Secrets She Kept by Cathy Gohlke

The secret a mother was forbidden to share . . . the consequences a daughter could not redeem—but will risk everything in her attempt.

All her life, Hannah Sterling longed for a close relationship with her estranged mother. Following Lieselotte’s death, Hannah unlocks secrets of her mother’s mysterious past, including the discovery of a grandfather living in Germany.

Thirty years earlier, Lieselotte’s father, ascending the ranks of the Nazi party, demands a marriage for his daughter to help advance his career. But Lieselotte is in love—and her beloved Lukas secretly works against the Reich. How far will her father go to achieve his goal?

Both Hannah’s and Lieselotte’s stories unfold as Hannah travels to Germany to meet her grandfather, who hides wartime secrets of his own. Longing for connection, yet shaken by all she uncovers, Hannah must decide if she can atone for her family’s tragic past, and how their legacy will shape her future.

Amazon

About The Author

Cathy Gohlke is the two-time Christy Award–winning author of the critically acclaimed novels Secrets She Kept, Saving Amelie, Band of Sisters, Promise Me This (listed by Library Journal as one of the best books of 2012), William Henry Is a Fine Name, and I Have Seen Him in the Watchfires (listed by Library Journal as one of the best books of 2008), which also won the American Christian Fiction Writers’ Book of the Year Award.
Cathy has worked as a school librarian, drama director, and director of children’s and education ministries. When not traipsing the hills and dales of historic sites, she, her husband, and their dog, Reilly, divide their time between Northern Virginia and their home on the Jersey Shore.


My Review

What an emotional book, from beginning to end, and the worst of it, is that it could all be true. What a horrible time for mankind, and although part of the book takes place in the 1970’s, we spend a lot of time in Hitler’s Germany.

When the book opens you never expect all that is about to happen, and Hannah’s Aunt is really not forth coming with any information. So when she opens a strong box and finds letters from Germany, she is about to open a way to family, and horror.

I will tell you that once I started reading this, I could not put it down, it is an amazing story, and one everyone needs to remember. Hannah’s worlds are about to collide in answering a lot of questions about her parents, and why Lieselotte, her mother, was rather distant with her. I would never imagine!

With all the secrets, that make her sick, she has to deal with the hardest of all, Forgiveness. I loved the author putting one of my most admired woman in this story, and knew that parts of this is really a true story, so in the end this is fiction based on fact.

How did people fall under the spell of that monster, and yet it happens as history starts to repeat itself, and in the name of religion.

A must read, and a story that will linger with you for a long time.

I received this book through Net Galley and Tyndale House Publisher, and was not required to give a positive review.

The Atonement by Beverly Lewis

A Must-Have Novel from the #1 Name in Amish Fiction

The mistakes of the past haunt Lucy Flaud, who years ago stopped attending the activities for courting-age young people in her hometown of Bird-in-Hand. Now twenty-five and solidly past the age of Amish courtship, Lucy has given up any hope of marriage, instead focusing her efforts on volunteering in both the Plain and fancy communities of Lancaster County. Yet no matter how hard Lucy strives, she feels uncertain that she'll ever find redemption.

Dale Wyeth has a deep mistrust of modern-day "advances" and the dependency they create. The young Englisher's interest in living off the grid is fueled further when he meets Christian Flaud, Lucy's father. Dale appreciates the self-sufficient ways of the Old Order Amish, and Christian invites him to learn more about them by staying at the family farm.

As Christian and Dale grow closer, developing a father-son rapport, Lucy begins to question what Dale's being there might mean for her. Could God be testing her? Or is it possible that even the most unworthy heart--and two people from very different walks of life--can somehow find a new beginning?




About The Author

Beverly Marie Jones (Lewis) was born in the heart of Amish country—Lancaster, Pennsylvania. At the tender age of nine, she began writing short stories and poetry. Prior to that, she made up lyrics to the "little fingers" piano pieces she learned, at the age of five.
"My mother saved everything I wrote, even the stories I dreamed up during my grade school years," Beverly says. One such tale is semi-autobiographical, about a young girl whose parents can no longer afford to give her piano lessons. The manuscript was 77 pages long and titled "She Shall Have Music," penned under the shade of a lone willow tree. "Reading, writing, and playing piano have been top three on my list of favorite things," she says.
Booksellers across the country, and around the world, have spread the word of Beverly's tender tales of Plain country life. A clerk in a Virginia bookstore wrote, "Beverly's books have a compelling freshness and spark. You just don't run across writing like that every day. I hope she'll keep writing stories about the Plain people for a long, long time."
A member of the National League of American Pen Women, as well as a Distinguished Alumnus of Evangel University, Lewis has written over 80 books for children, youth, and adults, many of them award-winning. She and her husband, David, make their home in Colorado, where they enjoy hiking, biking, and spending time with their family. They are also avid musicians and fiction "book worms."


