Tuesday, March 28, 2017

Plain Missing (Amish Mystery, #4) by Emma Miller






Inn owner Rachel Mast is no longer a devout member of the Amish community of Stone Mill, Pennsylvania, but she still cares deeply for them. So she’s staying at her family’s farm to help her mother through an illness—and at the same time, trying to track down two missing people . . .

When the young gather to sing, it’s usually an evening of wholesome fun—but this time, the event has stirred whispers of scandal. Elsie Hostetler and her sweetheart, Dathan Bender, never came home afterward. There’s not even a trace of their horse and wagon, leading some to suspect that they’ve run off to marry and join the Englisch world.

But Rachel fears there’s more to the story than a rebellious elopement. Her fiancĂ©, a state trooper, is out of town, so she starts investigating herself, using her Amish background to pry information from the tight-lipped community. It turns out things were not so peaceful between Elsie and Dathan—and there was also a confrontation at the singing with a short-tempered ex-Marine. Among the simple houses and quiet country roads of Stone Mill, Rachel must find out just what kind of sins have been committed—and who is need of forgiveness .


Amazon


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



Talk about mystery, this book will keep you guessing right to the last page, and with a surprise to warm your heart at the end.
We are in Amish country and two of their own have gone missing, such speculation and very different views here, but fact remains that they are gone. We have a woman Rachel Mast who has, as the Amish say, gone English, and running the local B & B, but she is also a close to her cousin whom is one of the missing. You are going to chuckle about how her Mom treats her, talking to her through others, she can hear her, and that is often her retort, but this is how her Mom deals with her leaving the Amish faith.
What happened to the two that are missing, and how could a horse and wagon also be missing? The answers are here, but it is going to take awhile to get them, with some sad events in between.
I received this book through Net Galley and Kensington Books, and was not required to give a positive review.



Marrying Jonah by Amy Lillard

Life isn t always as simple as it seems for the Amish community of Wells Landing, Oklahoma. Neither is love. . .
"Everyone in town knows that Sarah Yoder is enamored with Jonah Miller, even though he s been with his girlfriend, Lorie, for years. But all that changes when Lorie runs off with another man. Inconsolable, his faith in love shattered, Jonah resists everyone s attempts to ease his pain until the unexpected happens one night.
Jonah is filled with confusion. Sarah is not the woman he yearns for, yet he asks for her hand in marriage, if only out of honor. Still, he worries, can they live in harmony if their vows are built on a lie? As Sarah seeks spiritual advice, Jonah tries to look toward the future and finally begins to see her for who she really is: A beautiful, strong-willed woman whose heart is pure and belief is true. But will it be too late for him to prove that he wants to be her husband?


Amazon




About The Author





Amy Lillard is a wife, mother, and bona fide Southern belle. Published author, expert corn bread maker, and Squirrel Princess.
I live in Tulsa, though I was born in Mississippi. I moved to the Sooner State when I was seventeen and met my soul mate and best friend not long after. I’ve retained a little of my Mississippi accent though most people think I’m from Texas. (?)  Rob and I have been married for over twenty years and have a son–a mom proclaimed prodigy, of course!
I love homemade tacos, shoes, and romance novels–not necessarily in that order. I’m a big fan of country music, a staunch proponent of saving the Oxford comma, and I’m shamefully obsessed with all things Harry Potter.
I  believe that God is love. I guess that’s why I adore romances.
I have always been intrigued with the Amish culture, their gentle ways and slower-paced lifestyle. (And I love, love, love the fact that they stay married for their lifetime.) But until recently I never thought to blend this interest with my penchant for romance. Okay, okay, I’m a bit old-fashioned and even enjoy the gender roles that are present in this culture.  I love to cook and take care of my family. Yes, that’s me June Cleaver with a laptop.
I dislike people trying to convince me to read the Twlight series (I’ll get to it or I won’t, either way I’m good with it), gratuitous violence, and strawberry ice cream. (I know I’m alone on this last one, and again, I’m good with it.)
Favorite movies–(besides HP) French Kiss, Maid of Honor, A Lot Like Love, Just Married, and Sweet Home Alabama. Oh, and Miss Congeniality, Sabrina (both versions) and a 1940′s movie called Dear Ruth. If you haven’t seen it, you should! A-dorable. Anything with Doris Day and most all of Marilyn’s and Audrey’s.




My Review

From the very first page right through the epilogue this book held my attention and quickly the pages flew, only now I miss this story and want more. We catch up all those we have come to love in Wells Landing Oklahoma, our tractor driving Amish friends, and see how things have changed and yet stayed the same in their lives.
This is Jonah’s story and the Amish teacher Sarah, a woman who has loved and wanted Jonah forever, and has previously made herself a pest at doing so. Now a moment of compassion and passion and these two are headed for the altar, but do they even have a chance?
What a rocky road these two set upon and you will have to wonder if they will ever end up on the same path? Will Sarah end up the being the “town oddball”, and take in mending? Or will Jonah end up embracing the English life, and leave the community. The answers are here and we are along for the journey that these two take towards, or away for one another, they do both.
I have loved my stay in this community and getting to know everyone here, and really hate to say goodbye, makes me want to go visit Oklahoma.
I received this book through Net Galley and the Publisher Kensington, and was not required to give a positive review.


