Three Weddings and a Bar Mitzvah

by Melody Carlson

Three Weddings and a Bar Mitzvah is the fourth and final book in Melody Carlson’s 86 Bloomberg Place Series. The four roommates are now busy planning weddings for Lelani and Kendall but the families of both girls are making everything difficult. As the wedding planning gets underway both Megan’s and Anna's lives start falling apart even though they try to conceal it to be happy for Lelani and Kendall.

This book is written as all Melody Carlson books are, lighthearted and realistic. I enjoy how the friendships grew and strengthened throughout the book and how they became one another’s family when they had no one else to turn to. The ending is sweet and wraps up the whole series perfectly in an airy, peaceful way.

Favorite Line:
"God had known what they needed all through the ups and downs of life. Through the heartache and growing up God used their friendships to touch them. He truly knit their hearts together."
Rating: 4 carats

Look at Melody's website HERE
Buy the book HERE

Not a Sparrow Falls

Not a Sparrow Falls by Linda Nichols

Not a Sparrow Falls

A carefully planned escape helps Mary Bridget Washington run from an abusive relationship and a circle of friends to start her life over in Alexandria, Va. She takes on the name Bridie and begins working as a nanny for a Pastor with three children whose wife died two years ago.

Samantha, the Pastor’s oldest daughter, reaches out to Bridie in a note one night at dinner. Although Bridie is lost and confused herself, she remembers her childhood with her grandma and the godly way her grandmother lived her life. As the words of Bridie’s grandmother float through her mind, Bridie looks to the Lord and decides to do whatever possible to help Samantha. Little does Bridie know that reaching out to someone else will completely change and restore her view of life.

This book was a little strange because I didn’t always know if it was contemporary or old fashioned, even though it is listed as contemporary romance I’m not even sure where the romance was. The book felt very heavy and dark, even the scenes that were supposed to be uplifting. However it is a story about God’s forgiveness and how He stays with us all the time no matter how far we run from Him. Hence the title Not a Sparrow Falls.

I received this book free for review from Bethany House Publishers.

Favorite line:
"The arm of flesh will fail you," Bridie's grandmother had been fond of reminding her, especially after she'd started dating, bringing home this one and that one, going on and on about them. "Love with all your heart, but don't look to anybody but the Lord to fill up your empty spots. There's never been a man born who can do that, and I don't care if he's the finest thing since store-bought pickles.""

Visit Linda's website HERE

Buy the Book HERE
Rating: 3 carats

The Last Song

The Last Song by Nicholas Sparks

Ronnie Miller and her brother, Jonah, are shipped off to spend the summer with their estranged father. Ronnie is still angry at her father over her parents’ divorce. When her parents’ marriage ended she stopped talking to him and now is livid with her mother for forcing her to spend the summer with him.

From the moment she arrives, Ronnie puts distance between her and her father by spending the first night away from his home. As Ronnie runs from him she meets Will and Blaze. It’s this night that ultimately changes her summer.

If you are a Nicholas Sparks fan, you won’t be disappointed. The Last Song is perfect to his form of telling emotional love stories with spiritual themes that don’t preach and show that even the darkest clouds have silver linings. If you just like a good romance or an emotional journey you’ll like this book as well.

From the moment I started reading this book I could clearly picture Miley Cyrus playing the part of Ronnie with her mannerisms and the way she talks real loud. I can’t wait to see the movie!

Favorite Line:
“Life, he realized, was much like a song. In the beginning there is mystery, in the end there is confirmation, but it's in the middle where all the emotion resides to make the whole thing worthwhile."

Rating: 5 carats