New Years 2014

After turning down several new years invites and insisting that I wanted to spend a quiet night safe at home with my family and turn in by 10 pm, I relented when my parents called and invited us out to dinner. So we spent last night at my parents' favorite place sharing a meal, all 8 of us. It was really nice. Still low-key, still relaxed, still filled with warmth.

On the way there, Jon and I reviewed our plans and resolutions for this year. There seems to be a theme of simplicity going on.

Here's a review of last year and how we did:

1. Learn how to be punctual - hah. I think we did worse this year than ever before. Just a few days ago we were over 45 minutes late to a family party. I was early- 15 minutes- a couple of times this year and I hated and regretted every second of it.

2. Learn Patience (Lyssa)- I have gotten a lot better at this! Although, it was not because of any conscious effort or technique. I think it's just a biproduct of spending more time studying God's word.

3. Pay off remaining school loan (Lyssa) - This did not go as planned. I only paid off 1 of 5K. But to be fair this was an unexpectedly expensive year for us, so our money went elsewhere.

4. Keep home "company ready"- This did not happen. Like, ever. I still think it's a noble goal though.

5. Drink more water - I think I doubled my caffeine intake instead.

6. Blog more than last year - Check! Still no pictures though.

7. Read the Bible at night together - We did this for like a week. But I don't see it as a failure. Jon and I were at totally different schedules back then, so it just wasn't working. Now, we go to bed at the same time every night (early!) and we do read together, but not from the Bible.We read a novel, usually mine, and it's possibly my favorite time of the day. We regularly read the Bible on our own, usually in the morning. It wasn't the plan, but it's working for us.

8. Read the Bible to the Girls (Jon) - This fell by the wayside and I doubt it will be picked up again anytime soon. They do have Bibles of their own, though, which they love and read often.

9. Read 50 books this year (Lyssa) - I did this, but completely forgot about trying to keep it down to 50. Oops. But my interest level tapered off the last couple of months, due to life events, so it all balanced out.

10. Make a Will - nope.

11. Get Life Insurance - Check!

12. Complete my Degree - Done and done. And I'm still in school, because I like it.

13. Start a Retirement Plan - This went well. We consistently saved our goal amount (5%) until Jon started Highmark. Then, we saved 4% which Highmark matched, so it got bumped up to a grand total of 8%. Yay! This year we should be moving that up to 6% plus company match.

All in all, I think we did so-so. But this was a really big year for us in a number of other unplanned-for ways. Sometimes, the best laid plans need to fall by the wayside so that your hands are free to fully grab onto whatever gifts God throws your way.

This year, as I said, our goals are a lot simpler:

NYR 2014:

1. Friends- I have been blessed with friendships with so many awesome and amazing people in my life. So much so that it was a hard lesson to learn that some relationships are only ever meant to last for a season. And that's okay! I've not been very good at letting relationships ebb and flow naturally, and the only ones that I've ever really let go of are ones that ended on super bad terms. But I've been coming to terms with the truth of friendships lately and now that Jon and I have a lot more free time, and can choose how to spend it, we realized that we need to be deliberate with our choices here. I can have 20 good friends who I see several times a year when we catch up, or I can have about 5 really close friends who I see regularly, who are plugged into my life enough that it's weird when two weeks go by and I haven't seen them, who I can call to check in, because we actually know what's going on in each others lives at any given moment. My life choices made the former necessary, but we've settled down a lot and now I want the latter. I want substance. So the plan is to make a conscious effort to build into those relationships. And to be okay with the others that come and go.

2. Make a Housing Project Plan- this has been on several To Do lists and it's actually going to be very fluid. We have learned that we can plan and plan and plan but that doesn't make our plans God's plans and ultimately, we just need to roll with it. So this is more of a general guideline, where ideas are organized and laid out.

3. Get registered for activities- All four of us have interests that we've been talking about doing for quite some time, but lack of time and money prevented it. Now that we're fairly settled, we're ready to make good on these plans.

And 4, last but not least: Travel- a lot of people talk about all the places they want to go, but never actually go anywhere, us included. But we're ready to change that. We'll be starting small, domestically, and progressing outward as life allows it. A few years ago we made a plan to do at least one "family vacation" and one "adult vacation" every year. We've stuck with it, but again, time and money constraints made the destinations fairly modest. Now that things are changing, we're pretty excited about some of the places we're researching. In the next few years, we're hoping to go to Louisiana (New Orleans!), Tennessee and California.