Monday, March 27, 2017

Great Escapes Virtual Book Tours Presents Cherry Cake and a Cadaver by Susan Boles Review & Giveaway

Cherry Cake and a Cadaver by Susan Boles

   



Synopsis
Lily Gayle and the gang set out to find a killer after local baker Luxen Natolovich is found dead hours before the grand opening weekend at the new Bed and Breakfast in town, Midnight Dragonfly. As Lily Gayle deciphers the clues around Luxen's death she uncovers a conspiracy of lies and half truths that could very well be tied to a refugee camp in Mississippi during World War II. The deeper Lily Gayle digs, the deeper the conspiracy runs, and the closer she comes to being the killer's next victim.



susan boles

About the Author

Susan calls McNairy County, TN her home ground even though she has moved away. It was here, at Bethel Springs Junior High School that she began her writing career with two friends. They formed their own little writers group that was so secret they were the only ones who knew it existed. She still has some of the stories they wrote carefully preserved in a loose leaf binder and tucked away for safety.
She has worked in retail management, briefly for the Census Bureau and for many years in the investment/insurance industry in the regulatory compliance arena. All of which are left brain activities. So she exercises her right brain activity with reading and writing…just to keep both sides even.
Reading has been a passion since she was very young. As a toddler, her mother read to her from her 'baby books' and her Mother tells a story about her holding one of them upside down and 'reading' by repeating the story verbatim from memory.
Death of a Wolfman is the first in the Lily Gayle Lambert mystery series. Her previously published romantic suspense novel, Fated Love, is a contemporary paranormal romantic suspense (with a twist of paranormal) set in Memphis, TN. Her first novel, Kate's Pride, is a historical women's fiction set in West Tennessee in the aftermath of the Civil War. The novel is loosely based on her own Great Grandmother and published under the pen name Renee Russell.
Life got in the way of writing for many years but now she's come back to her early love.


Author Links:  
Webpage - www.susanbolesauthor.com
 Twitter - @SusanBAuthor Blog - https://susanbolesauthor.wordpress.com  
Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/people/Susan-Boles-Author/100010974857065  
Linked In - https://www.linkedin.com/in/susan-boles-author-a4075484  

GoodReads - https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/14866595.Susan_Boles


 Purchase Links - Amazon
 


TOUR PARTICIPANTS  
March 16 – Blogger Nicole Reviews – SPOTLIGHT  
March 16 – A Blue Million Books – GUEST POST  
March 17 – Books,Dreams,Life – INTERVIEW  
March 17 – Celticlady's Reviews - SPOTLIGHT
 March 18 – Lisa Ks Book Reviews – REVIEW, INTERVIEW
 March 18 – A Holland Reads – CHARACTER GUEST POST  
March 19 – Sleuth Cafe – GUEST POST  
March 20 – Back Porchervations – REVIEW
 March 21 – Queen of All She Reads – REVIEW, GUEST POST  
March 21 – Cozy Up With Kathy – GUEST POST
 March 22 – OFF
  March 23 – Laura's Interests - REVIEW, CHARACTER GUEST POST
 March 24 – Babs Book Bistro – REVIEW  
March 24 – My Journey Back – REVIEW, INTERVIEW  
March 25 – Brooke Blogs - GUEST POST
 March 25 – Escape With Dollycas Into A Good Book – SPOTLIGHT
 March 26 – Island Confidential – CHARACTER INTERVIEW
 March 27 – Maureen's Musings – REVIEW  
March 28 – Rainy Day Reviews – Review
 March 29 – Community Bookstop – Review
 March 29 – The Pulp and Mystery Shelf - CHARACTER INTERVIEW  

My Review





I enjoyed being in this quaint Mississippi town, and with Lily Gayle and her dear friends. Our girl begins to dig in places she shouldn’t be, when the local baker is found dead.
Our wannabe detective puts herself in danger, along with some of her friends, but she wants justice, or wants to know what has happened and why.
The book is a very fast read, almost two fast, and was at the end in no time, and yes there are answers, but I almost felt it went by so fast. I felt a little more time and the reason why they wanted what they wanted should have been spent. A real interesting fact of the refugee camp in Mississippi during World War II, I would love to know more about them and the life there, and how our young victim ended up here.
The premise of this story is so interesting and I enjoyed the read, just wanted a bit more.
I received this book through Great Escapes Book Tours and was not required to give a positive review.


