Home on the Range

Book Title: Home on the Range
Author: Ruth Logan Herne
Genres: Romance, Christian Fiction, Family, Fiction,
Series: Double S Ranch #2
Publisher: Multnomah
Publish Date: 2016-10-18 (320 Pages, Paperback)
Disclaimer: I received this book from Blogging for an honest review.
Description: A cowboy romance with a heart of gold, in Home on the Range author Ruth Logan Herne returns readers to the Double S Ranch where God and family are first, but love is certain to follow the Stafford menfolk. Nick made all the wrong choices for all the wrong reasons. His father had failed at marriage and fatherhood. Nick was determined to show him up. He'd be a better husband, better father and a better ranch manager than Sam Stafford ever hoped to be. But Nick's wife Whitney hated the ranch and she walked out on Nick and their two beautiful daughters three years ago. For a long time Nick pretended everything was fine and when his stubborn nature is finally challenged by trouble with his young girls, he's faced with the changes he should have made long ago. Psychologist Dr. Elsa Andreas had a thriving family therapy practice, a school commission, a good life, but tragedy pushes Elsa to walk away from her life. Three years later, she's tucked herself in the backwoods of Gray's Glen. When her sister encourages her to help Nick Stafford's daughters, Elsa takes a chance. But Nick's ex-wife comes back to town, threatening the girls' newfound stability. Can Nick find the forgiveness and Else the courage to build their own "Home on the Range"?

Home on the Range was a nice change for me to read. It had little romance. It did it through family then set it all on romance like normal romance books. Ruth Logan Herne doe a wonderfully good job with her book.

This book is based on a single father raising his two daughters. Will he better than his father Sam Stafford. Nick wants to outdo his father and learn it hard to do. Being there for his girls is more important than it is being a ranch hand or owner.

Nick got to deal with this oldest daughter anger and to do that he goes to start therapy to help his daughter. He learns a lesson as well as help out a woman named Elsa as well. There seems to be secrets and twist and turns that ever page turned from binging to end. There seems to be forgiven and courage throughout the book. Will they get what needed or will it all fall apart?

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Saffire

Book Title: Saffire
Author: Sigmund Brouwer
Genres: Historical Fiction, 1909, Panama Canal, romance, historical, Christian Fiction, mystery
Publisher: WaterBrook
Publish Date: August 16th, 2016 (336 Pages, Paperback)
Disclaimer: I received this book from Bloggingforbooks free for an honest review
Description: For President Teddy Roosevelt, controlling the east-west passage between two oceans mattered so much that he orchestrated a revolution to control it. His command was to "let the dirt fly," and for years, the American Zone of the Panama Canal mesmerized the world, working in uneasy co-existence with the Panamanian aristocrats.

It's in this buffered Zone where, in 1909, James Holt takes that first step to protect a defenseless girl named Saffire, expecting a short and simple search for her mother. Instead it draws him away from safety, into a land haunted by a history of pirates, gold runners, and plantation owners, all leaving behind ghosts of their interwoven desires, sins, and ambitions, ghosts that create the web of deceit and intrigue of a new generation of revolutionary politics. It will also bring him together with a woman who will change his course or bring an end to it.

A love story set within a historical mystery, Saffire brings to vibrant life the most impressive--and embattled--engineering achievement of the twentieth-century

Saffire is a really fun and mysterious book. There the main character is brought to Panama Canal to do something and to have chat with General. You get a good history about the time period. You also get a romance and action packed.

What will happen to Holt? There are some historical characters in the book. Sigmund does a wonderful job of tells the facts about 1909. The year may by a bit off but the facts stated are true. You will find that at the end of the book.

If you enjoy historical fiction, you will enjoy this book. It tells of the building of the Panama Canal. I like that fell. It also gives a little mystery along with action in the book.

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Book Review: Amish Christmas at North Star

Book Title: Amish Christmas at North Star: Four Stories of Love and Family
Author: Cindy Woodsmall, Amanda Flower
Publisher: WaterBrook Press
Publish Date: 2015-10-20 (400 Pages, Paperback)
Genres: Christian Fiction, Amish, Christmas
Disclaimer: I received this book from Blogging for Books free for an honest review
Description: One night four lives entered the world by the hands of an Amish midwife, just outside North Star, Pennsylvania.

Rebekah’s babies, as they are called, are now grown adults and in four heartwarming novellas each young person experiences a journey of discovery, love, and the wonder of Christmas.

Guiding Star by Katie Ganshert
Curiosity gets the best of Englisher Chase Wellington when he investigates the twenty-five-year-old disappearance of an Amish baby. When he finds adventurous Elle McAllister in Iowa will his discoveries upend her world?

Mourning Star by Amanda Flower
Eden Hochstetler slips from her parents’ fudge shop to investigate the death of her friend Isaac Yoder. Who is guilty? Isaac’s handsome great nephew Jacob, an angry Englisher, or someone else?

In the Stars by Cindy Woodsmall
Kore Detweiler has nursed his broken heart, avoiding North Star after Savilla Beiler suddenly rejected his love. But when he is called to return home, he and Savilla must join forces to keep a family together.

Star of Grace by Mindy Starns Clark and Emily Clark
Andy Danner left North Star to work in construction in a new Amish settlement in Louisiana. His little brother devises a scheme to bring Andy home for Christmas, and unwittingly unleashes the power of forgiveness in an old widower’s life.

