Becky Wade's Undeniably Yours is a novel about a rich girl who meets a poor boy. More than wealth is separating them; the stigma of boss and employee connecting romantically with each other is a source of concern for the two of them.
Meg Cole is under a lot of stress. With the passing of her father, she has become the head of the family business, Cole Oil, and numerous other business endeavors. Meg is no business woman. She had been happily working as a museum curator in Tulsa, returning to Texas only because of her family obligations. She is trying to reduce the scope of her responsibilities so that she can concentrate on Cole Oil, and this means that she must lay off people and close down or sell the other businesses. One of these is Whispering Creek Ranch. Bo Porter is in charge of the ranch which is located on the family estate.
Bo, an ex-marine, is the manager of the horse ranch, and knows that Meg means to get rid of it. He persuades Meg to give him six months to turn the business around so that it becomes profitable. He knows that Meg has every intention of closing the place down, even after the six months are up. He is also aware of the attraction between Meg and himself, but refuses to use it to convince Meg to keep the ranch operational. In the meantime, Meg becomes aware that spending time with Bo gives her peace from all the turmoil from the other areas of her life which threaten to overwhelm her. She wonders at the attraction between them, but is reluctant to act on it because of a previous relationship that causes her to mistrust all eligible men and her own judgment about people. Bo slowly chips away at that distrust; however, circumstances arise that causes Meg to question whether Bo is using her for her money, just as the person from her previous relationship had.
I loved this story. It was romantic. Bo is sigh worthy material. The man is honest, honourable, handsome, and besides being a horse whisperer, he can also charm crying babies. Becky Wade writes with humour in her style. The babysitting episode made me smile.
I also liked that both protagonists were believers who earnestly wanted to listen to and follow God. I found it interesting that Meg knew a fair bit of Scripture about her identity in Christ, and was able to see Bo as an equal, disregarding how the rest of the world saw the disparity in their socio-economic circumstances. However, she wasn't able to translate that knowledge of how God saw her into accepting herself; she seemed to be constantly insecure about her looks, body image, and abilities. As a female who is no longer in the bloom of my youth, I can relate to the struggle that Meg has in seeing herself as an acceptable person in a society that prizes physical attractiveness and worldly success as high measures of worthiness.
Undeniably Yours is the first installment of the Porter Family saga. The following two novels in the series, Meant to Be Mine, and A Love Like Ours, covers the stories of Bo's brothers, Ty, and Jake, respectively.
Monday, 9 February 2015
Saturday, 24 January 2015
Review: Knitting Over the Edge by Nicky Epstein
One of my favourite activities is checking out the bargain tables at bookstores for knitting books. Occasionally, gems will turn up that are too good to miss. Recently, the Chapters/Indigo book chain had a huge discount for Nicky Epstein's Knitting Over the Edge. It was priced about 75% off from its regular price. However, it was so close to Christmas and I hadn't gotten that far with my Christmas shopping. So I hinted (well, if you define hinting as taking a picture of the book with a cell phone and showing it to a significant someone) that this would make an absolutely wonderful Christmas gift.
On Christmas morning, I was delighted to find this book under the tree. In fact, since then, every time I glance at the book, I feel excited. The book is about a decade old already; it was originally published in 2005, but it contains a lot of knitting patterns that could be used and adapted for decorative borders. In this way, it is rather like a stitch dictionary/encyclopedia for edgings. This collection contains over 350 patterns, categorized into the headings of Unique Ribs, Cords, Appliques, Colors, and Nouveau. At the beginning of each of these five sections, a photograph of a sample garment that utilizes these edgings is shown. Within each section, there are photographs showing samples of the knitted borders along with instructions on how to create these edgings. Towards the back of the book, instructions are given for making the photographed garments that were shown at the start of each category. The patterns are for a rib and bobble sweater, a cord and circle scarf, an appliqued rose capelet, a floral wrap, and a coat.
The blurb inside the dust jacket claims that novice knitters as well as experienced knitters will be able to carry out the instructions provided by this book to make these edgings. I would agree that a novice knitter may be able to find a number of patterns that they will be able to use easily, but in my opinion, many of these patterns may be more comfortable for an intermediate knitter. However, a novice knitter might be inspired to try their hand at cabling and intarsia just by viewing all the lovely possibilities. Also, because the book is a stitch dictionary, a knitter will need to play around with a bit of math and gauge so that the patterns can be adapted into whatever projects they will be utilized for.
I love looking at the examples of ribbing, fringes, cording, flora, loops, bobbles, cables, ruffles, flaps, intarsia, lace, and shapes. I am floored by the ideas that the author has come up with. The book is a source of inspiration for making unique creations, and that's what excites me. This is a book that I am glad to have as part of my reference library.
On Christmas morning, I was delighted to find this book under the tree. In fact, since then, every time I glance at the book, I feel excited. The book is about a decade old already; it was originally published in 2005, but it contains a lot of knitting patterns that could be used and adapted for decorative borders. In this way, it is rather like a stitch dictionary/encyclopedia for edgings. This collection contains over 350 patterns, categorized into the headings of Unique Ribs, Cords, Appliques, Colors, and Nouveau. At the beginning of each of these five sections, a photograph of a sample garment that utilizes these edgings is shown. Within each section, there are photographs showing samples of the knitted borders along with instructions on how to create these edgings. Towards the back of the book, instructions are given for making the photographed garments that were shown at the start of each category. The patterns are for a rib and bobble sweater, a cord and circle scarf, an appliqued rose capelet, a floral wrap, and a coat.