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Thursday, March 23, 2017

With Love, Wherever You Are by Dandi Daley Mackall








Everyone knows that war romances never last . . .
After a whirlwind romance and wedding, Helen Eberhart Daley, an army nurse, and Lieutenant Frank Daley, M.D. are sent to the front lines of Europe with only letters to connect them for months at a time.

Surrounded by danger and desperately wounded patients, they soon find that only the war seems real—and their marriage more and more like a distant dream. If they make it through the war, will their marriage survive?

Based on the incredible true love story, With Love, Wherever You Are is an adult novel from beloved children’s author Dandi Daley Mackall.
 
 
About The Author
 
 
A professional writer for over 20 years, Dandi Daley Mackall has written dozens of articles for popular magazines and published around 500 books for children and adults alike, with sales of over 4 million.

A frequent guest on radio and television talk shows, she lives in rural Ohio with her husband, three children, horses, dogs, & cats. Awards include the Edgar Award for Best YA Mystery, the Helen Keating Ott Award for Contributions to Children's Literature; Distinguished Alumni Award from Mizzou; ALA Best Book; Christian Children's Book of the Year, Amelia Bloom, Mom's Choice Awards. Her YA novel, My Boyfriends' Dogs, is now a Hallmark movie.
 
 
 
My Review
 
I loved this book, and all the while I was reading it made me think of my parents, and their lives during WWII.
The author wrote a fictional story based on her parents letters they wrote each other during this period of time. They really came alive to me, and found myself on the battlefields and in the hospital, or tents. Loved the account that she gave at the end about how much was real and how she had taken literary license in writing her book.
I shutter when I read that some of the incidents are really true, and although there is a lot of fiction here, to write a story, there is so much fact.
Don’t let the size of this book put you off; it is a very fast and interesting read. I found myself quickly page turning, and loved that there was a bit more after finishing the story.
Know my Mom burned her letters, and have read that a lot of history went up in flames. Am so glad the author’s father had the foresight to have her take the memorabilia. Thank you Dandi Daley Mackall for sharing your parent’s story in such a memorable way.
I received this book through The Tyndale Blog Network and was not required to give a positive review.
 

Wednesday, March 22, 2017

Her Secret (The Amish of Hart County #1) by Shelley Shepard Gray






New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Shelley Shepard Gray begins a new series—The Amish of Hart County—with this suspenseful tale of a young Amish woman who is forced to move to a new town to escape a threatening stalker.

After a stalker went too far, Hannah Hilty and her family had no choice but to leave the bustling Amish community where she grew up. Now she’s getting a fresh start in Hart County, Kentucky…if only she wasn’t too scared to take it. Hannah has become afraid to trust anyone—even Isaac, the friendly Amish man who lives next door. She wonders if she'll ever return to the trusting, easy-going woman she once was.

For Isaac Troyer, the beautiful girl he teasingly called “The Recluse” confuses him like no other. When he learns of her past, he knows he's misjudged her. However, he also understands the importance of being grateful for God’s gifts, and wonders if they will ever have anything in common. But as Hannah and Isaac slowly grow closer, they realize that there’s always more to someone than meets the eye.

Just as Hannah is finally settling into her new life, and perhaps finding a new love, more secrets are revealed and tragedy strikes. Now Hannah must decide if she should run again or dare to fight for the future she has found in Hart County.


Amazon






Enter to win a copy of Her Secret. Five winners will be chosen! Click the image below to enter to win. The winners will be announced April 3rd on the Litfuse blog!


About The Author



Shelley Shepard Gray is the “New York Times” and “USA Today” bestselling author of the Seasons of Sugarcreek series, the Sisters of the Heart series, and the Families of Honor series. She lives with her family in southern Ohio, where she writes full time. Before her work in the inspirational market, Gray wrote several novels as Shelley Galloway. During this time her books appeared on the Waldenbooks bestseller list, and she won “RT Book Reviews'” prestigious Reviewers’ Choice Award.
Find out more about Shelley at http://www.shelleyshepardgray.com.


My Review






This is a story that we hear about in mainstream America, but this takes place with the Amish community, stalking and the horrors that go along with it.
In this book we have the Hilty family leaving their friends and family in Ohio and moving to Kentucky, what a hard time for all in the family. I think moving is not easy for anyone, but with the tight community ties the Amish have, this move must have been devastating for the family, especially the younger members.
When an unstable person threatens another, no matter where they live it seems to affect more than that individual, but all of those around them and their families. I can’t even comprehend the fear that must have gone along with their move, and then?
I did love how this Amish community rallies around those in need, and how the fundraiser seems to pull everyone together.
All through this book I was waiting for the other shoe to drop, and expecting the worse, and now you will need to join me in the page turning.
I received this book through Lit Fuse Publicity Book Tours, and was not required to give a positive review.




