Life, Love and Books

Writing about the Amish by Beth Wiseman Something interesting I have learned from reading this memoir is that every one of Beth Wisemans books have a red suitcase in them. I have actually read many of her books, but had never realized this fun fact. Looks like I am going to be on the lookout for the red suitcase in the next book I read of Beth Wiseman's. A plus to this book is the short story that is included in it. I love reading any of Beth Wisemans books, she writes a fresh and energetic read. So getting a glance into the writing process is something I love about this book.   I was given a complimentary copy of this book by the publisher to review, this my honest opinion of this book and I have not received any compensation for it.

The Escape   by Lisa Harris   In the first installment of the US Marshall series, we are introduced to two very interesting characters. US Marshall Madison James is getting ready to start a new chapter in her life, when she is given an assignment with a former instructor Jonas Quinn. They have been assigned to transport two very high profile prisoners for their up coming trials. But the plane they are traveling on has engine trouble and  crashes into the wilderness of Salmon-Challis National Forest. To complicate things more their one prisoner escapes and on the run. Now Madison and Jonas have to put their skills and brains together to find their way back to civilization and recapturing their escaped prisoner. The plot thickens with the backstory of Madison's dead husband, whose murder has  not been solved. Her lingering grief from the loss of her beloved, affects her growing relationship with Jonas. While Jonas struggles with the complication of growing feelings for a co-worker. L

Her Secret Song by Mary Conneally        In the third installment of the Brides of Hope Mountain, we find Ursula Nordegren living on top of the mountain in isolation from her sisters. Her time alone has been spent pondering the things she had been taught growing up by her grandmother. When Ursula makes a big decision to brave the strange world out there, she finds a stranger that is needing help. Wax Mosby spent years being a hired gun for many, but time has gotten him to wondering if he needs to rethink things. The past winter has been spent trying to figure out how he can atone for his bad choices. But when Wax starts to climb the mountain, he is badly wounded and left for the wolves. Along comes an angel that encourages him to push thru to make it to safety. An unlikely bond brings these two lonely ones together, but can they find the strength that is needed to fight the battle that is to come ahead of them? I was given a complimentary copy of this book by the publisher to review, t

        Point of Danger by Irene Hannon In the newest series by  Irene Hannon we meet Eve Reilly, a radio talk show host who is not afraid of stirring the pot. Her on air commentary and interviews raise the roof on many occasions.  But when danger is at her doorsteps, she realizes that she needs to ask for help. When a new case is dropped into his lap, Police Detective Brent Lange chooses to take this  investigation  very seriously.  Even when the evidence doesn't point towards a connection, he still pushes forward at protecting Eve from the uncertain danger that is around her.    Will Brett be able find the enemy before they get to Eve, or has she taken one to many risks in her life?   Irene Hannon always writes a suspenseful read, this book is truly one.   I was given this complimentary copy of the book by the publisher to review, this is my honest opinion of this book and I have not received compensation for it.                    

The Price of Valor by Susan May Warren   In the third installment of the Global Search and Rescue Series, we find Hamilton still trying to figure out what happened to the love his life, Signe. But when a young girl walks into his life, reminding him of the loss and pain that he carried deep inside Hamilton has to face his past.     Signe Kincaid has spent years hiding many secrets from the one that held her heart.  Her work as humanitarian aid worker had lead her into a dangerous situation, where she had to make choices that kept her alive. One of them was to protect her daughter from the ones she was running from. But she didn't realize that her decision would bring the one person she did not want too see back in her life. Hamilton is surprised to find the love of his life was alive and well, but also that she is the one that his team has been sent to rescue. Would Hamilton be able to face down the truth and  forgive Signe? Will Signe be able to let go and allow God to work

Nine by Rachelle Dekker A secret organization with alternative agenda and a young girl with missing memories make for an very intriguing  read. From the first page to the last page in this book, will leave you wanting to know what is going to happen next. We meet Zoe, a young woman who has created a different life for herself, then one day in a young girl walks into the small town café. All this dazed young teenager can say is that she has to find a woman in Corpus Christi. Faced with a decision Zoe has to choose does she help this lost girl or just walk away. But deep down inside Zoe sees herself in this teenager. now she has to face  the things she has left behind. As they go on the run from the enemy, they have to make choices of who they can trust and who not to trust. I truly love reading books written by Rachelle Dekker, she writes a story that has twists and turns that will leave you breathless. I was given a complimentary copy of this book by the publisher to rev