My Review

The Atonement is about a young Amish woman who feels she will never be worthy of Gods love, she is unable to forgive herself for past mistakes.
Because Lucy Flaud won’t let go of her sins, and ask God and herself for forgiveness she is unable to move forward. We meet a Christian man who takes an interest in Lucy when he meets her father at bereavement sessions. Lucy’s father Christian invites the young man to come over to his home and shows him around, as Dale is interested in becoming more plain.
Will his growing interest in Lucy lead her astray again, or will Dale embrace the Amish life. There is also a long time friend, Toby whom wants to make Lucy his wife, and she turns him down.
Lucy spends a lot of her time helping her family and helping mankind, with soup kitchens and going to the nursing home. You are going to love her, and hope that she is able to move on from what has happened in her past. I loved her selflessness, and how her nieces and nephews adored her, your going to enjoy walking in her shoes for a while.
I received this book through Net Galley and the Publisher Bethany House, and was not required to give a positive review.

A Timeless Romance Anthology: Mail Order Bride Collection (A Timeless Romance Anthology) by Stacy Henrie, Kristin Holt , Annette Lyon Sarah M. Eden, Heather B. Moore, Sian Ann Bessey

Six Award-Winning Authors have contributed new stories to A Timeless Romance Anthology: Mail Order Bride Collection. Six historical romance novellas set in the Old West.

WRITTEN IN HER HEART, a charming novella by Stacy Henrie, Georgeanna is getting desperate. She can’t fund her favorite orphanage unless she marries and secures the rest of her inheritance left by her father. But her father’s financial planner, Clay, can't understand why she's not content with her current situation. Georgie determines to send out a notice as a mail order bride to attract suitors who won’t know her financial situation. Little does she know, Clay takes up the pen and sends her letters of his own under an assumed name. After years of working for Georgie’s father, Clay realizes he isn’t ready to watch her marry another, not when his heart is already claimed by her.

In Kristin Holt’s delightful novella WANTED: MIDWIFE BRIDE Dr. Naomi Thornton thinks she has it all: a beautiful house, a loving husband, and a fulfilling career. But when everything she holds dear is ripped away, Naomi has no choice but to start over. What will she find in the wild and untamed Wyoming Territory? Dr. Joe Chandler has waited years for a wife with the knowledge, skills, and tender heart he yearns for in a medical colleague and lifetime companion. When a midwife arrives with more expertise and secrets than he counted on, Joe quickly discovers there’s more to love and marriage than a simple mail order contract.

In THE SOUND OF HOME, a captivating novella by Annette Lyon, Marilyn is given the choice of either marrying the despicable Victor or being charged with a murder she didn’t commit. Refusing to believe that either is her fate, she finds a third option: she answers a mail order bride advertisement and boards a train to Wyoming to wed a man named Harry. Moments after her arrival, she learns that Harry isn’t who he seemed to be, and the advertisement turns out to be a giant mistake. Harry’s brother Thomas agrees to let her stay until she can figure out what to do next—after all, she simply cannot return to New York—but Marilyn quickly finds herself developing feelings for Thomas.

In Sarah M. Eden’s endearing novella FOR BETTER OR WORSE Gerald Smith, on the advice of his well-meaning neighbors, has decided it’s time to change his lonely existence. Mary Hill, on the advice of her empty pocketbook and non-existent roof over her head, has decided it’s time to secure herself a future. A mail-order marriage, they both realize, is no guarantee of happiness, but it is a risk they are willing to take. However, coming face to face on the train platform, the hapless couple discovers an unexpected truth: marriage to a perfect stranger is sometimes far preferable to the prospect of a lifetime with someone you used to know.

Heather B. Moore’s sweet novella THE INCONVENIENT BRIDE sees Carmela traveling from Boston to Colorado, eager to meet the man she’s been corresponding with and will soon marry. Her brother’s new marriage leaves little room for Carmela in her old life. Upon arrival in Leadville, she faces a rude awakening, and the only one who can understand her predicament is her fiance’s brother, Samuel. But Samuel can’t possibly help her out of an awkward situation, can he? It would be better for all if she returns immediately to Boston and pretends she never traveled to Colorado in the first place.

THE PRICE OF SILVER, an engaging novella by Siân Ann Bessey, Katie leaves New York for Idaho to marry Jake, a man she’s written to a couple of times. But when she steps off the train, his brother Caleb is there to greet her. Jake has gone to take a mining job he couldn’t pass up. Caleb takes Katie back to the family ranch to wait for Jake’s return. The more Caleb gets to know Katie, the more he envies his brother, but he can’t let his heart overrule his head unless Jake changes his mind about his intended bride.