Tuesday, March 21, 2017

If Not for You (New Beginnings, #3) by Debbie Macomber






An emotionally stirring novel that shows how obstacles can be overcome, differences can be strengths, and sometimes a choice can seem wrong even though it s absolutely right

If not for her loving but controlling parents, Beth Prudhomme might never have taken charge of her life and moved from her native Chicago to Portland, Oregon, where she s reconnected with her spirited Aunt Sunshine and found a job as a high school music teacher. If not for her friend Nichole, Beth would never have met Sam Carney, although first impressions have left Beth with serious doubts. Sam is everything Beth is not and her parents worst nightmare: a tattooed auto mechanic who s rough around the edges. Reserved and smart as a whip, Beth isn t exactly Sam s usual beer-drinking, pool-playing type of woman, either.

But if not for an awkward setup one evening, Beth might never have left early and been involved in a car crash. And if not for Sam who witnessed the terrifying ordeal, rushed to her aid, and stayed with her until help arrived Beth might have been all alone, or worse. Yet as events play out, Sam feels compelled to check on Beth almost daily at the hospital even bringing his guitar to play songs to lift her spirits. Soon their unlikely friendship evolves into an intense attraction that surprises them both.

Before long, Beth's strong-willed mother, Ellie, blows into town spouting harsh opinions, especially about Sam, and reopening old wounds with Sunshine. When shocking secrets from Sam s past are revealed, Beth struggles to reconcile her feelings. But when Beth goes a step too far, she risks losing the man and the life she has come to love.


About The Author




Debbie Macomber is a #1 New York Times bestselling author and one of today’s most popular writers with more than 200 million copies of her books in print worldwide. In her novels, Macomber brings to life compelling relationships that embrace family and enduring friendships, uplifting her readers with stories of connection and hope. Macomber’s novels have spent over 990 weeks on the New York Times bestseller list. Sixteen of these novels hit the number one spot.

In 2016, Macomber’s all-new hardcover publications include A Girl’s Guide to Moving On (February), Sweet Tomorrows (August), and Twelve Days of Christmas (October) and an adult coloring book, The World of Debbie Macomber: Come Home To Color (April). In addition to fiction, Macomber has also published two bestselling cookbooks, numerous inspirational and nonfiction works, and two acclaimed children’s books.

Celebrated as “the official storyteller of Christmas”, Macomber’s annual Christmas books are beloved and five have been crafted into original Hallmark Channel movies. Macomber is also the author of the bestselling Cedar Cove Series which the Hallmark Channel chose as the basis for its first dramatic scripted television series. Debuting in 2013, Debbie Macomber’s Cedar Cove was a ratings favorite for three seasons.

Macomber owns two businesses in Port Orchard, WA, the town which inspired the Cedar Cove Series. These include The Grey House CafĂ©, formerly the Victorian Rose Tea Room, featured in the Cedar Cove Series, and A Good Yarn Shop, introduced in her popular Blossom Street novels. They are located on the Village Square campus, which also serves as Debbie’s corporate headquarters.

She and her husband, Wayne, serve on the Guideposts National Advisory Cabinet, and she is World Vision’s international spokesperson for their Knit for Kids charity initiative. A devoted grandmother, Debbie and Wayne live in Port Orchard, Washington and winter in Florida.


My Review




Another book by Debbie Macomber and another quickly devoured story, which will linger with you. This is a stand-alone book but there are characters in here that we have met before, and quickly I was remembering another story and happy to get caught up with them.
Our girl Beth is trying to move on, she had taken a large step and moved miles from her over bearing mother, can you imagine a girl of twenty-five and her mother telling her how to dress? I sure cannot even phantom being that much under my parents control at that age. Then the man she is fixed up with is nothing that her mother would approve of, but fate does intercede and with a horrible mishap these two may find each other.
Through the book I began to wonder if Beth’s good deeds were reminiscent of her mother, I sure hoped not but they sure seem to backfire on her, and I wondered if she was about to ruin her chances with Sam. A tale that is about to keep you page turning to the end, and it does take to the end to get all of the answers.

I received this book through Net Galley and Ballantine Books, and was not required to give a positive review.  



The Polygamist's Daughter by Anna LeBaron, Leslie Wilson





"My father had more than fifty children." So begins the haunting memoir of Anna LeBaron, daughter of the notorious polygamist and murderer Ervil LeBaron. With her father wanted by the FBI for killing anyone who tried to leave his cult--a radical branch of Mormonism--Anna and her siblings were constantly on the run with the other sister-wives. Often starving and always desperate, the children lived in terror. Even though there were dozens of them together, Anna always felt alone.She escaped when she was thirteen . . . but the nightmare was far from over.A shocking true story of murder, fear, and betrayal, The Polygamist's Daughter is also the heart-cry of a fatherless girl and her search for love, faith, and a safe place to call home.

