Faith's Mountain Home - Review

Faith's Mountain Home (Hearts of Montana, # 3)

By: Misty M Beller

Expected Publication: January 5th 2021 by Bethany House Publishers

336 pages

Genre: Christian Fiction, Historical Fiction, Adult

Source: Publisher via NetGalley (Thank you!!)

( Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository )

*Note: The above links to Amazon and Book Depository are affiliate links. Affiliate links support giveaways for Somewhere Only We Know readers.

Goodreads description--Nate Long has always watched over his identical twin brother, Aaron, even when it put him on the wrong side of the law. When Aaron is wounded in a shootout, the brothers are taken to Settler's Fort to recover. As Nate works to make reparations for their past, he marvels at the nursing Aaron receives under the care of a woman with all the reason in the world to resent him.

Laura Hannon knows what it is to start over, and she knows Nate's newfound faith is real. What she can't look past is how far he allowed himself to be led astray by his brother's weaknesses.

Have you ever finished reading a book that you enjoyed, but when it was over you find that you don't have much to say about it? Well, that's kind of where I am with Faith's Mountain Home. I enjoyed it. I read it quickly. When I first finished it, I thought I would probably give it 4 stars but the more I was trying to figure out what to write in my review about it the more I began to waver in my rating.

Laura was a very prominent character in the prior book of this series. During that book, she was kidnapped while babysitting her friend's son. Laura went through a lot and she's still emotionally affected by the kidnapping. One of the biggest reasons why is that she shot one of the kidnappers in the leg. She was aiming for the leader but Aaron got in the way. Aaron's twin brother Nate was also a member of the gang, but he was not involved in the kidnapping and worked against the rest of the gang as much as he could once he found out about it. Aaron is now healing at the home of the local doctor who was the main male character from the first book in this series. Laura is also living there and working as a nurse and assistant of sorts. This puts her in the path of Aaron frequently as well as his twin brother Nate.

Between books 2 and 3, Nate has turned his life over to God and is working to become a changed man. He's paying off the debts he owes to those he's stolen from. And he's working hard to build a future for himself and his brother. He's attracted to Laura, but he can't imagine that she would want to have anything to do with him considering his role in the gang that kidnapped her or because his twin brother was even more instrumental in her kidnapping than he was.

As I stated already, I enjoyed Faith's Mountain Home perfectly fine. I liked the characters, the story, the conflict. I was satisfied with all of the pieces. Nothing exactly felt lacking. But at the same time, when all is said and done, I don't find that I have much to say about it. It wasn't exceptional. It was far from bad. I can't imagine that the series will continue as the past pattern has been to set up the characters of the upcoming book within the current book and other than Aaron having the potential to be the leading male of an upcoming book, there was no lady introduced.

Favorite quotes:

-Perhaps living in hopeful ignorance was better than the murder of hope...

-"Choose with your mind first, then your heart will follow."

-"I know you said you've chosen to forgive Aaron. I also know from experience that making the choice can still mean it takes a while to finish the forgiving part. Especially when that person keeps on causing pain."

Faith's Mountain Home was good. I liked it. I read it basically within a day. I didn't want to stop reading when I needed to, and I was always anxious to get back to it. I originally thought I would rate it as 4 Stars, but the more I thought about it after, I realized that I just don't have much to say about it which leaves me feeling like 3.5 Stars is more appropriate for me. Have you read Faith's Mountain Home? What did you think? Let me know!

Sunday Post & Stacking the Shelves - 12/27/20

The Sunday Post is a weekly meme hosted by Kimba @ The Caffeinated Book Reviewer ~this meme was inspired in part by ~ In My Mailbox~ It's a chance to share News. A post to recap the past week, showcase books and things we have received and share news about what is coming up for the week on our blog.