That's it for our New Years resolutions, though I do plan to roll over a couple from last year that won't be concentrated efforts as much as they'll be goals to loosely keep track of, such as: reading about 50 books, blogging as much or more than this last year, paying off my school loan, drinking more water, making a will, taking pictures and working on punctuality. Hopefully, they'll happen on their own, with little effort. But if not, that's okay too.

Whatever your motto is for 2014, I hope it's filled with joy! Happy New Year!

Love's Awakening review

Love's Awakening

by Laura Frantz

 

The path to true love lies somewhere between two feuding families
In the spring of 1822, Ellie Ballantyne leaves finishing school and returns to the family home in Pittsburg only to find that her parents are away on a long journey and her siblings don't seem to want her to stay. Determined to stand her ground and find her place in the world, Ellie fills her time by opening a day school for young ladies.
But when one of her students turns out to be an incorrigible young member of the Turlock family, Ellie knows she must walk a fine line. Slaveholders and whiskey magnates, the Turlocks are envious of the powerful Ballantynes and suspicious of their abolitionist leanings. As Ellie becomes increasingly entangled with the rival clan--particularly the handsome Jack Turlock--she finds herself falling in love with an impossible future. Will she betray her family and side with the enemy?
Masterful storyteller Laura Frantz continues to unfold the stirring saga of the Ballantyne family in this majestic tale of love and loyalty. This is the Ballantyne Legacy.

My Review: 9/10

I really enjoyed this book. As a native of Pittsburgh, I found the historical information very interesting. I can imagine it was just as beautiful as it is today.

I tend to avoid period stories that center so strongly on the issue of slavery, just because it's so overdone. While an important and interesting part of history, many novels that center on it seem to only show one opinion, one kind of protagonist and a flat and predictable storyline. To me, it's interesting to read a multitude of viewpoints and a main character can be be fascinating without being progressive.

Anyway, I was pleasantly surprised with this book. The Ballantyne's involvement is a little extreme and it does appear to paint slave holders as being singularly evil people. But as I mentioned, these elements are typical, so I was able to look past it because the rest of the book was so good.

I enjoyed the imperfect portrayals of the various family members and relationships. The romance was predictable, but fairly well done. I didn't realize this was a sequel when I requested it, but it read just fine as a standalone novel. That being said, I will definitely be reading the first book, which I've since heard is even better, as well as looking for the 3rd book when it gets released next year!

Rebellious Heart book review

Rebellious Heart

by Jody Hedlund (Goodreads Author)

 

Because she's a woman, higher learning was always closed to Susanna Smith. But her quick mind and quicker tongue never back down from a challenge. And she's determined to marry well, so she'll be able to continue her work with the less fortunate.

Growing up with little to his name, poor country lawyer Benjamin Ross dreams of impacting the world for the better. When introduced to the Smiths he's taken by Susanna's intelligence and independent spirit, but her parents refuse to see him as a suitor for their daughter.

When the life of a runaway indentured servant is threatened, Susanna is forced to choose between justice and mercy, and Ben becomes her unlikely advisor. But drawing closer to this man of principle and intellect lands her in a dangerous, secret world of rebellion and revolution against everything she once held dear


My Review: 2/10

It was a little slow going at first, but then became a page turner, but not in a good way. I was a little confused about the set up of the romance in the first couple of chapters. I found the scene in the beginning... odd. There is a total lack of regard for propriety, which I found hard to believe. The atmosphere was way too sexually charged. I have a 5, almost 6 year old. I cannot believe that anyone would hold against her something offensive that she may have said, no matter how sensitive they may be. And it seemed way too far fetched that they would both remember the words and have any emotions connected to them 13 years later. But this was an accurate preview of the melodrama that would ensue throughout the rest of the book.

I regretted reading it afterward because it was way too violent and disturbing for my taste, which was unexpected with a romantic historical fiction novel. Luckily for me, with a trite romance for the baseline, it was soon forgotten.

