Winds of Hope and Shelter from the Storm by Anita Stansfield

Winds of Hope
2 stars

In a stunning reversal of the first two books now everything that possibly can go right for the characters will go right.

• kick the drug habit
• find the gospel
• the runaway daughter comes back
• fall in love
• marry
• have more kids
• career shoots to the top again
• etc
• etc
• etc

Throw in lengthy rambling paragraphs about how incredibly blessed we all are, and that's basically the whole book.
I know, this all sounds really snarky, but seriously? I was bored. Yeah, there were a few struggles... and Stansfield threw in a couple of random arguments for the sake of tension... but really.
Now, I know that a lot of people love her stuff, and find her books uplifting and inspirational, and that's fine. Really it is. Everyone is entitled to their opinion. Including me. :D

Shelter from the Storm
1 star
I figured this fourth book could go one of two ways. I mean, really, I don't get why she didn't stop after the third, because it practically ended with "and they all lived happily ever after".
So, it could either be a cute book about the daily life of a cute Mormon family, which would work for me. Throw in some humor, make it kind of Robert Farrell Smith-ish and there you go.
Or, we could rehash old issues and see if their new faith and happiness can withstand MORE trials, because clearly these people weren't subjected to enough in the first 2 books.
Can you guess which path the book took?
Yeah, the second one.

• Oldest daughter miscarries
• and can't find a job
• and can't seem to get pregnant again
• estranged parent comes back to make peace
• and promptly dies
• mystery illness
• psycho ward member
• who's bent on destroying Jayson
• and so Jayson is released from his calling
• causing him to spiral into out of control depression
• made worse when psycho flips out about him playing the piano at church
• but is miraculously solved by a counselor in a single session
• oh, and they have to speak in church

To make things worse-- the mystery illness is never solved, the issue with the psycho is never resolved, we never do actually meet her son that she's "protecting" from Jayson, the daughter still can't get pregnant AND the book ends BEFORE they speak on Sunday.
And here I was feeling happy about the book being shorter than the first three. Sigh.
Seriously, though, if you like Anita Stansfield, you'll probably like these. Don't let my bad attitude ruin them for you. :D
Oh, and HAPPY PIONEER DAY!!!!!
(A celebration of the Mormon pioneers first entering the Salt Lake Valley in 1847.)
Pioneer children sang as they walked and walked and walked.......