The Language of Love & Respect - Eggerichs

As a young woman I have read my fair share of relationship books, whether they be about dating, marriage or the guy/girl dynamics and in most of these types of books they have outlined the different needs a man and woman has. Men want respect. Women want love. Easier said than done. Because I have heard this model before I was interested in how this author would portray the dynamic in this book, being titled itself, "The Language of Love & Respect."

The author uses Ephesians 5:33 to help the reader understand a marriage relationship. This was refreshing to me because as a Christian woman I use God's Word as final authority, so seeing this dynamic in the Bible was key for me. This book not only uses the Bible to show what a godly marriage should look like, but it also gives practical tools. Not all of these will come in handy at this point in my life as I'm not married yet, but I believe it would be of great use to those who are married.

The only drawback is I felt that the book was a bit wordy and at times repetitive, so I wish the author would have cleaned up his ideas and made it more succint, but the content of the book is great. I would recommend this to readers who are married or are close to that stage in their life. Understanding the importance of communication and how to center a marriage around God's Word is key to success.

The Sweet By & By - Sara Evans

When I received this book I didn’t know what to expect, especially since it was by an already famous recording artist Sara Evans. But I ended up enjoying the read. The thing I liked the most was the realness of it. You could tell that the characters were close pictures of reality and that made it fun to turn each page. Jade shows her struggles from the past and how it is she can combine this past life of hurt into a new life with her future husband. This book is an easy read and I finished it quickly, but it was because I had a hard time putting it down. Sara Evans did an excellent job as an author. It causes you to reflect a little on your life and how you handle situations and maybe others would relate more to her specific story but I think it was nicely written.