The blurb inside the dust jacket claims that novice knitters as well as experienced knitters will be able to carry out the instructions provided by this book to make these edgings. I would agree that a novice knitter may be able to find a number of patterns that they will be able to use easily, but in my opinion, many of these patterns may be more comfortable for an intermediate knitter. However, a novice knitter might be inspired to try their hand at cabling and intarsia just by viewing all the lovely possibilities. Also, because the book is a stitch dictionary, a knitter will need to play around with a bit of math and gauge so that the patterns can be adapted into whatever projects they will be utilized for.
I love looking at the examples of ribbing, fringes, cording, flora, loops, bobbles, cables, ruffles, flaps, intarsia, lace, and shapes. I am floored by the ideas that the author has come up with. The book is a source of inspiration for making unique creations, and that's what excites me. This is a book that I am glad to have as part of my reference library.
Sunday, 18 January 2015
Review: Her Stolen Past by Lynette Eason
Her Stolen Past is a Love Inspired Suspense novel written by Lynette Eason. The novel is about Sonya Daniels, a hospice nurse who has a mystery to solve. While going through the personal effects of her late mother's home, she finds a birth certificate for a baby who had been kidnapped but never found. Brandon Hayes is a police detective who also works as an investigator for Finding the Lost, a private agency. He is hired by Sonya to find Heather Bradley. As Sonya and Brandon attempt to uncover the mystery of the missing child, their lives are endangered, and it becomes obvious that someone doesn't want Heather Bradley to be found.
Sonya, the daughter of a pastor and his wife, has her reasons for wanting to find out what happened to the Heather. Without finding out the truth, there will be a cloud of uncertainty over her family's past.
Having his life threatened has made Brandon more determined to discover why someone wants to keep Heather Bradley hidden. However, the more time he spends with Sonya, the more he falls in love with her, even though he knows that it is unprofessional to get into a relationship with a client. He's also gun shy about getting into a relationship with a woman since he was previously burned by his ex-fiancée. There's something about Sonya that makes him reconsider his thoughts about women, though, and he becomes interested in the idea of developing something with her, if only they can keep themselves safe from the deadly danger that results from their search for Heather.
In the past, I've found Lynette Eason's books enjoyable to read. This one was definitely filled with suspense and mystery. This novel also tossed in the issue of forgiveness; Brandon's character needed to come to a place where he could forgive the people who had hurt him in the past. The discussion of forgiveness by the characters and the resolution seemed a bit stilted and sudden, but I think that it may be due to the constraints of the smaller size of this kind of novel as compared to ones that are longer. Brandon's forgiveness of the people who hurt him took place over two months, but only over five pages in the book. I think that a longer novel would have given the forgiveness storyline a bit more developmental room to feel more natural. As it is, I'm pleased to read about a spiritual issue in addition to the suspenseful storyline.
Besides the tackling of a spiritual topic in this novel, I felt that there was something else different about Her Stolen Past as compared to other Love Inspired novels that the author had written. The first few chapters really drew me in with the mystery and plot development of the story because it starts off with a bang; Sonya is in danger of getting shot by a sniper. The danger continues in the book, but after a few chapters in, something changed in the writing style, although the pacing continued to move quickly. I'm still trying to decide if it was just a reflection of the character of Brandon with his aloof, no-nonsense, keep-to-the-point speech that gave a simpler and plainer feel to the story telling, or if the cause was due to something else.
Nevertheless, I enjoyed reading the rest of novel; it kept my interest right to the very end. I loved the character of Sonya; she was a strong woman who stayed true to her faith in the Lord in spite of the tumult that was brought into her life because of her search for answers. I also liked that she stuck to her principles, even though it meant sacrificing the possibility of a relationship with Brandon.
Her Stolen Past is the final installment of Lynette Eason's "Family Reunion" Series.
Sonya, the daughter of a pastor and his wife, has her reasons for wanting to find out what happened to the Heather. Without finding out the truth, there will be a cloud of uncertainty over her family's past.
Having his life threatened has made Brandon more determined to discover why someone wants to keep Heather Bradley hidden. However, the more time he spends with Sonya, the more he falls in love with her, even though he knows that it is unprofessional to get into a relationship with a client. He's also gun shy about getting into a relationship with a woman since he was previously burned by his ex-fiancée. There's something about Sonya that makes him reconsider his thoughts about women, though, and he becomes interested in the idea of developing something with her, if only they can keep themselves safe from the deadly danger that results from their search for Heather.
In the past, I've found Lynette Eason's books enjoyable to read. This one was definitely filled with suspense and mystery. This novel also tossed in the issue of forgiveness; Brandon's character needed to come to a place where he could forgive the people who had hurt him in the past. The discussion of forgiveness by the characters and the resolution seemed a bit stilted and sudden, but I think that it may be due to the constraints of the smaller size of this kind of novel as compared to ones that are longer. Brandon's forgiveness of the people who hurt him took place over two months, but only over five pages in the book. I think that a longer novel would have given the forgiveness storyline a bit more developmental room to feel more natural. As it is, I'm pleased to read about a spiritual issue in addition to the suspenseful storyline.
Besides the tackling of a spiritual topic in this novel, I felt that there was something else different about Her Stolen Past as compared to other Love Inspired novels that the author had written. The first few chapters really drew me in with the mystery and plot development of the story because it starts off with a bang; Sonya is in danger of getting shot by a sniper. The danger continues in the book, but after a few chapters in, something changed in the writing style, although the pacing continued to move quickly. I'm still trying to decide if it was just a reflection of the character of Brandon with his aloof, no-nonsense, keep-to-the-point speech that gave a simpler and plainer feel to the story telling, or if the cause was due to something else.