A Talent for Trouble book review

A Talent for Trouble 

by Jen Turano

Miss Felicia Murdock firmly believed her destiny was to become a minister's wife. When the minister on whom she had set her sights marries another lady, Felicia is forced to take a close look at her life and comes to a few uncomfortable conclusions. Determined that something needs to change--and soon--Felicia discovers she is finally ready to spread her wings and embrace life the way she's always wanted.

Grayson Sumner--or Lord Sefton, as he's officially known--has had more than enough of spreading his wings and only hopes to settle into the life of a normal, respectable New York gentleman. Prompted by some well-meaning friends to lift the spirits of the disappointed-in-love Miss Murdock, he is surprised to encounter a young lady who seems to have become quite adventurous and quite determined to get herself into all sorts of troublesome situations.

Intent on remaining independent, Felicia is reluctant to accept Grayson's help, especially as she finds herself developing feelings for him. However, just as Grayson decides he's had quite enough of her antics, his past comes back to haunt him and his presence in her life has endangered Felicia. Will Grayson and Felicia decide they want to spend the rest of their lives keeping one another out of trouble?

My Review: 3/10


This book was definitely an improvement over the last two. The first 5 chapters or so were really engaging- interesting, fairly well written and funny. But things quickly went downhill after that. It was so hard to slog through that it took me 3 months to get through 75% of it, before deciding that it had dragged on long enough and life is too short to waste time reading books that hold zero interest for me. I'm sure I could predict every major plot wrap-up anyway.

The writing style was almost constantly distracting. Each and every sentence was too wordy, stuffed to the brim with the same 10-15 adverbs, such as entirely, slightly, disturbingly, rather, quite etc. and phrases like "clearly evident."

The plot was transparent immediately, but it was more the way that it was stretched out that bothered me. Felicia's story would have kept my interest longer if it had started earlier, with more of her pursuit of the reverend being covered. The shenanigans she'd have gotten into and her obliviousness to her feelings being widely known could have been very entertaining. And it would have given time for Grayson to develop real feelings, being present, though not front and center until the middle/end.

I'd have liked to then see Grayson make a stand for her (it would have been so much better than the whole, "she'll never love me, I don't deserve her" self pity reminiscent of Twilight. So unattractive), and her learn to trust and love a man with a past over time. There could have a been a great Christian message there. While Ms. Turano does acknowledge these themes, they are only challenges for the blink of an eye, before the heroine senses from God that she is being judgemental and should forgive Grayson. The rapidity of tehe switch was nrealistic and unrelatable.

I thought she missed the point with Eliza and Grayson's talk. It started well, but went downhill when in response to Grayson's comment that God couldn't or wouldn't forgive his level of sin, Eliza was decides to talk Grayson out of taking as much responsibility as he did and feeling the levels of guilt that went along with it. What? I think the message should have been, God, the creator of the universe and every cell in your body is capable of forgiving any level of sin. And to harbor guilt after asking for forgiveness is to hold disbelief of His power in your heart. Ask Him for forgiveness, give your guilt over to Him and ask Him to help you start fresh. Because He can and He will if you will only come to Him.


I like Ms. Turano's humorous approach and I still think she has potential, but I think she misses opportunities for better stories when pursuing the cheap and tired storyline.

How we see ourselves

I've had so many things I've wanted to write about lately- an update on what happened with the house (definitely a story that I think needs to be told), what we've been up to lately, my experiences with our church, thoughts and feelings on different smaller and larger day to day things. But other things have taken priority. But I had to write about this, before I forget and it becomes lost in the recesses of errant thoughts in my mind. It's worth taking five minutes to reflect on, it's worth passing on:

Check out this 3 minute video: http://www.upworthy.com/2-people-described-the-same-person-to-a-forensic-artist-and-this-is-what-happene?c=ufb2

I think the message is great. But that's a huge adjustment to make, seeing yourself differently. I thought to myself, how is it that we get in a trap of thinking so poorly of ourselves? I think it's because in an effort to be humble and grounded we voice our negative thoughts rather than ever complimenting ourselves- that would be shallow and vain right? Maybe not so much. But if it's too far of a stretch to say nice things about yourself, say them to someone else. We don't hear it enough, not from ourselves, not from anyone else. When you think someone's hair looks nice, say it. Even if it's a total stranger, even if they think you're weird. So what? You probably made their day. And if not, it was worth the risk, don't you think? If you witness kindness, compassion, patience, etc, speak on it. Lift them up. If nothing else, it's putting more positive out there in a world largely dominated by negativity.

