Life, Love and Books

                            Her Secret Hope                                 By Shelley Shepard Gray In book 3 of A Season in Pinecraft, we find Lilly Kurtz returning to live at Pinecraft to be closer to her friends and their families. Wanting to start afresh as a new and improved, Lilly accepts an position as a housekeeper at the inn. Excited to spend time with her friends, she does not expect to make a new friend along the way.  Eddie Byler came to Pinecraft with his eccentric grandmother for a long awaited vacation. One day he runs into Lilly and is very intrigued by this newcomer to the inn. Her personality and love of life brings a breath of fresh air to him. Lilly's struggle with being adopted has held her back all of her life, now its something she has to face down as she may have found the love of her life in Eddie. But Eddie i...

  Shadows at Dusk                                        By Elizabeth Goddard In the second book in the Missing in Alaska series, we meet  Montana detective Trevor James who travels to Alaska in search of his missing sister. Armed with a few photographs as the only clues to help him find his beloved sister, Trevor arrives in Alaska seeking the help of an experienced bush pilot, Carrie James.  Having found a place in the middle of the wilds of Alaska where she could heal from the wounds of her past, Carrie has created a new life and meaning for herself. Suddenly she is feeling like someone in her past has come back to harm her, causing her to turn to the handsome detective for help.  Not wanting to put Carrie into harms way more than he has to, Trevor just wants her assistance to locate the landmarks in the photos. Then he can pursue clues to help him find out what...

  Letters From My Sister                                  by Valerie Fraser Luesse This is the first book I have read by Valerie Fraser Luesse, the title drew me in and I was hooked from page one. This is one book I would recommend to anyone who loves to read an historical read.  As we open the book we meet the Bullock sisters Emmy and Callie who live a very rich and fulfilled life. One day their lives are turned upside down, when their family opens their home up to the granddaughter of one of their servants. Lily McGee was born with an exotic beauty and has a secret of her own she is trying to protect; her unborn baby.  Shortly after Lily has her little girl, terror visits the Bullock household and Callie suffers from short memory loss. The only image she can remember is an image of her sister Emmy standing on the riverbank holding Lilys baby girl in her arms. Having to take the steps to...

  Hopefully Ever After  by Beth Wiseman In the third book in the An Amish Bookstore series, we find Yvonne and Abraham opening their humble home up to Yvonne's sixteen year old cousin. Eden Hale is looking forward to starting anew and overcoming her past circumstances. Her hopes of being seen as who she is, comes true when she meets Samuel a young amish guy.  Samuel has grown up in  a very strict home and is looking forward to seeing what is out there in the "Englisch" world. So when he meets Eden, Samuel is excited to learn more about what's out there from her. But Samuel's parents are not very thrilled to have their son spending time with an outsider. As Samuel's and Eden's friendship grows, so does the disapproval of Samuels parent's.  Eden and Samuel start to share their dreams and struggles with each other, which brings to light Samuel's slipping away from his faith. Will Eden and Samuel be able to make the decisions  that will lead them down ...

The Story of Love  by Beth Wiseman We return to Montgomery Indiana in the An Amish Bookstore series, where we find Yvonne Wilson starting a new chapter in her life. Her dear friends have offered her a job at their little bookstore, a place where Yvonne can start to heal after the loss of her fiancé. Her return stirs up feelings for the handsome police officer Abraham Byler. Abraham is in the middle of a dilemma himself, he is dating the vibrant Brianna, but his heart belongs to another.  Beth Wiseman writes some very delightful reads, she weaves faith and family all into a beautiful story. If you love reading amish books this series is a must read.  I was provided a complimentary copy of this book the publisher and did not receive anything in return  for  my honest opinion of the book. The opinions expressed here are completely of my own are without any influence.

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 ...

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 sh...

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...

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?...