Amazon

My Review

A delightful collection of six historical Mail Order Bride novellas’, they are quick reads and each can be read in a single sitting.
All of the brides have fallen on unfortunate circumstances, and for some they have been accused of terrible crimes, and others arrive to find things are not what they expected to find.
I can’t imagine traveling a long way from where I live to a very unknown place, knowing no one, and end up marrying someone I have never met. Although, at least one of the stories end up with people who have met before, and another that yes they have met, but don’t see what is right under the noses. In other stories when the bride arrives, the groom is nowhere to be seen, will they wait for him to return?
These are quick and interesting stories that will keep you page turning, and moving right on to the next. Enjoy!
I received this book through I Am A Reader, Not A Writer, and was not required to give a positive review.

Take one abrasive professional athlete, a quirky out-of-work schoolteacher, and an overweight geriatric dog, and you're ready for a lesson in love...Tippy style.

Pro baseball pitcher Cal Crawford is not a dog guy. When he inherits his deceased mother's elderly dog, Tippy, he's quick to call on a pet-sitting service.

Gina isn't thrilled to be a dog sitter when her aspirations lie in the classroom. Furthermore, she can't abide the unfriendly Cal, a man with all the charm of a wet towel. But with no other prospects and a deep love for all things canine, she takes the job caring for Tippy.

As Gina travels through Cal's world with Tippy in tow, she begins to see Cal in a different light. Gina longs to show Cal the God-given blessings in his life that have nothing to do with baseball or fame. When her longing blooms into attraction, Gina does her best to suppress it. But Cal is falling in love with her too...

Discover the charming story of Tippy, the dog who brought a family together.

Amazon

About The Author

Dana Mentink enjoys writing in many different capacities. She currently writes for Harlequin's Love Inspired Suspense, Harlequin Heartwarming and Harvest House Publishers.


Dana is the recipient of a Romantic Times Reviewer's Choice Award and an ACFW Carol Award as well as a Holt Medallion Merit Award winner.

Dana loves feedback from her readers. Contact her via her website at www.danamentink.com.

My Review 

As you open the first pages of this book your about to see how the unconditional love of a dog is about to change many lives, some for the good, and others, well may they get what they deserve?
When famous Falcon’s pitcher Cal Crawford’s mom passes away he inherits a dog, and he instantly finds a dog sitter. Tippy is all of a sudden devoted to Cal, wants him by her side when she eats. He complains, but is it really the dog that is bothering him?
You will get a great mind picture of Tippy with socks on, loved it and could hear those little nails get quiet. Of course the dog sitter, and out of work schoolteacher, and coming off a relationship, Gina, falls head over heals in love with Tippy. I think that she quickly had a spark with Cal too, but he is so grumpy.
There are deep feelings here, and God is working in their lives, and the lesson of forgiveness, a really hard thing to do, is rearing it head here towards Cal.
This is a really enjoyable quick read, and once that first page is turned you won’t want to put it down. I loved it!
I received this book through Net Galley and the Publisher Harvest House, and was not required to give a positive review.

Over-Scheduled Andrew by Ashley Spires

Andrew loves putting on plays so he decides to join the drama club at school. Determined to make his performance the best it can be, he joins the debate club to practice his public speaking. He signs up for dance and karate to help with his coordination. Then he's asked to play for the tennis team and edit the school newspaper. Before long he's learning to play the bagpipes, attending Spanish classes and joining the French film club. Suddenly Andrew doesn't have time for anything or anyone else, not even his best friend Edie. And he definitely doesn't have time to sleep. Will Andrew figure out how to balance all his favorite activities and his best friend at the same time? A hilarious, over-the-top look at a common issue many kids today face.


About The Author

Author and illustrator Ashley Spires grew up in Tsawwassen, BC and after stints living in Toronto and Saskatoon, she now lives in Ladner, having made an educated decision to never move from BC again. She is the creator of the Binky The Space Cat series of junior graphic novels, which have earned her numerous awards, including the Silver Birch Express and the Hackmatack. Her picture books, including Larf, Small Saul and The Most Magnificent Thing, are known for providing readers, young and old, with a good laugh.

When not drawing, she is often jogging with her dog Gordon or wrangling her three cats, Penny, Fran and Gracie.

My Review

Andrew likes to improve his performance, so while in the drama club the ball starts rolling and pretty soon, he can’t even keep his eyes open.
Andrew may be an over achiever, but he sure is a cute little bird, and my favorite a chickadee. You can almost see how one thing leads to another and on and on.
The drawings are adorable and nicely colored for a youngster's eye, and the prose and right to the point and then we turn the page. There are lessons here for both parents and youngsters, and they are really nicely presented.
I recommend this read, if you a youngster that is in to everything and wanting more, this story shows how there is no time just to be a kid.
I received this book through The Library Thing, and was not required to give a positive review.