You get to hear about all four babies that were born near Christmas. Rebecca is an Amish midwife. In Guiding Star it about a 25-year old disappearing from an Amish baby. Will there be love for Elle McAllister? We get a quite a nice way to see what her life is like after being born on that snowy night with three other babies.

Morning Star is about a girl named Eden Hochstetler. She wants to investigate her friends Isaac death. It has got her thinking about who could have done it and hurt Isaac. She meets his great nephew Jesse. Who is guilty? Does she start to fall for Jesse? Who in their community is the one to hurt Isaac and want him killed.

What happens in the Stars”, is about a family that wants to stay together. Will Kole, and Savilla be able to do that and still find love for themselves, What can make to lives back together other than a trouble of children. One that are expecting to get another member adopted and brought home. Kole and Savilla you can find out more about them.

Andy is schemed to brought back home. His little brother tries to fetch him home and this is a story of Grace. I really do enjoy the family and time together. Will Andy find love while he comes home and is forgiven?

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When Love Returns by Kim Vogel Sawyer

Book Title: When Love Returns
Author: Kim Vogel Sawyer
Publisher: Waterbrook Press
Published Date: 9/22/2015 (352 Pages, Paperback)
Genre: Christian Fiction, Amish Fiction, Fiction
Series: The Zimmerman Restoration #3
Disclaimer: I received this book free from Blogging for Books for an honest review
Description: It wasn’t easy to move back to the Old Order Mennonite community from which quiet, responsible Suzanne Zimmerman was shamefully sent away as a pregnant teen. Returning twenty years later to take care of her mother, Suzanne and Alexa—the daughter she raised as her own—have spent months rebuilding relationships with her family.

Now with the upcoming wedding of their biological daughter, Suzanne and Paul find themselves drawn to one another once again—but with new challenges to face. They have been single parents with painful pasts. Can Paul and Suzanne find the strength to rebuild the loving relationship that was torn apart by their teen pregnancy so long ago?

Suzanne must also let go of Alexa as she heads back to Indianapolis to visit friends--and as her chance to find her birth parents. Leaving the bed-and-breakfast in Suzanne’s apprehensive hands, Alexa embarks on a journey that will certainly change her life completely. Can mother and daughter trust God to restore all things in His timing?

Kim Sawyer is one talented author. If you have not read one of her books you should. Her series "The Zimmerman Restoration" has a wonderful ending. You can check out my reviews to "When Mercy Rains" and "When Grace Sings".

Well, "When Love Returns" starts out a little tension with Suzanne and Alexa. They are celebrating Christmas with all the family. Alexa wants to find her birth mother. When Alexa tells her mom Suzanne. Suzanne is a little unsure and startled by her daughter. Suzanne learns that she will be with Anna Grace for two months. It starts with the unsealing all reasons and the secret that only started it all.

Throughout the book, Suzanne Turns to Paul to talk about Anna Grace and Alexa. What will happen with Suzanne and Paul? I believe it will come full circle. Paul starts wanting to talk to Suzanne and talk about his son Danny. Will the members of the fellowship allow Suzanne back in? To find out all these answers and Alexa answers to her questions, you will need to read "When Love Returns'?

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The Wood's Edge

Book Title: The Wood's Edge

Author: Lori Benton
Publisher: WaterBrook Press
Publish Date: 4/21/15 (400 Pages, Paperback)
Series: The Pathfinders
Genre: Cultural, Historical Fiction, Romance, Christian, Inspirational, Christian Fiction, Christian Romance, Fiction, Historical
Disclaimer: I received this book from Blogging for Books for an honesty review
Description: At the wood’s edge cultures collide. Can two families survive the impact?   The 1757 New York frontier is home to the Oneida tribe and to British colonists, yet their feet rarely walk the same paths.   On the day Fort William Henry falls, Major Reginald Aubrey is beside himself with grief. His son, born that day, has died in the arms of his sleeping wife. When Reginald comes across an Oneida mother with newborn twins, one white, one brown, he makes a choice that will haunt the lives of all involved. He steals the white baby and leaves his own child behind. Reginald’s wife and foundling daughter, Anna, never suspect the truth about the boy they call William, but Reginald is wracked by regret that only intensifies with time, as his secret spreads its devastating ripples.   When the long buried truth comes to light, can an unlikely friendship forged at the wood’s edge provide a way forward? For a father tormented by fear of judgment, another by lust for vengeance. For a mother still grieving her lost child. For a brother who feels his twin’s absence, another unaware of his twin’s existence. And for Anna, who loves them both—Two Hawks, the mysterious Oneida boy she meets in secret, and William, her brother. As paths long divided collide, how will God direct the feet of those who follow Him?

This is a story about a British soldier and an Indian woman. We learn a bit of history while during the book. I enjoyed how life was after Fort William went down.

It about a forgiving of what happen to an Indian woman who has twins and one is taken. One twin is white while the other is brown. So a soldier takes the white baby. He seems to not want to upset his wife and tell her baby had died.

Anna makes a friendship with Two hawks when her brother goes to college in Wales.  What will happen to Anna when she finds out the truth about her. What will happen when her brother William finds out. What will happen when William finds out.