Amazon

About The Author




One of more than fifty children of infamous, polygamist cult leader, Ervil LeBaron, Anna LeBaron endured abandonment, horrific living conditions, child labor, and sexual grooming. At age thirteen, she escaped the violent cult, gave her life to Christ, and sought healing. A gifted communicator and personal growth activist, she’s passionate about helping others walk in freedom. Anna lives in the DFW Metroplex and loves being Mom to her five grown children.

Website 

My Review




A read that will make you realize how lucky you are and how your childhood compared to this poor little girl who really didn’t have one. A survivor for sure, but at what price, and what is told in this true story of the life of Anna LeBaron.
I vaguely remember reading about some of the murders that were committed but this cult, and why, well you can’t leave, or the head honcho doesn’t like you or wants what you have.
No wonder this girl ends up in therapy, and you have to wonder while reading if it can even help, all that she has been through and seen. You wonder how a mother could allow these things to happen to her child, or leave her, in a foreign country no less, but then I had to think this woman was so brain washed, but it still made it hard to read all that went on.
This is a quick page turning read, and once I started the author compelled me to keep reading, all the while I wanted to hug and comfort her, but loved the story right to the end.
I received this book through Net Galley and the Publisher Tyndale, and was not required to give a positive review. 

If I'm Found (If I Run #2) by Terri Blackstock






s Dylan hunting Casey to prosecute her or protect her?


Casey Cox is still on the run, fleeing prosecution for a murder she didn’t commit. Dylan Roberts—her most relentless pursuer—is still on her trail, but his secret emails insist that he knows the truth and wants to help her. He’s let her escape before when he had her in his grasp, but trust doesn’t come easily.


As Casey works to collect evidence about the real murderers, she stumbles on another unbearable injustice: an abused child and a suicidal man who’s also been falsely accused. Casey risks her own safety to right this wrong and protect the little girl from her tormenters. But doing so is risky and just may result in her capture—and if she’s captured, she has no doubt she’ll be murdered before she ever steps foot in a jail.


In this riveting sequel to the USA Today bestseller If I Run, evil lurks, drawing Casey out of the shadows . . . but there is light shining in the darkness. Is Dylan a provision from the God who loves her, or another heartache yet to happen?


Amazon

About The Author




Terri Blackstock is a New York Times best-seller, with over six million copies sold worldwide. She is the winner of two Carol Awards, a Christian Retailers Choice Award, and a Romantic Times Book Reviews Career Achievement Award, among others. She has had over twenty-five years of success as a novelist.

Terri spent the first twelve years of her life traveling in a U.S. Air Force family. She lived in nine states and attended the first four years of school in The Netherlands. Because she was a perpetual “new kid,” her imagination became her closest friend. That, she believes, was the biggest factor in her becoming a novelist. She sold her first novel at the age of twenty-five, and has had a successful career ever since.


Website 


My Review




Once again I was left with my heart in my throat, and the wanting for justice to take place immediately, but alas it and life really don’t happen that way. This is the second book in this series, and yes the first is as good as the second, and now I anticipate the third, however they can stand alone, but you will want to know what our girl with the big heart did in the previous book.
Can you imagine looking at the face of evil and yet these are the people that you are supposed to rely on when there is trouble, members of law enforcement. Makes me so sad that the people you are supposed to trust are so untrustworthy, and I do realize that these are the rare few, but does one apple spoil the bushel, lets sure hope no. All the while I was reading this, I kept wanting justice for all, and yet for some it does come to late, how very sad.
I am really pulled into this story, and highly recommend the first two books in this series, you won’t be disappointed, and you will be waiting for book three along with me.
I received this book through Net Galley and the Publisher Zondervan and was not required to give a positive review. 

Monday, March 20, 2017

The Elusive Miss Ellison (Regency Brides: A Legacy of Grace #1) by Carolyn Miller





Pride, prejudice and forgiveness...
Hampton Hall's new owner has the villagers of St. Hampton Heath all aflutter--all except Lavinia Ellison. The reverend's daughter cares for those who are poor and sick, and the seventh Earl of Hawkesbury definitely does not meet that criteria. His refusal to take his responsibilities seriously, or even darken the door of the church, leave her convinced he is as arrogant and reckless as his brother--his brother who stole the most important person in Lavinia's world.

Nicholas Stamford is shadowed by guilt: his own, his brother's, the legacy of war. A perfunctory visit to this dreary part of Gloucestershire wasn't supposed to engage his heart, or his mind. Challenged by Miss Ellison's fascinating blend of Bluestocking opinions, hoydenish behavior, and angelic voice, he finds the impossible becoming possible--he begins to care. But Lavinia's aloof manner, society's opposition and his ancestral obligations prove most frustrating, until scandal forces them to get along.

Can Lavinia and Nicholas look beyond painful pasts and present prejudice to see their future? And what will happen when Lavinia learns a family secret that alters everything she's ever known?