Nevertheless, I enjoyed reading the rest of novel; it kept my interest right to the very end. I loved the character of Sonya; she was a strong woman who stayed true to her faith in the Lord in spite of the tumult that was brought into her life because of her search for answers. I also liked that she stuck to her principles, even though it meant sacrificing the possibility of a relationship with Brandon.
Her Stolen Past is the final installment of Lynette Eason's "Family Reunion" Series.
Sunday, 11 January 2015
Review: Snowbound with the Baronet by Deborah Hale
In the regency, Snowbound with the Baronet, by Deborah Hale, Lady Cassandra Whitney and her friend, Mrs. Davis, are travelling by public stagecoach during a snowstorm to Noughtly Hall, home of the Viscountess of Moresly, who is Cassandra's aunt. Even though Cassandra is the daughter of a duke, her father's death has left his widow, Cassandra's step-mother, and his four daughters dependent upon the graces of his heir, Lord Highworth. Cassandra has taken matters into her own hands and makes an agreement with Aunt Augusta, the viscountess, that she will become the viscountess' companion, in exchange for a Season for her youngest sister, Evelina, and for a housekeeper's position for Mrs. Davis.
On their travels, they come across a carriage which has thrown a wheel, and are forced to take on the passengers from the carriage. These passengers include Sir Brandon Calvert, his cousin, Imogene, and their accompanying staff. The ride becomes quite awkward for Lady Cassandra and Sir Brandon, because they share a past. Four years ago, he had proposed marriage to her, but she refused him in the belief that her refusal would protect him. He believes that she played him for a fool, because she had given him the false hope of being accepted. He can forgive her for refusing him because he could understand their differences in station (he is the aforementioned baronet in the title of the book), but not for the way that she toyed with his feelings into making him believe that he had a chance to win her.
Because of the increasing severity of the snowstorm, the roads are no longer passable. The travelers are forced to take refuge at the farm belonging to Mr. and Mrs. Martin, who extend their hospitality to virtual strangers. Being forced to spend time with each other in such close quarters causes Cassandra and Brandon to realize that they still have unresolved feelings for each other; however, Brandon is reluctant to put his heart out there again after getting burned by Cassandra once before, and Cassandra is too proud to reveal to Brandon the real reasons for her refusal in the past. Brandon also has secrets of his own which he is too proud to reveal, and even though he becomes increasingly aware that he wishes to rekindle his relationship with Cassandra, his own past warps his ability to trust Cassandra and take a chance on a future with her. Cassandra, for her part, still must wrestle with her pride and concern for her reputation instead of risking humiliation which could possibly help her regain a future with Brandon.
As mentioned above, the issue of pride appears many times in this story. It is because of pride and a drive for independence from the new duke that propels Cassandra to become her aunt's companion. It is hinted by Viola, Cassandra's oldest sister, that pride led Cassandra to refuse marriage to Brandon the first time. Cassandra finally acknowledges the truth of this later on in the story, and although she humbles herself enough to admit the reasons for her refusal to Brandon, her pride rears up its ugly head again when she refuses to reveal the reason why she is travelling to her aunt's residence. She does not wish to be thought of as a gold digger, especially after she discovers the nature of Brandon's secrets. This leaves Brandon to imagine the worst of circumstances that might require her to travel away from the safety of her own immediate family; he thinks that she might be in an Interesting Condition (i.e. with child).
I thought that the plot and central conflict for this novel were well planned out. I could appreciate the complex reasons why the characters were too proud and afraid to reveal embarrassing and shameful secrets about their own families. However, as a reader, because I was privy to what the hero and heroine were thinking, I felt like giving them a couple of good shakes to get over their pride if they wanted the other person's love.
Also, I appreciated that this novel was clean; only kisses were present. I thought that the description of the first kiss that Brandon gave Cassandra in this book was satisfying to read. I would classify this novel as secular, although there is a short prayer made to the Lord at the Twelfth Night meal.
Deborah Hale has previously written other regencies for the Love Inspired Historical line, which includes the Glass Slipper Brides, a series about a group of childhood school friends who all eventually became governesses. Snowbound with the Baronet is the first in a series about the Whitney Family. There will be future stories about the rest of the females in the Whitney family, including Cassandra's three sisters and step-mother.
On their travels, they come across a carriage which has thrown a wheel, and are forced to take on the passengers from the carriage. These passengers include Sir Brandon Calvert, his cousin, Imogene, and their accompanying staff. The ride becomes quite awkward for Lady Cassandra and Sir Brandon, because they share a past. Four years ago, he had proposed marriage to her, but she refused him in the belief that her refusal would protect him. He believes that she played him for a fool, because she had given him the false hope of being accepted. He can forgive her for refusing him because he could understand their differences in station (he is the aforementioned baronet in the title of the book), but not for the way that she toyed with his feelings into making him believe that he had a chance to win her.
Because of the increasing severity of the snowstorm, the roads are no longer passable. The travelers are forced to take refuge at the farm belonging to Mr. and Mrs. Martin, who extend their hospitality to virtual strangers. Being forced to spend time with each other in such close quarters causes Cassandra and Brandon to realize that they still have unresolved feelings for each other; however, Brandon is reluctant to put his heart out there again after getting burned by Cassandra once before, and Cassandra is too proud to reveal to Brandon the real reasons for her refusal in the past. Brandon also has secrets of his own which he is too proud to reveal, and even though he becomes increasingly aware that he wishes to rekindle his relationship with Cassandra, his own past warps his ability to trust Cassandra and take a chance on a future with her. Cassandra, for her part, still must wrestle with her pride and concern for her reputation instead of risking humiliation which could possibly help her regain a future with Brandon.