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Where Mercy Rains by Kim Vogel Sawyer

Book Title: Where Mercy Rains
Author: Kim Vogel Sawyer
Series: The Zimmerman Restoration Trilogy #1
Genres: Christian Fiction, Amish, Contemporary, Romance, Fiction, Series
Publisher: WaterBrook Press (352 Pages, Paperback)
Published: October 7, 2014
Disclaimer: I received this book from Blogging for books for free for an honesty review.
Buy the Book: /
Description: She left, heavily weighted with secrets.
But God reveals all things, in His timing.
And He redeems them.
Suzanne Zimmerman was only seventeen and pregnant when her shamed mother quietly sent her away from their Old Order Mennonite community in Kansas. With her old home, family, and first love firmly behind her, Suzanne moved to Indiana, became a nurse, and raised a daughter, Alexa, on her own.
Now, nearly twenty years later, an unexpected letter arrives from Kansas. Her brother asks her to bring her nursing abilities home and care for their ailing mother. His request requires that Suzanne face a family that may not have forgiven her and a strict faith community. It also means seeing Paul Aldrich, her first love.
Paul, widowed with an eight-year-old son, is relieved to see Suzanne again, giving him the chance to beg her forgiveness for his past indiscretion. But when he meets Alexa, his guilt flickers in the glare of Suzanne's prolonged secret--one that changes everything.
Suzanne had let go of any expectation for forgiveness long ago. Does she dare hope in mercy-and how will her uncovered past affect the people she loves the most?

What finish to his book. It quite a story. It a little heartfelt story. It a story about a mother and daughter. Suzanne is force to do something for years. Suzanne has secrets of her own. She was asked to come back home to care for her mother. What happen between her and her daughter.

Paul sees Suzanne again. He meets Alexa and starts to feel his guilt. Will there be a forgiveness for them all? Suzanne has one thing to tell Paul about a secert that happens 20 years earlier. While things are a bit strange when she first arrives. She does not know if her mother wants her there or her siblings.

There are some things going on between Abigail and her children. She also meets her granddaughter she never knew about. There are twist and turns. Will there be healing for them all? Is there really what could heal the hurts. Will Paul and Suzanne talk about what happen between and why she left the community?

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Where Treetops Glisten

Book Title: Where Treetops Glisten
Authors: Tricia Goyer, Cara Putman, and Sarah Sundin
Genres: Christian Fiction, Fiction, WW2, Historical Fiction, Christmas, Holiday, Fiction, 1929-1945 Depression and WWII, Family, Romance
Publish Date: September 16, 2014 (Paperback, 368 pages)
Publisher:  WaterBrook Press
Disclaimer: I received his book from "Waterbrook Press" for an Honesty Review
Description: The crunch of newly fallen snow, the weight of wartime
Three siblings forging new paths and finding love in three stories, filled with the wonder of Christmas

Turn back the clock to a different time, listen to Bing Crosby sing of sleigh bells in the snow, as the realities of America’s involvement in the Second World War change the lives of the Turner family in Lafayette, Indiana.

In White Christmas by Cara Putman, Abigail Turner is holding down the Home Front as a college student and a part-time employee at a one-of-a-kind candy shop. Loss of a beau to the war has Abigail skittish about romantic entanglements—until a hard-working young man with a serious problem needs her help.

Abigail’s brother Pete is a fighter pilot hero returned from the European Theatre in Sarah Sundin’s I’ll Be Home for Christmas, trying to recapture the hope and peace his time at war has eroded. But when he encounters a precocious little girl in need of Pete’s friendship, can he convince her widowed mother that he’s no longer the bully she once knew?

In Tricia Goyer’s Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas, Meredith Turner, “Merry” to those who know her best, is using her skills as a combat nurse on the frontline in the Netherlands. Halfway around the world from home, Merry never expects to face her deepest betrayal head on, but that’s precisely what God has in mind to redeem her broken heart.

The Turner family believes in God’s providence during such a tumultuous time. Can they absorb the miracle of Christ’s birth and God’s plan for a future?

In White Christmas, It a story about Abigail Turner who is a college student during War World 2. She has a part time job at a Candy Shop. She loss her boyfriend due to the war. Those when she waiting for the bus after class, she almost get run over by her bus and a young man saves her before things get worse.

A young man get on the bus with her and he decides to sit next to her. He reads a letter he received. He does not know what do about the letter. Abigail offers to help him by saying he should stop by her place to talk to her father.  As keeps going it get better and better. There a mystery in the story. There are twist and turns though out the book.

In I’ll Be Home for Christmas, is a story about Pete Turner, Abigail's brother. He is home from the war for a month or so. He run into a little girl that was looking into the window and praying. He takes her home and runs into her widow mother.

Will Pete be able to redeem himself and help the little girl? The little girl thinks she found her new daddy. Will it all out you will have to read to find out. Abigail and her boyfriend Jackson discussion their wedding plans.  You see Abigail and Jackson get married during this story as well.  You meet Merry during this story as well for a bit of time. There a more twist and turns though this story as well.

In Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas, We learn about Merry life. We see her working in the Army as well. She is an Army nurse and is working in Europe. She and her friends are trying to help wounded soldiers from the front line.

Merry boyfriend had run away at the beginning the is doing his duty by trying to save children. Merry does not know he is near by. Soon she see him for the first time in a long time. Though he is hiding out, Will things work out for Merry? You will need to read to find out.