Amazon


About The Author




I'm an Inspirational Regency romance author who lives in the beautiful Southern Highlands of New South Wales, Australia with my husband and four children. I love reading (especially Jane Austen and Georgette Heyer), music, films, gardens, art, travel and food. I really enjoy creating worlds where flawed people can grow in faith, hope and love.

Website  

My Review




I enjoyed this look at old England, and living in a quaint village, spending time with the Reverends daughter Miss Lavinia Ellison as she goes about helping those in need. She seems to have a big heart and is always there in times of need, but she has deep sorrow that comes out when the Lord of this village comes back, and we find out that she lost her mother because of something one of his family did.
Of course this is a romance story, and Nicholas and Livvie have an up hill battle to every be anything more than a passing look. There is her faith, she is a believer, and he is not, and then there is his station as a Lord and she a commoner. I can’t imagine living under such conditions, but not all of what we are viewing is true.
This is the author debut novel and she sure doesn’t disappoint, I found myself page turning, and when it was over, I wanted more. She has created quite the spunky girl in Livvie, and I loved how she held her own at different points in this book. A sweet quick read that will linger with you.
I received this book through Kregel Publishing and their Blogging Program, and was not required to give a positive review. 

Thursday, March 16, 2017

A Season of Love (Kauffman Amish Bakery #5) by Amy Clipston






In the fifth and final novel of the Kauffman Amish Bakery Series, three young women are about to change their lives. Lizzie Anne and Samuel have decided to get married, and Lindsay is about to be baptized in the Amish faith and is courting Matthew. While Katie Kauffman is happy for her friends who seem to have settled their futures, she is also finding herself something of a fifth wheel. When Lindsay's sister Jessica returns to Bird-in-Hand, she finds that Jake Miller has moved on with his life. He lost hope that Jessica would ever be satisfied to settle in rural Pennsylvania and takes comfort in becoming close friends with Katie. However, it's not an easy road as Jake is Mennonite and Katie has just been baptized in the Amish faith. Her father forbids them to see each other, adamant that his daughter marry an Amish man. A Season of Love is filled with surprising twists that will grip you to the very last words. As the stories of your favorite Amish community draw to a close, join Lindsay, her friends, and all the people of Bird-In-Hand for one last volume.

Amazon


About The Author 






Amy Clipston has been writing for as long as she can remember. Her fiction writing “career” began in elementary school when she and a close friend wrote and shared silly stories. She has a degree in communications from Virginia Wesleyan College and is a member of the Authors Guild, American Christian Fiction Writers, and Romance Writers of America. She is the author of the bestselling Kauffman Amish Bakery series and Hearts of the Lancaster Grand Hotel series with HarperCollins Christian Publishing. Amy works full-time for the City of Charlotte, NC, and lives in North Carolina with her husband, two sons, mother, and four spoiled rotten cats.


My Review



This is the final book in the Kauffman Amish Bakery Series, and how time has flown. It is hard to say goodbye to old friends, but love being updated on everyone.
Major life changes abound here for three close friends, Lindsay, Katie, and Lizzie Anne, and then there will be no turning back. These girls are no longer little ones, and have somehow before our eyes grown up. They are now deciding to join the church and taking a life partner, they are moving on.
Two of these friends seem to have found that perfect one for them, but Katie sees no one in her future. When we see how Katie’s dad treats her, no wonder she is having problems. I wanted to smack him when he wouldn’t listen to her about those men that were accosting her.
Her father has concerns for her faith, and sees a budding relationship between her and Jake a Mennonite, they are Amish and she is baptized. As this story unfolds, you will see how extreme her father goes to keep her Amish.
While I hate for this series to end, I loved this book, and wish there was more.
I received this book through Net Galley and the Publisher Zondervan, and was not required to give a positive review.

Write Now Literary Presents: The Paschal Lamb by Elizabeth G. Honaker






Write Now Literary is pleased to announce The Paschal Lamb, a Christian drama play with author Elizabeth G. Honaker, March 13-17, 2017.
ASIN: B00KZ4JMQO
ISBN-10: 1500172227
ISBN-13: 978-1500172220




About The Author
Elizabeth Golibart Honaker hails from Sparta, Tennessee, where she teaches writing support and English at Motlow Community College. Her undergraduate degree is in Liberal Arts, and her first MA is in Theology. This has given her the breadth and scope to write over fifteen full-length passion plays in the last twenty years – seven of which are in print with others being prepared for publication – as well as dozens of shorter scripts, short stories, and poems on Christian topics. Her first historical fiction novel, Come Before Winter, was published in 2014. In that same year, she completed her second MA in English and Creative Writing (Fiction) at Southern New Hampshire University.
When she is not writing or tutoring, she spends her time devising new home projects for Allen, her husband of 45 years. She also enjoys communicating with her two wonderful grown children and buying (and making) trinkets for her four lively grandchildren. She is passionate about sharing Christ, missional activities, and her local church. She also loves gardening, sewing, piano playing, and Star Trek as time permits.