The Invention of Sarah Cummings Review

The Invention of Sarah Cummings 

by Olivia Newport 

Sarah Cummings has one goal in life--to break into Chicago's high society. Desperate to stop serving dinner and to start eating at society tables, Sarah alters cast-off gowns from the wealthy Banning women to create lustrous, flattering dresses of her own. On a whim at a chance meeting, she presents herself as Serena Cuthbert, weaving a fictitious past to go with her fictitious name. But as she gets closer to Simon Tewell, the director of St. Andrew's Orphanage, Sarah finds that she must choose between the life she has and the life she dreams of. Will she sacrifice love to continue her pretense? Or can Simon show her that sometimes you don't have to pretend for dreams to come true?
Olivia Newport brings us back to Prairie Avenue to explore the place where class, social expectations, and romance come together. Readers will enjoy following the intrepid Sarah as she searches for true love in a world of illusions.

My Review: 8/10

I thought this book was by far the best of the 3, which is interesting since I really couldn't stand Sarah in the previous two books.

I thought Ms. Newport did a wonderful job showing a slow, often times painful transition from being self-absorbed and selfish to letting people in and learning to love them. Sarah's double life was a nail biter for sure, and I thought how she got tangled up in her web of lies (and even more so, her sickened feeling almost immediately afterward) was very believeable. When we court envy and discontentment, it is so easy to get swept up in a path and a life we never would have purposely set out to walk.

My biggest complaint was the fire. I thought it was too over the top and unnecessary. But thankfully, Ms. Newport has Sarah make her decision just beforehand.

If you liked the two previous books, or even if you didn't, this book is worth giving a try. It's reminiscent of a cinderella story, with a much more realistic lead, who is flawed and downright ugly in her humanity at times, just like we all are. But Sarah's story reminds us that He creates beauty out of ashes.

The Companions Review

The Companions by RA Salvatore

(review by Jon Armstrong)

9/10

This book was typical of RA Salvatore’s work:  a widespread epic story with intricate webs, dazzlingly powerful characters, and a plot that is always moving.  Coming off of his wonderful Neverwinter series, this book doesn’t disappoint (mostly). Spoilers abound, but here we go.

Plot synopsis:

The Companions of the Hall (minus Drizzt) are stopped by Mielekki (the goddess Drizzt worships) from going to their eternal homes after death.  Instead, they are given the chance to be reborn in order to help Drizzt. They are each reborn to parents of the same heritage (though with a twist for Regis).  Catti-Brie becomes a powerful wizard/sorceress, Regis is a thief/swordsman, and Bruenor is a dwarf of a different nearby clan.

The time covered in this book matches the time covered in books 2, 3, and 4 of the Neverwinter series, after Bruenor dies in book 1.

The good:

Pretty much everything except what’s listed under the bad.  This was a treat for those of us who have read all of the books about the Companions of the Hall, and who experienced the same sense of bewildering loss and confusion as Drizzt did while we read about his exploits without the rest of the gang.  It’s always nice to see Bruenor return, but to see Catti-Brie and Regis after their long disappearance…that was great.  I would’ve liked to see Wulfgar too, but perhaps because of length issues, we don’t see him return, instead thinking he refused rebirth until he surprises us at Kelvin’s Cairn at the end.  I do hope that we will get to see what Wulfgar did for all of that time in some book in the future.

Bruenor decided at great personal cost to forego his eternal honor in Moradin’s halls to be reborn for the aid of his friends. It was a decision he had a hard time making, and once he did he felt he had betrayed what he had lived for his whole previous life. Then, as if he needed a kick in the crotch, he finds that the good and peace he tried to accomplish—the signing of Garumn’s Gorge that allowed the orc kingdom of Many-Arrows to exist peacefully beside the good races of the region—was quickly unraveling, leading him to find it useless. In a shortening of a complex situation, Bruenor ended up feeling abandoned by his dwarven gods. Bruenor’s story about faith in a god that seems quiet was a wonderful comparison to how it can be when living with the true God of reality.  Sometimes it is confusing and sometimes it is disappointing, but if we know the character of God, then we must remember to trust Him (and we must remember ultimately that it is we who follow Him, and not vice versa!  He is the reward of our heart, in the very end).  When we don’t trust Him and we are seeking to control everything ourselves, then we will get just as angry, rebellious, and temperamental as Bruenor did with the dwarf gods! Special mention of Bruenor trying to master his infant instincts—that part was well done and hilarious. Five gold stars for this part of the book.