Thief of Glory

Book Title: Thief of Glory
Author: Sigmund Brouwer
Genres: Fiction, Historical Fiction, Christian Fiction, History, WWII
Disclaimer: I received free copy of the book for any honesty review
Description: A boy coming of age in a time of war… the love that inspires him to survive. For ten year-old Jeremiah Prins, the life of privilege as the son of a school headmaster in the Dutch East Indies comes crashing to a halt in 1942 after the Japanese Imperialist invasion of the Southeast Pacific. Jeremiah takes on the responsibility of caring for his younger siblings when his father and older stepbrothers are separated from the rest of the family, and he is surprised by what life in the camp reveals about a woman he barely knows—his frail, troubled mother. Amidst starvation, brutality, sacrifice and generosity, Jeremiah draws on all of his courage and cunning to fill in the gap for his mother. Life in the camps is made more tolerable as Jeremiah’s boyhood infatuation with his close friend Laura deepens into a friendship from which they both draw strength. When the darkest sides of humanity threaten to overwhelm Jeremiah and Laura, they reach for God’s light and grace, shining through his people. Time and war will test their fortitude and the only thing that will bring them safely to the other side is the most enduring bond of all.

My Thought: This a story about a young boy. He thinks his family is good. When the Japanese come and take over by putting all the mother and children in a camp. Jeremiah is the one who need to watch over his siblings and mother. His older stepbrothers and his father are hauled away to work for the Japanese. This all starts shortly after his tenth birthday. It also when he see his love for the first time at a marble game. He also meets Charles (American).

Jeremiah see what goes on and want to help Dutch out at the camp. He has his adventures. Though things start to happen with his mother. He find out the truth of what his other was doing to each of his siblings. Jeremiah does something and his little brother. Things happen and Jeremiah and Laura start a friendship of hardships and many other things. To know what all went on in Jeremiah life you will need to pick this book up to read.

Bittersweet

Book Title: Bittersweet

Author: Miranda Beverly-Whittemore
Author Info: More Info / Author Bio
Publisher: Crown Publishing
Publish date: May 13, 2014
Disclaimer: “I received this book for free from Blogging for Books for this review.”
Genres: Adult Fiction, Mystery, Thriller, Gothic, Woman Fiction,

Description: On scholarship at a prestigious East Coast college, ordinary Mabel Dagmar is surprised to befriend her roommate, the beautiful, wild, blue-blooded Genevra Winslow. Ev invites Mabel to spend the summer at Bittersweet, her cottage on the Vermont estate where her family has been holding court for more than a century; it’s the kind of place where children twirl sparklers across the lawn during cocktail hour. Mabel falls in love with midnight skinny-dipping, the wet dog smell that lingers near the yachts, and the moneyed laughter that carries across the still lake while fireworks burst overhead. Before she knows it, she has everything she’s ever wanted: friendship, a boyfriend, access to wealth, and, most of all, for the first time in her life, the sense that she belongs.

But as Mabel becomes an insider, a terrible discovery leads to shocking violence and reveals what the Winslows may have done to keep their power intact – and what they might do to anyone who threatens them. Mabel must choose: either expose the ugliness surrounding her and face expulsion from paradise, or keep the family’s dark secrets and make Ev’s world her own.


My Thoughts: If you are looking for a mystery and secrets, you have come to the right place for you get a lots of that and history about the place. Though this book It start out in college and it really get more and to where you want to find out more. The family clan Winslows. There a all kind to find out.


Things you will find out about Mabel Dagmar. Mabel want to be friends with her roommate and be a part of her. She find so family secrets that snows about and some Murders to go along with. You will not want to put this book down for you will find that their two boys that are part of the clan and when they do. you either be surprise or shocked or even just wanted to know more, There is just so many things and if you like to head summers or history in cottages and for you may want to read it. I though the author had me guessing wanting to read more and I was stuck with this book in hand for a whole day reading it and I really did not want to put it down.

A Table by the Window: A Novel of Family Secrets and Heirloom Recipes

Book Title: A Table by the Window: A Novel of Family Secrets and Heirloom Recipes
Author: Hillary Manton Lodge
Publisher: WaterBrook Press
Pub Date: March 18, 2014
Series: A Table by the Window #1
Genres: Christian, Romance
All about the author:

• Author’s Website
• Pinterest
• More Info
• Read Chapter One
• Author Bio

Disclaimer: I received this book from Book for bloggers for free and for a honesty Review
Description: The youngest heir to a French-Italian restaurant dynasty, food writer Juliette D’Alisa has spent her life negotiating her skill with words and her restaurant aspirations. When her brother Nico offers her a chance to open a restaurant together, she feels torn—does she really have what it takes? Should she risk leaving her journalism career?
After the death of her grandmother, Juliette discovers an antique photograph of a man who looks strikingly like her brother. As the truth behind the picture reveals romance and dark secrets, Juliette struggles to keep the mystery away from her nosy family until she can uncover the whole story.
Inspired by her grandmother’s evolving story, Juliette resolves to explore the world of online dating. To her surprise, she finds a kindred spirit in Neil McLaren, a handsome immunologist based in Memphis, Tennessee. With a long-distance relationship simmering, Juliette faces life-shifting decisions. How can she possibly choose between a promising culinary life and Neil, a man a world away in more ways than one? And is it possible her Grandmother’s story can help show the way?
My Thoughts:
I never thought I would like a series like this one. It was new to me and I did enjoy it. You get something that no other book does or often. You get recipes at the end of each chapter. I want to finish out this series when the books come out. I hope it soon. If you like recipes this book may be for you. None the less I hope you can decide for yourself. I hope you enjoy reading it. I hope you have a good experience with it but if not it okay. I really had a hard time putting it down. My other this is I had a little bit of a hard time reading it. It had nothing to do with the author or her writing. It had something to do with me myself and understanding the concept.
Reviews: Goodreads/ Shefari/ Barnes & Noble