About The Book
Martha of Bethany and Barabbas of Bethlehem both experience life-changing events at an early age. Martha experiences the price of sacrifice, and Barabbas experiences the price of hatred. As adults, their lives intersect and they encounter Jesus of Nazareth, the Messiah awaited by the Jewish nation. This Christian drama explores the importance of accepting the sacrifice of Christ for sin.










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Purchase Link: Amazon: http://a.co/dyn6X1d
Tour hosted by Write Now Literary Book Tours





Tuesday, March 14, 2017

When Tides Turn (Waves of Freedom, #3) by Sarah Sundin






The last thing naval officer Dan Avery wants to see on his radar is glamour girl Quintessa Beaumont—even if she has joined the WAVES.

When fun-loving glamour girl Quintessa Beaumont learns the Navy has established the WAVES program for women, she enlists, determined to throw off her frivolous ways and contribute to the war effort. No-nonsense and hoping to make admiral, Lt. Dan Avery has been using his skills to fight German U-boats. The last thing he wants to see on his radar is a girl like Tess. For her part, Tess works hard to prove her worth in the Anti-Submarine Warfare Unit in Boston—both to her commanding officers and to the man with whom she is smitten. When Dan is assigned to a new escort carrier at the peak of the Battle of the Atlantic, he’s torn between his lifelong career goals and his desire to help Tess root out a possible spy on shore. The Germans put up quite a fight, but he wages a deeper battle within his heart. Could Tess be the one for him?

With precision and pizazz, fan favorite Sarah Sundin carries readers through the rough waters of love in a time when every action might have unforeseen world-changing consequences.


Amazon

About The Author







Sarah Sundin enjoys writing about the drama and romance of the World War II era. She is the author of the Waves of Freedom series (Through Waters Deep, 2015, Anchor in the Storm, 2016, When Tides Turn, coming March 2017), the Wings of the Nightingale series, and the Wings of Glory series. Her novel Through Waters Deep won the 2016 INSPY Award, was a Carol Award finalist, and was named to Booklist's "101 Best Romance Novels of the Last 10 Years."

A mother of three, Sundin lives in northern California. She works on-call as a hospital pharmacist and teaches Sunday school and women's Bible studies. She enjoys speaking to community, church, and writers' groups.


 


My Review




We are back with the Avery family, and how I love being with them and catching up with all of their lives. With this book we are right in the heart of battle in WWII, and watching the war turn before our very eyes.
This is also Tess’s story and what a heroine she is, but as tough as she is, she is still quite fragile, and yet she is ready to give her life for a friend. Will she be able over come her fears and open her heart to a bit of romance and love?
Then there is Dan Avery and his fear of commitment after once being burned, now he wants to make the military his life, and there doesn’t seem to be any room for a wife.
All the while there is drama and people who are really out for revenge, and then a major war to fight. A great factual read, and sorry that it is the end of this series.
I received this book through Net Galley and Revell Publishing, and was not required to give a positive review.

Written in Love (Amish Letters, #1) by Kathleen Fuller






When a postal error creates pen pals of two young Amish people, can they put behind their past mistakes to see the bright future God has written for them?


Jalon Chupp has a past he isn’t proud to claim. He’s worked hard to overcome his youthful mistakes, and he has recommitted himself to his faith. When he receives a sweet note included in a piece of misdirected mail, he can’t help but write back. Soon, the letters he receives from Phoebe are the highlights of his days, and with a hopeful heart, he suggests they meet in person.


Phoebe, too, looks forward to every single one of Jalon’s letters. Living with her overbearing aunt, Phoebe doesn’t have too much to look forward to. But when Jalon suggests they meet, she panics—although she has shared some of the deepest longings of her heart with him, she hasn’t been entirely truthful about her past. But when Jalon shows up at her aunt’s doorstep, everything is revealed. And she can only pray he’ll forgive her for holding back the truth.


In order to reach beyond the errors of their pasts, both Phoebe and Jalon must put their faith in something—or Someone—bigger than either of them could pen.


Amazon

About The Author




I 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




Ok, I just finished this book, and I am sad that it is over, yes, it is one of those books you never want to end, and will linger with you.
The thought of mail going to the wrong person, is perfect, and that it goes to another Amish person, is wild, but what a great premise for a story, and it is and thus begins a letter writing courtship, without the participants even realizing they are doing so. The letter writers are both holding secrets, ones that may make the other not want to be with them, but they do withhold them at first.
We see with some other characters in this book that try to live their faith at the detriment of others, and they don’t seem to care how much they hurt others, which will make you rather sad and angry.
This is one book you don’t want to miss, and by the sounds of it there may be more in this same line of topic, I sure hope so.
I received this book through Net Galley and the Publisher Thomas Nelson, and was not required to give a positive review. 

