The Girl in the Glass by Susan Meissner

I received a complimentary copy of this book from WaterBrook Publishers.  Meg has been waiting for almost twenty years to make a promised trip to Florence.   When it finally comes about it is completely different that she had always imagined it would be.  Meg finds herself arriving alone and completely unprepared.  With no where to stay she finds herself tracking down some of the authors that she has come to know through her publishing job.  Meg meets Sophia and begins a whirlwind tour of the city.  I really enjoyed this story.  Meg is an interesting character.  She is confused about many things, but she is willing to trust those around her.  She trusts her father when she has absolutely no reason to.  Meg spends a lot of time trying to figure things out and in the end she comes to the realizations that she needed to.  The characters all felt very real.  My heart ached for Sophia and the hard times that she has gone through.  I found myself loving Meg even more because of how she helps Sophia deal with the troubles that have come her way.  This was a fun story and I am glad that I had a chance to read and review it.  I would give it 4/5 stars. 

A Home in Drayton Valley by Kim Vogel Sawyer

I received a complimentary copy of this book from Bethany House Publishers.  Tarsie hates living in New Your City.  She has been saving her money for years to get herself out.  Eventually she is able to leave with her friend Mary and her family, and head for Drayton Valley Kansas.  Tragedy strikes when they are almost there and Tarsie's life takes a different path than she had imagined.  I enjoyed this book.  I really liked the character of Tarsie.  I found myself wanting her to succeed at what she was doing, and proud of the strength that she showed.  It was nice to see the changes that came over Joss and to see him become that Tarsie had always know he could be.  The story was well written and believable.  The romance was sweet and not overbearing.  I would give this book 4/5 stars. 

Undending Devotion by Jody Hedlund

I received a complimentary copy of this book from Bethany House Publishers.  Lilly and her sister have grown up in orphanages.  Lily has finally found a home for her sister and a job for herself.  She is trying to find a way to make a home for her sister and her self when her sister disappears and says that she is going to go and try and make some money at the lumber camps as a prostitute.  Lilly is devastated and does everything that she can to try and find and save her sister.  This story is trying to deal with a big issue, and trying to show us some of the ramifications that go along with it.  Overall I enjoyed the story, I liked the point that it was trying to make.  I did feel that the author was trying to bash me over the head with certain things.  The author dwelt on how Connell had to restrain himself around Lilly.  I felt that this was talked about more than it needed to be.  There were other instances where the author kept repeating things over and over.  I felt that the book could have been much shorter.  I would give it 2.5/5 stars.

The River by Michael Neale

I received a complimentary copy of this book from Thomas Nelson through their BookSneeze program.  When Gabriel Clarke was 5 years old he watched his father drown in The River.  His whole life has been spent missing his father and reliving what happened that day.  He has nor really lived since that awful day.  When he is 20 a friend convinces him to go camping at The River.  While Gabriel is there he has a profound experience that changes how he views The River and allows him to start to heal.  This was an interesting story.  I found Gabriel an interesting character.  I felt sympathy for him and wanted him to find a way to thrive.  The supporting characters were interesting as well.  This book was written as an analogy and I felt like the story suffered a little because of it.  Some things didn't make sense as part of the story, but they did as part of the analogy.  Overall I enjoyed the book I would give it 3.5/5 stars.

Twice A Bride by Mona Hodgson

I received a complimentary copy of this book from WaterBrook Publishing as part of their Blogging for Books.  Willow Peterson has just buried her father.  Her husband died four years previously and she descended into a deep despair.   With the help of God and her family she was able to come out of it and is now trying to start a new life.  She has decided to stay in Cripple Creek and start over.  When looking for work she comes across an add asking for a portrait painter to work with a photography studio.  She has always wanted art to be a bigger part of her life, and this is the perfect chance.  I enjoyed the characters in this book.  Willow is a very likable main character.  You can admire her for what she has been through.  She had a hard time, but she worked through it and is now stronger than ever.  She is surrounded by a lot of fun characters as well.   This is the fourth book in a series.  I hadn't read any of the other books.  Hints were dropped of what happened in the previous books, and they sound interesting.   The only problem I had with this book was that some things just seemed unrealistic.  At one point, one of the characters goes into labor.  Her labor lasts about 10 min, before she gives birth to twin girls, and she didn't even have to push either of them out.  She had gone into labor at a family dinner, and her brother-in-law, who is a Dr. is there.   The Dr. decides to wait in the living room and let the three sisters take care of the delivery.  After all, two of them have given birth before and one of them was in the room when someone else gave birth.  This just didn't seem realistic to me.  I would give this book 3.5/5 stars.

Whispers in the Wind by Lauraine Snelling

I received a complimentary copy of this book from Bethany House Publishers.  The is the second book in the Wild West Wind series.  I didn't have a chance to read the first book, but I was able to pick up on what had happened in the first book.  In this book Cassie Lockwood is trying to find her place in the world.  She grew up as part of a Wild West Show.  Now that the show has disbanded she needs to find a way to take care of herself and her "family".  She has found her way to the ranch that was part owned by her father.  Her father had not been in contact with his partners for years, and they were surprised when she showed up.  They allow her and her friends to move onto the ranch, and try to help them get a fresh start.  There are many challenges along the way.  Cassie Lockwood seems like a nice enough girl.  She wants to make her own way in the world, and has a hard time accepting help when it is offered.  This was a light read.  The characters were nice.  Most of the characters where very two-dimensional and not very well formed.  There were a lot of plot lines left hanging as there is going to be at least one more book in the series.   I did feel for Cassie, but have a hard time understanding why she feels like she has to do everything for her friends.  They seem like very capable people, and they could help some as well.  Runs like a deer is very knowledge about living off of the land, and Chief and Micah seem very handy and like they could do almost anything.  Cassie, who is the most helpless of the bunch seems to think that she is the only one that can take care of everyone.  A lot of the book is spent on Cassie agonizing about what she is going to do.  I think that I would give it 2.5/5 stars.

The Deposit Slip by Todd M. Johnson

I received a complementary copy of this book from Bethany House Publishers.  Erin Larson's father has died.  When she is going through his things she finds a deposit slip for ten million dollars.  A deposit that the bank says never happened.  Jared Neaton is trying to make it on his own.  He has left the fancy law firm that he started out and is working alone now.  He is given a chance to take Erin's case.  The case is based in his hometown.  He has been avoiding the place since his father betrayed him years ago.  I enjoyed this book.  The characters were interesting, the story was fun.  The story unravels slowly, and the author has a few surprises up his sleeve.   The relationships were interesting as well.  I had a hard time understanding the motives for most of the characters in the book.  I felt that these could have been laid out better.  Why was Jared willing to risk everything to take on the case?  Also, I had a hard time accepting that Jared walked away and let a man die.  I would give this book 3/5 stars.