A Life Apart

Book Title: A Life Apart
Authors:  L.Y. Marlow
Publisher: Broadway Books
Pub Date: April 22, 2014
Disclaimer: "I received this book for free from Blogging for Books for this review."
Genres: Historical Fiction, Romance, Pearl Harbor, Civil Rights, WWII,
Description: From the author of Color Me Butterfly, the poignant story of a decades-long interracial love affair between a white sailor and the sister of the black sailor who saved his life at Pearl Harbor.
When Morris Sullivan joins the navy in 1940, his hopes are high. Though he leaves behind his new wife and their baby daughter, he is thrilled to be pursuing his lifelong dream-only to be shipped off to Pearl Harbor when the war begins. When he narrowly survives the 1941 attack, thanks to the courage of a black sailor he doesn't know, Morris is determined to seek out the man's family and express his gratitude and respect. On leave, he tracks down the man's sister, and finds an immediate, undeniable connection with the nurturing yet fiercely independent Beatrice, who has left the stifling South of her upbringing for the more liberal, integrated north.

Though both try to deny their growing bond, their connection and understanding is everything missing from Morris's hasty marriage to his high school sweetheart Agnes, and from Beatrice's plodding life as she grieves the brother she has lost. At once a family epic, and a historical drama that takes readers from World War II through the Civil Rights Movement to the present day, A Life Apart is about a love that creates complicated and unbreakable ties between two families that live worlds apart. L.Y. Marlow brings readers along for the emotional journey as Morris and Beatrice's relationship is tested by time, family loyalties, racial tensions, death, unending guilt, and the profound effects of war.

My Thoughts:
I enjoy this era a bit. I was keep interest in WWII. I also like the way this book went about differently and how thing got complicated between the father and mother of the book. I also like how a romance happened between a white solider and a black solider sister. You learn about some of the things going on Civil Rights. You see it though his daughters, there mothers. It really is a good book.

My Reviews: Goodreads/Shelfari/LibraryThing/Barnes and Noble

Review: Seasons of Tomorrow

Book Title: Seasons of Tomorrow
Author: Cindy Woodsmall
Publisher: WaterBrook Press
Pub Date: April 15, 2014
Declaimer: "I received this book for free from Blogging for Books for this review."
Series: Amish Vines and Orchards #4
Genres: Amish, Amish Fiction, Fiction, Christian, Christian Fiction,
Synopsis: As love restores Rhoda, a sudden tragedy is the test of faith she never saw coming... 
More settled in her heart than ever before, Rhoda Byler feels a newfound confidence living in the Old Order Amish settlement she helped establish in Orchard Bend, Maine. Though it has been almost a year since one brother left, Rhoda is happy to be working alongside the other brother as they tend and nurture the settlement's orchard. Time has helped to heal Rhoda's wounds, and she finds that even her unusual gift of profound intuition is less of a burden as she continues to seek God's wisdom and purpose for her life. 
But when an Englischer friend's grandchild is taken deeper into hiding from her grandmother, can Rhoda's gift make a difference or will it simply be a catalyst to another season of doubt and misunderstanding? As she resolves to stay on course, suddenly a shocking tragedy challenges the young settlement like never before, threatening to uproot Rhoda's peace and the future of everything she holds dear.

Reviews: Goodreads, Shelfari, Librarything, Barnes and Noble, 

My Thoughts:
Rhoda has started feeling settle in Maine. She starts to follow her god talent and tries to help an englisher with finding her grandchild. Soon a family tragedy happens and things start unravel a bit in Maine. Will the new settlement stay and be able to establish. Samuel dat come to make a demand about his daughter Leah. What will happen to all though who are making it a go in Orchard Bend, Maine. You may like how it ends up and see all the battles the new settlement need to overcome?

My Reviews:

Review: The Quilted Heart

Book Title: The Quilted Heart
Author: Mona Hodgson
Publisher: WaterBrook Press
Pub Date: January 21, 2014
Genres: Historical Fiction, Fiction, Civil War, Series
Series: Quilted Hearts
Declaimer: I received this book for free from WaterBrook Press. I did it for an honesty review. They have not told me what to write or what way to do it.

Description: Like a beautiful patchwork quilt, the three novellas in The Quilted Heart tell stories of lives stitched together with love and God’s unending grace.

Once a week, Elsa Brantenberg hosts the Saint Charles Quilting Circle at her farmhouse on the outskirts of the riverside town of St. Charles, Missouri. The ladies who gather there have all experienced heartache related to the intense hardships of the Civil War, and together, they are facing their painful circumstances with friendship and prayer. Can the tattered pieces of their hearts be stitched together by God’s grace?