  Words of Comfort for Women by Carolyn Larsen This 90 day devotional brings us women words of comfort in a dark and busy world that seems to just overwhelm us each day. Each devotional is a brief read that can be included in with your daily bible reading. It deals with many different subjects that we women struggle with in our daily walk. It will remind you that you don't have to succumb to the loneliness, fear and anxiety around us. Gods presence is there in our lives during those troubling times we each face. I would recommend this devotional to all women of all walks of life. "I voluntarily reviewed a copy of this book provided by the publisher. A favorable review was not required, all views expressed are my own." 

                100 Ways to Love your Wife by Matt Jacobson This book is a companion to 100 Ways to Love your Husband, by Lisa Jacobson the wife of Matt Jacobson. It is a very simple read that gives you tips on loving your wife as a husband. Maybe you are preparing to enter into marriage or just looking for something to help you learn to love your wife better. This book is for you men!! I love that it is very simple and not a very long read. The 100 ways are going to be a blessing to wives and husbands all around. I would recommend this to men of all ages to read.         "I voluntarily reviewed a copy of this book provided by Revell. A favourable review was not required, all the views expressed are my own. "

More Than Words Can Say by Karen Witemeyer In the second book of the Patchwork Family series, by Karen Witemeyer; we follow Zacharias Hamilton to Honey Grove. It is here we meet the heroine Abigail  Kemp, who is fighting to save her family business from being closed by the town. Seeing no way out, she makes a decision  to marry the most eligible bachelor in Honey Grove. With a contract in hand she sets out to propose to Zacharias.  The bakery has been a favorite place for Zacharias to go get his favorite breakfast bun. It also was a treat for him to be served by the pretty baker that made them. But he has no plans toward settling  down anytime soon. When faced with the  dilemma, he makes the choice to accept Abigail's proposal to have a marriage of convenience. What they both did not count on was the attraction that starts to brew between them.  Something I love about this book is the heroine is a curvy girl, who feels no ...

Breach of Trust by Rachael Dylan In the third installment of the Atlanta Justice, we follow Corporate litigator Mia Shaw as she faces danger down. When she finds a fellow colleague and dear friend murdered in his apartment, she vows to do whatever she can to make the killer pay. The only thing is the suspect is a friend of the tech guru Noah Ramierez. To Noah all the evidence is not adding up for him, now it is up to him to convince Mia that his friend is innocent.  Mia is given the task of taking over her  friends case, she uncovers some deep dark hidden secrets. She realizes she may have stumbled upon some corporate espionage, but she does not realize how much danger she is in. Her only ally is Noah, his gut says that Mia is in more danger than she realizes. Now he has to get her to be willing to allow him to protect her from the danger that is coming. Rachael Dylan writes a thrilling legal storyline, it will keep you on your toes till t...

When Life doesn't Match Your Dreams by Jill Eileen Smith Life throws us every which way, with twists and turns on the road we are traveling. As young girls we dream of our future and we make plans of who we want to be when we grow up. But then we are faced with reality when things just fall apart in front of us. Our dreams are shattered like a glass that has fallen to the floor. Each of has faced choices that we may have never dreamed of growing up, choices that have changed our path in life. Yet thru all of the things in our life there has been one person there for us-God, he is always on our side.  As an author of several biblical novels, Jill Eileen Smith has brought us her insight from all her time researching  the women of the Old Testament. Some of the women we can learn from is Eve, the first mother; Noah's wife, Sarai, Rachel, Rebekah and many more. Each of these women have something from their lives that we can learn fr...

A Rebel Heart(Daughtry House series) Beth White In the new series by Beth White, we are introduced to the time period after the Civil War. A time when our country was still healing from the devastation that had been left behind.  She introduces the Daughtry sisters; three young women raised in the deep south that is trying to salvage what is left of their beloved home. The eldest sister Selah meets Levi, a northerner; who offers her a solution to their money struggle. Selah's family has been hurt by the Yankees, so she has to keep her guard up around this one. But she never thought she would ever fall in love with one.  This is the third book I have read that was written by Beth White and each time she has written a story that draws the reader in to it. This is what I love about her books, they touch the readers and we learn about the time period of struggles and healing.   I voluntarily reviewed a copy of this book provided by Revell. ...