The Bee-Friendly Garden: Designing a Beautiful, Flower-Filled Landscape for the World's Most Prolific Pollinator by Kate Frey, Gretchen LeBuhn

For every gardener who cares about the planet, this guide to designing a bee garden helps you create a stunningly colorful, vibrant, healthy habitat that attracts both honeybees and native bees.
In The Bee-Friendly Garden, award-winning garden designer Kate Frey and bee expert Gretchen LeBuhn provide everything you need to know to create a dazzling garden that helps both the threatened honeybee and our own native bees. No matter how small or large your space, and regardless of whether you live in the city, suburbs, or country, just a few simple changes to your garden can fight the effects of colony collapse disorder and the worldwide decline in bee population that threatens our global food chain. There are many personal benefits of having a bee garden as well! Bee gardens:

· contain a gorgeous variety of flowers
· bloom continuously throughout the seasons
· are organic, pesticide-free, and ecologically sustainable
· develop healthy and fertile soil
· attract birds, butterflies, and other beneficial insects
· increase the quantity of your fruit and vegetable harvest
· improve the quality, flavor, and size of your produce

Illustrated with spectacular full-color photos, The Bee-Friendly Garden debunks myths about bees, explains seasonal flower progression, and provides detailed instructions for nest boxes and water features. From “super blooming” flowers to regional plant lists and plants to avoid, The Bee-Friendly Garden is an essential tool for every gardener who cares about the planet and wants to make their yard a welcoming habitat for nature’s most productive pollinator.

Amazon

About the Author

KATE FREY is an international garden designer and consultant specializing in sustainable, insect-hospitable landscaping and small farms. She won two gold medals at the Chelsea Garden Show in London for ecologically themed gardens and is a popular speaker at garden shows and clubs. She has written for Gardens Illustrated and Pacific Horticulture magazines, and lives in Hopland, CA. Learn more at freygardens.com.

GRETCHEN LEBUHN is a professor of biology at San Francisco State University and the author/editor of two books on pollinators, Field Guide to the Common Bees of California and Attracting Native Pollinators. She is the founder and director of The Great Sunflower Project (www.greatsunflower.org), a national citizen science program designed to gather information about bee diversity and activity.

My Review

First the cover, and then the title drew me in to reading this book. I know and have been reading about the bees dying, and we are heading for a major disaster if that happens.
I do plant my flower garden with the bees in mind, along with the hummingbirds, Monarda, Oswego Tea, or Bee Balm, all the same name for one plant, is one of the plants that comes to mind.
This book is a plethora of beautiful pictures and advice, and it is one that I will be referring to for a long time to come. Love that we come to the back of the book there are plants that are suggested along with their climate zones for each section of the country. I am sometimes very surprised that I can grow a plant that I didn’t realize would tolerate my zone.
There is so much information presented here, I love it!
I received this book through Blogging For Books, and was not required to give a positive review.

A Powerful Secret (The Worthington Destiny, #2) by Kevin Leman, Jeff Nesbit

Sean Worthington is shocked when he hears his older brother Will announce that he will not run for New York's Senate seat. In fact, he's angry. All of his efforts as Will's campaign manager are now for nothing--and Sean is left to handle questions from the press while Will walks away without a backward glance. Throughout his life, Sean has felt like an outsider in his own family. And not being told about his brother's plans is just one more piece of evidence that he's right.

Tired of being the odd one out, Sean is determined to forge his own path. Little does he know that it's not easy to escape your family--especially when a powerful secret from the past threatens to explode everything Sean ever believed.

About The Authors 

Jeff Nesbit is a former communications director to the vice president at the White House, served as the director of public affairs for two prominent federal science agencies, and has been a national journalist with Knight Ridder Newspapers. He is the author of 20 novels. Cocreator of the Emmy award-winning Science of the Olympic Winter Games and the Science of NFL Football video series with NBC Sports, Jeff is executive director for Climate Nexus and writes "At the Edge," a weekly science column for U.S. News & World Report.

Dr. Kevin Leman is an internationally known psychologist, radio and television personality, and speaker who has taught and entertained audiences worldwide with his wit and commonsense psychology. He has made house calls for hundreds of radio and television programs, such as Fox & Friends, The View, Fox's The Morning Show, Today, Dr. Bill Bennett's America in the Morning, 700 Club, CBS's The Early Show, James Robison's Life Today, Janet Parshall, CNN's American Morning, and Focus on the Family, and has served as a contributing family psychologist to Good Morning America.

A bestselling and award-winning author, Dr. Leman has written more than 50 books about marriage and family issues, including The Birth Order Book, Sheet Music, Making Children Mind without Losing Yours, and Have a New Kid by Friday. He is coauthor, with his son Kevin Leman II, of a series of illustrated children's books for each child in the family. He is also featured on 6 video series on marriage, parenting, blended families, and single parenting.

Dr. Leman and his wife, Sande, live in Tucson, Arizona. They have five children and two grandchildren.