Monday I spent a large portion of the day chatting with Amazon's customer service. Little Girl's main Christmas present hadn't even shipped yet. I figured it was one thing for the package to be lost in the mess of the USPS shipping craziness, but it was another thing for Amazon to not even ship my order. I ended up getting a replacement for pick up at Walmart. The kids and I actually got to go outside and play which always helps. Tuesday we got outside again and I picked up around the yard. A lot of little bits were blown around and toys were all around the yard. After lunch, an appraiser came to look at the house. I cleaned a good bit during the day and finally got my floors mopped. Tuesday night, Little Girl was swinging the binoculars around and ended up whacking Little Boy in the eye with them while trying to look at the "Christmas star." Wednesday was particularly festive. The kids and I baked homemade cookies for Santa during the morning. While they cooled, we went out to play and then had lunch. After lunch we decorated them. When Daddy got home we went out to eat dinner, and then drove around to look at Christmas lights. Thursday was kind of dreary. It rained almost all day and the temperature dropped. We were lazy and stayed in our pajamas and watched movies that morning. The problem is that the kids didn't get their energy out. So come Christmas Eve night they were very hyped up. We finally got them in bed after getting cookies and milk out for Santa and putting some reindeer food out that they'd made at school. Husband and I got to work. Christmas day was chaos, but enjoyable chaos. After we were done opening presents, Grammy came by to visit for a bit. Then she left and my parents and Nanny came by to visit and eat lunch with us. They left at naptime, and we all enjoyed some much needed rest and quiet. Saturday I had a grocery pickup and we just hung around the house and played as much as possible. Then we went to Grammy's to celebrate Christmas with her and Husband's family. I hope you all had a very Merry Christmas in this different kind of year.

THE PAST WEEK:

Monday: Review of Heart Bones by Colleen Hoover (4 Stars)
Tuesday: Top Ten Books I Want Santa to Bring 2020
Wednesday: 2020 Series Enders Reading Challenge - December Wrap Up

UPCOMING THIS WEEK:

Monday: Review of Faith's Mountain Home (Hearts of Montana, # 3) by Misty M Beller
Tuesday: Top Ten Tuesday?
Wednesday: Can't Wait for Wednesday
Thursday: December 2020 EOM Wrap Up
Saturday: 2020 EOY Wrap Up

Don’t forget to link up for the 2020 Series Enders Reading Challenge! You have until December 15th, 2020 to sing up. Each month there will be a giveaway for those participating with an end of the year giveaway too! Click on the picture below or the link above to find out more!

Stacking the Shelves is hosted by Tynga's Reviews.

Layla

By: Colleen Hoover

Publication: December 8th 2020 by Montlake

302 pages

Genre: Adult, Fantasy, Paranormal

Source: Personal Kindle Library (Christmas present from Husband)

( Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository )

*Note: The above links to Amazon and Book Depository are affiliate links. Affiliate links support giveaways for Somewhere Only We Know readers.

Goodreads description--From #1 New York Times bestselling author Colleen Hoover comes a novel that explores life after tragedy and the enduring spirit of love.

When Leeds meets Layla, he’s convinced he’ll spend the rest of his life with her—until an unexpected attack leaves Layla fighting for her life. After weeks in the hospital, Layla recovers physically, but the emotional and mental scarring has altered the woman Leeds fell in love with. In order to put their relationship back on track, Leeds whisks Layla away to the bed-and-breakfast where they first met. Once they arrive, Layla’s behavior takes a bizarre turn. And that’s just one of many inexplicable occurrences.

Feeling distant from Layla, Leeds soon finds solace in Willow—another guest of the B&B with whom he forms a connection through their shared concerns. As his curiosity for Willow grows, his decision to help her find answers puts him in direct conflict with Layla’s well-being. Leeds soon realizes he has to make a choice because he can’t help both of them. But if he makes the wrong choice, it could be detrimental for all of them.

A Kingdom of Flesh and Fire (Kingdom of Blood and Ash, # 2)

By: Jennifer L Armentrout

Publication: September 1st 2020 by Blue Box Press

637 pages

Genre: Adult, Fantasy, Paranormal

Source: Personal Kindle Library (Christmas present from Husband)

( Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository )

*Note: The above links to Amazon and Book Depository are affiliate links. Affiliate links support giveaways for Somewhere Only We Know readers.

Goodreads description--A Betrayal…

Everything Poppy has ever believed in is a lie, including the man she was falling in love with. Thrust among those who see her as a symbol of a monstrous kingdom, she barely knows who she is without the veil of the Maiden. But what she does know is that nothing is as dangerous to her as him. The Dark One. The Prince of Atlantia. He wants her to fight him, and that’s one order she’s more than happy to obey. He may have taken her, but he will never have her.

A Choice...

Casteel Da’Neer is known by many names and many faces. His lies are as seductive as his touch. His truths as sensual as his bite. Poppy knows better than to trust him. He needs her alive, healthy, and whole to achieve his goals. But he’s the only way for her to get what she wants—to find her brother Ian and see for herself if he has become a soulless Ascended. Working with Casteel instead of against him presents its own risks. He still tempts her with every breath, offering up all she’s ever wanted. Casteel has plans for her. Ones that could expose her to unimaginable pleasure and unfathomable pain. Plans that will force her to look beyond everything she thought she knew about herself—about him. Plans that could bind their lives together in unexpected ways that neither kingdom is prepared for. And she’s far too reckless, too hungry, to resist the temptation.

