Losing Emma, Finding Hope - Lisl Barnes

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In a world where cancer is romanticised to make more people read about this subject (Not that I’m complaining), I really appreciate that Lisl Barnes decided to share their story in such a way.

First off the cover and all the illustrations are beautiful, and I’m sure they captured Emma’s likeness.

Lisl’s writing pulls you in from the beginning and I quickly got so absorbed in their tale, it broke my heart and opened my eyes. It shows the brutal truth of childhood cancers and how it can change a family.

I would recommend this book in a heartbeat. I wanted to get in my car and go give Lisl a hug, (don’t know how appropriate it would’ve been) and tell her, their story touched my heart.

The Honorable Heir – Laurie Alice Eakes

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Where to begin, and not sound horrible.

I received a copy of this book on NetGalley in exchange for an honest opinion.

This is a Historical Fiction, I love historical fiction, I didn’t love this book. It felt like the second book in the series, but it’s stand-alone, trust me I went back and checked on several instances. If it wasn’t that I wanted to know who stole the jewels I would’ve given up at 40%

It follows Catherine who had married an English earl a couple of years before, she returns to her family home after her husband died, closely followed by Lord Tristram who was commissioned to find the jewels that Catherine presumably took.

I didn’t like how the story dragged on, and the ending felt very rushed. I know Catherine was supposed to be the victim in this situation, but she just irritated me.

I’m sure there will be people who love this book, but for me, it fell short. 

It Ends with Us - Colleen Hoover

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This was an emotionally draining and yet so satisfying book.

Lily hasn’t always had it easy, she grew up in a home where her father abused her mother. She worked hard to reach her goals and life was just going in the right direction when she met Ryle Kincaid, a gorgeous neurosurgeon, life suddenly feels too good to be true. Ryle is assertive, stubborn and just a tad arrogant and this did make them get off to a rocky start. While she can’t get Ryle of her mind, there is a ghost from her past that surfaced as well in Atlas.

I adored Lily, I connected with her from the moment I opened the book. Her spirit and just her character all over drew me in. That is what I love about Hoover’s books her characters are normal everyday people. Ryle although he was an arrogant know-all, I really liked him, up to a point. There was just something about me that screamed at me.

Hoover’s story felt so real and even though this situation was very close to home, I couldn’t stop reading. I cried, I laughed, and Hoover has the way to make you enjoy every single minute of it.

I would have to add some trigger warning if you are going to read it, I didn’t have a clue what it was about and it did catch me off guard to be reading about such a personal subject.

Miriam and the Stranger – Jerry S. Eicher

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This is my first Amish story in a long time, I used to love these stories, and was quite excited when I got a copy from NetGalley. The excitement was fleeting and now a distant memory.

This is book 3 in the Land of Promise series, we get to know Miriam Yoder, a young Amish woman, who has been through a lot. She soon finds herself betrothed to a widower Mose Stoll, who arrives from her home community. There is also an English man who makes Miriam’s heart beat faster.

I didn’t know that this was book 3 when I requested it, but Eicher does catch you up on what happened in the previous ones… eventually.

I found that it dragged a lot, but I was determined to finish it. There were some parts where I wasn’t really sure if this could happen in the Amish community, but this isn’t facts, so you can change some aspects of it. The end felt rushed and all happened in about what felt like 10 pages. But at least everything was all wrapped up.  

Don’t think I will read anything else by this author, and I won’t even go and read the previous books in this series.