As mentioned above, the issue of pride appears many times in this story. It is because of pride and a drive for independence from the new duke that propels Cassandra to become her aunt's companion. It is hinted by Viola, Cassandra's oldest sister, that pride led Cassandra to refuse marriage to Brandon the first time. Cassandra finally acknowledges the truth of this later on in the story, and although she humbles herself enough to admit the reasons for her refusal to Brandon, her pride rears up its ugly head again when she refuses to reveal the reason why she is travelling to her aunt's residence. She does not wish to be thought of as a gold digger, especially after she discovers the nature of Brandon's secrets. This leaves Brandon to imagine the worst of circumstances that might require her to travel away from the safety of her own immediate family; he thinks that she might be in an Interesting Condition (i.e. with child).
I thought that the plot and central conflict for this novel were well planned out. I could appreciate the complex reasons why the characters were too proud and afraid to reveal embarrassing and shameful secrets about their own families. However, as a reader, because I was privy to what the hero and heroine were thinking, I felt like giving them a couple of good shakes to get over their pride if they wanted the other person's love.
Also, I appreciated that this novel was clean; only kisses were present. I thought that the description of the first kiss that Brandon gave Cassandra in this book was satisfying to read. I would classify this novel as secular, although there is a short prayer made to the Lord at the Twelfth Night meal.
Deborah Hale has previously written other regencies for the Love Inspired Historical line, which includes the Glass Slipper Brides, a series about a group of childhood school friends who all eventually became governesses. Snowbound with the Baronet is the first in a series about the Whitney Family. There will be future stories about the rest of the females in the Whitney family, including Cassandra's three sisters and step-mother.
Sunday, 4 January 2015
Review: Dubiosity by Christy Barritt
Dubiosity. Definition: doubt, uncertainty.
It is also the name of Christy Barritt's novel which is published by Waterfall Press.
Savannah Harris is an ex-investigative journalist and ex-pastor's wife who is presently working as a textbook editor. She is filled with doubt in many areas of her life because of the tragedy that resulted from digging too deeply into secrets that certain people wanted to keep hidden. As a result, she lost her baby daughter, her husband, her journalistic fervor, and her faith. Now a childless widow, her investigative abilities are called upon again when a dying migrant farm worker requests her presence at his deathbed and tells her that her that he was murdered. He utters the name of a prominent business man, the owner of a local farm, but without any explanation before he passes on. Savannah cannot believe her ears and is reluctant to look into the matter. However, with the disappearance of three more migrant workers and the mysterious attack upon the migrant workers' advocate, Marti, who happens to be Savannah's best friend, Savannah can no longer ignore that something illegal and dangerous is happening to the migrant workers at the farm where they work. It becomes more apparent that the threat is real when Savannah discovers flattened pennies in locations connected to the migrant workers who have died or disappeared, and then in the presence of her own home.
Clive Miller is doing a little bit of investigating of his own at the farm. He is Savannah's new boarder, staying at the carriage house on her property while he tries to discover who murdered his wife six years before in the Cape Thomas area. He has a tight timeline; he has other obligations that require him to be elsewhere in a short while, and there is also the danger that people will find out who he really is before he gets the information that he wants. When Savannah is threatened in her home, Clive offers his help. Their attraction to each other grows as they spend time with each other, both helping each other in investigating the happenings at the farm. However, Clive is a believer and Savannah is filled with doubt about the existence of God since He allowed such horrible tragedy into her life. She still feels guilty about her past actions which led to the deaths of her husband and child. Clive, on the other hand, must keep his motives for finding out who murdered his wife as a means of redemption, rather than for revenge and retribution.
The stakes are raised when their adversary explodes Savannah's car, in an effort to deter her from continuing on with her investigations. The murderer of Clive's wife leaves behind a necklace to convey the message that someone knows who Clive really is, and also to gloat about her murder. Savannah finds out Clive's true identity. Will she be able to figure out who is responsible for the deaths, kidnappings, and attacks in the Cape Thomas area? Is it Clive? Is it the farm owner? Is it one of the migrant workers? Or is it someone else entirely?
"Dubiosity," is an apt title for this book. Savannah is filled with doubt about the existence and goodness of God. She is doubtful about whether she can use her journalistic gifts for good since it had resulted in so much pain and death for her personally. She is doubtful about whether or not the migrant worker's death was murder. She is doubtful about whether the farm owner could be guilty because she perceives him to be a good man. She is doubtful about Clive once she finds out who he really is, even though she has been able to get a good gauge of his character after spending time with him.
However, Savannah does come to a place of restored faith in God, when she finds that she can rely only on Him to get her out of the danger that she is in. She confesses that though she had believed in His existence before, she did not have a relationship with Him and that she finally wanted to be His disciple, using her gifts for God instead of using them for other reasons, purposes, or idols. In this spirit, I found that the Scripture that is inscribed at the start of the book to be totally appropriate. It reads: Stop doubting and believe. - John 20:27. This is necessary for Savannah to break through in her struggle with the Lord, and also in how she sees herself, her talents, and her future. She needs to believe in the existence and goodness of God. She also needs to see that without God, she can do nothing (see John 15:5). For we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do (Ephesians 2:10).
Dubiosity captured my attention from beginning to end. As the novel unfolded, I was able to cross a few candidates off from the "Guilty" list, but I still went back and forth for a while. There is a number of characters that I have not mentioned in this review who were possibilities as the mastermind behind the dark activities in Cape Thomas. I was pretty much kept in the dark until the end, and even then, because of what happened, I was unsure until the heroine was able to wrangle the confession out of the guilty party. This was a great romantic suspense story that I feel honoured to have had the opportunity to read.