My Review

When I first read the back cover of this book, I immediately thought of the Kennedys our own American Royalty, and the tragedy that followed them. So I began turning the pages, and there are similarities, but this is a different family of Irish heritage.
You could feel Sean’s pain as he tried and tried and seemed to never succeed in winning his father’s approval. The family appears to be so very close, and the siblings are there for each other. When Will walks away from the Senate race, we soon see how strong the bonds this family has, even when they don’t know why all of this happened.
I loved how concerned for his fellow man Sam is and how he goes about seeing to the well being and setting companies up to help these world communities move forward to the future.
Will we ever find out who is stalking this family? Will Sam ever real his true feeling for a woman his friend appears to have feelings for?
The book is supposed to be a christian read, but there is a lot lacking as far as anything faith in this read, wish there would have been more.
The answers to most of yours questions are here and there is another book coming out this fall in this series, and I may give it another try.
I received this book through the Revell Reads Blogger Tour, and was not required to give a positive review.

Bride of a Distant Isle (Daughters of Hampshire #2) by Sandra Byrd

Miss Annabel Ashton is a teacher at the Rogers School for Young Ladies in Winchester when she takes a brief visit to her family home, Highcliffe Hall at Milford-on-Sea. She believes her stay will be short but soon learns that she will not be returning to the safety of the school. Instead, she remains at Highcliffe, at the mercy of her cousin, Edward Everedge.

Annabel protests, but as the illegitimate daughter of a woman who died in an insane asylum, she has little say. Edward is running out of money and puts the house up for sale to avoid financial ruin. He insists that Annabel marry, promising her to a sinister, frightening man. But as the house gets packed for sale, it begins to reveal disquieting secrets. Jewelry, artifacts, and portraits mysteriously appear, suggesting that Annabel may be the true heir of Highcliffe.

She has only a few months to prove her legitimacy, perhaps with assistance from the handsome but troubled Maltese Captain Dell’Acqua. But does he have Annabel’s best interests at heart?

And then, a final, most ominous barrier to both her inheritance and her existence appears: a situation neither she nor anyone else could have expected. Will Annabel regain her life and property—and trust her heart—before it’s too late?

Amazon

About The Author 

Sandra Byrd has published four dozen books in the fiction and nonfiction markets, including her two historical series with Howard Books. For nearly two decades, Sandra has shared her secrets with the many writers she edits, mentors, and coaches. She lives in the Seattle, Washington area.

My Review

Once I became totally involved in this book, there seems to be non-stop moments of terror or intrigue, what is going on? Annabel Ashton has grown up an orphan, but with family, that is, her mother’s sister and her family. A constant companion at their estate was her cousin Edward, and now seems to be at his mercy.

Annabel is Catholic and at this time period the papists have to more or less hid underground, England is Anglican. Her cousin is interested in money and his right to own the family home Highcliffe, and their may be proof that this all belongs to Annabel.

We watch, as Edward and his wife seem to go to all lengths to claim the heritage, including committing Annabel to a mental hospital. They try to marry her off to a very distasteful man; they also use her to get information.

If you enjoy a story that is full of action, seems there is never a dull moment, and a bit of romance thrown in, but even then we don’t know for sure, if it true or some other form of the evil that seems to follow Annabel.

I wondered if I would like this book from the first, but I loved it, it is full of history, and really keeps your attention.

I received this book through Howard Books Blogger Program, and was not required to give a positive review.

 

God is Watching Over You by P J Lyons, Tim Warnes (Illustrations)

As a follow up to their bestselling Thank You, Lord, for Everything, P.J. Lyons and Tim Warnes have created a sweet and relaxing padded cover board book that tells the story of God’s constant presence around you. Meant to be read at night, when a child is warm and snug in their bed, the rhyming text and adorable illustrations in God Is Watching Over You gently remind us that God is constantly watching over us, protecting us, and caring for us.

Amazon 

About The Author

P J Lyons received a Master's Degree in Writing for Children at Vermont College and is the author of The Little Lion's Bible (Zondervan 2012), The Little Lamb's Bible (Zondervan 2012), and The Wonderful World That God Made (Kregel 2004). She currently resides in Grand Rapids, Michigan.


My Review

God Is Watching Over You is a perfect toddler night book, reading each evening at bedtime to reinforce how God is there for your child in every situation.

The book is beautifully colored and very eye catching for little eyes. Made of hard cardboard for the baby hands and soft covering is perfect for your baby.

I loved the prose that goes with this sweet book, what a wonderful gift this will make for a new little one, and for the parent to share with them.

I received this book through Booklook Bloggers, and was not required to give a positive review.

 

The Last Ride (Circle C Milestones #3) by Susan K. Marlow

Andi's newest adventure may be more than she can handle--even with her family's help

Andrea Carter is turning sweet 16 and life could not be better. She's about to finish school, her sister Melinda is getting married, and her older brother Justin has a new baby to spoil. There will be plenty of time to work with the colt of her treasured palomino horse, Taffy, and best of all, Andi will finally get to work full-time for the ranch she loves.

There's just one problem: a city-slicker cousin named Daniel. Left there by his father, with a cryptic warning that New York City life has done damage to the young man's character, Daniel wants nothing to do with the ranch. He ignores Andi's lessons, walks away from responsibility, wrecks valuable equipment, and even runs away to San Francisco.