Dandelions on the Wind
When Maren Jensen took a job on Elsa Brantenberg’s St. Charles, Missouri farm, she never expected to call the place her home. As she grows to love Mrs. Brantenberg and her granddaughter, Gabi, Maren is transformed from a lonely mail-order bride-without-a-groom to a beloved member of the Brantenberg household. But when Gabi’s father, Rutherford “Wooly” Wainwright, returns to the farm unexpectedly, everything changes for Maren, and she feels compelled to find another job. Are her choices in obedience to God, or is she running from His plan?

Bending Toward the Sun
Dedicated to her education and to helping her father in his general store, Emilie Heinrich is convinced she doesn't have time for love. But when a childhood friend returns to St. Charles, Missouri, after serving in the Civil War, his smile and charm captures Emilie’s eye and her heart. Will she be forced to choose between honoring her father and a future with a husband and family of her own?

Ripples Along the Shore
Change is brewing in St. Charles. A group of brave souls are preparing to head west on the Boone's Lick Wagon Train, led by the mysterious and handsome Garrett Cowlishaw, who served as a Confederate soldier in the war that killed Caroline’s husband. Despite her dislike for him, Caroline is tempted to join the wagon train and start fresh somewhere new, but when Mr. Cowlishaw forbids her—a single woman—to travel with them, will one man’s prejudice destroy Caroline’s hope for a new future? Or will the ripples of God’s love bring the answer she needs?

Thoughts: I just loves series. I have already review the first book to this series. I really like learning about Civil War era. I do not know what bring it out or if it the writing. I just enjoy the story behind it. You can learn so much. Why it just a wonderful thing to see the bonds of friendship and what all can bring people together. The stories are all different but it all great to read. To me it just makes me wonder and these stories also take me back in that time era. What life might have been if I was born in that era.

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Review: My Hope is Found

Book Title: My Hope is Found
Author: Joanne Bischof
Publisher: Multnomah Books
Pub Date: October 15, 2013
Genres: Christian Fiction, Fiction, Series, Romance
Book Resource: Received it from Waterbook for a free honesty Review
Series: The Cadence of Grace #3
Synopsis: Gideon O’Riley has been given another chance at a life with Lonnie. But will the fight for her heart risk it all over again?

After finally finding love with his sweet bride Lonnie, Gideon’s heart was torn when a woman from his past claimed to be his true and rightful wife, forcing him away from his family. God’s merciful hand saw Gideon through the heartache, and with Cassie’s blessing, he is able to return home. But his journey back through the Blue Ridge Mountains will hold a trial he never anticipated.

Meanwhile, Lonnie determines to seal off her heart from Gideon, convinced he is lost to her forever. Strengthening her resolve to move on is her growing fondness for the handsome Scotsman, Toby McKee—the young reverend she has come to care for deeply. His proposal of marriage offers a bright future for her and her young son.

Yearning to allow joy back into her life, Lonnie must put aside the broken pieces of her heart that still love Gideon. When he returns to find her betrothed to another, he has to place his hope in God, trusting that the One who redeemed their love once can do it again.
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My Thoughts:
I thought this book was in the middle. I liked it. I think I would understand it a little bit more if I read the second book before this one. I think it would make sense a bit more. It still good with out reading the second book in this series. I will let you decide for yourselves.

The book focus on Gideon and find the faith. Lonnie need to learn to deal with her own problems as does Gideon. You also see a friendship and others in on it. I do not want to give anything away so I will leave it here.

My Rating:

Review: Wishing on Willows

Book Title: Wishing on Willows
Author: Katie Ganshert
Genres: Christian Fiction, Romance
Publisher: WaterBrook Press
Pub: March 19th 2013 (320 Pages, Paperbook)
Book Source: I review this for Honesty Review from BookLook Blogger (E-book)

Synopsis:
A three-year old son, a struggling café, and fading memories are all Robin Price has left of her late husband. As the proud owner of Willow Tree Café in small town Peaks, Iowa, she pours her heart into every muffin she bakes and espresso she pulls, thankful for the sense of purpose and community the work provides.

So when developer Ian McKay shows up in Peaks with plans to build condos where her café and a vital town ministry are located, she isn’t about to let go without a fight.

As stubborn as he is handsome, Ian won’t give up easily. His family’s business depends on his success in Peaks. But as Ian pushes to seal the deal, he wonders if he has met his match. Robin’s gracious spirit threatens to undo his resolve, especially when he discovers the beautiful widow harbors a grief that resonates with his own.

With polarized opinions forming all over town, business becomes unavoidably personal and Robin and Ian must decide whether to cling to the familiar or surrender their plans to the God of Second Chances.
My Thoughts:
This is the second book that I think is in a series but what series I do not know. I love this book as much as the first one. It more about Cafe and Cafe Owner. Sorry  I can not remember her name or her son at the moment. It been a while since I read it. Though it was this year and only a couple of months ago. I will let you decide for yourself if you download the e-book or buy the paperback.

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Review: Dandelions on the Wind

Book Title: Dandelions on the Wind
Author: Mona Hodgson
Publisher: WaterBrook Press
Pub Date: February 19, 2013
Genre: Christian Fiction, Christian Historical Fiction, Historical Fiction
Series: Quilted Hearts #1
Book Source: E-book, Honesty Review for Blogging for Books

Synopsis:
When Maren Jensen took a job on Elsa Brantenberg’s St. Charles, Missouri farm, she never expected to call the place her home. As she grows to love Mrs. Brantenberg and her granddaughter, Gabi, Maren is transformed from a lonely mail-order bride-without-a-groom to a beloved member of the Brantenberg household.

