Review of Heaven is for Real

Colton Burpo is one extraordinary little boy. During an emergency appendectomy that he is not predicted to survive, Colton gets to visit heaven, see Jesus, and even converse with people like his great-grandfather, who had died long before Colton was born. His details of heaven, and especially of Jesus, were amazing.

I'm usually a bit wary of claims of experiences such as this, but this story definitely passed my test. Some “experiences” only confuse and scare readers, and as the Bible says, “God is love” and “There is no fear in love.” This book is not confusing or scary; it's actually the opposite! This was a refreshing, revitalizing read that brought me both laughter and tears. I finished reading this book in less than a full day because I literally didn't want to put it down. I kept having the desire to hear the blessing of Colton tell his story in person.

I received this book for free from Thomas Nelson Publishers as a part of their book review program. I was not required to write a positive review; my opinions, therefore, are completely unbiased.

I Don't Know Who I Am, Who I Am Without You; All I Know is That I Should

Life... Oh, if life had a rewind button! But alas, it doesn't, and we're stuck with our decisions. I can't go back a year and a half ago and tell him what I waited about two months too long to him. I can't make him change that either. I blame myself more than I blame him, in a way, even though we were equally at fault. I can't pretend that this whole situation hasn't put me in the most emotional pain that I've ever experienced. I can't even make hurting him make me feel any better about my situation. I certainly can't make him fight for me -- especially not with her there. What scares me is that I thought I was done hurting over this. I realize that I have to admit that I, despite everything, deep down still have feelings for him... feelings I don't want... feelings I would erase if I could. Do I love him? I don't know... I'm afraid to answer that question; I'm afraid that the answer would shake up everything I've always believed to be true about myself and about love. I can't face this right now. I don't anticipate falling for anyone else this hard again, because it hurts, way more than it should.

Review of Masquerade

The year is 1886, and Charlotte, “Lottie,” Gleason is leaving her life in England to marry a wealthy heir from America, whom she has never met. In her journey to find herself and mature, Lottie's life is changed in numerous ways, most notably when she decides to exchange identities with her lady maid, Dora. Both women must trust God to give them strength and to be a guide in their paths.

Though I can't explain why, I've always been interested in servants finding love with the higher class, and I assume that that is what drew me to this book in the first place. Nancy Moser has done a wonderful job of exploring the lavish Gilded Age, and once I started reading this story, I found that I didn't want to stop! I liked that Lottie was flawed but not in the sense that it appears the author made a noticeable effort to make the main character imperfect. This was a lovely book by Nancy Moser, and I would love to read more from her in the future.

I received this book for free from Bethany House Publishers as a part of their book review program. I was not required to write a positive review; my opinions, therefore, are completely unbiased.