A Dazzle of Diamonds by Liz Johnson When I picked up this book, the title was not something I was looking to read at this time. But then I opened it to the first page and was hooked. The storyline hooked me line and sinker, so that I did not want to put this book down. The friendship between Tucker and Penelope is a breath of fresh air for all of us. It reminds us that friendships are something important and they can overcome so much in our lives. Our hero and heroine have both overcome so much as a team that they have a bond that is so deep that it has built their love for each other. Life has not been easy for Tucker, so he has had to fight for what he wanted to do in life. But with the pretty Penelope by his side, he has had the courage to face so much. As the owner of a security systems, Tucker has been able to see the need for a new sheriff in town. So when he is challenged to run for Sheriff, he jumps to the challenge. But what Tucker did not see coming was the devious w

A Life Once Dreamed by Rachel Fordham This is my first time ever reading a book written by Rachel Fordham, I truly love getting to read new to me authors. The first thing that draws me to this book is the cover which portrays an genre that I have loved since I was a little girl, the genre historical.  As you open to the first page you are drawn back to a time when things were very different than they are know. A time when things were more simple, but also women  only had some many choices of what they could do in their life. Our heroine Agnes Pratt has a deep secret that sent her running away from the life that she had dreamed of. It has led her to the small  town of Penance, where she has established herself as the beloved schoolteacher of the their kids. Life has settled into a rhythm for Agnes and she has built friendships in the six years in her new home. But when her life is upset by the arrival of her childhood friend, things turn upside down for Agnes. James Harris h

Don't Keep Silent by Elizabeth Goddard In the third installment of the Uncommon Justice series, we return to the McKade ranch in snowy Wyoming. Liam Mckade has returned to his childhood home to find out what he want to next in his life. Never did he ever think when he came back home to see his brothers did he think he would run into the one woman he didn't want to see again. Rae Burke's sister in law has disappeared for the second time and Rae's investigative reporter skills have been called upon by her brother. The clues lead her to the wintery Wyoming and its busy  ski slopes. But she was not prepared to run into someone from her past, that she has caused pain in their life. As Rae discovers clues along the way about her sisters in law past, that make her wonder if she ever knew  her sister in law at all. Her search starts to lead her down some very dark  twists and turns that lead her head on into danger.    Will Liam be able to protect the one woman that

Standoff By Patricia Bradley In the newest book by Patricia Bradley, she takes us to the Natchez Trace and we meet the Park Rangers that serve that area. Brooke Danvers is getting ready to change positions and join her father as a Park Ranger. Before she can be sworn in her father is found dead and his death is ruled a suicide.  Determined to find out who killed her father, Brooke starts investigating on her own with the assistance of her childhood friend Luke Fereday. Luke has been working as an undercover park ranger, trying to infiltrate a drug origination to stop the flow of drugs into the area. When he gets a phone call from Brookes dad informing him of a drug drop. But he arrives on the scene to late to help his old friend, determined to figure out who killed Brooke's dad.  When Luke realizes that Brooke has now became the target of the person who killed her father, he has to do the right thing and protect her from harm. But the struggle to keep his true feelings

The Happy Camper by Melody Carlson When she goes looking for a place to find healing, Dillon Michaels thought she would be able to find it by returning to her childhood home. But when she arrives she finds her mother has taken over her childhood bedroom.  Resigned to sleeping on the couch, Dillon is not sure if this is the best thing to do, when she has to sleep on the couch for a time period. But when her dear aging grandfather gifts her with a very unique present of a rundown vintage camper, things start to look up for her. With the help of the handsome local hardware store owner, Jordan Atwood, they embark on a project that may lead to something more.  When she thinks things are starting to look up for her, in walks her ex-boyfriend with flowers and a ring. Will Dillon be able to find the healing she has been searching for  so long. This book is full of fun, love and a very quirky cast of characters that will have you wanting more. "I voluntarily reviewed a copy of th

Like Flames in the Night by Connilyn Cossette In the last installment to the Cities of Refuge, we find the youngest daughter of Moriyah and Darek all grown up. Tirzah is a strong willed woman, whose life did not go as planned. Her beloved was killed by the enemy that had driven them out of their homes. Now her hearts longing is to join her people in the fight to drive the enemy out of the land of Israel. When her older brothers give in to her request, they train her for a very dangerous mission. Tirzah infiltrates the Aramean commanders household, with the talents  of cooking that her mother has taught her. One reckless decisions puts Tirzah and others in danger, hope of a rescue seems to be very hopeless.  When the  word of danger reaches her brothers ears, they are in need of someone who can get into the stronghold of Shechem unseen. The perfect spy walks right into their village in the form of the son of an old family friend. Liyam has arrived home from a victorious battl