Regis’ tale was the best of the bunch.  Determined to not be the weakling he’s always been, he goes out of his way to practice courage and also increase his skill in combat.  Born with a bit of genasi blood that allows him to hold his breath for incredible amounts of time, he becomes a master pearl diver at a young age despite his poverty, eventually leading to his adoption into a halfling assassin’s guild that has its run of things in the city. The relationship he had with his drunkard dad, and the wooing of the beautiful granddaughter of the Grandfather Pericolo (master of the assassins) gave his story a wonderful touch of growth. It was well-rounded, giving him greater depth as a character than we had ever seen before (he was always the least well-defined of the original Companions). We saw him master skills and become capable, but also seize many of the relational opportunities he failed to have in his previous life.  Not to mention, he ended up with some awesome items! Five gold stars for this part of the book.

Catti-Brie had some touching moments with her original family, and it was cool seeing her journey to become a powerful wizard/sorceress, particularly with her druidic spellscar and the three different tutelages she received. However, of the three stories, hers drew me in the least.  It was fun and a page-turner as you went through it, but nothing that really sticks out to me after the fact.  In this way, it was unlike Regis and Bruenor.  Four gold stars for this part of the book.

Wulfgar!  Just glad he came back, that’s all.

The bad:

A little bit of stiltedness from the characters we haven’t seen in awhile. Regis avoided this, though perhaps this is because Salvatore had him purposefully set out on a life full of growth, one that made up for a lot of missed opportunities in his first life.  He could re-envision Regis, making it almost like he was writing about him for the first time.  Bruenor was Bruenor, but he wasn’t gone for that long, all things considered.  It was mostly Wulfgar and Catti-Brie that seemed stilted.  Catti-Brie was pure, wise, otherworldly, and essentially completely unrelatable before her rebirth. It was like she was supposed to be some angel from above that fits all of Drizzt’s nostalgia for her. She got better once she hit the flow of her new life.  Wulfgar was some rampaging buffoon warrior, strictly holding to honor of his clans over any honor of his friends. Actually, pretty much acting like they were never his friends. Just weird. We didn’t get the chance of seeing him the rest of the book, so this impression sort of just stuck out like a sore thumb. And then he reverses course in the end?  Well that seems odd too. He was so adamantly and angrily set in one way in the beginning, and we last see him walking to his eternal home even, and then he shows up in the end?  We clearly missed something. I’d accept that, except that like I said, it was a stilted caricature in the beginning.

Drizzt.  Plain and simple.  Drizzt had basically no appearance in this book, except for one thing:  the journal entries.  That’s right, even though Drizzt wasn’t in this book (you know, except for when his friends find him dying at the end and heal him), he was still writing journal entries somewhere along the way so that RA could publish his philosophical ramblings. Honestly, these entries have been pages I’d like to skip for the last several books, but it seemed glaringly so when the character wasn’t even around!  When I first started reading these books and enjoyed these journal entries, I was young and philosophical and viewed the world romantically like Drizzt. Now I find them sort of inadequate. I mean, really?  All that matters is that we have friends who agree with our values and who remember us fondly for living them out in life?  I’m sorry, but isn’t that incredibly hollow?  I just watched a documentary on the most dangerous gang in the world. These are gangsters who deal the most dangerous drugs, kill for territory, and are involved in human trafficking. They agree on what they are fighting for. They love their brothers in arms and will graffiti huge memorials telling the lives of the ones that fall. So is that it? Is that the ultimate profoundness that we’ve been waiting years to read?  Oy shalloy. You might think Drizzt would find something more advanced for all his century and a half of pondering. It’s almost as bad as Drizzt in the last book of the Neverwinter series. In that one, Salvatore is pretty much championing a mind to the exclusion of emotion lifeview in order to maintain a highly moralistic lifestyle. That’s not even healthy. A whole person is not controlled by just their mind or their heart, but the influence of both. It’s not too hard to think of damaging examples of both extremes. RA made Drizzt an emotionally unreachable character by the end…it’s no wonder his former lover (who had serious emotional issues, of course) tried to kill him. So remember that people…those who are mind over emotion = moralistic and good; those who are emotion over mind = uncontrollable rage-aholics who will kill you over scorned love. Maybe Drizzt can be reborn without his pensiveness. Here’s to hoping.

