Odd(ly) Enough: Standing Out When the World Begs You To Fit In by Carolanne Miljavac
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This book isn't always easy to read but it relates a story that is sadly more prevalent than we know. Author Carolanne Miljavac is very open about the trauma that she suffered as a child and she is honest in the ways that she chose to overcome these abuses. I was so moved by the sexual advances that she was forced to endure and I grieved for the young girl who thought of herself as a victim. She suffered an identity crisis and at nine years old, she thought that she was weird and different; she felt guilty and ashamed. She even considered herself "unworthy of joy because joy had always been stolen from me" (p. 30). These feelings led her to experiment with alcohol and drugs when she was older. She also experienced embarrassment because of her family's financial situation. Her father left the family and only appeared sporadically and her mother struggled to care for Carolanne and her two siblings. She relates times when her mother was forced to remove food from the shopping cart, one item at a time, item by item, because she didn't have the money to buy it all.

Yes, this is a sad story but it is also a story of redemption and of Miljavac finally finding herself worthy of joy. She now knows that God made her to be just who she is and that he had a purpose for her. Odd(ly) Enough is meant to encourage, uplift and motivate and Carolanne Miljavac uses humor and humility to to achieve her goal.

I would certainly recommend this book because the mindset of today's society is so centered on people fitting in. The enemy (Satan) wants to steal away our knowledge of who we really are. This book proves that it is okay to be odd and Odd(ly) Enough, this is what God intended!

I received a complimentary copy of this book from Barbour Publishing and was under no obligation to post a review.

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A Williamsburg Christmas by Anne Greene
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

We often hear stories about high school sweethearts who drift apart, end up marrying other people and then find each other again in later years. This is what happened to Holly Belle Silver and Trent Conway. Trent's well-to-do family convinced him that he needed a wife more socially prominent than Holly and he caved in to their pressure, leaving Holly with a broken heart. Two years later she found love again with another man and enjoyed a happy life with her husband and twin sons until the unthinkable happened and her husband died suddenly. Hoping to create a new life, she has recently moved with her sons to historical Williamsburg. It is there that she encounters Trent again and he is very eager to revive their relationship from ten years ago. Can she dare to trust him again? Would her heart be able to survive another heartbreak? And how does a confirmed bachelor deal with eight-year-old twin boys? In one telling conversation, Trent tells Holly "Let's call you being here a new beginning. I've gained some wisdom in the last ten years. I've learned what's important in life". (p. 45)

Anne Greene has a way of writing stories that capture our imaginations and tug at our heartstrings and she knows how to add the perfect details for the settings and time periods that she chooses. A Williamsburg Christmas is set in 1955 and she mentions spaghetti straps and nylons held up by garter belts. I was five in 1955 but I remember both of these well. As a teenager I visited Williamsburg but her descriptive talents make me eager to see it during the holidays. Beautiful shops, colorful street decorations, and the Christmas music blaring from speakers all paint a festive Christmas season. She even mentions some of the food served and shares the recipes for Applesauce Bread Pudding and Colonial Molasses Cookies. Yum! I am eager to make them for my family!!

A Williamsburg Christmas is a short novella that is the perfect length for people who are about to get busy preparing for their own Christmas holiday. It is an enjoyable story and once again Anne Greene shares a sweet romance between people who love God and want to serve Him. I recommend it for anyone who enjoys Christian fiction and Christmas stories.

I received a complimentary copy from the author but I voluntarily chose to write this review. I was not compensated for offering my opinions.

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