But when Gabi’s father, Rutherford “Wooly” Wainwright, returns to the farm unexpectedly, everything changes for Maren. Despite the failing eyesight that caused her suitor to reject her, she can see that Wooly desperately needs to reconnect with the family he abandoned when his grief sent him running toward the army—and into the Civil War. She also senses there could be something more between the widower and herself, if either can move beyond their past hurts.

Comforted and counseled by the wisdom of the women in her beloved quilting circle, Maren begins to discover the cost such decisions demand of her heart. Are her choices in obedience to God, or is she running from His plan? Is it too late for love to be stitched into the fabric of her life?
My Thoughts:

Maren is helping a widow raise her granddaughter after a war. But soon something unexpected happens. Wooly come back and wants to raise his daughter. His grandmother has a hard time welcoming her son in law back from the war.

Did the war break a family or did the loss to almost everything also destroy the family. Wooly come back he want to see his daughter and help around the farm. He has his regrets as well as Maren. Can both get over past hurts or will their be no second chance at love.


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Review: A Widow of Saunders Creek

Book Title: A Widow of Saunders Creek
Author: Tracey Bateman
Genres: Romance, Christian, Fantasy, Supernatural, Paranormal, Mystery, Christian Fiction Pub Date: May 8, 2012 (320 Pages, Paperback)
Publisher: WaterBrook Press
Book Source: Received for an Honesty Review
About Author: Website/ Bio/

Synopsis:
A grief that knows no boundary.
A love without any limit.
A need that doesn’t end at death.

Corrie Saunders grew up in a life of privilege. But she gave it all up for Jarrod, her Army husband, a man she knew was a hero when she vowed to spend her life with him. She just didn’t expect her hero to sacrifice his life taking on an Iraqi suicide bomber.

Six months after Jarrod’s death, Corrie retreats to the family home her husband inherited deep in the Missouri Ozarks. She doesn’t know how to live without Jarrod—she doesn’t want to. By moving to Saunders Creek and living in a house beloved by him, she hopes that somehow her Jarrod will come back to her.

Something about the house suggests maybe he has. Corrie begins to wonder if she can feel Jarrod’s presence.

Jarrod’s cousin Eli is helping Corrie with the house’s restoration and he knows that his dead cousin is not what Corrie senses. Eli, as a believing man and at odds with his mystically-oriented family members, thinks friendly visits from beyond are hogwash. But he takes spirits with dark intentions seriously. Can he convince Corrie that letting go of Jarrod will lead to finding her footing again— and to the One she can truly put her faith into?

My Thoughts:
Corrie is so hurt and wounded over her husband death. She doe not know now why she loss her husband. She spend her time at the Saunders Creek and she doe find a love but with who. Do she learn that their thing there but a demon that she need to get rid of.

Eli is there for some help on the house. Though he has feeling for Corrie. Doe he get his wish or not. You will need to read it to find out and make a decision for yourself.

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Note: "I received this book for free from WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group for this review."

Review: The Girl in the Glass

Book Title: The Girl in the Glass
Author: Susan Meissner 
Publisher: WaterBrook Press
Pub Date: September 18, 2012 (352 pages, Paperback)
Genres: Historical Fiction, Christian Fiction, Romance, Adult Fiction, Cultural, Italy
Book Source: Got for an Honesty Review though Blogging for Books
About the Author: Website/ Bio

Synopsis:
Renaissance is a word with hope infused in every letter.

Since she was a child, Meg has dreamed of taking a promised trip to Florence, Italy, and being able to finally step into the place captured in a picture at her grandmother’s house. But after her grandmother passes away and it falls to her less-than-reliable father to take her instead, Meg’s long-anticipated travel plans seem permanently on hold.

When her dad finally tells Meg to book the trip, she prays that the experience will heal the fissures left on her life by her parents’ divorce. But when Meg arrives in Florence, her father is nowhere to be found, leaving aspiring memoir-writer Sophia Borelli to introduce Meg to the rich beauty of the ancient city. Sofia claims to be one of the last surviving members of the Medici family and that a long-ago Medici princess, Nora Orsini, communicates with her from within the great masterpieces of the Italian Renaissance.

When Sophia, Meg, and Nora’s stories intersect, their lives will be indelibly changed as they each answer the question: What if renaissanceisn’t just a word? What if that’s what happens when you dare to believe that what is isn’t what has to be?
My Thoughts:
This is something I have not read before. It was something interesting. It has a few thing and it a bit confusing in the beginning but there are some surprises in the book. You hear to different thing one under the name Nora, and Meg story along with another person. This one got me a bit fun but it keep my attention to a point I did not want to put it down.

This book also talk about a place in Italy. These places are something to learn from along with a surprise for you to find out about someone in the book as well.

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Note: "I received this book for free from WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group for this review."