The Carter family is in a frenzy trying to keep Daniel under control. When Andi discovers a horrifying secret about him, he forces her to stay silent. But all that changes when Daniel's actions put lives in danger. Andi's anger over her loss threatens to destroy not only Andi but her entire Circle C world. Can anyone break through the wall around Andi's bitter heart and help her find healing?

Loyal long-time readers of Susan Marlow's historical fiction will line up for an older Andi's newest adventure, and her discovery of how powerful love can be.




About The Author

Susan K Marlowstarted writing stories when she was ten years old. I never planned on becoming a published author. I just liked writing stories. But eventually others found out about my secret "writing" and encouraged me to submit.

I love to teach. I taught in Christian schools before I home schooled. After twenty years, I finished home schooling but find myself "back in the saddle" as I help other home schooling families, including my grandchildren.

You can find FREE stuff to go along with the books at www.circlecadventures.com. Study guides, coloring pages, on-line puzzles, and a link to Andi's Blog.


My Review

As the third book in this series open we find Andi anticipating the end of school, when she will graduate and also she will soon be turning sixteen. An old childhood friend has also returned to the Ranch, and he is all grown up, but this so called friend is about to take her promised job, training the colts.
From the title I cringed, and was so afraid of what was going to happen, and you will need the tissues in this one.
A cousin from the past arrives for an extended visit and Andi mother Elizabeth is hoping all will welcome him and help him with his problems. Good old Daniel is given to Andi as her job in place of the colts.
I enjoyed this book and loved the faith shown by this family and you are going to love how they pull together to help one of their own. Once this one is picked up you won’t want to put it down.
I received this book through Kregel Blogger, and was not required to give a positive review.

The Red Door Inn (Prince Edward Island Dreams, #1) by Liz Johnson

Marie Carrington is running from a host of bad memories. Broke and desperate, she's hoping to find safety and sanctuary on Prince Edward Island, where she reluctantly agrees to help decorate a renovated bed-and-breakfast before it opens for prime tourist season.

Seth Sloane didn't move three thousand miles to work on his uncle's B&B so he could babysit a woman with a taste for expensive antiques and a bewildering habit of jumping every time he brushes past her. He came to help restore the old Victorian--and to forget about the fiancée who broke his heart.
The only thing Marie and Seth agree on is that getting the Red Door Inn ready to open in just three months will take everything they've got. Can these two wounded souls find hope, healing, and perhaps a bit of romance on this beautiful island?

Step into the Red Door Inn, a lovely home away from home tucked along the north shore of fabled Prince Edward Island. It's a place where the wounded come to heal, the broken find forgiveness, and the lonely find a family. Won't you stay for the season?

About The Author

Liz Johnson is a full-time marketing specialist for a Nashville-based publisher. She has been a freelance writer and editor for several publications, including CBA Retailers+Resources, Christian Fiction Online magazine, and Storytellers Journal. A member of American Christian Fiction Writers, she is the author of several books, including The Kidnapping of Kenzie Thorn (an ACFW Carol Award finalist) and A Star in the Night, which was part of the New York Times and ECPA bestselling A Log Cabin Christmas Collection. She lives in Nashville, Tennessee.


My Review

As the book opens we meet Jack, such a wonderful kind and Godly man, he has such a big heart and when he meets Marie, he takes pity on her and buys her a ticket on the ferry, and this kindness is about to change her life forever.
Jack’s life is up in the air, but he opens his home to Marie, giving her a small apartment in his home, that has already been promised to another. Jack is working to make his deceased wife’s Ruth dream come alive; he is opening a bed and breakfast. We are about to meet another broken person, Seth, he has been betrayed in the worst way.
Unknown to Jack or Seth, Marie has an eye for decorating, and throws her hand into everything, trying to bury the pain. These are three broken individuals and you can see God’s hand in putting them together. Because of Marie and her needs and love she finds here in being part of a family, she opens their world to meet others in PEI, and they become a much more extended family.
Many secrets are revealed here, and you will be shocked at how some of them are handled, and others are so sweet.
This is book one and I loved it and see that there is a sequel coming in the Fall 2016, I can’t wait!
I received this book through the Revell Blogger Tour, and was not required to give a positive review.

An Unbroken Heart by Kathleen Fuller

An argument. A crash. In an instant, Joanna s world is changed forever.

One minute, Joanna Schrock was arguing with her parents, and the next, her parents lives were claimed in a hit-and-run buggy accident. Her body is broken, but her heart is in even deeper pain after all, how do you cope with your parents deaths when your last words were spoken in anger?

After an extended stint in a physical rehabilitation center, Joanna re-enters her Amish life. But nothing is the same not even her feelings for Andrew Beiler.

Joanna has loved Andrew since the age of twelve, and her feelings have not changed throughout the years. She is thrilled when Andrew wants to get married, but she wonders whether it s love he s feeling, or pity. As the couple s wedding date approaches, Joanna isn t overcome with the deep joy she was hoping to feel; instead, she s wracked with anxiety and guilt.

