Reviews
Out of the Blue Bouquet by Alana Terry, Hallee Bridgeman, Carol Moncado, Chautona Havig, Amanda Tru
travelerswife4life's review against another edition
5.0
Amazing !!
I usually don't like reading combo books, but this one was different. Such good stories! They are full length books, not just short stories. The characters all are very easy to like, and the story lines make it a difficult book to put down !! Thanks so much for writting it ! Can yall do another one together ?
I usually don't like reading combo books, but this one was different. Such good stories! They are full length books, not just short stories. The characters all are very easy to like, and the story lines make it a difficult book to put down !! Thanks so much for writting it ! Can yall do another one together ?
rebekahmorris's review
3.0
Since this is a collection of stories, I'm going to review each story separately.
Courting Calla
3 stars
Still not quite sure what I think about this story.
I liked Calla at the start, but grew frustrated by her apparent willingness tonot turn her step-mother in for stealing her identity (not sure how that happened way back when Calla was 14 without her father discovering it, or Calla telling her dad, or how it was allowed to keep going for so long without something happening sooner) . I was glad she did come clean about the flowers though. Her delight in cooking was fun to read about even though I stay out of the kitchen.
Ian started out good, but somewhere along the line I lost respect for him. Yes, I understood that he had been hurt by Calla not trusting him with her "secret" but hey, they'd only known each other for six week! His reaction (and hers) both seemed a little unreasonable to me. Maybe it's my personality.
The story was well written for the most part though it did suddenly begin to feel a bit rushed and forced near the end, and I didn't feel as connected. Perhaps it was because the author was covering a large span of time in a short amount of space.
The other thing that bugged me was the descriptions of what Calla and Ian were wearing. There were several times where you were told exactly what colors and styles they were wearing and it pulled me out of the story. Perhaps that's because I don't notice things like that. I mean I can spend a couple hours enjoying lunch with a person and afterwards have no clue what they were wearing. If you notice clothes, it probably won't be a problem for you.
There was some kissing, but nothing really detailed. No interactions that made me cringe or blush. This was a christian book, which I appreciated.
***
Seoul in Love
1 star
To be honest, I didn't even read this story. I started it but wasn't interested in reading a story about a divorced woman and her ex-husband who committed adultery (that's what "having an affair is) and broke up their marriage.
***
A Kaerasti for Clari
2 stars
To be honest, I was bored. If I hadn't known how short it was and that I was almost done, I would have given up. I kept expecting more, but nothing ever came. Even the so called "secrets" that Clari and Joel were "keeping from each other" turned out to be nothing, and I'm not sure why they were secrets. When the grandparents say that they think their daughter, who has supposedly died, is really not dead, nothing happens.
There were also several kisses including one that they didn't "want the grandparents walking in on."Clari and Joel spend a few days and nights alone together in a cabin because of a snowstorm. During that time Clari curls up with Joel on the couch to watch a scary movie. Not the smartest thing to do, and they've only known each other one or two days. Oh, and I still haven't figured out how Joel can sleep alone in his own apartment just fine, but at the cabin he has to have someone sleep in the same room with him or he has nightmares. Huh? He's how old?
There were a few mentions of praying, but that was pretty much the extent of the "christian" aspect of the story.
I'm sorry, I just wasn't a fan of this.
***
Premeditated Serendipity
3 stars
I'm wavering between 2.5 stars and 3. I guess I'll go with 3.
First off, I did like Kelsey even if I did want to shake her once. Yes, she had a hard thing to deal with that brought back painful memories, but it took so long for someone to finally point her to the root of the trouble even though she should have known it.
Reid was my favorite character. I liked him. His struggle with trying to figure out if he should do this or that felt so real. His interactions with Kelsey were sweet. Yes, there were a few kisses, but nothing that made me wonder why we had to know so many things about it.
However, there were things I didn't like.
1. Wayne's deliberate lie. Even though he tried to justify it and excuse it as not really a lie, but just letting someone think the wrong thing, it was a lie. Yes, he did finally apologize, but I could have done without that.
2. There was no real resolve to the supposed "prophecy" one woman gave Reid. Yes, one person told him that to cherry pick verses from the Bible like that was wrong, but after that it was just kind of shrugged off. It is never right to tell another person, especially a new Christian, you have a "prophecy from the Lord" for them and then quote a few random Bible verses out of context. What really bugged me about it all was that no one ever sat down with him and really discussed it.
3. A girl undressing and going about even for a brief time in her underclothes, then talking on the phone to a guy (I don't care if he was her uncle) while she's taking a shower. Ugh! No, I'm not going to recommend this to any guy because of that scene. It was completely unnecessary.
4. When the action came at the restaurant I was so confused by what was going on, and it was difficult to picture it. I felt like that could have used a little more work because I'm still a bit confused.
Otherwise, I enjoyed the story. There were mentions of drugs and what they can do to a person, but it was all handled tastefully.
***
Out of the Blue Bouquet
3.5 stars
Right from the start I liked Brooke. She had my sympathy, and I wanted to help her. There were a few times, however, when I just wanted to shake her or at least sit down and have a serious talk with her about a little thing called "pride." But in the end things got resolved and I could like her again. Another perk was that Brooke disliked coffee!
