Book Review: Lovelier than Daylight

Title: Lovelier than Daylight
Series: The Saddler's Legacy

Pages: 358

Author: Rosslyn Elliott

Disclaimer: I received this book for free from Thomas Nelson Publishers through their BookSneeze program in exhange for an honest review.

Susanna, a woman of principles, is headed off to college at Otterbein College in Westerville, OH in the summer of 1875. She stops by her sister’s house to visit with her before arriving in Westerville and discovers her sister and children missing. Her sister Rachel’s alcoholic husband, George, tells Susanna that Rachel has left and taken the children to orphanages.

Susanna tries to get the children out of the orphanage to take them home with her while she searches for her sister. Her efforts in both areas are fruitless.

Johann is a brewer’s son and also writes for the German newspaper. He has an opportunity to go to New York and become a journalist. He struggles with loyalty to his father and staying in the family business and going on to pursue his own dreams and God-given talents.

When a saloon opens in the dry town of Westerville, OH, Johann and Susanna cross paths. Will Susanna be able to look past her preconceived ideas and balance righteousness and love? Will Johann make the right decision between duty and his dreams? In the hunt for her orphaned nieces and nephews and her missing children, will Susanna find them… and more?

Lovelier than Daylight is a story based on the real Westerville Wiskey War of 1875. The characters in it are based on real people from Westerville and their stories all rolled up into one.

This was a really good book! There are several other books from this author using characters in this book. I would love to read them all.

Each character was well-developed and strong… and different. It was easy to keep them separate because each had their individual personalities.

This book raises questions of real issues such as whether or not alcohol is acceptable to drink. It also presents real problems like abandoned children and the reasons their parents abandoned them. Many of the struggles that the characters faced are ones that we can all relate to in some way, such as Susanna’s stuggle with finding balance between righteousness and extending grace and trying to find the relationship between the two. Many of us can relate to Johann as he struggles to make a decision based on what he wants versus what his responsibilities are. We can relate to Rachel as she struggles with the consequences of her sin, because we have all sinned. And so many of us can admire Uncle Will and Aunt Ann and their gentle, quiet ways of standing for right but giving so much love and grace at the same time.

This was an excellent, well-written book with a fantastic storyline. I highly recommend reading this.

You can find more information or purchase the book by visiting the Thomas Nelson product page.

yum!!!

I was doing SO great this past summer eating a vegan diet. I felt good physically which helped me feel better emotionally/ mentally. I was loosing weight, which always makes a girl feel better about herself (unless you're one of those rare birds that needs to GAIN weight). Then I fell off that wagon.

So I decided that after the holidays it was time to reset my body and restart my healthy eating. I decided that I would do this by having a diet consisting mostly of smoothies for a week or so, just to make sure I'm getting a LOT of fruits and vegetables and all the vitamins that come with those. I knew it would give me a boost of energy, kickstart my diet, and also to help eliminate cravings.

When I make a smoothie, it usually is an entire pitcherful, so... about a quart. If I don't drink all of it, I put it in the fridge for later. I don't know how it would taste the next day, because they've never lasted that long.

The one I made this morning was so delicious that I just HAD to share it with you. I wish I could pass you my cup right now to let you have a taste... except ew. Germs.

Green Pineapple Smoothie

1 can of pineapple
2 small ripe bananas
1/4-1/2 cup oatmeal
1 small handful of kale
1 small handful of spinach
1 dash cinnamon
1 splash vanilla

Drain pineapple, but reserve the juice. Put everything in the blender and blend until smooth. Add pineapple juice as needed.

I had some frozen pineapple so I tossed a few pieces in my blender instead of ice, just to make my smoothie cold. You can use ice if you want.

This was truly delicious and VERY sweet. Almost too sweet. If I were to make it again, I would use less banana (or a less ripe banana).  I just have a plain Jane blender, but I let it run for quite a while (5 minutes?) until my smoothie was completely smooth.

Servings: 2
Calories: 285
Fat: 1.8 grams
Protein: 4.3 grams

Book Review: Waiting for Morning

Title: Waiting for Morning
Series: Brides of Last Chance Ranch
Book Number: 2
Author: Margaret Brownley

Summary:

Molly is no stranger to sorrow. She lost both her mother and father and is the only one left to care for her crippled brother. She maybe the one who was responsible for his accident and subsequent injuries as a child, but now she is the one responsible for his well-being. After narrowly rescuing him from the fire that destroyed their home and almost all of their belongings, she responded to ad for an heiress to a ranch in Cactus Patch, AZ. Should she be made heiress she must sign a contract agreeing to never marry. It seems like a dream come true -- provide a home for Donny and having the means by which to care for him. The little thing about marriage was no big deal since no man would ever want a woman with a crippled brother that required her constant attention.

And like any good book, things never go as the characters think they're going to go...

Dr. Caleb Fairbanks thinks he can help Donny, but Molly is skeptical. Her brother has seen a lot of kooky doctors. Can Molly trust Caleb with her brother... and her heart?

Reaction:

I LOVED this book. The characters were well-developed. Molly was sweet and kind and unselfish and strong. She struggled with real problems that each of us face. Caleb was kind and funny and interesting and patient. Patience is something Molly has a hard time with so Caleb's character balanced her. The other characters in the book weren't just names thrown in for filler, but truly well-developed supporting characters. From Aunt Bessy to Eleanor to Jimmy to Rosita, each character had a personality and I could picture them in my mind as I read the story.

This book was well-written and interesting and predictable but not too much. I wish I had another book in this series to read right now!

Where to purchase:
Thomas Nelson Publishers
Amazon.com
or your favorite Christian bookstore

*I received this book for free from Thomas Nelson Publishers in exchange for an honest review*