Life, Love and Books

Anything But Plain by Suzanne Woods Fisher In Anything But Plain, Suzanne Woods Fisher takes the reader back to our dearly loved Stony Ridge. We meet the bishops daughter Lydie Stolzfus; a delightful young lady who has struggled with understanding where she belongs. She does not feel like she fits in with the other Amish girls and secretly plans to leave. When Lydie is given an opportunity to work for the local doctor for  few months, she sees it as chance to form her goodbye to a dear friend. Nathan Yoder has been more than just an next door  neighbor to  Lydie; their friendship has grown over the years until recently. Nathan is confused by Lydies actions and has started to believe that his childhood friend is in love with his brother. After spending time with her niece, Dok has come to a realization that Lydie may have a rare disorder. Will her brother allow her to take the steps to help Lydie or will he reject her assistance. Will Lydie come to see that her home is wit...

Present Danger By Elizabeth Goddard In the first installment in the Rocky Mountain Courage series, we meet Terra Conner a US Forest Service Special Agent. Terra has chosen to honor her mother thru her choice of a career path, by followin in her mothers footsteps. But her career choice keeps her close to the mountain that took her mom from her. When an old flame walks back in her the lead detective on the investigation of a mysterious plane crash that turns into a murder scene. Jack Tanner has walked away from his job as a FBI Special Agent to take care of his dear aunt. But when he took the job as detective; he did not think he would run into the love of his life.   Working alongside Terra, reawakens the feelings that Jack had pushed down years ago when he walked away last time. But his choices have changed him and he needs to protect her from the  danger that has reared it's ugly head.  The more clues they uncover the more it seems the danger is getting closer to th...

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?...

Behind The Scenes  "Apart from the Crowd" by Jen Turano Here is another delightful read by Jen Turano which delves into a time period where High Society ruled the ballrooms of New York City. We meet Miss Permilla Griswold, the daughter of a very rich mine owner. Introduced to the high society by her Stepmother, while having to be on the outskirts of her stepsisters hunt for a husband. When Permilla was approached with an amazing opportunity to use her position as a wallflower as a way to earn some income. But her position as a wallflower also has put her into a very dangerous situation.  Upon overhearing a conversation between two men that leaves her fear the for life of a well-known merchant Asher Rutherford. With help of some very unlikely friends, Permilla sets out to keep Asher safe from harm. The more time they spend together, Asher starts to realise there is more to his wallflower than what he sees on the outside.  Will they be able t...

An Amish Harvest: Four Novellas by Beth Wiseman, Amy Clipston, Kathleen Fuller and Vanetta Chapman Four very wonderful authors come together to bring us another amazing novel with four uplifting stories. Under the Harvest Moon  by Beth Wiseman After suddenly losing her husband, Naomi Dienner is not looking for love again. All she wants to do is be able to provide for her family and get the harvest in for the fall.When her father suggests a English family friend, Brock Mulligan; that will be able to help her in her time of need. As the time passes Naomi struggles with a very deep and dark feeling that seems to weigh her down with concerns. What seems to be a innocent option to help with this weighted down feeling turns out to be very much a bad thing. With the help of her handsome harvest worker, will she be able to see the light God has provided and the love that is in front of her. Love and Buggy Rides  by Amy Clipston On her first day working ...

Every Bride has Her Day Today is a special day for me, it is my wedding anniversary. On this day a very rainy afternoon my hubby and I stood in front of our beloved family and friends to say I do. The months that led up to that day, was a struggle for both of us. We had so many telling us how we should plan our special day, where we should have it at and what to wear for the day. When it came down to it, we planned a wedding that was us; as a couple. A Old Fashioned Campmeeting Wedding theme, that took place at a special place for my family.  Here is a few pics from my very special day!! Calming the brides nerves!! We chose a location that we both loved, a campmeeting grounds near where my parents grew up at and my grandmother took all of the grandkids too. It made it even more special that my dad was able to be there and walk me down the aisle. We chose a simple setting with not much decorations, but a look that played up our love of Count...

Room For Hope by Kim Vogel Sawyer Neva Shilling has carried the most of the responsibility of raising her two kids, while her husband Warren travels to neighboring communities selling items from his wagon. She ran the mercantile all on her own, working her hardest to keep their business going in the midst of the Depression. Late one evening a wagon pulls up, rushing out to shower a warm welcome on her husband after his long trip; Neva and her kids are met with bad news. A deputy had come bearing the news that Warren and his wife had died and left behind three young children that he wanted to live with their "Aunt Neva".  Shocked by the news of her husband's death and betrayal of their marriage vows, Neva chooses to pick up the pieces of her life and continue her life without her husband. Knowing what it was like to live in an orphanage, she does not want these little ones to have to go thru the struggles she went thru growing up.  By taking her husbands ...

A Fool and His Monet by Sandra Orchard When she joined the FBI Art Crime Team, Serena Jones secret hope was that one of her cases would lead to solving the murder of her Grandfather. Her passion for recovering lost and stolen art is fueled by this secret hope. Her mother's thought is she wants her daughter to have a job where her daughter would not be in danger all the time. When a dear friend of Serena's reaches out to ask for help, Serena steps up and takes on a new case: a missing Monet at the local museum.  Leaping into action, Serena starts investigating the missing Monet. Along the way she gets some help in form of  her great aunt, a cousin of a member of the mob and the super of her apartment building. This is only the second book I have read written by Sandra Orchard and I am truly hooked to this series. The first thing is the mystery part of the story, then she mixes in a bit of humor and romance into the story line. Serena Jones is a very delightful c...