Dylan was the opposite. I disliked him at first. I mean a guy who goes from one girlfriend to another in a matter of weeks is not the kind of guy I usually admire. But as the story went on, and I got to see the rest of the matter, I felt a manner of compassion for him. At the end I really admired his patience, courage, and dedication.
I strongly disliked Helen! Ugh! What a not so nice person, but sadly she was so real.
Tylee was so sweet! I wanted to be friends with her.
There were several kisses, some a little more detailed, but nothing really descriptive. At one point Brooke answers the door in her pajamas and bathrobe and invites a guy into her home. Nothing happens, but it was a little uncomfortable. There are some aggressive females, and mentions of flirting. But on the whole this was a clean read.
This is a story I'll probably read again.
Courting Calla
3 stars
Still not quite sure what I think about this story.
I liked Calla at the start, but grew frustrated by her apparent willingness to
Ian started out good, but somewhere along the line I lost respect for him. Yes, I understood that he had been hurt by Calla not trusting him with her "secret" but hey, they'd only known each other for six week! His reaction (and hers) both seemed a little unreasonable to me. Maybe it's my personality.
The story was well written for the most part though it did suddenly begin to feel a bit rushed and forced near the end, and I didn't feel as connected. Perhaps it was because the author was covering a large span of time in a short amount of space.
The other thing that bugged me was the descriptions of what Calla and Ian were wearing. There were several times where you were told exactly what colors and styles they were wearing and it pulled me out of the story. Perhaps that's because I don't notice things like that. I mean I can spend a couple hours enjoying lunch with a person and afterwards have no clue what they were wearing. If you notice clothes, it probably won't be a problem for you.
There was some kissing, but nothing really detailed. No interactions that made me cringe or blush. This was a christian book, which I appreciated.
***
Seoul in Love
1 star
To be honest, I didn't even read this story. I started it but wasn't interested in reading a story about a divorced woman and her ex-husband who committed adultery (that's what "having an affair is) and broke up their marriage.
***
A Kaerasti for Clari
2 stars
To be honest, I was bored. If I hadn't known how short it was and that I was almost done, I would have given up. I kept expecting more, but nothing ever came. Even the so called "secrets" that Clari and Joel were "keeping from each other" turned out to be nothing, and I'm not sure why they were secrets. When the grandparents say that they think their daughter, who has supposedly died, is really not dead, nothing happens.
There were also several kisses including one that they didn't "want the grandparents walking in on."
There were a few mentions of praying, but that was pretty much the extent of the "christian" aspect of the story.
I'm sorry, I just wasn't a fan of this.
***
Premeditated Serendipity
3 stars
I'm wavering between 2.5 stars and 3. I guess I'll go with 3.
First off, I did like Kelsey even if I did want to shake her once. Yes, she had a hard thing to deal with that brought back painful memories, but it took so long for someone to finally point her to the root of the trouble even though she should have known it.
Reid was my favorite character. I liked him. His struggle with trying to figure out if he should do this or that felt so real. His interactions with Kelsey were sweet. Yes, there were a few kisses, but nothing that made me wonder why we had to know so many things about it.
However, there were things I didn't like.
1. Wayne's deliberate lie. Even though he tried to justify it and excuse it as not really a lie, but just letting someone think the wrong thing, it was a lie. Yes, he did finally apologize, but I could have done without that.
2. There was no real resolve to the supposed "prophecy" one woman gave Reid. Yes, one person told him that to cherry pick verses from the Bible like that was wrong, but after that it was just kind of shrugged off. It is never right to tell another person, especially a new Christian, you have a "prophecy from the Lord" for them and then quote a few random Bible verses out of context. What really bugged me about it all was that no one ever sat down with him and really discussed it.
3. A girl undressing and going about even for a brief time in her underclothes, then talking on the phone to a guy (I don't care if he was her uncle) while she's taking a shower. Ugh! No, I'm not going to recommend this to any guy because of that scene. It was completely unnecessary.
4. When the action came at the restaurant I was so confused by what was going on, and it was difficult to picture it. I felt like that could have used a little more work because I'm still a bit confused.
Otherwise, I enjoyed the story. There were mentions of drugs and what they can do to a person, but it was all handled tastefully.
***
Out of the Blue Bouquet
3.5 stars
Right from the start I liked Brooke. She had my sympathy, and I wanted to help her. There were a few times, however, when I just wanted to shake her or at least sit down and have a serious talk with her about a little thing called "pride." But in the end things got resolved and I could like her again. Another perk was that Brooke disliked coffee!
Dylan was the opposite. I disliked him at first. I mean a guy who goes from one girlfriend to another in a matter of weeks is not the kind of guy I usually admire. But as the story went on, and I got to see the rest of the matter, I felt a manner of compassion for him. At the end I really admired his patience, courage, and dedication.
I strongly disliked Helen! Ugh! What a not so nice person, but sadly she was so real.
Tylee was so sweet! I wanted to be friends with her.
There were several kisses, some a little more detailed, but nothing really descriptive. At one point Brooke answers the door in her pajamas and bathrobe and invites a guy into her home. Nothing happens, but it was a little uncomfortable. There are some aggressive females, and mentions of flirting. But on the whole this was a clean read.
This is a story I'll probably read again.
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