Review: A Kingsbury Collection

Book Title: A Kingsbury Collection
Author: Karen Kingsbury
Genres: Christian Fiction, Fiction,
Publisher: Multnomah Books
Pub Date: October 2, 2012
Book Source: Received for Honesty Review
About the Author: Website/ Goodreads/ Bio/

Synopsis:
Where Yesterday Lives:
Ellen Barrett is a Pulitzer prize-winning journalist with an uncertain marriage, a forgotten faith, and haunting memories of her picturesque hometown and the love she left behind. The eldest of five siblings, she longs for the time, long ago, when they were a happy family. Now Ellen’s beloved father is dead, and she returns to her childhood home to make peace–with the people who still live there, with the losses and changes that time has wrought, and with the future God has set before her.

When Joy Came to Stay:
Maggie Stovall is one of the golden people. She has it all together...at least on the surface. Ben Stovall is a godly husband and successful attorney. He has no idea of the darkness about to overtake his life. Amanda Joy is a child of society–abused, broken, thrown away. But her trust in God is still alive. When Joy Came to Stay is the heart-wrenching story of one woman’s descent into the shadows of depression, her husband’s search for understanding, and a precious child’s unwavering faith.

On Every Side:
Faith Evans is an up-and-coming newscaster, a woman of honor and integrity who must take a stand against the one man she never imagined would be her enemy. A beloved, hundred-year-old statue of Jesus stands in a small-town park–but some say it’s a clear violation of separation of church and state that must come down. Jordan Riley is a powerful attorney fighting for human rights and against God, but still reckoning with bitter boyhood losses. Amid political intrigue, social injustice, and personal conflicts, will love be enough when the battle rages on every side?
My Thoughts:
I enjoyed all three stories in this book. I was with emotional though out the book. The first book is about learning to deal with death of a love one and learn to get though your marriage struggles of your marriage that you when though.

The second book talks about depression and a bit about marriage struggles. This book also talks about telling the truth and adoption. This is quite  a story and about foster care as well.

The third story is about death as well and learning to trusting in good.

Sorry for the lack on this it was hard to come up for each one and I really can not come with more.

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Note: "I received this book for free from WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group for this review."

Review: Christmas in Apple Ridge

Book Title: Christmas in Apple Ridge
Author: Cindy Woodsmall
Genres: Fiction, Amish, Christmas, Amish Fiction, Collection, Series, Christian Fiction,
Series: Apple Ridge
Publisher: WaterBrook Press
Pub Date: October 9, 2012 (576 Pages, Paperback)
Book Source: Received it for an Honesty Review
About the Author: Website/ Goodreads/ Bio/

Synopsis:
Experience the holidays with the Plain folk of Apple Ridge, Pennsylvania, in these touching novellas centered around love, romance, heartache, and restoration from best-selling author Cindy Woodsmall.

The Sound of Sleigh Bells:
Beth Hertzler is unable to let go of a past tragedy, but when she discovers a large, intricately carved scene of Amish children playing in the snow, something deep inside Beth’s soul responds. Determined that her niece meet the gifted artist, her aunt tracks him down, but it’s not that simple – will Jonah be able to offer Beth the sleigh ride she’s always dreamed of and a second chance at real love?

The Christmas Singing:
Mattie thought her childhood sweetheart adored her until he abruptly ended their engagement on Christmas Eve. Brokenhearted, Mattie moves away and pursues her longtime dream of becoming a cake decorator, and even finds a new beau. But when Mattie is forced to return home three years later, will learning the truth behind Gideon’s rejection restore her Christmas joy – or open the door to even deeper heartbreak?
   
The Dawn of Christmas:
Sadie enjoys her freedom away from home and her mission trips to Peru, but after four years, her Old Order Amish family insists it’s time to come home and settle down. Levi, a bachelor who distrusts women after a family heartbreak, also has no desire for romance. To keep their families from meddling in their lives, Sadie and Levi devise a plan—but soon discover that the walls around their hearts are breaking down. Can they let go of their prejudices, learn to trust each other, and embrace a future together?

My Thoughts:
This book has 3 stories in one. I enjoyed them all. The three stories are connected to the previous story in this book. It also mentions Aden and Annie in the last story called "The Dawn of Christmas".

The first story in the book in about Beth Hertzler and somewhat about her aunt Lizzy. The story revels some secrets throughout the book and a romance forms between Beth and Jonah. Will Beth take a chance at second love. Read to find out. You could read the the book called "The Sound of Sleigh Bells" to read about Beth and Jonah and Beth's aunt Lizzy.

The second story is about Mattie and Gideon. Mattie is living in Ohio for some time but something happen to bring her home to Apple Ridge. Her cousin Beth and Lizzy wedding. Though coming home will Mattie learn the truth of Gideon's break in the engagement on Christmas eve. Well they get back together. To find out what happens you can read it or you could read the book called "The Christmas Singing". You can read about Gideon and Mattie and about Lizzy and Beth weddings.

The third story is about Sadie and Levi. Levi is a cousin to Beth and Mattie in someway. Sadie and Levi do not trust the other gender. Though the way they met is somewhat strange that Sadie came and found him laying in the hay-field hurt. Can Sadie and Levi let go of their prejudices and learn to trust each other. You also get to hear about Lizzy and Beth and also about Mattie. There the other couple that is mention that is Aden and Annie. You can read about Aden and Annie story in the book called "The Scent of Cherry Blossoms". If you want to read about Sadie and Levi you can be getting the book called "The Dawn of Christmas".

If you want all three of the stories you can get this book called "Christmas in Apple Ridge".

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Note: "I received this book for free from WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group for this review."