Disclaimer: I received an e-copy of "Dubiosity" from NetGalley in exchange for a review. All opinions stated in this review are mine.
It is also the name of Christy Barritt's novel which is published by Waterfall Press.
Savannah Harris is an ex-investigative journalist and ex-pastor's wife who is presently working as a textbook editor. She is filled with doubt in many areas of her life because of the tragedy that resulted from digging too deeply into secrets that certain people wanted to keep hidden. As a result, she lost her baby daughter, her husband, her journalistic fervor, and her faith. Now a childless widow, her investigative abilities are called upon again when a dying migrant farm worker requests her presence at his deathbed and tells her that her that he was murdered. He utters the name of a prominent business man, the owner of a local farm, but without any explanation before he passes on. Savannah cannot believe her ears and is reluctant to look into the matter. However, with the disappearance of three more migrant workers and the mysterious attack upon the migrant workers' advocate, Marti, who happens to be Savannah's best friend, Savannah can no longer ignore that something illegal and dangerous is happening to the migrant workers at the farm where they work. It becomes more apparent that the threat is real when Savannah discovers flattened pennies in locations connected to the migrant workers who have died or disappeared, and then in the presence of her own home.
Clive Miller is doing a little bit of investigating of his own at the farm. He is Savannah's new boarder, staying at the carriage house on her property while he tries to discover who murdered his wife six years before in the Cape Thomas area. He has a tight timeline; he has other obligations that require him to be elsewhere in a short while, and there is also the danger that people will find out who he really is before he gets the information that he wants. When Savannah is threatened in her home, Clive offers his help. Their attraction to each other grows as they spend time with each other, both helping each other in investigating the happenings at the farm. However, Clive is a believer and Savannah is filled with doubt about the existence of God since He allowed such horrible tragedy into her life. She still feels guilty about her past actions which led to the deaths of her husband and child. Clive, on the other hand, must keep his motives for finding out who murdered his wife as a means of redemption, rather than for revenge and retribution.
The stakes are raised when their adversary explodes Savannah's car, in an effort to deter her from continuing on with her investigations. The murderer of Clive's wife leaves behind a necklace to convey the message that someone knows who Clive really is, and also to gloat about her murder. Savannah finds out Clive's true identity. Will she be able to figure out who is responsible for the deaths, kidnappings, and attacks in the Cape Thomas area? Is it Clive? Is it the farm owner? Is it one of the migrant workers? Or is it someone else entirely?
"Dubiosity," is an apt title for this book. Savannah is filled with doubt about the existence and goodness of God. She is doubtful about whether she can use her journalistic gifts for good since it had resulted in so much pain and death for her personally. She is doubtful about whether or not the migrant worker's death was murder. She is doubtful about whether the farm owner could be guilty because she perceives him to be a good man. She is doubtful about Clive once she finds out who he really is, even though she has been able to get a good gauge of his character after spending time with him.
However, Savannah does come to a place of restored faith in God, when she finds that she can rely only on Him to get her out of the danger that she is in. She confesses that though she had believed in His existence before, she did not have a relationship with Him and that she finally wanted to be His disciple, using her gifts for God instead of using them for other reasons, purposes, or idols. In this spirit, I found that the Scripture that is inscribed at the start of the book to be totally appropriate. It reads: Stop doubting and believe. - John 20:27. This is necessary for Savannah to break through in her struggle with the Lord, and also in how she sees herself, her talents, and her future. She needs to believe in the existence and goodness of God. She also needs to see that without God, she can do nothing (see John 15:5). For we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do (Ephesians 2:10).
Dubiosity captured my attention from beginning to end. As the novel unfolded, I was able to cross a few candidates off from the "Guilty" list, but I still went back and forth for a while. There is a number of characters that I have not mentioned in this review who were possibilities as the mastermind behind the dark activities in Cape Thomas. I was pretty much kept in the dark until the end, and even then, because of what happened, I was unsure until the heroine was able to wrangle the confession out of the guilty party. This was a great romantic suspense story that I feel honoured to have had the opportunity to read.
Disclaimer: I received an e-copy of "Dubiosity" from NetGalley in exchange for a review. All opinions stated in this review are mine.
Sunday, 28 December 2014
Review: Knitting in the Nordic Tradition by Vibeke Lind
Before I took a closer look at Knitting in the Nordic Tradition, I thought that I was going to be checking out a book that would offer patterns on how to knit Nordic styled items, but the book was more than that. The author offered a bit of a historical look into Nordic knitting traditions, and included photographs of samples of knitted items that were discussed. According to the introduction written by Vibeke Lind, the author of Knitting in the Nordic Tradition, the purpose of the book is, "not to give the reader the patterns themselves, but rather to suggest how one can use the models, changing them according to the individual needs and the dictates of fashion...they should be an inspiration to independent judgement of old ideas."
Indeed, examples of Icelandic sweaters, Norwegian louse coats, Norwegian mittens, fulled sweaters from the Faroe Islands are presented in the book. Patterns and charts are offered for some of the items that appear, but they come across as general recipes for creating the knitted items, instead of detailed patterns that will allow the reader to recreate those items exactly as they appear in the book. If knitters are looking for those aforementioned detailed patterns such as the ones that appear in many contemporary knitting magazines and many other knitting books, they will not find them in Knitting in the Nordic Tradition. Vibeke does provide schematics for creating items with diagrams that include measurements, and the charts for some folk motifs, such as the prehistoric Sunwheel symbol (which might not be comfortable for some), Selbu Star, Sheep's Path, and Sea-Wave, are provided, but it is left to the reader to decide how these motifs will appear on any of these knitted items. Generally a lot of decision making in the construction of many of these items is left to the discretion of the knitter. For example, knitters will need to select their own yarn, decide on how many stitches to cast on, and determine how many rows to knit to get to an appropriate length for the item. The gain is that they will get finished items that are very specifically customized for their own purposes.