Overall:

Don’t let my rants in the bad section stop you. This book was excellent, and probably the most fun to read since Gauntlgrym (which I also rate very highly). Great stuff, and I’ll keep reading in the future.

A Bride For Keeps Review

A Bride for Keeps (A Bride for Keeps #1)

by Melissa Jagears (Goodreads Author)

 

A Tender Tale of Love on the Prairie Perfect for CBA Readers
Although Everett Cline can hardly keep up with the demands of his homestead, he won't humiliate himself by looking for a helpmate ever again--not after being jilted by three mail-order brides. When a well-meaning neighbor goes behind his back to bring yet another mail-order bride to town, he has good reason to doubt it will work, especially after getting a glimpse at the woman in question. She's the prettiest woman he's ever seen, and it's just not possible she's there to marry a simple homesteader like him.

Julia Lockwood has never been anything more than a pretty pawn for her father or a business acquisition for her former fiance. Having finally worked up the courage to leave her life in Massachusetts, she's determined to find a place where people will value her for more than her looks. Having run out of all other options, Julia resorts to a mail-order marriage in far-away Kansas.

Everett is skeptical a cultured woman like Julia could be happy in a life on the plains, while Julia, deeply wounded by a past relationship, is skittish at the idea of marriage at all. When, despite their hesitations, they agree to a marriage in name only, neither one is prepared for the feelings that soon arise to complicate their arrangement. Can two people accustomed to keeping their distance let the barricades around their hearts down long enough to fall in love?




Review: 1/10

Ugh I cannot believe I waited so long for this book. It seemed so promising- a pretty cover and a different spin on a mail order plot line. But the characters really lack depth. Just like the story line.

Julia, the supermodel from 1876, struggles with being so drop dead gorgeous; her beauty is so intense that no one can think about anything else, including herself. She pretty much goes cycles through feelings of shame (crimes committed against her because of her beauty), guilt (because apart from her beauty she's useless), resentment ("i'm more than just a pretty face!"), hopelessness ("I'm nothing but a pretty face!"), and suspicion ("are you thinking about my looks?"). Sound a bit repetitive? Oh you have no idea.

Let's add in a second POV from her intended who spends 80% of his time obsessing about her beauty/pretty face (of the "I have nothing to offer her; she's too beautiful" & "I must have her now" variety.) and 20% of his time obsessing about his previous mail order (+ 1) failures.

The two characters go back and forth so much that I have whiplash.

And the conflicts were as extreme as you can get: *spoilers* being jilted no less than 5 times for pretty weak reasons, rape, attempted rape, 12 miscarriages/still births, and a fall off the roof leading to a mangled leg, fever, and brush with both amputation and death. Just to name a few.

If you secretly harbor a wish that your beauty was so all consuming that it was a constant source of conflict with everyone around you, and you'd like to experience it vicariously through a shallow, vain fictional character, then this is the book for you.

Trouble In Store Review

Trouble in Store

by Carol Cox (Goodreads Author)

 

Fired from her most recent governess position, Melanie Ross must embrace her last resort: the Arizona mercantile she inherited from her cousin. But Caleb Nelson is positive he inherited the mercantile, and he's not about to let some obstinate woman with newfangled ideas mess up all he's worked for. He's determined to get Melanie married off as soon as possible, and luckily there are plenty of single men in town quite interested in taking her off his hands.
The problem is, Caleb soon realizes he doesn't want her to marry up with any of them. He's drawn to Melanie more every day, and he has to admit some of her ideas for the store unexpectedly offer positive results.

But someone doesn't want the store to succeed, and what used to be just threatening words has escalated into deliberate destruction and lurkers in the night. When a body shows up on the mercantile steps--and the man obviously didn't die from natural causes--things really get dangerous. Can Melanie and Caleb's business--and romance--survive the trouble that's about to come their way?


