Review: For Sale by Owner by Marlene Bateman

Book info:
Title:  For Sale by Owner
Author:  Marlene Bateman
Genre: Romance with a touch of religion, specifically LDS
Published:  October 3rd, 2016
Source:  Won on Facebook from author
My rating:  3 stars

I received this book from the author through a giveaway on Facebook.  Overall it was a sweet story.  While it is a story with a religious aspect, Latter Day Saints to be specific, it wasn't too over the top with that if you don't enjoy that type of story.  Here's the blurb from Goodreads:  

McKenzie Forsberg is headed home. She's quit her big-city job to return to her roots in the small town of Lake Forest. Kenzi hopes to buy her childhood home from her brother, Tom, as a way of revisiting the peace and security she's been missing in her life. But soon she is shocked to discover that the house has a pending sale, and Tom won't budge from the sale—not even for his sister.

Handsome widower Jared Rawlins catches Kenzie's eye until she realizes that he's the one who is buying her house—but he can only close the deal if he sells his own house by Christmas Eve. Jared is more than a little interested in Kenzie but has second thoughts when it seems that she may be sabotaging the sale of his home.

Slippery feelings of animosity and distrust ensue, with both Jared and Kenzie denying the chemistry between them. But then an unexpected discovery about their connected past puts a new twist in the dynamic. Now, can they put their differences aside and come to terms on a relationship that could last forever?  

McKenzie, or Kenzie and Jared are both single parents.  Kenzie because of a divorce, Jared because his wife passed away.  The two have instant chemistry when they first meet. But then when Kenzie finds out that Jared is planning to buy her childhood home, the very reason that Kenzie kind of planned to move back, the tension rockets.  And Kenzie does something that jeopardizes Jared's purchase of the house, even though she really doesn't do it in a malevolent way, it just kind of happens.  

The writing is pretty simple.  But there is a little back story that while you think has to be what is going on, the author has made enough changes in the adults to keep you kind of wondering if it's really going on.  It was definitely a very sweet read, and if you're interested in that type of a read, you will enjoy it.  It doesn't have any of the physical or sex scenes in most of the romances I have been reading lately, it would be more like what I used to read about 10 or more years ago.  


 

Book Review 4: The Boy Who Dared by Susan Campbell Bartoletti

The Boy Who Dared is actually a novel based on a true story of a German boy. He actually belonged to the Hitler Youth. He wasn't really a Nazi, he didn't agree with most of what they did, especially once he started seeing friends and neighbors being mistreated for seemingly no reason. The story begins with the main character named Helmuth Hubener in prison. He is waiting for them to come to his door and say it is time for him to go, which means he is being executed. As he waits in this prison he flashes back to when he was younger, the end of World War I. He wants to be a soldier because of what has happened. He is very loyal to his country, something that is supposedly one of the Mormon's 13 Articles of Faith. Helmuth and his family are members of the Church of Latter Day Saints. An interesting thing I learned in this book, and I assume it is true, I'll have to go look it up, but supposedly the 11th article says that all people have the right to worship how, where, and what they want. So it would seem Mormons are supposedly more tolerant of other religions? At least that was how Helmuth seemed to be raised. Not sure, they're also supposed to support their country, yet the Mormons I know won't pledge allegiance to the flag, and don't celebrate holidays. Wondering where that came from? If what is told about this religion in this book is true.

But I like how the book touches on the fact that he joins the Hitler Youth because you're expected to. He also wonders about why he and others keep quiet instead of doing things for the Jews. And in the end, he tries to take actions on what he believes, and he faces the consequences bravely, doing his best to keep his friends from suffering what he eventually suffers, death.

This will be another high recommendation for me.

My next book that I started this morning and I am more than halfway through is Suck it Up by Brian Meehl. I hope to have a review on that tomorrow keeping myself on track, almost a day ahead. I will also check out another book at work tonight to start after Suck it Up.