The book does cover the basics of knitting; the author runs through a quick discussion about wool, the knit and purl stitches, charts, colourwork, openwork, casting on, casting off, steeking, care of knits, and fulling. Besides Icelandic sweaters, louse coats, and mittens, the book also discusses the construction of hats (referred to as caps in the text), socks (referred to as stockings), and shawls. In addition to the black and white historical photos, there are colour photographs of knitted items that were contemporary to the early 1980s.
Knitting in the Nordic Tradition was originally published in 1981 under the title, Strik med Nordisk Tradition, by Vibeke Lind and Host & Sons Forlag. It was translated from Danish into English by Annette Allen Jensen and this version was published by Lark Books in 1984, and then by Sterling Publishing Co. Inc., in 1998. The version that I looked at was published by Dover Publications in arrangement with Sterling Publishing and was released in 2014. The reason why I just wrote about the history of the publication of this book, is because it is a re-release of the English translation, and is not an updated edition, as hinted before by the mention of the photos from the 1980s.
Also, although the translation into English from Danish was quite well done, I found that some vocabulary didn't match what is commonly used in English speaking circles. For instance, in the section about casting on, the casting on method that is called, "One Needle Casting On," is actually commonly known as the Longtail Cast-On, and the method called, "School Casting On," is known as the Knit Cast-On.* In the casting off section, the method called, "Knit Casting Off," is what we would call the Three Needle Bind-Off.
Despite these things, I found that Knitting in the Nordic Tradition to be an educational book to read. Until I saw the diagram of a series of regular straight needles with knobs at the end (not double pointed needles or dpns) being used to hold a large number of stitches, I had never considered that as a possible alternative to using a long circular needle to knit an afghan. Also, it was rather thought provoking to consider knitting from a sewing pattern, a suggestion that the author makes, although the reader is cautioned to knit short of the seamline because of the knit work's elasticity. However, the big challenge presented by this book is the encouragement to step out and try one of the pattern recipes and customize a Nordic knit into something that fits the wearer today. Athough Knitting in the Nordic Tradition contains information that would be interesting for a beginning knitter to study and learn, the material would likely be more likely to be tried out and utilized by a knitter at the intermediate level or higher.
Disclaimer: I was given an e-copy of Knitting in the Nordic Tradition from Net Galley in exchange for a review. All opinions stated in this review are mine.
*Edited on March 19, 2020 - Originally, I wrote that the "School Casting On Method," was what is commonly known as the "Cable Cast On," but I just learned today that what I've been calling the "Cable Cast On" is actually the "Knit Cast On." Wow. All those knitting projects in which I didn't actually use the cable casting on method.... :)
Indeed, examples of Icelandic sweaters, Norwegian louse coats, Norwegian mittens, fulled sweaters from the Faroe Islands are presented in the book. Patterns and charts are offered for some of the items that appear, but they come across as general recipes for creating the knitted items, instead of detailed patterns that will allow the reader to recreate those items exactly as they appear in the book. If knitters are looking for those aforementioned detailed patterns such as the ones that appear in many contemporary knitting magazines and many other knitting books, they will not find them in Knitting in the Nordic Tradition. Vibeke does provide schematics for creating items with diagrams that include measurements, and the charts for some folk motifs, such as the prehistoric Sunwheel symbol (which might not be comfortable for some), Selbu Star, Sheep's Path, and Sea-Wave, are provided, but it is left to the reader to decide how these motifs will appear on any of these knitted items. Generally a lot of decision making in the construction of many of these items is left to the discretion of the knitter. For example, knitters will need to select their own yarn, decide on how many stitches to cast on, and determine how many rows to knit to get to an appropriate length for the item. The gain is that they will get finished items that are very specifically customized for their own purposes.
The book does cover the basics of knitting; the author runs through a quick discussion about wool, the knit and purl stitches, charts, colourwork, openwork, casting on, casting off, steeking, care of knits, and fulling. Besides Icelandic sweaters, louse coats, and mittens, the book also discusses the construction of hats (referred to as caps in the text), socks (referred to as stockings), and shawls. In addition to the black and white historical photos, there are colour photographs of knitted items that were contemporary to the early 1980s.
Knitting in the Nordic Tradition was originally published in 1981 under the title, Strik med Nordisk Tradition, by Vibeke Lind and Host & Sons Forlag. It was translated from Danish into English by Annette Allen Jensen and this version was published by Lark Books in 1984, and then by Sterling Publishing Co. Inc., in 1998. The version that I looked at was published by Dover Publications in arrangement with Sterling Publishing and was released in 2014. The reason why I just wrote about the history of the publication of this book, is because it is a re-release of the English translation, and is not an updated edition, as hinted before by the mention of the photos from the 1980s.
Also, although the translation into English from Danish was quite well done, I found that some vocabulary didn't match what is commonly used in English speaking circles. For instance, in the section about casting on, the casting on method that is called, "One Needle Casting On," is actually commonly known as the Longtail Cast-On, and the method called, "School Casting On," is known as the Knit Cast-On.* In the casting off section, the method called, "Knit Casting Off," is what we would call the Three Needle Bind-Off.