My Review: 5/10
A month or so after finishing the book, I couldn't remember much about it. I remembered the murder mystery subplot and some outlines of the story, but the characters, romance etc was pretty dim. I think that sums this book up. If you enjoy reading a clean romance with faint Christian themes set a couple of hundred years ago, and you're not particular about originality, then you will enjoy this story as much as every other of its kind.

After refreshing my memory, the only thing I feel is worth commenting on is Melanie's character. I found her a little abrasive and obnoxious. I realize that she was desperate and kept up a front of confidence and strength in order to protect herself, but I think she could have done so while also employing humility and a willingness to compromise. Perhaps it was just that she rubbed me the wrong way, but this affected how I viewed the romance, which was rather abrupt and not very convincing.

*I was given a free copy in exchange for an honest review.*

The Dilemma of Charlotte Farrow Review

The Dilemma of Charlotte Farrow 

by Olivia Newport (Goodreads Author)

Charlotte Farrow, maid in the wealthy Banning household on Chicago's opulent Prairie Avenue, has kept her baby boy a secret from her employers for nearly a year. But when the woman who has been caring for her son abruptly returns him, Charlotte must decide whether to come clean and face dismissal or keep her secret while the Bannings decide the child's fate. Can she face the truth of her own past and open her heart to a future of her own? Or will life's tragedies determine the future for her?
This compelling story set against the glittering backdrop of the 1893 World's Columbian Exposition captures the tension between the wealthy class and the hardworking servants who made their lives comfortable. Author Olivia Newport expertly portays social classes while creating a story of courage, strength, and tender romance.


My rating: 6/10
 
I was pleasantly surprised to find Charlotte give her own story as I found her infinitely more interesting than Lucy.

I can't really say that I enjoyed the story itself but that was due to the subject matter.  Ms. Newport did an excellent job with the suspense; I really had no idea who or what Charlotte would choose for most of the book. But it was just too agonizing for me. It wasn't even bittersweet; I remember Charlotte remarking that at least Henry was in the same house now. But I disagreed. I'll bet she got a lot more time (and much better quality) with her son just getting to see him once or twice a week than she did with him living in the Banning house and being exclusively taken care of by someone else. Sarah's actions were appropriately nerve racking. I could barely stand it. I kept waiting for that situation to be rectified, and felt cheated by adjustments being made for such a short time.


I could appreciate and sympathize with Charlotte's situation. And I enjoyed the gentle weaving of the love story in the background. Though I felt the themes of faith could have made the book so much stronger if they had appeared as more than bookends, I liked the parallels to Moses' story, and I loved that Archie questioned her judgment and challenged her to trust in God and wait on Him. How often do we make the same mistakes- trying to fit circumstances into a divine mold so that we don't have to rely solely on faith? I know I've done it plenty of times; I'd almost always rather hear 'no' than 'just wait' in answer to my prayers. But back to the story...

The situation with Charlotte's 'husband' was rather twisted and I didn't really buy into it. But what was worse was Archie's response at the end when she balks at the truth of her situation. "Shhh. Don't." Yes, let's dismiss the ugliness and all the emotions that go with it, just pretend it never happened. Charlotte's subsequent reaction, or lack thereof, was not at all realistic. Any woman would be deeply affect, traumatized even, by such events. And any man claiming to love her would help her heal, however slowly, by listening and slowly working away doubts, fears and trust issues. The whole, "just forget about it because I'm here now" attitude was too much for me to take.

Lucy did nothing but disappoint. Honeymoon or no, you can take a few minutes here and there (over a period of several months) to check up on your closest friend/confidante. Her letter, especially after all that build up, was rather empty. True to form, I say, despite her reputation.

I thought the staff and supporting characters were very well done with the exception of Sarah. You loved to hate her, with her arrogance, selfishness and total lack of empathy until she randomly pulls a 180 at the end, in what I suspect was just a way to tie things together. Or maybe the author couldn't deal with not redeeming her character. Or maybe she was setting things up for the third book. The world may never know.

All in all, this was a decent, middle of the line read. From a historical standpoint, the attention to detail to really flush out the lives of the serving class was interesting and well done. I'll give the third and final book a try, hoping it continues in this upward trend, despite my contempt of the lead character.