Murder Is No Accident (Hidden Springs Mystery #3) by A.H. Gabhart






Young Maggie Greene may be trespassing in the old, empty Victorian mansion on a quiet street in Hidden Springs, but all she wants is some private time in the magnificent tower room to write her stories. Certain she'll be in trouble if caught, she hides when a realtor shows up. But someone else is in the house too, someone even more worried about getting caught. When Maggie finds the realtor's body at the bottom of a flight of stairs and the other person gone, Deputy Sheriff Michael Keane is called in. He assumes the realtor's death is a tragic accident--until a second person is found dead in the house. When Maggie is threatened, Michael must catch the murderer before anyone else dies.

Cozy mystery fans will love this third installment in The Hidden Springs Mysteries series from an author who knows how to make small-town America sweet, sentimental--and a little sinister.


 Amazon


About The Author





Ann H. Gabhart grew up on a farm in Kentucky. By the time she was ten she knew she wanted to be a writer. She's published over twenty novels. She and her husband have three children and nine grandchildren. She still lives on a farm not far from where she grew up. She loves playing with her grandkids, walking with her dog, reading and, of course, writing. Her Shaker books, set in her fictional Shaker village of Harmony Hill in the 1800's, are popular with readers. The Outsider was a Christian Fiction Book Award Finalist in 2009. Her Heart of Hollyhill books are Small Town, America books set in the 1960's. Angel Sister, a Rosey Corner book set during the Great Depression, will be followed by Small Town Girl. Visit Ann's website http://annhgabhart.com or her two blogs, One Writer's Journal, www.annhgabhart.blogspot.com, and the Hollyhill Book of the Strange, www.hollyhillbookofthestrange.blogspot.com.


My Review





We are back in Hidden Springs with some well known friends, as this is book three in the series, and there is a lot of action and sadly murder going on.
Michael and Alex are still not really together and by the looks of their relationship it may never happen, she is living in Washington DC and of course he is the Sheriff in Hidden Springs. His Aunt is still teaching and worrying about Michael and Alex and of course Reese, now you are going to quickly find out whom all of these folks are, or you can do yourself a favor and read the two previous books.
What we have here is questions about an old murder, an elderly woman with dementia, someone or someone’s greed, and threats against children. You are going to change your mind more than once as to who is responsible.
I hope we come back here again, but if this is goodbye, I loved this series and these people.
I received this book through Net Galley and the Publisher Revell, and was not required to give a positive review.


A Stolen Heart (Cimarron Creek Trilogy #1) by Amanda Cabot





From afar, Cimarron Creek seems like an idyllic town tucked in the Texas Hill Country. But when former schoolteacher Lydia Crawford steps onto its dusty streets in 1880, she finds a town with a deep-seated resentment of Northerners--like her. Lydia won't let that get her down, though. All will be well when she's reunited with her fiancé. But when she discovers he has disappeared--and that he left behind a pregnant wife--Lydia is at a loss about what to do next. The handsome sheriff urges her to trust him, but can she trust anyone in this town where secrets are as prevalent as bluebonnets in spring?

Bestselling author Amanda Cabot invites readers back into Texas's storied past to experience love and adventure against a backdrop of tension and mystery in this first book in a brand-new series.


 Amazon

About The Author






With both parents avid readers, it's no surprise that Amanda Cabot learned to read at an early age. From there it was only a small step to deciding to become a writer. Of course, deciding and becoming are two different things, as she soon discovered. Fortunately for the world, her first attempts at fiction were not published, but she did meet her goal of selling a novel by her thirtieth birthday. Since then she’s sold more than thirty novels under a variety of pseudonyms. When she’s not writing, Amanda enjoys sewing, cooking and – of course – reading. 

 

My Review




What a roller coaster of emotions here as we travel from Syracuse to Texas Hill Country and Lydia hits prejudice head on. These people were hurt in the War, and then the notorious carpetbaggers, so when she opens her mouth, they know she is from the North and instant dislike.
When Lydia arrives at her destination, Cimarron Creek Texas, she is surprised that her fiancĂ© is not there to meet her but she is met by the sheriff, all innocent, but her betroth is married to another and is missing. Now what, well she is about to find out what a blessing it was that the sheriff was there, and thus begins her stay at Aunt Bertha’s and this part will warm your heart.
This story does have it all and will keep you page turning right to the last page, and what a story we have here. People are missing, or murdered, fires, animals dying, and worse, and all because of a misguided sense of injustice, and you are going to be surprised to what extent this person goes to, and most of all whom it is.
I for one cannot wait until the next book, which looks like it is Catherine’s story, and that is on my must read list.

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

Celebrate Lit Presents: A Canine Christmas Author: Jennifer Sienes

  About the Book Book:  A Canine Christmas Author:  Jennifer Sienes Genre:  Christian Contemporary Romance, Christmas Fiction...