A Secret…

But unrest has grown in Atlantia as they await the return of their Prince. Whispers of war have become stronger, and Poppy is at the very heart of it all. The King wants to use her to send a message. The Descenters want her dead. The wolven are growing more unpredictable. And as her abilities to feel pain and emotion begin to grow and strengthen, the Atlantians start to fear her. Dark secrets are at play, ones steeped in the blood-drenched sins of two kingdoms that would do anything to keep the truth hidden. But when the earth begins to shake, and the skies start to bleed, it may already be too late.

That's it for my shelves and recaps of my past and upcoming week. What did you add to your shelves this week? Any bookish news you want to talk about? Let me know!

2020 Series Enders Reading Challenge - December Wrap Up

Time for our Monthly Wrap Up for the 2020 Series Enders Reading Challenge hosted by Sandy @ Somewhere Only We Know and Holly @ Words Fueled by Love!

Sandy finished Namesake (Fable, # 2) by Adrienne Young & Faith's Mountain Home (Hearts of Montana, # 3) by Misty M Beller. Holly hasn't finished any series enders this month.

Which series enders did you finish? Link the up below. Don't forget to include the title, your name, & your blog name (Ex: Requiem - Sandy @ Somewhere Only We Know) Also, the December giveaway runs from December 23rd - January 25th. On January 25th we will use random.org and the linky entries to pull a grand prize winner.

You are invited to the Inlinkz link party!

Click here to enter

Top Ten Books I Want Santa to Bring 2020

Top Ten Tuesday was created by The Broke and the Bookish in June of 2010 and was moved to That Artsy Reader Girl in January of 2018. It was born of a love of lists, a love of books, and a desire to bring bookish friends together. This week's topic is Top Ten Books I Want Santa to Bring 2020.

1. Forever Wild (Wild, # 2.5) by KA Tucker
2. Gentleman Jim by Mimi Matthews
3. Beholden (The Fairest Maidens, # 1) by Jody Hedlund
4. Romancing Her Rival by Joanna Barker
5. Layla by Colleen Hoover
6. A Kingdom of Flesh and Fire (Blood and Ash, # 2) by Jennifer L Armentrout
7. A Court of Silver Flames (A Court of Thorns and Roses, # 4) by Sarah J Maas
8. The Gentleman Spy (Serendipity & Secrets, # 2) by Erica Vetsch
9. Beauty and the Baron by Joanna Barker
10. Beguiled (Betwixt & Between, # 3) by Darynda Jones

Which books are you hoping Santa brings you? Let me know!

Heart Bones - Review

Heart Bones

By: Colleen Hoover

Publication: August 27th 2020 by Hoover Ink, Inc.

300 pages

Genre: Young Adult, Contemporary

( Goodreads | Amazon )

*Note: The above links to Amazon and Book Depository are affiliate links. Affiliate links support giveaways for Somewhere Only We Know readers.

Goodreads description--Beyah comes from a life of poverty and neglect; Samson from a family of wealth.

When the two find themselves spending the summer as neighbors, they soon realize money is one of the few things they don't have in common.

Their bond is too intense to ignore, but with only ten weeks separating them from the start of their new lives on opposite ends of the country, Beyah and Samson decide to stay in the shallow end of a summer fling.

What they don't realize is that a rip current is coming and it's about to drag both their hearts out to sea.

While I always get sucked into Colleen Hoover's books and characters, I often find them to be dark. Many of them aren't books that I'm interested in ever re-reading. I've rated several of her books as 5 Stars mostly because she's made me cry more than an intense like of the stories. It Ends with Us, All Your Perfects, Regretting You and Ugly Love are all ones that fit this recipe. When I think about it, all of her books have so much darkness that the characters have to overcome. I find myself caring about the characters and wanting them to succeed... wanting them to find a happy ending. Yet the journey to get there isn't full of sunshine and rainbows or happiness.

