Book Review

Excited about Reading ~ Just One Kiss by Wendy Davy

/ Dora Hiers
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The Cover Story~

After acting on a dare and kissing the hottest guy at Granbury High, Molly Parker was left with a broken heart and a legacy she couldn’t live down; Dustin McKinley left town the very next day, taking her hopes and dreams along with him. A decade later…they meet again.

Molly assures herself she won’t fall for Dustin’s charms this time, yet with his good looks and dimpled smile, guarding her heart proves to be more of a challenge than she ever expected.

When Dustin inherits his grandmother’s farmhouse he returns to Granbury intending to sell the property. However, he must first evict the tenant occupying the garage apartment—the woman he walked away from years ago and has never been able to forget.

Dustin assures himself he’s doing what must be done, but when he reunites with Molly his attraction to her rekindles, jeopardizing his carefully constructed plans.

My takeaway~
Just One Kiss was all it took for Dustin McKinley to bolt for New York, leaving Molly Parker embarrassed about accepting the dare that sent him running. When another man swindles her savings, she’s over men and dating, content to grow flowers over relationships. That is until Dustin returns, and both are confronted with feelings that never faded. A few hurdles stand in their way, though, an eviction notice, the demands of Dustin’s job, and Carter Hutchins, the guy who plans to seduce Molly.

With a twenty-something hero and heroine who both value purity, Just One Kiss is sweet and soft, the kind of book that leaves you with an “ahhh” at the last page.

“I want to be loyal to my future marriage. I believe my body is a gift I should save for my husband.” ~Molly Parker

I especially enjoyed the parallel woven into the story involving Lakota, a homeless Labrador Retriever who the whole town cares for, with Dustin.

“She just has to believe she’s found the right place to be.” ~ Molly Parker on Lakota, the town’s stray dog 

 If you’re looking for a pleasant read to curl up with for a few hours on a rainy Saturday, you can’t go wrong with Just One Kiss. 

~ Dora, Fiction Faith and Foodies Blog

Disclaimer: I purchased Just One Kiss. The opinions expressed in this review are my own, and I received no monetary compensation.

Excited about Reading ~ His Wounded Heart By R. L. Syme

/ Dora Hiers
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The cover story:
Sean Raleigh has fired every nurse and physical therapist within firing radius. He wants to be left alone in his invalid despair. But when his best friend hires the beautiful Jaclyn Dalton, Sean’s curiosity about her selflessness and unwavering faith keeps him from sending her away.
Jaclyn needs this job to stay in Montana, but Sean’s icy heart and raging bitterness threaten to drive her away.
He believes his immobility is a punishment from some controlling but distant deity, yet she sees him crying out for a compassionate God he doesn’t believe in. Jaclyn wants to help Sean recognize the grace that can be his, even if she has to leave him to do it, which draws her into a surprising level of emotional vulnerability-a vulnerability that will be the key to healing Sean’s wounded heart.
My takeaway:
I must admit that initially I wasn’t too fond of Sean, the shoe-throwing jerk who refused to do physical therapy or hang onto a nurse. But as the story progressed and the details of his accident emerged, he grew on me, and I appreciated how much courage and strength it took for him to change over the course of the book.
The moment he touched her soft skin, he forgot all about his knee injuries, his braces, and the fact that he couldn’t stand on his own legs yet. Her smooth hand in his own, combined with the solid strength of her grip, produced a heavy thud in his chest. For one glorious moment, he could have been a whole, healthy man again, able to climb a mountain. ~Sean Raleigh
Sean labels Christians based on his experience with his father, but Carter and Jaclyn’s selfless actions slowly erode his opinion. Faced with an angry and bitter former athlete, I’m not sure I would’ve showered him with unending grace and generous love like Carter and Jaclyn, but it was a great picture of how God loves us, despite our bitterness and brokenness and in the midst of our pain and struggles. Sean also questions whether he could believe in a God who allowed bad things like his accident to happen.
Jaclyn loved a God who was real. His dad used religion to get obedience from his children, or his employees, or his wife. He used a set of beliefs to get what he wanted out of other people. He had no concept of who God really was.