Out of the Embers by Amanda Cabot The Mesquite Springs Series is a delight to read and Amanda Cabot spins a storyline that keeps us turning the pages. Evelyn Radcliffe has lost her home for the second time in 10 years, Her worst fears are confirmed that the watcher has found her, when the orphanage she was living in is burned to the ground. The only thing she knew to do was to keep moving to protect herself and her little charge. When they are found by horse rancher Wyatt Clark, it seems they have found refuge from the demons that was chasing them. Wyatt Clark has plans to set money aside for his sister and his mother to live on, while he goes out to explore the world around him. But he did not have any plans on falling in love and running for the mayor of Mesquite Springs. When Evelyn chooses to settle down and open restaurant like her parents owned, she did not expect it to take off like it does.  Even though she has felt like she has found a safe haven, danger has found her

Woman of Sunlight by Mary Connealy It is always a delight to read another book by Mary Connealy, she writes stories that capture us and will not let us go . Her latest series Brides of Hope Mountain does not disappoint us. In the second installment to the series, we find Ilsa Nordegren getting stir crazy after a long recovery from an illness. The Warden family had blown into the sisters lives turning their quiet oasis into a uproar. But what the sisters never thought they would find was love. , Mitch returned home a rich man looking to reunite with his family, but he finds the family homestead abandoned. When he finally locates his family up in the mountains, to his surprise he finds they have found sanctuary with three sisters. The youngest sister black haired  Ilsa catches his eye and intrigues him.   When the danger follows Mitch up into the mountains, he has to face the truth that he needs to find whoever has a price on his head.  Ilsa has started to wonder if there is more

The Runaway Bride By Jody Hedlund In the second installment to The Bride Ship series, we return to the colony of British Columbia. With the shortage of women to men, the bride ships brought over eligible women that would marry the men in the colony. We meet wealthy Arabella Lawrence, who has ran away on her wedding day from the man she does not love. Her hope is she will find a  gentleman in her social circles, who will provide for her and love her. But she does not want to rush into a marriage and make the same mistakes she did before. As the town baker, Peter Kelly has put his all into building his business, now he has his eyes set on finding a bride from the newly arrived bride ship. When he meets Arabella for the first time, he is taken by her inner beauty. Peter than resolves to pursue Arabella and woo her, but his pursuit for her is thwarted by the savvy Lieutenant Richard Drummond. When the Navy Lieutenant Richard Drummond starts showering her with attention, Arabel

Claim Your Crown by Tarah-Lynn Saint-Elien Young Women in todays society are living in a world that teaches them to be dissatisfied with their body image. Society's standards say that we need to look, act or be a certain way and at times it is a double standard. Deep down inside they are longing for more then what is offered by the people around them.  In this book we meet a beautiful young lady who has faced some insecurities of her own and has overcome them. By using her deep insight on the many subjects that touch young women today, she brings some new light to each of these that helps us to understand it better.  By dismantling lies and myths that have been fed to us by society, Tarah helps us to see the truth that our heavenly Father. By bringing us to a better understanding of how He loves us so much that He longs to bestow a crown on each of our beautiful heads. I would recommend this book to all young women to read!! "I voluntarily revie

  Yes Sisters by Angelia White Friendships are amazing, the people we surround ourselves with can build us and at times they can pull us down. That one time that someone says something negative or we hear the word no, can send us deep into a dark place in our lives. Maybe someone has crushed a dream that you have had since you was a little girl. Or maybe it was a dream to start your own business and someone told you that you would not be good at that. For me it was teacher who said to me that I was not going to be able to pursue a dream in the medical field if I was not able to understand Math. But I had several women who was placed in my life in very strategic times that pushed me to pursue my dreams. Angelia helps us to see how building friendships with women who become our YES Sisters can help us to pursue our dreams. She shares personal stories that give us hope to keep moving forward. Also she shows we can overcome the negativity that has been thrown at

Two Steps Forward By Suzanne Woods Fisher In the third installment of the Deacons family, we return to Stoney Ridge to meet prodigal son Jimmy Fisher. His return stirs up an old family feud for his family, but Jimmy has no longing to be part of this. When Jimmy  is offered a job by his mothers rival, the pretty violet eyed Sylvie; he jumps at the chance to train her Arabian horse. Sylvie Schrock King has a dream to build Rising Star farm into a breeding farm for buggy horse for the Amish around her. When she finds out that the grown son of her next door neighbor is a expert at working with horses, it seems that she has hope on the horizon. As Jimmy's lazy smile and teasing ways work their way into Sylvie's heart, but is she being wooed so he can have the land that his mother has been claiming belongs to her family. Will Sylvie and Jimmy find the hope that come from above and the love that is growing between them? Suzanne Woods Fisher has done

