The Marriage of Your Dreams by Rick Johnson

What wife doesn't want to know more about their husband and what he's really like?  My favorite part of this book were when women asked Rick Johnson questions and he answered them.  Some of them made me laugh because they were a simple one word answer when I'm sure the women really wanted more of an explanation....because that's how we are!  His answers were so much like my husbands, which made me realize that perhaps my husband isn't that odd after all.  Maybe more guys really do think like that. 

Johnson talks about the relationship with the husband's mother and your husband (which was very enlightening and kinda scary!), his relationship with his father and his relationships with others and how they affect his marriage and his family.  He then goes on to discuss their communication styles, their work, sexuality, and their need for respect and admiration. 

I did find it funny when Johnson gave an example about breaking an unspoken "girl rule" when he commented to his wife, while on a date, that the girl behind him (whom he couldn't see) had a pretty laugh.  His wife got mad and he couldn't figure out why that would bother her.  He then went on to warn women to tell their husbands of any unspoken rules because they don't need any more help to get into trouble!  Poor men...they really aren't blessed with the communication skills for the most part.  He shed light on how their communication is so different and how they need time to process what they just heard.  It's not that they're insensitive or uncaring...they just don't know how to express their thoughts on the matter, yet.  His examples on that issue showed me how many times my husband and I had experienced that misunderstanding in communication.

Continuing on, Johnson speaks on his odds of meeting your expectations, his emotions, his desires in a wife, his cheating heart, and his needs of his woman.  I always hate reading the cheating sections because it scares me a bit, but I do like to know what I can do to keep his eyes from straying and his heart from yielding to temptation.

Overall, this book touched on some different topics that I hadn't read in other marriage books.  It was also nice to get one's opinion who wasn't a therapist or a counselor.  He had polled men and got some responses back, which I thought made the book for enlightening and the men were probably more honest.

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I received this book free from Revell Publishers in exchange for my honest opinion of this book.

When a Woman You Love was Abused by Dawn Scott Jones

Sadly, sexual abuse is becoming something that more children are experiencing in their lives and is a reality that many have to deal with.  However, the ones who love them play an important role in helping them recover and forgive.  It's not an easy journey and it's not a fun one, but it is one that will bring you closer together if you are equipped with the right tools.  This book is one of those musts for anyone who has a relative or a friend who has been abused.  It's written more for a husband about his wife, but I still think that there is a lot of valuable information in it for anyone to be able to use.

The stories of these women who have been sexually molested are heart wrenching.  To know that a child has gone through something like this is hard to read, but it's a must in order to know how to help them...especially if you are the husband who is trying to help your wife heal.

There are chapters that explain the lies that she believes and why she believes them.  The part that was very interesting to me was how they view their relationship with God.  It is so different from the woman who has never been abused and has no trust issues.  Broken into three parts, you will begin to understand the survivor, understand the healing process, and you will learn how to help.

I never realized that many of these women who have been sexually molested will feel the need to control things in her life since she lost control of many things, including her body, very early in life.  It makes me think twice about those friends that I have that are very controlling in both conversation and relationships.  Not that anything happened to them that I know of, but I can't say for certain that something in their life didn't happen that might have brought these type of behaviors to the surface.

I think the most encouraging part of this book is the last section that is questions for men.  It answers some of the most asked questions that a husband has about his wife and helps him understand more of how to love his wife in the way that she needs.

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I received this book free from Litfuse Publicity Group in exchange for my honest opinion of this book.