It was hard to separate the two, since they claimed to worship the same God. But they didn’t. A blind fool could see the difference.
Although Sean did the most growing in His Wounded Heart, Jaclyn struggled through a rough patch herself. I appreciated that she didn’t waver in her faith, but I actually doubted if this book would deliver a happily-ever-after.
A warm, peaceful feeling spread through her chest, and she closed her eyes. As she often did when she felt God’s presence, she opened her imagination, and let the Holy Spirit comfort her. She imagined herself as a little girl, sitting on her father’s lap, held safely in his powerful arms. The peace deepened. God was at her side, and no matter what happened, He would always be with her like this.

With so much depth, physical, emotional, and spiritual, this isn’t a fluffy romance to scurry through in a couple hours. I savored this one over a few hours, rooting for Sean to be physically healed and for both of them to be emotionally whole so they could be together. Overall, I really enjoyed His Wounded Heart and would definitely pick up another book by R. L. Syme.

Disclaimer: I received His Wounded Heart free from Pelican Book Group as part of their 40 days of Lent free e-book program.

What Should Daisy Do? by Maria Bostian

/ Dora Hiers
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The Cover Story~

An Interactive Story with a Surprise Ending!
Daisy Dog and Pete the Pig are the best of friends, going everywhere and doing everything together. Oftentimes, Daisy has to get Pete out of tricky situations.

While at Pete’s house one rainy Saturday, Daisy is faced with a tough decision when Pete invites her to play with his special toys: matches and lighters.

Children Have a Voice!

No way, Pete! yells the group of preschool children. Matches and lighters are tools, not toys.

Imagine their voice being heard as they tell others what Daisy should do with dangerous matches and lighters!


My takeaway~
Our grandson’s only 4 1/2 years old, but What Should Daisy Do? has quickly become his go-to book at our house. He tugs that book out of the book tote and curls up on my lap. It’s worth every cent just for the cuddle factor. 🙂 He follows along in the book with his finger and even comments on how the characters might be feeling based on their facial expressions. And I appreciate that the author didn’t tell the kids what to do in the book, rather leaves it up to them to make the right choices. 

With her diverse background in fire service and education, Bostian crafted an entertaining and interactive story, sure to challenge students and satisfy teachers. Wish that all important lessons could be so much fun to learn!

Disclaimer: I received this book free from the author for the purpose of sharing my review. The opinions expressed in this review are my own, and I received no monetary compensation.

Maria Bostian

Maria Bostian started her fire service career in 1999 and currently serves as the Fire & Life Safety Educator/Public Information Officer for Kannapolis Fire Department. In addition to her fire service experience, she has an M.Ed. in Montessori Integrative Learning with over 10+ years of Montessori classroom experience.

Her writing began out of necessity as she created lesson plans and instructional materials for preschool fire safety lessons. She recognized the need for good-quality teaching aids that provided correct messaging and additional resources for children, as well as, adults and caregivers. Her debut children’s picture book entitled What Should Daisy Do? began as a short story for a matches and lighters lesson.

Bostian is a N.C. certified Inspector I, Instructor II, Fire & Life Safety Educator III, and is an adjunct instructor for the National Fire Academy. She has taught safety education classes and workshops in N.C., S.C., G.A., I.L., and C.O.

When she isn’t working, Bostian can be found writing under a pecan tree, reading in her favorite lounge chair, or “riding around with the top down” searching for the next great story starter or inspirational character (cause you never know where your best ideas are going to be found). A vegetarian for many years now, Bostian’s favorite foods are mushrooms and cheese (which go together nicely on a great pizza).

Bostian happily resided in Concord, N.C. (not too far away from some of the South’s best mountains and beaches) with her firefighter husband, her precious mother, and several pets.