5-Star Review of "For I Know The Plans"

Review of For I Know the Plans

by Dawn Ridley

When Ava's grandmother passed away, leaving her all alone, she had to learn to be independent fast. She has to work hard to get through college and she has a plan—a plan that doesn't include dating. When Blake's teasing kisses take away Ava's ability to remember that plan, he quickly adds steps to her life itinerary she had never even considered. Things change altogether too soon— and Ava finds out she is pregnant. Being a quick thinker, Blake has never had problems making decisions. So once he had decided he loved Ava, all he had to do was convince her that they were a match made in Heaven. But did Heaven have anything to do with it? Could God use their relationship in a special way? A verse that Ava's Granny had lovingly given her as a child keeps reminding her that God has a plan for her. With indisputable evidence that Blake has cheated on her, Ava's new faith is shaken. Will Ava learn to trust God, whatever the outcome? Blake does everything in his power to prove his love for Ava, but will he give up when the evidence is stacked against him? Pictures don’t lie. Could they tell a different story?

MY REVIEW:   Dawn Ridley grabbed my attention at the very first page!   I was greeted by the image of a lovely young pregnant wife who is deeply, madly, hopelessly in love with her husband as she retrieves pictures from her mailbox of him with another woman!   I read through the night and missed my sleep because I simply HAD to know what would happen with Ava and Blake.  He was the perfect husband and I truly could not imagine the character doing such a deceitful thing to his beautiful bride. This debut novel has peaked my interest and I will definitely be looking for more novels by Dawn Ridley!   

I rate this book 5 stars and I am happy to be able to recommend it to readers of Christian romance.

I received a digital copy of this book from Lazy Day Publications in exchange for my honest review.  All opinions expressed are my own.  

About the Author:

From Amazon Author's Page:  

 I love Bible Study, magazines, crafts, games and BBQ's. I love to read romance novels and I have way too many favorite books to list. I make my own laundry soap and biscuit mix. I cut my Children and husbands hair. I love canning, sewing, and decorating. I love to cook and love to feed people. I love to plan and put together brunches or luncheons.

I love to make coffee and sit down with friends to visit for hours. I am the mediator, the people pleaser, the organizer, the leader, the adventurous one, the one everyone is always laughing at, the one who will be at every function, always there if you need a shoulder or a pick me up, the set up and clean up committee. Fill in the blanks....

With everything else under the sun: wife, mother, daughter, sister, friend, teacher, mentor, chef, taxi, secretary, laundress, seamstress, maid-service, nurse, instructor of personal health and hygiene (bottom wiper), nutrition advisor, event planner, product sampler (play-DOH cookies), professional shopper, movie and book critique, gift-bag finder, band-aid pro-curer, and I believe the song goes, "Keeper of the Cheerios..."

When I find time, I like to write. :)
What else can I say?

I have always loved to read, but at times I also like to rewrite books in my head. I love to discuss them. My husband and all of my friends love to read, so it's not surprising that a lot of conversations around me revolve around books. Movies, those too. I love to change the endings. I always want to talk about the character arcs, and the sub plots and scenes that make or break them.

So, my mom likes to tell people I taught myself to read. It was before I went to kindergarten. You know how our kids have us read the same book over and over and over again until they can repeat it word for word, well, you got it! That's what I did too, but that isn't all. After I memorized the words, I slowly matched them with the ones on the page, lined them up and sounded them out. Then I matched them to other words in other books, until I figured out what they said and showed it to my mom. 

Of course, she labeled me a genius. And I know I excelled at many things because of her love and praise. (Thank you, Mom.) 

I do believe a love for books and learning is hereditary since my grandmother, mother, and uncles all have the same passion. 

Following my husband and I and our family's examples, our children now love to read as well. There isn't much that gives me more joy than to see my children hanging around reading a book on their own.

We have four beautiful, bright, thoughtful, (and did I remember to say miniature terrorists) children, whom we homeschool. (Did you just clear your throat?) 

I believe the Lord gives each of us gifts to use for His glory and I pray that I will use my gift of gab only in ways that would please Him. I have wanted to write for a long time and actually started when my oldest was a baby, but the timing was wrong. Now, I know it's in God's time. 

While I hope that my books are entertaining, I pray that they will be encouraging and show my readers that Christians have life battles too. They are not perfect, just forgiven. I hope that my characters will always show spiritual growth and a relationship with Jesus that will minister to others, and encourage them to work through their own struggles in a God-honoring way. 

I hope that this introduction shows a little bit of me, and that I always strive to live up to the standards Jesus set for us.