Still By Jenny L Donnelly Do you struggle with worrying? Do you struggle with dread of upcoming events in your life?    Does the pressures and stress of your everyday life trigger anxiety in you?  These are several of the questions that this book addresses.  Jenny teaches us how to find and experience the true life giving peace that can be found in the midst of the chaos surrounding each of us. She will help you to see that rest is not just something we do, but it is also a place we can find. By sharing her own personal story of struggles,  Jenny introduces us to the true source of peace that is found in Jesus Christ.  She takes us thru the steps to take in any situation to find the rest we are so longing for in our lives. By revealing how to operate that place deep down inside each of us that will power our identity and creativity in our lives.  This book will help you to find the rest that is so longed for by so many. "I voluntarily reviewed a c

The Way Of The Brave By Susan May Warren This book was one I have been  looking forward to reading and it was so worth the wait. So I was very delighted to get the chance to review this book. Jenny Calhoun is a former CIA profiler and psychiatrist, whose way of easing her guilt from her time  overseas is to bury it. Now each year she and her two best friends embark on a extreme challenge, this year they are climbing the Denali in Alaska. What she never thought would happen was her past would be standing in front of her again. Orion Starr is a former pararescue jumper who wants to just not deal with the past that haunts him each day. Now he is being bugged to join up with his friend's Hamilton Jones's elite rescue team. So when he hears that three climbers are lost on Denali, he feels called to assist the rescue team on the rescue.  When the long awaited climb turns into the worst nightmare for Jenny and her friends. She has to put her trus

An Uncommon Woman  by Laura Frantz I am a big fan of historical reads and this one from Laura Frantz did not disappoint me. Also I was even surprised to find some areas mentioned that seemed very familiar to me. So it was very interesting to find that the area was being written about is now part of Pennsylvania.  It takes place the mountains of western Virginia territory in 1770, we meet the heroine  Tessa Swan, who was raised with 5 brothers. So she has learned to be tough and face the challenges straight on. One day into her life walks Clay Tygart, the one man that can truly intrigue her like no other has. But he brings back into her life her long lost friend, Keturah. This adds a little confusion to their lives, the stigma of being an Indian captive can cause a lot of issues for her friend. But Tessa is willing to help her dear friend to acclimate back to living in her old life.  As a former Lenape Indian captive himself, Clay knows what it feels

Collateral Damage By Lynette Eason Oh my, Oh my...this one is truly a breath taker to read. I just finished reading book and I was not able to put it down because I wanted to know if they finally caught the bad guys. In the first installment  of the Danger Never Sleeps series; we meet Brooke Adams,  a military psychiatrist who is wounded in a café bombing. Several months later she is still facing down the fears that follow at times after having a traumatic incident. Having made a decision to join a practice with a fellow colleague, but when she walks into the office one day to find her friend dead on the floor, her life is turned upside down again.  As a  former Special Ops Sergeant First Class Asher James has faced down many things in his time in the military. But now he is struggling with the one thing that is most needed by the body, sleep. Realizing he needs to find someone who can help him to face down this nightmare. When he makes an appointment t

End Game by Rachael Dylan This author does not disappoint a suspense reader, she writes a book that  you will not be able to put down. In the installment of Capital Intrigue we meet so many cool new characters, that I hope we will get to know more about in the next book. We meet FBI Special Agent Bailey Ryan and NCIS Special Agent Marco Agostini as they are dealing with a killer who is targeting elite members of the military. When all the evidence starts pointing a member of the elite SEAL team, but something does not still seem like they have found there suspect. As the team is formed to dive deeper into the evidence, they started to realize that they may have found a bigger mystery than just a few murders. As Marco and Bailey start finding more clues that are pointing to a bigger cover up, then just several murders. When Bailey is targeted by someone, it becomes clearer that whoever is behind all of this is willing to do anything to keep their secrets. As

An Amish Christmas Bakery by Amy Clipston, Beth Wiseman, Kathleen Fuller and Kelly Irvin Sorry I am a little late on sharing this review, but I think we need a little Christmas Cheer at the beginning of this new year.  Cookies and Cheer by Amy Clipston Alyssa Byler has amazing ideas for the bakery store display window, for this Christmas season she comes up with the idea of a Sugar cookie Nativity scene. She reaches out to the local blacksmith's son, Kyle Smoker to make the much needed cookie cutters. When the display brings in more customers than the bakery can handle, Alyssa starts to put in more hours at work then she has time for. While Kyle is starting to feel overwhelmed by the amount of orders that are coming in for the cookie cutters. Will Kyle and Alyssa be able to put aside the craziness of the holiday rush to see what it is right in front of them? Will they be able to see the beauty of Christmas and the love it bring to us?  Loaves of Lo