Joanna hears God whispering to her, Be strong and courageous, but she s afraid that courage looks a lot like walking away from her dreams and into the plan of her Heavenly Father.

If Joanna takes the first step toward healing, will it cost her everything she s ever wanted? Or could God be changing the desires of her heart?"

About The Author



Kathleen was born in New Orleans, Louisiana, grew up in Little Rock, Arkansas, and now make my home in beautiful Geneva, Ohio. I’ve been married to James for 15 wonderful years (really, they have been wonderful!)  We have three terrific children, three dogs, and an overwhelmed cat. We have also raised cattle, pigs, and chickens at various times over the years. We would have gone into the goat business, but I had to draw the line somewhere. I started writing in 2000, and published my first short story a year later. Since then I have authored several short stories, novellas, novels, and have done a lot of freelance non-fiction work. I have also worked as an editor. I have a Masters degree in Special Education, emphasis on teaching the blind and visually impaired, and a Bachelors in Early Childhood/Elementary Education. I have taught all age groups ranging from age 4 to age 18. A few of my favorite things: my relationship with Christ, chocolate (of course!), autumn, a satisfying book, good friends, a sense of humor, people who don’t take themselves seriously, haunting melodies, NFL football, and did I mention chocolate?

My Review 

As this story opens we find an impetuous Joanna Shrock as she proposes to the young fellow she has had a crush on since she was a student in Amish school.
While she is telling her parents as they travel by their buggy, her mother tries to persuade her that she is not yet ready for marriage, when the unthinkable happens. When Joanna wakes from her nightmare, only to find she wasn’t dreaming, she suffers from the accident, but most of all from the loss of her parents.
Andrew was shocked when Joanna asked him to marry him to marry her, but when he almost lost her he decides he wants go through with the marriage.
Now Joanna is having a hard time, she is hurting both physically and mentally, and we wonder if she really is ready for the wedding to go on. In the last book we met sister Sadie, and followed her romance with Arden, and they are now married, will Joanna be able to find the same happiness, will she even allow herself to move on?
We also meet the man responsible for the devastation that has touched these young women’s lives, and when you put a face on someone, will we still think of him as a monster? Would you be willing to forgive someone like him, and when you hear his story and hear about his life, things become even harder. Throughout all of this hardship, God is working with everyone; he is there for them to lean on and if they will listen, follow the way he wants them to go.
There is one more sister in this family, and so I am hoping that there is another awesome book.
I received this book through Net Galley and the Publisher Thomas Nelson, and was not required to give a positive review.

LUCKY LEPRECHAUN Giveaway Hop ~ $10 Amazon Gift Card

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The Jazz Files by Fiona Veitch Smith

Introducing Poppy Denby, a young journalist in London during the Roaring Twenties, investigating crime in the highest social circles!

In 1920, twenty-two year old Poppy Denby moves from Northumberland to live with her paraplegic aunt in London. Aunt Dot, a suffragette who was injured in battles with the police in 1910, is a feisty and well-connected lady.

Poppy has always dreamed of being a journalist, and quickly lands a position as an editorial assistant at the Daily Globe. Then one of the paper's writers, Bert Isaacs, dies suddenly--and messily. Poppy and her attractive co-worker, photographer Daniel Rokeby begin to wonder if it wasn't a natural death, but murder.

After she writes a sensational exposé, The Globe's editor invites her to dig deeper. Poppy starts sifting through the dead man's files and unearths a major mystery which takes her to France--and into deadly danger.

Amazon


About The Author

Formerly a journalist, Fiona Veitch Smith is a writer of books, theatre plays and screenplays.
Her children’s picturebooks, the Young David series, are now published by SPCK Publishing. Her adult mystery series set in the 1920s, Poppy Denby Investigates, is published by Lion Fiction. The first book in the series, The Jazz Files, is available from September 2015.
She is a member of the British Society of Authors and the Association of Christian Writers. Fiona is also the editor of the popular writing advice website The Crafty Writer and her courses attract students from around the world.
She lives with her husband, daughter and two dogs in Newcastle upon Tyne where she lectures in media and scriptwriting at the local universities.


http://fiona.veitchsmith.com/ 

My Review

This book brings us to a time just after the first World War, and people, or rather woman fighting for some rights, and the men who a really oppose and want women put in there place, at any cost. The main character is Poppy Denby, who has come to stay with her Aunt Dot in London, having led a sheltered life up to now as the daughter of a Methodist minister, what a new life she is about to have.
We follow Poppy, and it seems like there is never a dull moment from the time she arrives until the end of the book. We think we know most of the answers, but in reality we do not. We find that there is a lot of evil out there, and Aunt Dot is in a wheelchair because of it. Another friend was murdered, and when an employee of the Globe, where Poppy has just secured her first job, falls to his death, because of her connections through Aunt Dot she is give a special assignment.
We get to travel to Paris, and danger follows Poppy, but she does secure more facts, but really wants answers, and to find a way to get Aunt Dot’s friend Elizabeth out of the insane asylum where her dear father has committed her because of her views.
With this read we get it all, we tour London, we revisit history, and we travel with a fast pace mystery. We even get to lay in a window washers wagon, along with trains and ships, and a shadow seems to follow, be careful, you never know when you heart will move into your throat. Enjoy!

