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I absolutely love Maggie Brendan and her books. She creates wonderful stories filled with beautiful characters, lots of quirks, and a plot line that will pull you in instantly. Trusting Grace is the third book in this series, but the first one that I have read. I'm so glad that I did!

Grace, Robert and the children were all wonderful characters. They came to life instantly, pulling me in, capturing my heart. The interaction between Grace and Robert and Grace and the children left me smiling. The sparks that fly between Grace and Robert are endearing and I loved watching Robert come to terms with the way he feels about Grace.

This is a story of anger, love, letting go and moving on. A story of learning to trust again. God works His way into the story line, leaving the reader with messages of hope and faith in the end.

If you love a story that will not only warm your heart, but is filled with captivating characters, history, and hope, then look no further than this beautifully woven novel. This is worth 4 star praises and recommendations to all Christian fiction lovers. Ms. Brendan will leave you wanting more! I can't wait to go back and read the first two books in this lovely series.

Tell me, would you give love another shot and trust again, after being hurt? Leave a comment below for your chance to win a copy of one of Maggie Brendan's Virtues And Vices Of the Old West novels!

*I received a complimentary copy of this book from Revell Reads and was under no obligation to post a review, positive or negative.*<a href="http://cafinatedreads.com/revell-reads-review-trusting-grace-by-maggie-brendan/"; target="_blank">This review was originally posted on Cafinated Reads</a>
  
Lady of Lincoln (The Nicola de la Haye Series #1)
Lady of Lincoln (The Nicola de la Haye Series #1)
Rachel Elwiss Joyce | 2026 | Fiction & Poetry
9
9.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
LADY OF LINCOLN is the first book in the Nicola de la Haye series, and her story begins when she is still just a child herself. She sees her older sister marry and wants to marry for love, but her father has chosen a suitable husband for her. Gerard is the character I fell in love with the minute he said he wouldn't ever force a woman's hand, although his reasons are heartbreaking. Unfortunately for Gerard, Nicola is swept off her feet by Fitz, a man closer to her age who needs her inheritance. Nicola and Gerard remain friends, and she and Fitz actually find love, although their love isn't without its ups and downs.

Most of the story is told by Nicola, although Fitz and Gerard both have their say too. I loved how Nicola cared for her people and was clever enough to have stock in multiple places. Fitz, I didn't like at the beginning, but he grew on me. He made some bad choices, but proved himself by the end.

There is a lot going on in this book, not only Nicola's story, but also the rebellion against King Henry by his sons, led by his wife, Eleanor of Aquitaine. Parts of this made my head spin, with many names and titles being used, and I thought I was well-read in medieval history!

This was a great read that I thoroughly enjoyed, and I can't wait to continue with Nicola's story. Definitely recommended to any medieval history fans.

** Same worded review will appear elsewhere. **
 
* A copy of this book was provided to me with no requirements for a review. I voluntarily read this book; the comments here are my honest opinion. *
 
Merissa
Archaeolibrarian - I Dig Good Books!
May 8, 2026
  
An American Marriage
An American Marriage
Tayari Jones | 2018 | Fiction & Poetry
10
8.9 (12 Ratings)
Book Rating
Gut punching read
AN AMERICAN MARRIAGE has been on my radar for a while, I knew it was going to be a tough read so I had to be ready to go in. This isn’t a love story, it is a life story. It was a tough read but I am all the richer for having read this story and the world of literature is richer for this realistic representation of hell raining down on an innocent black man.

Celestine and Roy didn’t have the perfect marriage but it was real, they argued, they communicated and they worked on it; they were happy. All that was stolen from them in an instant in a cruel and unjust way. What plays out is the passing of years and their experiences and those of their families and friends.

The trials Roy existed through were brutally tough to read but I felt transported to his lived experience and I was willing his position to a place of improvement. Celestine was a feminist, I admired her tenacity and ability to exist and continue...until I didn’t. What happened with these characters that I became so very invested in, made me feel very conflicted. Their decisions, their journeys were painful but real and I felt crushed at various junctures.

Sometimes love just isn’t enough, sometimes there isn’t enough love. My mind is still knotted, wondering about the what-ifs and the maybe if... One thing is for sure, this injustice happens, most likely on a daily basis and so this was an important story to tell.

I’ve come out of this read not feeling in love with these characters because, guess what, they were flawed. I have come out of this read incredibly impressed by the narrative voice of Tayari Jones and her ability to tell the tough tale with heart, passion and grit.


 “Much of life is timing and circumstance, I see that now. Roy came into my life at the time when I needed a man like him...But how you feel love and understand love are two very different things.”
  
Ni no Kuni: Wrath of the White Witch
Ni no Kuni: Wrath of the White Witch
2013 | Role-Playing
Fantastic fantasy role playing game
I love this game so much and I've played it twice. The story is quite good and the game play is a lot of fun. The artwork of the game is beautiful and the music for it is great. There are tons of side quests to do along with the main story and just exploring is a lot of fun. It's a wonderful game that is enjoyable to play. You can read the full Mother Gamer review here: http://lorrie28-mothergamer.blogspot.com/2014/09/backlog-video-game-review-of-ni-no-kuni.html
  
Justice League (2017)
Justice League (2017)
2017 | Action, Adventure
Ben Affleck (1 more)
Gal Gadot
Cgi (3 more)
Story
Villain
Too short
Why?
OK, to be fair I am not a massive reader of all things DC or Marvel, but in my youth I read enough good story's about Batman, Superman et al to know that this film should have been amazing. Instead someone just shoved a lesser known villian in a short story using some DC lore they had read and decided to misuse. Such an absolute waste of a great cast and potential. I wanted to love the movie, and even convinced my wife to watch it with me!
  
Craig Ferguson shines through his raw story telling and signature wit. (0 more)
Another Late Night Memoir
This book was just what I needed to help get me through the pre-holiday slump at work. Craig Ferguson's narration of the audio book felt like sharing a cuppa with a neighbor or an old friend as they shared their life story in an all night conversation. I fell in love with his comedy through the Late Late Show, and have enjoyed following his career ever since. As an entrepreneur it's encouraging to know success isn't perfect, or even planned.
  
Dunkirk (2017)
Dunkirk (2017)
2017 | Action, History, War
Cast (4 more)
Scale
Sound Design
Narrative structure
Direction
A return to form
I personally didn't love Nolan's last two efforts, (Interstellar and The Dark Rises,) but this is a return to form. This isn't Nolan telling an overly ambitious story about interdimensional space travel or a billionaire crime fighter, this is a story that actually happened. Although it feels epic in scope, this movie takes place in one location and it benefits from it. We get to see personal dramas and intimate conflicts and we feel like we are right there alongside the men on that beach. Also the sound design is utterly incredible.