Despite these things, I found that Knitting in the Nordic Tradition to be an educational book to read. Until I saw the diagram of a series of regular straight needles with knobs at the end (not double pointed needles or dpns) being used to hold a large number of stitches, I had never considered that as a possible alternative to using a long circular needle to knit an afghan. Also, it was rather thought provoking to consider knitting from a sewing pattern, a suggestion that the author makes, although the reader is cautioned to knit short of the seamline because of the knit work's elasticity. However, the big challenge presented by this book is the encouragement to step out and try one of the pattern recipes and customize a Nordic knit into something that fits the wearer today. Athough Knitting in the Nordic Tradition contains information that would be interesting for a beginning knitter to study and learn, the material would likely be more likely to be tried out and utilized by a knitter at the intermediate level or higher.
Disclaimer: I was given an e-copy of Knitting in the Nordic Tradition from Net Galley in exchange for a review. All opinions stated in this review are mine.
*Edited on March 19, 2020 - Originally, I wrote that the "School Casting On Method," was what is commonly known as the "Cable Cast On," but I just learned today that what I've been calling the "Cable Cast On" is actually the "Knit Cast On." Wow. All those knitting projects in which I didn't actually use the cable casting on method.... :)
Tuesday, 16 December 2014
Review: Her Montana Cowboy by Valerie Hansen
A few years ago, Harlequin's Love Inspired line started running multi-month continuities. For its regular line, the continuity would run from July to December, and for the Love Inspired Suspense line, the continuity would run from January to June. There is usually one book that is published each month for the continuity, resulting in six episodes. A mystery is also spread out throughout the books, which is resolved in the final installment. In the meantime, a person following the continuity will read about the romances of six different couples, where each couple is featured in their own book/episode. The most recent offering for the regular line is titled "Big Sky Centennial," which is based on the hundredth year celebrations of Jasper Gulch, Montana.
Harlequin offered a sneak peek into the series by offering a free novella for Kindle, titled, "Montana Reunion," which is also written by Valerie Hansen, the author of the first book in the Big Sky Centennial continuity. It has been on Amazon since July, and is likely a marketing tool for attracting attention for the series. I am wondering if its status will change by the end of the year, because this is the last month for the continuity.
When I first saw the Kindle offering, I thought that Harlequin was actually offering the first book of the series online, so when I was at Walmart in August checking out the Love Inspired titles, I was puzzled about the cover for, "Her Montana Cowboy," which was July's offering. I knew that there were two people on the cover for, "Montana Reunion," but there was only one extremely handsome cowboy on the book that I was staring at in the store. After checking on Wifi, I realized that they were two entirely separate books, both written by Valerie Hansen. Walmart had just brought back its marketing tool of buying three Harlequin books for $15, versus $6.75 for one (yes, we have higher prices in Canada), and besides having "Her Montana Cowboy," on the shelf, there was also August's "Her Montana Sweetheart," (the second installment) by Ruth Logan Herne available. That was the moment when I decided that I would swallow the bait and start buying the books for the continuity. That impulsive decision to buy three books at once was helped along by the fact that I was going to be stranded on a campground with no transportation for the following six days. The funny thing is that I actually read the third book which was unrelated to the series while I was stuck on the campground, and did not get around reading any of the Big Sky books until much later. In fact, I just finished reading, "Her Montana Cowboy," a few days ago.
The handsome cowboy on the cover of "Her Montana Cowboy," is Ryan Travers, a rodeo star who breezing through the circuit as it passes through Jasper Gulch just in time for the start of Big Sky's Centennial. He connects with Julie Shaw, a sheep farmer in the middle of cattle country. Her business is growing, but it is still rather small; she relies on the good graces that are extended towards her by her influential father, Jackson Shaw, a ranch owner who also happens to be the mayor of Jasper Gulch. Daddy wants to see all his children married and settled nearby; he has been trying to match Julie up with a well-to-do banker who doesn't spark her interest. Mayor Shaw is less than impressed with the itinerant cowboy who doesn't have any roots to speak of. Even Julie has her qualms about Ryan; although she recognizes the attraction between them, Ryan has turned away from God due to a crisis in his past, and she knows that she cannot go forward in a relationship with him when he doesn't hold much stock in believing in God. However, the light that Julie brings into Ryan's life is so attractive. The two of them can't seem to keep away from each other, even though Ryan has every intention to just keep things light and friendly so that there will be no hard feelings when he is ready to leave Jasper Gulch in a matter of weeks. Will Ryan come back to God, and if he does, will he and Julie be able to make a relationship work, even though he is a travelling rodeo star?
In general, I find the Love Inspired books to be fairly light reads; I can finish them in about two hours, and they don't often inspire a lot of deep thought, but I wanted to comment about this particular book, because I found it to be a little bit different than the other books that I have read that were written by Valerie Hansen. Most of the time, even though her Love Inspired titles are written with Christian characters, I have found her stories, to be just exactly that: romances with Christian characters whose conflicts are centered on whether the couple in question will get together or not. That is what I found happened in, "Montana Reunion." However, in "Her Montana Cowboy," I was a bit more engaged in the faith conflicts that the characters experienced. Maybe this is just because of the nature of this particular plot. In this case, a serious believer realizes that she cannot be yoked to an unbeliever/backslider even though she is sliding into a relationship with him, and the backslider realizes that God is real and truly cares about him, and is not as distant as he thinks.
I liked the difference that I found in this particular novel as compared to what had happened in an earlier novel of Ms. Hansen's titled, "The Hamilton Heir." In that novel, the hero is also a backslider, but his faith status is still unresolved and remains static by the end of novel. The couple gets together and even discusses marriage, but we don't know for certain if he has come back to God, or if he is just starting to believe. However, that novel was released over seven years ago, and in general, I've noticed changes in the content of what appears in the Love Inspired books since then. There seems to be more of a trend towards an active practice of Christianity in the characters lives, as opposed to a cultural one, in which the tenets of the Christian faith might not necessarily be translated into active practice in the characters. This is an improvement that I've appreciated over the years of reading from the Love Inspired lines.
