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Monthly Archives: August 2016

Book Review: Hope Prevails

30 Tuesday Aug 2016

Posted by Jennifer in Reviewed Books

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Book Review, Dr. Michelle Bengston, Hope Prevails

Hope Prevails

 

If you or someone you love suffers from depression it is likely that you have already done quite a bit of searching for an answer or even a cure.  People who aren’t familiar with depression don’t understand it. Because I have more than one person in my life that suffers with depression, I was excited to see a book written by a neuropsychologist who actually experienced depression. While there is no cure given in this book, Dr. Michelle Bengston offers helpful insight in Hope Prevails.

What differentiates Hope Prevails from other books is two-fold. Dr Bengston suffered through depression herself, and she also uses her faith as a source of her hope. One of the most helpful chapters in this book for me was The Underlying Causes of Depression. I think anything that helps answer the “why” gives tremendous hope. There is a reason…and I appreciated Dr. Bengston sharing her reason in this chapter. I also loved the chapter, Recover Your Joy. I love that Dr. Begston points to the recognition of the small gifts in life that we often miss. She recommends a gratitude journal and I love this idea.

While this book does not offer a cure for depression, it does offer hope. I think knowing you are not alone is part of the battle. I was given a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own and I have not been compensated in any way.

New from Shelley Shepard Gray

03 Wednesday Aug 2016

Posted by Jennifer in Reviewed Books, Uncategorized

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Book Review, historical fiction, Shelley Shepard Gray, The Loyal Heart

Loyal Heart

I so enjoyed The Loyal Heart by Shelley Shepard Gray! I was a little timid choosing it to read because I have never read anything by Gray and I have the tendency to be a Historical Fiction snob. Historical Fiction, for me, must feel accurate, tell a page turning story, and include a romance. It is a tall order, but Gray does it!

The Loyal Heart  is the first book in Gray’s A Lone Star Hero’s Love Story series. Novels based in Texas are always fun to read because of the culture and dynamic of people who live there. In The Loyal Heart a war widow, Miranda Markham, is struggling to continue life without her husband Phillip. They were married just before he left to fight. Though they had little time together, their match was a true love story. Phillip’s comrades made a pact to care for Miranda in the instance Phillip didn’t make it home. Robert Truax, who served with Phillip, travels to Galveston to see to Miranda and investigate her circumstances. Robert makes it his mission to see Miranda’s life made better and in doing so finds himself falling for her.

Author Shelley Shepard Gray does many things right in this novel. Gray created interesting and believable characters I really enjoyed reading…and spent many late nights doing so. She also did an amazing job telling the back story, the one a reader often doesn’t get. Not only did she tell the back story, but she did so through flashbacks and she managed to do it well. I did not feel lost or confused and I feel like the chapters that look back enrich the story.

As a picky Historical Fiction reader, I give this novel an easy five stars. It has been a long time since I have read something I enjoyed so much. Gray has a new loyal reader in me. I was given a complimentary copy of this book by BookLookBloggers in exchange for an honest review. I have not been compensated and all opinions are my own.

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