Last Chance for Justice: A Bloomfield Novel is a down home story that gives the perspective from two generations – Lynn and her daughter Rachel. It’s not confusing when it switches voices; I always knew who was talking. It also talked about a lot of people in the town of Bloomfield without me having to try to remember who was who or being repetitive. I love the addition of the dog. I feel like I should warn you that they talk about food and eating a lot; it kind of made me hungry.

I’m not sure what the main story line is. Part of the story is about the mother, Lynn, going back to her hometown and dealing with peer pressure. It’s also about the daughter, Rachel, figuring out what to do with her life. The story is also about figuring out the mystery of a boy that died with a bad reputation that just didn’t fit with the rest of his life. Throw in a lot of small town characteristics and a small dash of romance and you’ll just about have it. I really like that they talk about praying about things and figuring out what the Lord wants them to do.

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I signed up to read Darkness Before Dawn as soon as I saw the author’s name and didn’t evaluate it by the description. I really enjoyed his previous books that I’ve read. I thought I would enjoy this one as well but I was a bit disappointed. Don’t get me wrong – it’s still a good book; but if I would have evaluated the description without knowing the author I probably would not have read it.

It could easily be a true story. The characters are true to life and react in real ways. The main story is about revenge. I guess I should say instead that it’s about the power of God’s love who doesn’t give up on His loved ones. It’s about the testimony of a Christian in hard times breaking through the bitterness of another Christian that turned her back on God. Still, the heroine is bitter, hard, and vengeful so it wasn’t pleasant reading.

The setting for the story is well done. The hospital is such a good place for the character and the interactions that take place. I like the way that it’s made apparent that there are hurts, troubles, trials, and scars in many people’s lives. They choose to handle them different ways. Some ways are good from the start, others bad; and some – like this heroine – have to work through the bad ways before they learn to handle it in a good way.

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A Noble Groom is not based on a famous person like some of Jody Hedlund’s books are; but it is based on the true story of German immigrants. There was a group that were miners in Saxony and immigrated to the Upper Peninsula in Michigan then moved south to the Thumb of Michigan because it was too cold up north.

The characters are well thought out, but have a bit more modern thinking than I believe they would have had at that time. Who really knows? The heroine is the one that goes through a spiritual change from not thinking that God cares about her to believing that God knows about and cares for her. The hero goes through major physical changes in geography and health. My favorite supporting characters are Pastor Loehe and his wife. The villian in this book is a land hungry man as well as the elements of life including drought, typhoid fever, and wildfire.

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Roses Have Thorns: A Novel of Elizabeth I is definitely a historical book. Wow. I can’t even imagine all the research time the author put in to this book. The story of Queen Elizabeth and England is more prominent than the heroine’s life. It’s more a story of the Queen and her court than a romantic story. I found the connections of all the people and what rank they had somewhat confusing, but still understood the story just fine. I’ve also decided that I don’t want to be Queen of any country, ever.

The book is always told from the perspective of the heroine. I like the heroine and her trust in God.  I don’t think she always makes the right decisions, and she certainly started out naive; but she figures out her way and has a good life. We don’t get to know very much about the hero, but he serves his Queen and country well.

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Here is another book from Wiley’s For Dummies Brand that is overflowing with information. Urban Gardening For Dummies (For Dummies (Home & Garden)) is, of course, geared to city dwellers that don’t have a lot of space. So those of you with apartments, small yards, and balconies don’t have to give up gardening. This book gives lots of suggestions and step by step instructions on how  you can garden right where you live.

Did you know that the deadhead is dead? That’s what the book says. Hmm. I have many memories from my childhood of Mom picking the dead flowers off the plants.

I like the way this book explains the different climate in cities vs. farms. It has good information about flowers, food, trees, ground covers, water, and insects that is geared to urban life, but can be applied to plants anywhere.

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