Review of the Lightkeeper’s Ball by Colleen Coble

Set in the early 1900’s, Olivia Stewart travels to Mercy Falls, California to investigate the death of her sister Eleanor.  Olivia keeps her identity hidden from Eleanor’s fiancé, Harrison Bennett, as she believes he have played a part in Eleanor’s death.  Woven into the story are themes of societal expectations of the wealthy, especially those of women.  Olivia strains against these expectations as she desires to become her own person.  She also becomes involved in organizing a ball to raise funds to rebuild the Mercy Falls lighthouse that was destroyed in a storm.  Mystery, intrigue, and romance make this a very enjoyable read.

This is the first book of Colleen Coble’s that I have read and I liked it very much.  I think I will be looking up her other books, especially those that are part of this Mercy Falls series.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher through the BookSneeze®.com <http://BookSneeze®.com> book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255.

Review of Max on Life: Answers and Insights to Your Most Important Questions by Max Lucado

Max on Life provides answers to 172 questions on various topics. Some topics are heavy duty- why are we here, who is God, life after death, and unanswered prayers. Max gives a one page answer, which may seem to be too simplistic to some.  However, I can see this being helpful to a newer believer-finding an answer and usually a biblical verse that they can reference. This is not a book for in-depth theological answers. Max also covers a lot of simpler topics, such as hospitality, worry, and getting out a bad mood.  I can envision using this as a reference book, because there is a helpful topical index in the back of the book.
If you’ve read other Max Lucado books, you may recognize that some of the answers are from those other books, so it may seem repetitious. I’ve enjoyed his other books, but as for this one, I would say it was just okay.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher through the BookSneeze®.com <http://BookSneeze®.com> book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255.