A Husband for Mari (The Amish Matchmaker #2) by Emma Miller

Back to Amish Country 

Struggling single mother Mari Troyer decides to move—temporarily—to the Amish community of Seven Poplars. With a place to stay and a good job, Mari soon fits right in with the warm, welcoming Delaware residents. But when her son asks a matchmaker to find Mari a husband, Mari worries that the handsome builder who's become the boy's father figure can never be her intended. James Hostetler requires a wife as committed to the Amish life as he is. Need brought Mari to Seven Poplars, but maybe love and renewed faith will make her stay forever.


About The Author

Emma Miller is a wife, mother and a grandmother who lives a quiet life in Delaware. She's the author of the Hannah's Daughter's series and is at work on her next Amish romance novel.















My Review

Mari has had a rather rough life so far, and she is destitute with nothing left, except the joy of her life her nine-year-old son Zachary, she has no job, shelter, food, etc. and help arrives from her friend Sara Yoder.
Sara is a friend she met while she was in Wisconsin, and Mari know she is a matchmaker, but she also helps people, which she does as she opens her home to Mari and Zachary.
Your going to love the reaction Zachary has to leaving the English world and entering the Amish. He gives his Mom a hard time, but guidance and patience comes in the form of Amish carpenter James Hostetler, whom just happens to be working on Sara’s home.
This is a very fast read, and you won’t want to put it down once you open the cover, I had to keep reading, and only life got in the way. I can’t wait for the next book in this series; so far I have read two winners!
I received this book through Net Galley and the Publisher Love Inspired, and was not required to give a positive review.

Hannah's Choice (Journey to Pleasant Prairie, #1)

Hannah Yoder loves her quiet life on the banks of the Conestoga Creek. In 1842, this corner of Lancaster County is settled and peaceful--yet problems lurk beneath the placid faade. Hannah's father worries about the spread of liberal ideas from their Mennonite and Brethren neighbors. And Hannah blames herself for a tragedy that struck their home nine years ago. She strives to be the one person who can bind the threads of her family together in spite of her mother's ongoing depression and her sister's rejection of their family. But her world is threatening to unravel.

When two young men seek her hand in marriage--one offering the home she craves and the other promising the adventure of following God's call west--Hannah must make a choice. Faithfully perform her duties to her family? Or defy her father and abandon her community?

Amazon


About The Author

Jan Drexler brings a unique understanding of Amish traditions and beliefs to her writing. Her ancestors were among the first Amish, Mennonite, and Brethren immigrants to Pennsylvania in the 1700s. Their experiences are the basis for her stories. Jan lives in South Dakota with her husband, their four adult children, two active dogs, and a cat. When she isn't writing, she enjoys hiking the Black Hills and the Badlands. She is the author of the Love Inspired novels The Prodigal Son Returns, A Mother for His Children, and A Home for His Family.

My Review

The title of the book Hannah’s Choice complements the theme of this story, and who will win her hand and heart.
This book takes place in the Lancaster PA area before the Civil War, and with slave hunters coming through the area looking for escaped slaves. We find at the end of this book that the author is related to former Amish, or Brethren who left the area and went to Indiana.
Hannah lives with her family on a farm that has been in her family for generations. It is situated on the banks of the Conestoga River, and we get to journey around on this beautiful land. How wonderful to live with so much family history surrounding them. Some is heart breaking especially with the death of three of her siblings.
When a couple of fellow Amish stop at the farm and offer up an opportunity to move to new land at low prices, Christian, Hannah’s Dad, thinks this will be a good solution to go to where there are more Amish, and to get away from the grief that has surrounded his wife and family. He is also worried about his children going worldly and marrying outside of their religion.
I was quickly consumed by this book and was turning the pages to find the answers, and I struggled, as did Hannah, as to whom she should choose to marry. If she chooses her neighbor and childhood friend Adam, she risks looking her family to the bann, but she can continue to live where she loves, and if she chooses the Josef will she be marrying for love, but she follows her religion.
This is a wonderful read about the Amish in Pennsylvania before it was a major settlement, and life in the 1840’s in America.
I received this book through Net Galley and the Publisher Revell and was not required to give a positive review. 

I Hope You Dance by Beth Moran

Ruth Henderson has moved back in with her parents--something she swore she would never do, especially not at the age of thirty-three. But in the face of the mountain of debt left by her late partner, and the fact that her teenage daughter, Maggie, is expressing her grief through acts of delinquency, there was really only one option.

Returning to a house Ruth swore never to set foot in again is bad enough. Add to this an estranged father, whirlwind mother, and David--the boy next door who broke her heart--and it is little wonder Ruth can barely make it out of bed.

