The Princess Spy - A Book Review

The Princess Spy by Melanie Dickerson is the first novel I have read by this author and I was not disappointed.  I chose this book because I thought it would be a great change from the type of books I normally read, but what first caught my eye was the beautiful cover.  I did think it would be a fairy tale type love story and even though it does resemble a fairy tale it is more of hero and heroine working together to fight evil/bad guys.  Even though I enjoyed the novel I do think it is best suited for teenage girls.  

I found the main character, Margaretha, very humorous.  She talks...a lot.  She is brave and headstrong, willing to do whatever it takes to protect her family.  Colin is the complete opposite of Margaretha and he is determined to find Lord Claybrook and expose him for the murderer he knows him to be.  When he finds out that he is planning on marrying Margaretha he becomes determined to protect her a well.  Margaretha and Colin unite and try to save Hagenheim Castle before it is too late.

After I read this book I found out that the author has other books based on some of the characters that are in The Princess Spy!  I'll definitely be checking out those books as well!

***Thanks to booklookbloggers for providing me with this ebook free of charge in exchange for my honest review.

Sketch - A Book Review

Sketch - The non-artist''s guide to inspiration, technique, and drawing daily life by France Belleville is the perfect book to give the aspiring artist (or anyone who likes to sketch) the motivation and inspiration needed to begin sketching their daily life.  

It doesn't matter if you have been sketching for a long time and consider yourself a skilled artist or if you are just starting out.  There are many creative prompts and detailed instructions that will give you the direction you need to move beyond your comfort zone and begin drawing great pictures.

Excerpt from Chapter 1:  "Have you ever wanted to simply draw but didn't because you did not know what to start with?  Is you lack of training a source of inhibition?  have you ever felt a longing for artistic creativity but shunned drawing becasue you saw it as a skill that couldn't enable you to make a living?  Have you ever felt eager to document the world around you buy always felt poorly qualified to do so?  have you ever needed a creative kick-start but never knew where to turn?  Have you ever felt discouraged by your own incapacity to lay something right on paper?  Have you ever thought you had to be formally trained in order to draw?"

I have always loved drawing.  In the past few years I have incorporated it more into my life.  I doodle, I nature draw, and I sketch.  I do not consider myself a good artist my no means, but it is something I enjoy and it is a very relaxing hobby.  Since I am not very good at it I like a good book that gives direction, but it is very hard to find a book that really helps.  This book really hit the mark for me.  Not only was it insightful and motivating, the samples of the author's work is simply beautiful.  

The book is separated into 6 chapters.  The first chapter covers the preliminaries, the second chapter covers what supplies are needed, the third chapter is basic techniques, the fourth chapter is drawing when time and resources are limited, chapter 5 is going digital and chapter 6 is prompts.

So whether you are a beginner or a novice this book would be a great asset to your home library!

***This book was provided to me by the publisher in exchange for my review.

Secrets of Sloan House - A Book Review

Secrets of Sloan House is a great book that will have you captivated from chapter one till the very last page.  It's a book that you don't want to put down until you have completed it.  You know the kind....the one's that keep you from getting anything else done.   

The story is set in 1893 at the World's Fair in Chicago.  When I first read the synopsis of this book the setting is what drew me in.  I enjoy reading about that time period and a mystery surrounding the World's Fair was very intriguing.  

Rosalind's sister has gone missing and she is determined to figure out what happened to cause her to disappear.  In order to uncover what has happened she takes a job as a maid for the wealthy family that her sister used to work for.  While there she becomes friends with Reid who promises to help her.  She is below him in "class" and the family she works for are just very hateful people.  There are so many "suspects" that could be to blame for the disappearance of Miranda (Rosalind's sister) and you'll be guessing till the very end.  I can't wait to read the second book in this series!  

***This book was provided to my by the publisher in exchange for my honest review.

When Mercy Rains - A Book Review

If you have read very many of my book reviews you know that Kim Vogel Sawyer is one of my favorite authors.  She has a way of writing beautiful stories that are entertaining and pull at your heart strings.  I love the way she intertwines a strong faith in her writings and her newest novel, When Mercy Rains follows the pattern of excellency.

There was a sadness to this story for me.  A family broken.  A sin that effected so many people, and heartache that seems impossible to heal.

The story begins with a young girl, Suzanne being sent away by her mother.  Suzanne and Paul were in love and made a mistake and now Suzanne is pregnant.  The only person she tells is her mother and her mother is determined to keep it a secret.  So she sends her daughter away.  She is to have her baby in a different community, give the baby away and then she can return home.  Jump forward about 20 years...Suzanne has been away from home for all these years and now she has received a request from her brother to come home and care for her mother who's health is failing.  She decides she must return to the family that she has not seen for all these years.  Her daughter Alexa is excited to see the family she has never known, but are they going to be excited to see Alexa?  Surprised is more like it!

I won't tell anymore of the story than that because I don't want to give anything away.  You can tell by the title of the story that God is going to do a great work in this family and His mercy is going to rain down.  This is the first book in Trilogy and I can't wait to see what is in store for the Zimmerman family.

***This book was provided to my by the publisher in exchange for my honest review.