Hearts Awakening

Hearts Awakening - by Delia Parr Published by Bethany House Publishers

Two lonely people. Two lonely children. A proposal of convenience. And enough twists and turns to make it a truly enjoyable read.

Elvira ("Ellie") Kilmer is a 32 year old spinster living off the "charity" of her cousin, Mark and his wife Olivia due to the fact that her parents are both deceased and she has no inheritance.

Jackson Smith is a young widower with 2 very young sons and a past soaked in scandal because of a marriage gone awry.

Ellie needs a job and Jackson needs a housekeeper. So cousin Mark "offers" Ellie's services for 2 weeks for FREE!!! But Ellie must take the job, as she is hoping for a recommendation so she can become a housekeeper in a larger city and move from her cousin's home.

Ellie takes the 2 hour walk one way to meet Jackson - whom she finds VERY attractive - and who finds her VERY plain - and begins her work for him.

As Ellie begins finding a place in her heart to love 2 very active boys, Jackson realizes that her presence in their life may be the answer to two of his most pressing needs - a caregiver for his sons, and the scandal of his first marriage.

When Jackson offers Ellie a proposal of convenience, will either he or Ellie find the companionship they need? Or will the secrets they both harbor tear them apart even more.

I found Hearts Awakening a book so hard to put down, I stayed up into the wee hours of the morning to read, even though I have 4 sons of my own and a job! I hope you enjoy it as much as I did. Delia Parr, you have yourself a new customer!

I did not find Amana somewhere I belong.

Somewhere to Belong - By Judith Miller

I'm sorry. I hate writing bad reviews about books. I LOVE reading, and am so thankful to be part of the review board for Bethany House Publishers. It lets me receive books for free.

But this book just hit a raw nerve with me. I grew up in a cult like religion, and the unbending and unwritten rules in this book just got under my skin. They reminded me of how no one can measure up under those circumstances.

I didn't like the fact that Berta was labeled "rebellious". When I had to abide by unbending rules with no grace involved, I was considered rebellious too. :( And the fact that Johanna was punished because of the supposed wrongdoings of Berta made me feel angry too.

I was expecting a book more along the lines of Beverly Lewis's Amish books, which I adore! But this book is nothing like them, in my opinion.

All in all, I won't be reading any more of the books in this series, and probably won't read another book by Judith Miller.