance. Exciting! Bound to be a hit, right?

This was okay. Not amazing, but not horrid either…just okay. 

First….MORE DRAGON ACTION PLEASE! There was only a couple of times that he turned into a dragon “on screen”. It was assumed that every night he would transform, but we never got to see that POV. There was one time at the beginning and then twice at the end. Boo! 

Second….I didn’t feel their love and romance. There was barely any chemistry. He felt so cold all the time and she did too. Maybe that is just how they are? I don’t know, but I felt the love was lacking. 

Third….I wanted more understanding of the dragon and his family. It seemed much glossed over. Maybe there will be more in the next book? I hope so. 

Fourth…this is a petty thing to complain about, but the cover makes no sense! Never once does he wear a kilt or weld a sword. What? 

Other than those four things, I enjoyed it. The character (even though they were lacking chemistry) were interesting. I wanted to learn more about them both. I especially want to read the brother’s POV. He was cute. A rogue, but cute.  I wonder if he does have a book? *looks on Goodreads* Yes, he does. I may search for that book and read it. We shall see. 

I also loved the magical aspect mixed in! Yes, yes, dragons are magical, but the brothers can do some basic magic as well. I think it was cool, because dragons can be boring sometimes especially in downtown London. 

In the end, this was enjoyable. A fun world with interesting characters. I am curious to read the next one. Hopefully we’ll understand more of the world and whatnot. Hopefully the brother and his girlie will have more chemistry with these two. Again, this wasn’t amazing, but it wasn’t horrid. It was okay and enjoyable. If you like historical romances and dragons, I recommend this. I will give this 3 stars. 

B's Monday Review: Hot Wheels and High Heels by Jane Graves

Trophy wife Darcy McDaniel has just discovered that, thanks to her embezzling husband, her posh, upper-class life is gone for good. Now she's trading her suburban palace for a trailer park and her weekly salon appointments for a job. Darcy needs a new man--fast--one who'll keep her in the manner she darn well deserves. Problem is, the hottest prospect around is the my-way-or-the-highway hunk who's making off with her beloved Mercedes!

Ex-cop turned repo man John Stark is sure that hiring the furious blonde in his headlights is a colossal mistake. He knows Darcy's high-maintenance, designer-labels-only type--after all, he's used to taking their cars. But he never expected this hellion to have the smarts and the spunk to go from receptionist to repo agent in record time...or to drive him insane with desire. She's the last thing this tall, dark, and dangerous loner needs...and everything he never knew he wanted. 

My thoughts:

Darcy, hmmm, she was such a trophy wife. But then again she did learn a few things early on, and I did start to like her even with her flaws. I also liked that the author made her 40! I know, so freaking old ;) But comparing to other heroines it felt refreshing.

John was nice, the only issues he had was with a certain headstrong trophy wife. But who wouldn't.

They meet, there is anger, she gets a job, there is drama. And oh those sparks fly.

There is also...something else, I never really got that, but sure why not. A good chase.

Conclusion:
I actually read it in a day, it was just so light and fun

Cover
Boring

Paperback, 384 pages
Published July 1st 2007 by Forever
Playboys #1
Contemporary romance
Own

Book Review: The Boy who Wanted Wings by James Conroyd Martin

Author: James Conroyd Martin
Title: The Boy who Wanted Wings
Genre: Historical Fiction
Pages: 358
First Published: September 2016
Where I Got It: My Shelf (Given to me by the author/publisher for my honest and unbiased opinion)

Aleksy, a dark-complexioned Tatar raised by a Polish peasant family, holds in his heart the wish is to become a Polish hussar, a lancer who carries into battle a device attached to his back that holds dozens of eagle feathers. As a Tatar and as a peasant, this is an unlikely quest. When he meets Krystyna, the daughter of the noble who owns the land that his parents work, he falls hopelessly in love. But even though she returns his love, race and class differences make this quest as impossible as that of becoming a hussar. Under the most harrowing and unlikely circumstances, one day Aleksy must choose between his dreams. 

I could hardly put this down. So good, so good. The beginning was a little slow, but after a few pages, I was utterly hooked. I finished this book in a couple of sittings. I needed to know how Aleksy was going to get what he desired and what he deserved. 

I loved Aleksy! Even though some people treated him horribly, he had a big heart and he wanted to serve Poland. 

Krystyna was okay. At first, I didn't really like her and I thought Aleksy deserved someone better, but she proved herself and her love for him. What she did made me like her. I can't say what, but any other noble gal wouldn't do what she did. 

Krystyna's brothers were so annoying. Okay...I get why they hated Alek and they only wanted what was best for their family. However, I wanted to kick them! I'm glad the author humanized them. Yes, they were anti-Alex and whatnot, but they were not horrible people. It was the times! They wanted what they thought were best for them and their family. 

Now, the main reason I picked this book up was because this is set in Poland. There are not a lot of books out there set here! I also loved the cover and the title. The summary sounded good, so why not try this out?? I'm SO glad I did. This was really good. The characters were dynamic. They time period and setting were well brought to life. 

GAH! The ending, I wanted more. I wanted to more of their story. 

In the end, this was an addicting book. I could hardly put it down. The characters were very dynamic and the author brought the world to life. The beginning was a little rough, but the rest is worth it. I highly recommend this to historical fiction lovers. Out of five stars, I stamp this with 5.