But then, reunited with her old friend Lois, Ruth is persuaded to go along to a monthly girls' night. Here she meets a bunch of incredible women and for the first time since leaving home at eighteen, Ruth begins to make some genuine friends.

She also has her first ever date--with the charming Dr. Carl Barker. However, after a disastrous dinner, and an upset Maggie still struggling with her father's death, Ruth promises her daughter she won't go out with any other men. A promise she quickly regrets when David, the boy next door, asks her to dance.

Amazon

http://www.bethmoran.org/

About The Author

Beth Moran has a background as a research scientist and adult educator. She now concentrates on church work and is part of the national leadership team of the UK women's network Free Range Chicks. She is married with three children and lives in Nottingham, England.


My Review

We open this book with Ruth Henderson returning back home, hat in hand, with her daughter Maggie, her fourteen year old. She is basically out in the street and not very many options but to swallow her pride and return back to her parents.
This story has so many examples of how we tend to judge people especially in our youth, and meeting again as an adult they are entirely different. A lot of surprises abound in returning to her roots for Ruth, some chuckles and some heart breaking news that you didn’t know at the time.
Come and enjoy Ruth wallowing in her pain, yes enjoy as her parents have her laying in bed or in her jamies all day long, and as she goes about getting a job or jobs to help get herself out of debt. I also enjoyed the spunk her daughter Maggie showed, and how some elderly woman put them both in their place.
There is also some violence in this story in the form of a person you would never expect, especially when we first meet. This person becomes a stalker, and makes some very scary moves and actions.
Through out it all you hope for relationships to hold steady and find love in them. You will also cheer on the sweet neighbor, and Ruth’s first love, David.
I received this book through the Publisher Lion, and was not required to give a positive review.

Dreaming of Books Giveaway Hop -$10 Amazon Gift Card

I'm always dreaming of my next book to get lost in, and I'll bet you are too. I am giving away a $10 Amazon Gift Card to help you choose yours. Just be sure to fill out the Raffflecopter form, and make sure I have away to contact you.


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A Timeless Romance Anthology: Sarah M. Eden British Isles Collection by Sarah M. Eden

The SARAH M. EDEN BRITISH ISLES COLLECTION contains two brand new historical romance novellas A FRIEND INDEED and A HAPPY BEGINNING, as well as four hand-picked readers’ and reviewers’ favorites of Sarah’s popular Timeless Romance Anthology novellas. Readers will love this selection of six historical romance novellas set in the British Isles.

I love Sarah Eden’s stories and writing style, so I was very excited to read this book. And since it is a collections of novellas, it fit well into my busy schedule. These stories took place in various parts of the British Isles—England (of course), Scotland, and Ireland. I had kind of hoped for a story set in Wales as well, but am okay that there was not, since she has a tale set in Wales in the All Hallows Eve Collection. I also liked that the stories had stories about commoners as well as nobles and rich folk. Some of the stories in this book I had read before, but others were new—and all were excellent.

Amazon


About The Author

Sarah M. Eden is an award-winning author of multiple historical romances, including AML's "2013 Novel of the Year" and Foreword Review's 2013 "IndieFab Book of the Year" gold medal winner for Best Romance, Longing for Home, and the Whitney Award's "2014 Novel of the Year," Longing for Home: Hope Springs. Combining her obsession with history and affinity for tender love stories, Sarah loves crafting witty characters and heartfelt romances set against rich historical backdrops. She holds a Bachelor's degree in research and happily spends hours perusing the reference shelves of her local library. Sarah lives with her husband, kids, and mischievous dog in the shadow of a snow-capped mountain she has never attempted to ski.


My Review 

Six novellas that you can quickly read in one setting and enjoy, but it will be hard not to keep going right on to the next one, they are that good. Which of course I did, and then I went to the next, they kept me page turning with the enjoyment.
I loved some of the chuckles here, and surprise with some of the answers. Then ending of one is surprising just Old Tom, and we enjoy a lot to get to that point. As with all of these stories they are set in the British Isles, and we get to enjoy the scenery as well as these stories.
I found myself wanting more with each of these stories, and they all seem to have life lessons attached. You will agree though you can’t read just one and will end up reading another really quick.
I received this book through I Am A Reader Not A Writer Blog Tours and was not required to give a positive review. 

Betrayed Hearts (Rainbow Falls #1) by Susan Anne Mason

Lily Draper comes to Rainbow Falls in search of her biological sister, the only blood relative she has left. Emotionally scarred by her preacher father, Lily avoids religion at all cost. Her new landlord, an aspiring minister, soon has her questioning her views. Can she learn to trust Nick's heart or will her sordid past destroy their love? Nick Logan hopes to take over for the retiring minister who has groomed Nick for the job. But Reverend Ted seems to feel the position requires Nick to marry an upstanding woman, namely Ted's niece. When Nick finds himself falling in love with Lily Draper, the woman least likely to become a minister's wife, his problems escalate. And when Reverend Ted gives him an ultimatum, Nick faces an impossible choice. Can he accept God's will and still find a place for Lily in his life?