So as dark things seem to be a focus of her writing, we start off with Beyah coming home from work to find her mother finally overdosed on drugs and died on their sofa. Their landlord is a jerk and Beyah's mother was already behind on rent. She has no other choice but to contact her father. He hasn't really been there for Beyah even though he's always sent child support payments and Beyah used to visit him every summer for two weeks until they both started making excuses not to make the trips happen. Unfortunately, Beyah never saw a cent of the child support money. Her mother spent it all on drugs, alcohol, and various other vices over the years. Surviving has been anything but easy for Beyah. She actually won a scholarship for volleyball to Penn State, and she can't wait to get out of her hometown that's never felt like home at all. So she makes the trip to Texas to spend the summer with her Dad before heading off to college. She doesn't plan on growing ties, making friends, and certainly not falling in love.

As the description says, Beyah and Samson are both drawn to sad things. And the saddest thing around either of them is the other. Samson is living in the house next door and he's good friends with Beyah's stepsister's boyfriend. So Beyah and Samson find themselves thrown together frequently. And both feel a draw they can't ignore. Both have plans to leave at the end of summer so they're trying desperately to both savor their time remaining together as well as hold themselves from falling into the deep end.

As always with Colleen Hoover, there are twists and spoilers that I can't discuss here. But I will say that I wasn't surprised by any of the events that took place in this one. That's not always a bad thing though. After 22 books, I've learned a lot about her writing style and storytelling preferences. I will say that even though she included a letter, it was short, not an information dump, and not a means of explaining away plot holes. For that I'm thankful.

Colleen Hoover hasn't been impartial in her political views. They trickle into her stories. Usually, they aren't overdone or preachy. Granted I'm probably too sensitive to these things. I wouldn't say Heart Bones is particularly political, but I just take issue with "toxic masculinity". And the other issue, not political at all really, was how Beyah was encouraging Sara not to worry about her weight. Should Sara be mimicking Beyah's every bite of food in an attempt to get to Beyah's same size? Of course not. But dang if losing weight isn't hard enough as it is when you're trying. So being encouraged to "just enjoy your food" isn't always helpful. I say this from personal experience. What's wrong with someone wanting to lose weight or be more healthy? It's just a tough thing to balance. And mostly a first world problem.

Some quotes I'd like to discuss:

-People like me are extremely skilled at pretending we’re just fine.

Then don't blame others for not helping you or seeing you when you intentionally set out to deceive them and you succeed. You can't applaud your own abilities to deceive and then fault them for not seeing through you.

-Sometimes I believe personalities are shaped more by damage than kindness. Kindness doesn’t sink as deep into your skin as the damage does. The damage stains your soul so bad, you can’t scrub it off.

Maybe so. Or maybe that's more of a victim mentality. I know plenty of people who have been dealt horrible hands that haven't let those things define who they are or how they see the world.

-I’ve yet to shed a tear for my mother, but I can somehow spare one for a repetitive act of nature? I can’t help but be a little moved by this, though. The sky is swirled with so many colors, it’s as if the earth has written a poem using clouds, communicating her appreciation to those of us who take care of her.

Romans says "For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse." (Romans 1:20) This means that creation proclaims the glory of God. The reason you feel so small and so big at the same time when you look at the ocean or the stars...the reason why you are profoundly moved by nature is that it proclaims the glory of God.

-She reaches down for a bottle of liquor stuck in the sand. “Here,” she says, handing it to me. “Alcohol makes everyone fun.” I bring it to my mouth and pretend to take a drink. I’d rather be boring than become my mother, so I have no desire to actually swallow it. But I pretend to for Sara’s sake. I’ve already been enough of a downer tonight, I don’t want to deny the alcohol and make her feel guilty for drinking.

I'm convinced that many find alcohol so appealing because as teenagers it's forbidden. And forbidden things are always enticing. Then adults flaunt their ability to now do the thing they were forbidden from. I just don't understand why so many treat drinking like it's so awesome, so cool, so fun. Like life can't be lived without drinking. That's just me. Sorry to come off as judgy. It's just a pet peeve. Own it if you don't want to drink. Especially given what she's been through in her life.

-I wonder what version of herself my mother could have been if it weren’t for her addictions? I wish I could have known that version. For her sake, that’s the version of her I’m going to choose to miss. The person she never had the chance to be.

-I’m at a point in my life where the outcome of my future won’t be determined by the outcome of any potential relationship.

Ultimately, I read Heart Bones quickly, in about 2 days. I cheered for Beyah. I hoped for her. I wanted to see good things coming to her. And Samson too. I loved Beyah's faith in who he was and how he'd treated her. I found myself able to predict the twists and turns, but I didn't mind being able to do so. Heart Bones gets 4 Stars. Have you read Heart Bones? What did you think? Let me know!