Two More book Reviews

 I recently finished two more books that I received through NetGalley in return for reviews. The first is a Historical Christian Novel called Glittering Promises. This is the third book in the series. I agreed to review this one because I already had the first book, Glorious Illusions, in this series on my kindle. It was free a number of months ago and I had added it to my "to read someday" queue.  I hadn't gotten around to reading it yet. But when I saw Glittering Promises on NetGalley I figured it was time to read the first before jumping into the later books. I am glad I did. I don't think I would have gotten to know the characters enough without the background you can only get in that first book.

The story follows a group of Nouveau Riche Americans as they travel through Europe on their Grand Tour. Cora is the exciting news worthy heiress who tries to not let money or fame change who she is and what she wants out of life. There are all sorts of religious epiphanies she has while on her trip that help her figure out her role in this new life she has been thrust into.  I didn't mind the Christian elements of the story. I also wouldn't say they were all that moving or compelling.

I got a little bored with the all the twists and turns of the plot. How many times can one person get kidnapped. And Cora's "define your relationship" discussions were way too plentiful. And I only read two of the books in this  three book series.  I was hoping for more description of the places they were visiting. Having visited some of those places I was hoping to revisit them through this book. The focus wasn't on where they were and was more about the relationships between the characters.



The 2nd book I read is The Reluctant Blogger. This book is LDS fiction and ended up really be a surprise for me. The main character is a man and it is told mainly through blog posts that he writes for his shrink. He can't seem to talk to the guy while in his office so he has to start a blog and write down his feelings and experiences as he heals after the death of his wife. He also writes about the hazards of the single LDS scene while trying to still be dad to his three kids.

It is a very interesting perspective and I enjoyed the book. This guy has way more troubles thrown at him in just a short amount of time than I hope anyone ever has to deal with.  The author is able to give Todd a voice that seems to see the humor, irony and even the hypocrisy in situations. There were quite a few "hot topics" tossed into the mix and I felt like they were handled with honesty and charity.

This wasn't a cleaned up and polished life but a real one.  Well worth a read.