Divine by Karen Kingsbury

★★★★★
Mary Madison was a child of unspeakable horrors, a young woman society wanted to forget. Now a divine power has set Mary free to bring life-changing hope and love to battered and abused women living in the shadow of the nation’s capital.
 
Mary is educated and redeemed, a powerful voice in Washington, D.C. - both to the politically elite and to other women like her. But she also has a past that shamed polite society. Her experiences created in her paralyzing fear, faithlessness, addiction, and promiscuity. At the crossroads of her life, only one power set Mary free and gave her a lifetime of love and hope. A power that could only be divine.
 
Peggy Madison is Mary’s grandmother, a quiet woman who has spent her life praying for her granddaughter. Peggy clings to the belief that God has a special plan for Mary. Through years of sorrow and longing, Peggy walks the journey in faith and watches from a distance as one key person after another comes into Mary’s life and demonstrates the timeless, powerful love of the Master, the Savior. The divine Lord.
 
Emma Randall is a single mother fleeing an abusive relationship, wondering whether there is hope for her and her young daughters. She is desperate, broken, and unloved, tempted to commit the unthinkable. Then Mary Madison introduces Emma to the greatest love of all, greater than any either of them has ever imagined.

Wow, Divine was a really intense book.  When the book overview mentions "unspeakable horrors," it's not exaggerating.  Divine was written as a parallel to the story of Mary Magdelene from Scripture and the seven demons she dealt with.  The modern Mary of this book certainly faces her seven demons as the book delves into heavy topics such as prostitution, sex slavery, abuse, and more.  As dark as these topics are, this book is NOT explicit in any way; however, Kingsbury certainly leaves no question as to what the women in this book deal with.  Parts of it are certainly hard to read.  But it is a story of finding the all-encompasing and redeeming love of Christ, a love that is Divine.  It's a very good book, reminding us that whatever sins we have committed, even if they are unspeakable, and whatever is in our past, we are made alive and anew by Jesus and His sacrifice.

Match Point by Erynn Mangum

★★★★★
Matchmaker Lauren Holbrook is happy after putting together four successful couples. That is, until the tables are turned and she’s on the receiving end of the matchmaking!
 
Lauren and her boyfriend, Ryan, devise a plan to make it look as if they’ve broken up so people will get off their backs about marriage. No problem, right? That’s of course until Lauren realizes she’s in love.

Ah, another Erynn Mangum book.  :)  I loved Match Point, just like all of Erynn's other books.  This was such a sweet little love story.  It's the third book in the Lauren Holbrook series (the first is Miss Match, and the second is Rematch).  These stories are characterized by a tight-knit group of friends that you feel a part of while reading, fun characters, and Lauren's matchmaking schemes.  All of these books include love stories, my favorite kind.  :)  You wish you could hang out with the characters in real life.  I was really bummed out when I finished this book (and series).  Such great stories.  I would definitely recommend this series and this book if you are looking for something sweet and lighthearted!

Rematch by Erynn Mangum

★★★★★
Lauren Holbrook believes that God matched couples before time began-some just require a coordinated introduction. And no one plays love connection better than Lauren, an undercover Cupid on a mission to connect clueless friends.

The next couple-in-waiting? Brandon and Hannah, two unsuspecting pals who are perfect for each other in every way. They just don't realize it yet. But as Lauren grows closer to her friend Ryan, and her single father unexpectedly falls in love, she discovers the joy found in trusting God's perfect plan instead of her own.

The Lauren Holbrook series delivers fun stories on topics girls care about, such as boys, chocolate, and dating. Each book balances the lighthearted antics of Lauren with spiritual insights that will encourage teen readers to trust God for their lives. 

I loved Rematch!  This is the second book in the Lauren Holbrook series, the first is Miss Match.  Erynn Mangum has such a gift for writing entertaining, fun love stories that incorporate faith.  These are my kind of books.  :)  As ironic as it is, I can't put her books down although I dread having them end!  If I'd just slow down reading them, they would last longer!  I don't know what her target audience is, maybe young adult?  The characters in her books are in their early 20's (which, sadly, I am not anymore!)  But I guess it's because I'm a romantic at heart, I love reading stories of people falling in love.  :) 

Lauren has such a tight-knit group of friends, and this story makes you feel like you are part of 'the group' while you're reading.  You feel like you're just hanging out with them, that you're part of their lives and crazy antics.  :) 

I would definitely recommend this book if you're looking for a lighthearted, faith-filled romance-type book.  I love Erynn Mangum stories!

Life's a Beach by Claire Cook

★★★☆☆

Life's a bit of a beach these days for Ginger Walsh, who's single at forty-one and living back home in the family FROG (Finished Room Over Garage). She's hoping for a more fulfilling life as a sea glass artist, but instead is babysitting her sister's kids and sharing overnights with Noah, her sexy artist boyfriend with commitment issues and a dog Ginger's cat isn't too crazy about. Geri, her BlackBerry-obsessed sister, is also nearly over the deep end about her pending fiftieth birthday (and might just drag Ginger with her). Toss in a dumpster-picking father, a Kama Sutra T-shirt-wearing mother, a movie crew come to town with a very cute gaffer, an on-again-off-again glassblower boyfriend, plus a couple of Red Hat realtors, and hilarity ensues. The perfect summer read, Life's a Beach is a warm, witty, and wise look at what it takes to move forward at any stage in life.

Overall I was disappointed in this book, Life's a Beach.  I chose it to read next because I was looking for something light, funny, and set in a beach town, and the book description seemed to match.  Sadly, I was disappointed.  Maybe it was just that I couldn't really connect with Ginger, the main character, or really anyone in the book for that matter.  Maybe it was just that the storyline was kind of boring.  I did enjoy the last 30 pages or so, but that's really it.  I would say it was a mildly entertaining book, but definitely not one I would recommend running out and purchasing.  It has some quirky characters, but none I really fell in love with or could relate to.

Miss Match by Erynn Mangum

★★★★★

Lauren Holbrook has found her life's calling: matchmaking for the romantically challenged. And with the eclectic cast of characters in her world, there's tons of potential to play "connect the friends."
 
Lauren sets out to introduce Nick, her carefree singles' pastor, to Ruby, her neurotic coworker who plans every second of every day. What could possibly go wrong? Just about everything.

I loved Miss Match!  I had downloaded this book while it was free, not sure what to expect.  It was so, so cute.  It is a Christian Fiction book.  The characters are so likeable.  It's about a young twenty-something girl, Lauren, navigating the things of life, setting up her friends, and working.  Lauren is just a normal girl trying to figure things out, but I love how she incorporates her Chrisian perspective into the desicions she makes.  I really enjoyed this book (and I'm a mom with 2 kids!), but I think it would also be great for a high school/college girl navigating relationships and friendships.  This is the first book in a series, and the next two are both on my reading list.  Definitely recommended as a fun, light, uplifiting read.