The Hidden Side by Heidi Chiavaroli In her second novel Heidi carries on her split time  story line, the present and the past come together. She has a delightful way of telling a story that intrigues the readers into wanting to find out what happens at the end of the  book.  I truly loved getting to read this story that touches our hearts with history  and real life issues.  We meet Natalie Abbott in 2016 and Mercy Howard 1776, New York. Both women have been faced with a tragedy that has effected their lives in more ways than they could have ever imagined. Natalie, a mom of twins, a successful DJ and loving wife; Mercy a colonial girl living in the revolutionary time. One day when Natalie is searching for answers to her children's estrangement, she finds the journal of Mercy Howard. Unbeknownst to Natalie this journal is something she was going to need in the days to come.    Merc...

Habits of the Heart 5 Daily Exercises for Living like Jesus Do you have a deep longing inside you to live a life that is fully and deeply engaged in your faith? Do you feel like you are lacking in your prayer life? Is your heart aching to be closer to the one who died on the cross for you? Real change can only happen when we make a choice to train our heart into the habit of practising godliness. The most important thing the bible says we can do is to train our spirit and this book gives guidance on how to do this. This little book is more than a devotional, it is a way of taking yourself to a deeper level in your walk with Jesus. Each week has a focused exercise that helps you to change your habits or thoughts about your life and walk with the Lord. If one of your New Years resolutions is to deepen your spiritual walk this is the book for you.  I received a complimentary copy of this book from Tyndale Blogging and was under no obligation to...

Blind Spot  by Dani Pettrey Chesapeake Valor is back with the newest instalment Blind Spot, FBI agent Declan Grey and Tanner Shaw team up to chase down a threat. This is not what Tanner wants when she joins the FBI as a crisis counselor.  But when the best clue to the investigation leads Declan to an immigrant community. He realizes that Tanner may be more of a help than he realized. Her experience with her work for justice for the refugees and the displaced around the world has prepared her this job.  The more they uncover the deeper they get into danger, creating more tension between the two. Racing against time to save the city they love so dearly, will they be able to find who is causing the danger? Also, will Tanner and Declan realize that they have feelings for each other Dani Pettrey has written another spine-tingling mystery with a side of romance. She takes a storyline and weaves it into a book that grabs you and will not let you go. ...

Home All Along by Beth Wiseman In the third installment of the An Amish Secrets Novel, we find Charlotte struggling with choosing to commit to a relationship with Daniel. Her desire for a family and home is being threatened by painful memories and fears. Just when she thinks she has found the peace that she has been longing for, chaos is stirred up with the arrival of a long lost sister. Daniel's life is upset when a illness strikes a beloved member of his family and the arrival of a shunned aunt. This combination of an unexpected death, a prodigal relative's return and the grim medical diagnosis enter into the lives of this couple. Will their love for each other and their faith in God pull them thru this time of struggles.   Beth Wiseman is an amazing writer who writes a story that touches our hearts. While also giving the message of overcoming difficulties and struggles with the hope of God in our lives. This series tells a story of a young woman searching for...

Freedom's Ring by Heidi Chiavaroli This book was one of the best books that I have ever read, it grabbed my attention from the first page. It is written in two very different time periods that at the same time connect thru the struggles that face each of the female characters. We meet Annie David in 2015 and Liberty Caldwell in 1770, both living in Boston in two different time periods.  Still dealing with the aftermath of the Boston Masscare, Anne is struggling to find healing in her life. The guilt that weighs her down, over the injuries that her niece has suffered with from the bombing. When she learns the identity of the person who rescued her during the bombing, her life is turned upside down. She starts searching for the history of the original owner of the ring that has been in her possession since her accident. When Liberty is rescued by a very unlikely rescuer, her life takes a different turn. Under the protection of a British Lieutenant, she finds herself...