Illuminations of the Heart

My Rating: 4.5/5

If you enjoy a good romance then you have to read Illuminations of the Heart. It will be one of those books you can hardly put down. I thoroughly enjoyed it and will probably read it again.

Counting Stars

My Rating:4/5

Counting Stars is a really fun read. The story is original and will give you a nice break from the mundane romance novels that are out there. You might even laugh out loud a couple of times, I know I did. It's so nice to be able to pick up a book and be surprised every once in a while. Age group focus: 18+

Shadow Hunter

My Rating:

Shadow Hunter is the perfect book for men who like to read fiction. It has suspense, a military setting, and no mushy "roll the eyes romance". Now, even though I just said that it's the perfect novel for men, I read it and still enjoyed it, even without the romance. The focus of the story is solely on catching this particular terrorist. What’s so cool is that you get to see the story unfold from both the government's side and the terrorist’s side. It was very interesting and if you have a military background I think you'd really enjoy it.

Love That Lasts

My Rating:

Whether you’re Newlyweds or celebrating your 45^th wedding anniversary, Love That Lasts is the perfect book to read with your spouse or on your own. I have read several books on marriage and relationships, and this is one of my favorites! Even if you already have a loving and healthy marriage, you’ll learn more about your spouse and yourself than you realized before. Love That Lasts also provides entertaining quizzes that allow you to interact with one another, and personal stories that you can relate to and apply in your own marriage. All couples have to work hard in maintaining a healthy marriage and will experience difficulty with one thing or another. So, if you’re looking for help to strengthen your relationship with your mate or if you’re just looking to add a little bit of fun and spark back into your marriage, try the fourteen secrets found in Love That Lasts!

Hard Times and Holy Places

My Rating:

Hard Times and Holy Places is an inspirational book that will encourage and fortify your faith during challenges while on this earth. Although the physical hardships Kristin Belcher experienced may be different than our own, we can all relate to her feelings of frustration, loneliness, and abandonment when her life turned out differently than she had planned.

What I loved the most about Kristin’s book is her idea that we can make any ordinary place a holy place; a place of refuge and peace where we can be taught and comforted by the Spirit. I also loved Kristin’s take on the word “why”. She learned that getting through mortal trials was easier when she replaced “why” with “why not?” Through Kristin’s humor and humble testimony, Hard Times and Holy Places can become our guide to finding peace and comfort through adversity. We can learn how to laugh at our troubles and find strength and healing in our Savior, Jesus Christ.

For those feeling overwhelmed or saddened by the burdens they have had to carry, Hard Times and Holy Places is the perfect gift to provide encouragement and hope.

The Hourglass Door

My Rating:

The Hourglass Door is a novel that is both intriguing and mysterious. It puts a whole new spin on time travel and one thing’s for sure; it’s going to leave you wanting more. Your curiosity will be piqued before you even finish the prologue and by the last page you’ll be anxious for the next adventure to begin. It’s a fairly easy read and it gets right into the story. After I read it for the first time I found myself reading it again just to see if I missed anything or if I could piece some more of the puzzle together.

When you throw in a bit of mystery, romance, and a cute foreign–exchange student from Italy, you just can’t go wrong.

Lockdown

My Rating:

Well of course I loved it! It was a little more serious than her other books, but that's to be expected since it’s based on a true story. The plot is very realistic and Traci does a great job tying everything together in the end. I found it very easy to connect with the characters in this story and was caught up in suspenseful moments where I held my breath as I anxiously read their fate.

One thing I love about Traci Abramson is that she’ll briefly introduce a character in a book and then make them the main character in a later book she writes. For example, in Freefall she introduces us to an all LDS group of Navy Seals and you are briefly introduced to one Seal named Tristen. However, it isn’t until Lockdown that he actually becomes the main character. It’s great because you can continue to follow the characters you love, but experience a completely different story at the same time.

Lockdown is a novel that will intrigue you during the very first chapter, shock you when you least expect it, and leave you eager for the next adventure.