I'll close off by mentioning that the mystery that appears in the Big Sky Centennial series involves a missing time capsule that was supposed to have been opened at the town's big celebration at the start of the summer. I'm guessing that the rest of the series will build upon this mystery about why the time capsule was stolen and by whom.
July Montana Reunion (prequel)
Her Montana Cowboy (1)
Aug. His Montana Sweetheart (2)
Sept. Her Montana Twins (3)
Oct. His Montana Bride (4)
Nov. His Montana Homecoming (5)
Dec. Her Montana Christmas (6)
Harlequin offered a sneak peek into the series by offering a free novella for Kindle, titled, "Montana Reunion," which is also written by Valerie Hansen, the author of the first book in the Big Sky Centennial continuity. It has been on Amazon since July, and is likely a marketing tool for attracting attention for the series. I am wondering if its status will change by the end of the year, because this is the last month for the continuity.
When I first saw the Kindle offering, I thought that Harlequin was actually offering the first book of the series online, so when I was at Walmart in August checking out the Love Inspired titles, I was puzzled about the cover for, "Her Montana Cowboy," which was July's offering. I knew that there were two people on the cover for, "Montana Reunion," but there was only one extremely handsome cowboy on the book that I was staring at in the store. After checking on Wifi, I realized that they were two entirely separate books, both written by Valerie Hansen. Walmart had just brought back its marketing tool of buying three Harlequin books for $15, versus $6.75 for one (yes, we have higher prices in Canada), and besides having "Her Montana Cowboy," on the shelf, there was also August's "Her Montana Sweetheart," (the second installment) by Ruth Logan Herne available. That was the moment when I decided that I would swallow the bait and start buying the books for the continuity. That impulsive decision to buy three books at once was helped along by the fact that I was going to be stranded on a campground with no transportation for the following six days. The funny thing is that I actually read the third book which was unrelated to the series while I was stuck on the campground, and did not get around reading any of the Big Sky books until much later. In fact, I just finished reading, "Her Montana Cowboy," a few days ago.
The handsome cowboy on the cover of "Her Montana Cowboy," is Ryan Travers, a rodeo star who breezing through the circuit as it passes through Jasper Gulch just in time for the start of Big Sky's Centennial. He connects with Julie Shaw, a sheep farmer in the middle of cattle country. Her business is growing, but it is still rather small; she relies on the good graces that are extended towards her by her influential father, Jackson Shaw, a ranch owner who also happens to be the mayor of Jasper Gulch. Daddy wants to see all his children married and settled nearby; he has been trying to match Julie up with a well-to-do banker who doesn't spark her interest. Mayor Shaw is less than impressed with the itinerant cowboy who doesn't have any roots to speak of. Even Julie has her qualms about Ryan; although she recognizes the attraction between them, Ryan has turned away from God due to a crisis in his past, and she knows that she cannot go forward in a relationship with him when he doesn't hold much stock in believing in God. However, the light that Julie brings into Ryan's life is so attractive. The two of them can't seem to keep away from each other, even though Ryan has every intention to just keep things light and friendly so that there will be no hard feelings when he is ready to leave Jasper Gulch in a matter of weeks. Will Ryan come back to God, and if he does, will he and Julie be able to make a relationship work, even though he is a travelling rodeo star?
In general, I find the Love Inspired books to be fairly light reads; I can finish them in about two hours, and they don't often inspire a lot of deep thought, but I wanted to comment about this particular book, because I found it to be a little bit different than the other books that I have read that were written by Valerie Hansen. Most of the time, even though her Love Inspired titles are written with Christian characters, I have found her stories, to be just exactly that: romances with Christian characters whose conflicts are centered on whether the couple in question will get together or not. That is what I found happened in, "Montana Reunion." However, in "Her Montana Cowboy," I was a bit more engaged in the faith conflicts that the characters experienced. Maybe this is just because of the nature of this particular plot. In this case, a serious believer realizes that she cannot be yoked to an unbeliever/backslider even though she is sliding into a relationship with him, and the backslider realizes that God is real and truly cares about him, and is not as distant as he thinks.
I liked the difference that I found in this particular novel as compared to what had happened in an earlier novel of Ms. Hansen's titled, "The Hamilton Heir." In that novel, the hero is also a backslider, but his faith status is still unresolved and remains static by the end of novel. The couple gets together and even discusses marriage, but we don't know for certain if he has come back to God, or if he is just starting to believe. However, that novel was released over seven years ago, and in general, I've noticed changes in the content of what appears in the Love Inspired books since then. There seems to be more of a trend towards an active practice of Christianity in the characters lives, as opposed to a cultural one, in which the tenets of the Christian faith might not necessarily be translated into active practice in the characters. This is an improvement that I've appreciated over the years of reading from the Love Inspired lines.
I'll close off by mentioning that the mystery that appears in the Big Sky Centennial series involves a missing time capsule that was supposed to have been opened at the town's big celebration at the start of the summer. I'm guessing that the rest of the series will build upon this mystery about why the time capsule was stolen and by whom.
July Montana Reunion (prequel)
Her Montana Cowboy (1)
Aug. His Montana Sweetheart (2)
Sept. Her Montana Twins (3)
Oct. His Montana Bride (4)
Nov. His Montana Homecoming (5)
Dec. Her Montana Christmas (6)
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