By the Stars

About the Book

When Cal finally gets a chance with Kate, the girl he's loved since grade school, their easy friendship quickly blossoms into a meaningful romance. Spirited and independent, Kate keeps a guarded heart due to a painful past, and Cal wants nothing more than to gain her trust. But World War II soon cuts their time far too short, and Cal prepares to part from her—possibly for good. After he's gone, what Kate does next changes everything. 
 
In the suffocating jungles of the Philippines Cal encounters the chilling life of a soldier and deadly battles of war. With Kate's memory willing him on, Cal must put his trust in God to survive if he hopes to ever return to her. Inspired by a true story, By the Stars is a love story that stands the test of time and the most intense obstacles.

To start, this book was a lot longer than I was expecting it to be—over 300 pages. Some sections probably could have been cut to make it a little bit shorter, but I never felt like it was lagging. I was quite impressed with the author for pulling that off with such a long book. Just know going into it that it's a longer read, and you should be fine. I didn't know that, and I still enjoyed it.

I want to add a little bit of caution for future readers. This is a romance, but it's also a war story. This book contains gruesome war scenes. The author didn't get too graphic or detailed in these chapters, but she stays true to what happens in war. Most adult readers should be fine with it, but use your discretion. Personally, I appreciate how the author handled these scenes. She didn't describe every little bit of what our protagonist, Cal, saw while he was in the Philippines, but she doesn't water down the horrors of war.

Kate and Cal are members of the LDS Church, and as such, this book contains references to their beliefs, values, and the Church itself. But it's not so saturated with obscure references that someone outside the Church would have a hard time understanding or getting through the book. 

I really enjoyed the author's writing style, and I thought she did an excellent job of keeping the phrases and slang true to the era this story was written in. She also did well at weaving the romance and the war stories together into one novel.

I thought this was a fantastic book, well written and well researched. I give it a 5 out of 5.

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The Land of Look Behind

About the Book

When Gideon, a former missionary, discovers a mysterious drawing tucked in an ancient journal he returns to Jamaica with dreams of finding a centuries old treasure. He quickly learns there are those who would kill to keep the treasure secret. This thrilling adventure takes you deep into Jamaica's treacherous cockpit country and back in time for a spine-tingling mystery you won't be able to put down.

Picking up this book, I wasn't sure what to expect. Unlike previous books I've read, no one recommended it to me and I hadn't heard anything about it, aside from what the cover blurb had to offer. I was pleasantly surprised and am glad that I decided to read this book. But, as always, I'll start with the not-so-good so I can end with the good.

I ended up enjoying this book, but to be completely honest, I had a hard time getting into it at first. It wasn't boring or bad; it just didn't grab me or pull me into the story right away. I'm not sure if that's a result of the writing or just my personality. Sometimes when I have no expectations for movies or books, or have no knowledge of what they're really about, I have a harder time getting into them because I'm just trying to figure out what they're about. Either way, it took me a bit to get into this book.

Having said that, I felt like the story picked up the further I got into the book, and I liked the story overall. Aaron certainly has a way of transporting his readers to the land of his love—Jamaica. He does a good job portraying the people, the language, and the culture. Now, I've never been to Jamaica, but through Aaron's writing, I was able to envision what it would be like there.

I also enjoyed the parallel stories of Benjamin Jarvis and Gideon Goodwin placed three hundred years apart. They flowed together really well, and the transitions didn't disrupt from the reading. I had several questions I was worried wouldn't be answered, but by the end of the book, I was satisfied with the revealed answers.

I was also interested to see how the author would deal with the LDS aspect, as Gideon is a Mormon. I was pleased that Aaron made it apparent what Gideon's belief and religion was without saturating the entire book or forcing that aspect so it became awkward.

So even though it took me a bit to get into the book and really understand the direction it was going, I enjoyed, and I'm glad I read it. I give it a 3.5 out of 5.

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