Amazon 


About The Author

Susan Anne Mason lives in a suburb near Toronto, Ontario, Canada, where she works part-time as a church secretary. She is a wife and the mother of two amazing kids, and is a member of American Christian Fiction Writers (ACFW) and Romance Writers of America (RWA). In addition to writing, she likes to scrapbook and to research her family history on-line.

Website 

My Review

Betrayed Hearts is the third book in the Rainbow Falls series, and to be honest I have not read the first two, but if they are anything like this book, they will be on my list. I also see that this is by one of my new favorite authors, just having finished her new book.
I was captured by this story from the first page on; I can’t imagine what this poor girl, Lily Draper, has been through. What she finds in that moneybox changes her life forever, flashbacks begin to happen, and she remembers the horror of that night, and what life used to be like.
This is where she heads to Rainbow Falls and in search of an unknown sister, and meets Nick Logan. He is everything she wants, and yet all that she dreads, he is a man of God, and she is running from God.
You are going to love this town and the rich characters who live here, and how they seem to take Lily to their hearts, well all but Sarah Jane, I felt myself wanting to live here too. You won’t want to miss this one; it is a quick and compelling read.
I received this book through Pelican Book Group, and was not required to give a positive review.

The Mariposa Hotel by Julie Wright, Melanie Jacobson, Heather B. Moore

The Mariposa Hotel
A Tangerine Street Romance
(a novel in three parts)

Welcome to Tangerine Street

Tangerine Street is a must-see tourist stop with a colorful mix of one-of-a-kind boutiques, unique restaurants, eclectic museums, quaint bookstores, and exclusive bed-and-breakfasts. The Mariposa Hotel, a new resort, has revitalized Seashell Beach, bringing new life to the sleepy beach town. In the charming gardens of the hotel sits a three-hundred-year-old wishing well transported from Mexico. One toss of the coin, a sincere wish, and lives are changed forever…

Other books in the Tangerine Street Romance series:
The Fortune Café
The Boardwalk Antiques Shop

Meet the Authors of The Mariposa Hotel...

Julie Wright started her first book when she was fifteen.  She’s written over a dozen books since then, is a Whitney Award winner, and feels she’s finally getting the hang of the writing gig.  She enjoys speaking to writing groups, youth groups, and schools.  She loves reading, eating, writing, hiking, playing on the beach with her kids, and snuggling with her husband to watch movies.  Julie’s favorite thing to do is watch her husband make dinner.  She hates mayonnaise but has a healthy respect for ice cream. 

 

  Connect with Julie:
FACEBOOK | TWITTER | WEBSITE

 

Melanie Bennett Jacobson is an avid reader, amateur cook, and champion shopper.  She consumes astonishing amounts of chocolate, chick flicks, and romance novels.  After meeting her husband online, she is now living happily married in Southern California with her growing family and a series of doomed houseplants.  Melanie is a former English teacher and a sometime blogger who loves to laugh and make others laugh.  In her downtime (ha!), she writes romantic comedies and pines after beautiful shoes.

Connect with Melanie:
FACEBOOK | TWITTER | WEBSITE

 

 

Heather B. Moore is a USA Today bestselling author of more than a dozen historical novels and thrillers, written under the pen name H.B. Moore.  She writes women’s fiction, romance and inspirational nonfiction under Heather B. Moore.  This can all be confusing, so her kids just call her Mom.  Heather attended Cairo American College in Egypt, the Anglican School of Jerusalem in Israel, and earned a Bachelor of Science degree from Brigham Young University in Utah.

Connect with Heather:
FACEBOOK | TWITTER | WEBSITE | BLOG

 

My Review

Three short stories that all take place in the Mariposa Hotel in Seaside Beach, CA, and have all end up at a unique hidden garden and a wishing bowl. This is a special big bowl that has been brought from Mexico and has butterflies in its design. All make wishes that they hope will come true!
The stories are all based on some of the people, who work at the hotel, and they meet that special guest, and we hope that these short-term relationships will lead to a future.
You are going to love the setting of these stories; I sure would love to visit this beautiful place and setting. The Inn is described as we read each story, and we even get to experience the beach.
The stories are fast and can be read in one setting, and you will get lost in them really quickly. Enjoy.

I received this book through I Am A Reader, Not A Writer, and was not required to give a positive review.