I received this book through Kregel Publishing Blogger Program, and was not required to give a positive review.  

If We Were a Movie by Kelly Oram & Giveaway

             



If We Were a Movie by Kelly Oram (Power of the Matchmaker #3) Music meets Movies in this sweet college romance from the bestselling author of Cinder & Ella. NYU freshman Nate Anderson is a triplet who is desperate to escape his wild and crazy brothers. After they screw things up for him one too many times, Nate flees his housing situation and takes the first available room for rent as far from his brothers as he can get. Enter his new roommate Jordan--a quirky LA girl who believes that everything in life has already been done in the movies. In this heartfelt tale of love, friendship and family, Nate learns how to deal with his new adult life using Hollywood films as a guide. 



 

What readers just like you are saying about If We Were a Movie:

"WOW! This book is great! The concept is so inventive, and the writing is brilliant."

"I thought Cinder & Ella jerked with my emotions too much but this one might have it beat."

"I finished reading If We Were a Movie yesterday. I loved it! I fell hard for Nate. Jordan was amazing! And Pearl's timing was perfect! "

"Amazing concept with movies as chapters, and fantastic storyline." "I loved this story and was humming along to the songs from the book whilst reading. I can see this book becoming the movie it was written to be." "If We Were a Movie made me want to binge watch movies, listen to old playlists and re-read it all at once."

TEASER: “So this is what a Pearl-approved guy looks like.” She shook her head once and cracked a smile. “She’s got good taste, I’ll give her that. You’re an odd mix of sexy and adorable. Don’t see that often.”

I was a little taken aback by the compliment, if that’s even what it was. She may have just been stating what she considered to be fact. She laughed at my surprise and held out her hand to me. “Nice to meet you. I’m Jordan Kramer.”

I’d been afraid of that. “You’re a girl.”

Jordan laughed. “That’s what it says on my birth certificate, but I’m really glad you were able to figure it out without needing to read it.”

Nope. I definitely didn’t need that.

   

TEASER: I handed Jordan the electric guitar that I’ve had since I was twelve, and laughed when her eyes got really big. “You play the electric guitar, too?” “Music major,” I teased, picking up my keyboard. “I play this, too. A little. And the bass guitar.” “Awesome.” She examined the electric guitar with awe. “Why do you seem so surprised?” She looked at me as if the answer to that question should be obvious. “Hello. Have you met yourself? You with an acoustic guitar singing soft songs around a campfire or in a coffee house makes perfect sense. But I can’t picture you up on a stage, jamming on your electric guitar like a rock star.” She studied me a moment, then shook her head. “You’ll have to play for me, or I’m not going to believe it.”

 

Author Kelly Oram

Kelly Oram wrote her first novel at age fifteen--a fan fiction about her favorite music group, The Backstreet Boys, for which her family and friends still tease her. She's obsessed with reading, talks way too much, and likes to eat frosting by the spoonful. She lives outside of Phoenix, Arizona with her husband, four children, and her cat, Mr. Darcy.

 

   

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My Review

If We Were A Movie is the story of a young woman, Jordan, and a young man, Nate, who have the fortune to both meet Pearl. Now Pearl is not an ordinary person, you know that if you have been following the matchmaker series, she is ageless and has the insight to find the right person for everyone she takes under her wing, she seems to be able to mountains if she wants.
Nate has been in a long-term relationship and was trying to break it off by going to NYU, and low and behold his high school girl friend, ends up in NY also. His triplet brothers, yes life for Nate is very interesting, don’t like this girl, and try different ways to pull Nate out and have him meet other women.
When life gets unbearable living in a small dorm room with his brothers, yes three to a two-man room, and the report he has been working on is destroyed, he leaves. Now with Pearl in charge, he doesn’t move in with high school girl, no, he moves in with Jordan, whom we learn has a history of choosing losers.
Now Nate is music major and his life revolves around songs, and Jordan has built her life on movies, so everything they do or think is a reminiscence of either a song or a movie.
When Thanksgiving comes around and Nate goes home to be with his family, Jordan ends up driving him to Syracuse in her Ferrari, take about envious brothers! But said x-girlfriend is also home, in Syracuse, and what she reveals could wreck everyone’s life.
This is a quick and interesting read, we attend college in NY and we travel upstate, and we see where relationships can go to extreme. Wonder where Pearl is going next?
I received this book through I Am A Reader, Not A Writer, and was not required to give a positive review. 

     



       


 

Giveaway

Signed copies of V is for Virgin & A is for Abstinence (1 winner, 2 books)

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