Reviewed by Alice DiNizo for Readers' Favorite

Storyteller, actor, and American Civil Celebrant Gerald Fierst has created a book about weddings, but it's not about how to buy gowns and flowers, arrange for the reception, and where to place the candles. The Heart of the Wedding puts the magic back in a ceremony that people have neglected. He has officiated at many weddings and writes movingly of what a wedding really is: a couple coming together in marriage, their individual pasts moving into a future together. He offers many examples of couples marrying after living together for years and couples marrying with children from former relationships, and merges these with wedding history, poetry, songs and offerings. He concludes by listing the requirements for marriages in all fifty states.

In The Heart of the Wedding, Gerald Fierst has created a well-written and edited, beautifully organized book on weddings as an extraordinarily special occasion that is long overdue. Brides, grooms, and families will welcome this book with open arms for Mr. Fierst covers many options, moving, emotional and practical, that a couple can adapt to their own special wishes.

The index and table of contents are highly useful. Each chapter of The Heart of the Wedding is beautifully laid out with a variety of print formats that lend great appeal to even the casual browser. Black and white photographs of wedding couples add to the text as they are tastefully placed and not overwhelming in number. The Heart of the Wedding would make a perfect gift for any couple planning their special day. It belongs on library shelves everywhere.

Reviewed by Rita Vetsch for Readers' Favorite

Navigating Marital Abandonment written by Elizabeth Durkee is a soulful, emotional and personal journey that Beth has experienced first-hand and shares with other people also going through the same difficult situation.

Beth speaks about the intense emotional hurt that is caused by an extra-marital relationship. Marriage is supposed to be a serious commitment that deeply affects both partners and their family directly. A spouse's choice for infidelity is based on his/her own beliefs and criteria. This is not a moral or honorable choice, but the injured spouse is not to blame. So many of the injured spouses blame themselves, but the spouse who is cheating does not think about the deep pain that the other spouse is feeling at the time. Beth also explains that there is a mentality and pattern of behavior that is evident with infidelity. Once the injured spouse understands the pattern, he/she will have less of a disadvantage in predicting what the spouse might do next. Beth befriends a woman named Sam, who has gone through the same painful experience as she, and she finds a support system. She explains how the children are directly affected and hurt in their own ways. Beth also shares the trauma and excruciating pain that infidelity brings to the injured spouse. There are three types of trauma that people actually experience with infidelity: Infidelity Trauma, Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, and Rape Trauma Syndrome. It takes courage and determination to fight the depression and emotional distress, but Beth is a survivor!

I found this book to be very compelling, raw, and emotional. Beth shares her entire journey through the infidelity and divorce which the reader can really feel and connect with. The behavior signs she listed in this book opened my eyes, and they really made sense to me as a married woman. This is a fantastic book about relationships that everyone can relate to on some level and come away with a sense of empowerment.

Reviewed by Karen Pirnot for Readers' Favorite

In From Heartbreak to Heart's Desire: Developing A Healthy GPS, author Dawn Maslar contends that a broken GPS (Guy Picking System) is analogous to a broken GPS system in a car. If the GPS is malfunctioning, you will never arrive at your destination.

If your "picker" is broken, you must restore order to your GPS first by ridding yourself of all of your fellows and taking a personal retreat. While on this retreat, learn to take care of yourself, meditating and journaling as you go. Hopefully, this will lead you to a positive self-attitude through self-affirmations. Pampering will help you to love yourself and change your own beliefs regarding your shortcomings. If you are still in doubt, do something good for someone else, and this will lead to a positive self-image. If next you take a good review of your own pro and con personality traits and needs and then engage in daydreaming, you will be ready to "build your beau" and create a vision board of what you want in a relationship.

While an interesting and fun analogy, the reader must believe that without a GPS, one is totally lost, and for most of us, this would not be the case. We would use the sun, the stars, common sense, a good map or would resort to asking directions. This leads the reader to believe that one must truly be malfunctioning in order to make use of the author's blueprint toward getting into a healthy relationship. However, I did find the book entertaining, and while a caution must be issued regarding a "one size fits all" approach to finding meaningful relationships, most women who have had a difficult time finding a good man can relate to the stories of other such women.

Reviewed by Anne Boling for Readers' Favorite

Judith Desjardins begins her book by sharing a dream or perhaps a nightmare. She was in her 50s and felt her life was stagnant. After an honest talk with herself, she began to reform. The use of personal experiences makes this a must read self help book. She shares her doubts before her marriage. She ignored them and the marriage ended in divorce.

The first section of the book is titled: Preparing Yourself To Be The Best Possible Mate. There is a great need to understand yourself and where you come from before considering marriage. The second section discusses the developmental process. The third section was one of my favorites: Selecting The Best Mate. In this section, the author asks readers to look at their reasons for wanting love and marriage and to make a wish list. She also encourages readers to look at past relationships.

I have mixed feelings about parts of this book. I know that marriage is one of the most important steps a person can take. When examining my own marriage, I see things a bit differently. I was 18, he was 19…I suppose you would say, mere babies. We knew we loved each other. That was what counted. Were we immature? Yes, we were young. Looking back over the years, I’ve never regretted a day of our lives together. Soon we will be married 37 years. I did not analyze who I was, where I came from, etc. I just knew I loved him and wanted to spend my life with him. I suppose he felt the same. He still treats me like a princess and I love him more every day. I know this is not the norm. I’ve see marriages fall apart. So I do recognize the need to know each other well. The world has changed a lot in the last 37 years. I knew divorce would not be an option. However, today marriage is disposable.

All in all, Ms. Desjardins offers readers an excellent book. It is well organized, the topics are pertinent. I would recommend this book to be read before engagement.

Reviewed by Anne Boling for Readers' Favorite

Have you ever met a difficult person? Has someone you love ever got on your nerves. Let’s face it we all know difficult people. Beverly D. Flaxington gets along with almost every one. She know the 5 secrets to understanding other people.

1. It’s all About me.
2. Behavioral Styles come between us.
3. Values speak louder than you do
4. Don’t assume I know what you mean
5. I’m Okay; you are most definitely not okay

Are we so self-centered that we honestly believe it is all about me? Yes and no, it may be subconsciously but everything does filter back to self. We judge others by our own standards. We focus conversations on ourselves by saying I know what you mean. It all stems from our experiences. Can we change? Most certainly and Flaxington shares how. She goes in-depth explaining each secret. Her style is easy to understand and read. The end of each chapter has a concise summary.

Understanding Other People will benefit everyone. The anecdotes are amusing. The secrets are built on wisdom.