Standards

Hello World,
Today I would like to do something different with my blog.  I won't be reviewing a book, but I would like to write about what I feel is a good Christian romance.  I always try to use the Bible as my point of reference. My first forethought is making sure that Christian books aren't being too risky with romance scenes or being blatantly immoral.  Here is the thing, when you look at Christian books you can get a wide range romantic encounters.  What makes one encounter immoral where as another one is just right for the reader.  Looking at the book of Song of Songs we see some pretty explicit stuff, but we also see a man adoring his wife.  It also asks us women not to awaken love until the time is right.  So, different books means certain age groups can read them.  If you notice a lot of times if a book is too explicit I forewarn parents to read the book first before their child reads it.  I will always try and be honest when I read a book that is too steamy for a reader as well.  Always I will base my findings on the Bible and pray before I review the book.  

My Second look is the editing.  Yes I know I'm not perfect in my grammar, but it truly is hard to read a book when you see mistake after mistake after mistake :)  Generally when this happens I contact the publisher and make them aware of the problem.  Unfortunately there have been times that it hasn't been resolved, and it is just plain too hard to read.

My third focus is feeling; am I totally immersed in the book, can I laugh at a joke or cry when there is a heartfelt moment.  Is the pace good or is the narration too long for me.  I want to add that this is very minor for me, because I realize that my opinion is completely my own.  A book that isn't so great for me, could have been the best book for someone else.  I try very hard not to let my opinion of a book reflect in my review.  I try to remain as neutral in my review as possible.  I don't think it's fair when someone gives a bad review just because the book didn't flow for them.  I will give a bad review if it's Biblically not accurate.  I have a very high standard on that, and unfortunately I've gotten a lot of grief from that on my Amazon reviews (one book specifically grrr).

Lastly and kind of tying into the last part is, is Christianity interwoven in the book.  Some Christian authors only sprinkle it in their books, while others seamlessly intertwine it into their story.  I really don't have an opinion on that, but some people do.  So I want to make sure that my readers know what type of book they're going to be reading.

I hope you understand my standards and why I review the way I do :-)  I love doing this fun side job and truly I feel blessed to be able to do it.  So because I am not reviewing a book today I will do a give away.  Who ever is following me or starts following me I will pull a name from my followers and I will mail you, your choice of a Christian fiction or nonfiction book.  Have a great day and happy reading!