Wednesday, August 31, 2011

Anathema by Colleen Coble - Review

Anathema
by Colleen Coble
This is an excellent book. I purchased this because it was on clearance and I thought it sounded interesting. I don't read a lot of murder/mystery type books, but since it has an Amish setting I thought it would be different, and boy was it.

Hannah, raised Amish, has joined the church and is engaged but loves an Englischer. She almost gets raped, only to be saved by Reece, then when she gets home she finds her parents murdered in their living room. She can't find it in her heart to forgive the suspected murderer, who is also found dead, and suddenly leaves with Reece and marries him. She discovers he isn't the person she thought he was.

She tries desperately to locate her Mother's quilts, which were stolen when she was murdered, ten of them worth about $2000 each. This makes Reece very mad, along with anything she does that does not put him first. She tries to talk him into having a family, but he refuses, he believes he won't be the most important thing in her life if they have kids. After five years of marriage and believing she lost the one thing she wanted most out of life, her child, due to falling down the stairs, Hannah leaves Reece, changes her name and disappears. Five years after that she receives a letter from Reece, forwarded to her by her Aunt Nora. He informs her that her baby is alive and includes a picture of a little girl that could have been Hannah at that age.

Not knowing what to believe, she returns to Indiana, to try to find out the truth. Once back home, there are more murders in her family. The detective finds it strange that the murders start up again when she comes back to town, he soon clears her, but there are plenty of other suspects that he doesn't want to accept as he investigates.

This story has quite an intricate mixture of the Amish and Englisch families involved. It does keep you guessing, you think you have it figured out, then something changes your mind, then something else happens and your almost back to your first suspicion.

I did really enjoy this book and it kept me interested enough to stay up later than I should have, a night or two reading it, lol.
YEA! Finished Anathema by Colleen Coble, which means that as soon as I write my review on here, I get to start reading Out of Control by Mary Conneally.

Tuesday, August 30, 2011

Got my book from Bethany House Publishers to review yesterday. As soon as I'm done reading Anathema by Colleen Coble, I will be reading Out of Control by Mary Connealy.

Saturday, August 27, 2011

Love Finds You in Charm Ohio by Annalisa Daughety - Review

Love Finds You
in
Charm Ohio
by Annalisa Daughety
This was a good book, I just had a hard time getting into it because of the way it was written. Emma wasn't really confused about what she wanted just curious about the English world. Abby knew her sister had these thoughts in her head and felt she would lose her if she didn't make plans for Emma's future. When Emma went to visit Lydia Ann, her cousin in Charm, she met Kelly, an Englisher who seems to have as many, or maybe more, mixed feelings about her life than Emma does about hers. She also met Noah, Lydia Ann's deceased husband's cousin. Noah knows about living with the English and the two of them become close friends.  Soon the life Abby has planned for Emma is the life she wants for herself. Emma may lose the life she comes to want by doing a favor for her new friend Kelly. Kelly finally makes a necessary break after Emma messes up her life. I didn't have a hard time keeping the storyline straight, it just seemed like the story jumped around a lot.

Win an autographed set of Ada's House series

Here is a link for a giveaway by Cindy Woodsmall:
http://www.cindywoodsmall.com/2011/08/27/thank-you-giveaway-and-the-story-behind-the-story/comment-page-3/#comment-5252

Thursday, August 25, 2011

I am having the hardest time reading this book I started 2 days ago. It isn't a long book, not small print, is fairly interesting, but I don't like the way it's written. Hopefully I'll finish it before too long, I would like to move on to something written a little, shall we say smoother maybe, don't know how to explain it.

Tuesday, August 23, 2011

Healing Hearts by Beth Wiseman - Review

HEALING HEARTS
Three Amish Novellas
by Beth Wiseman
What a great job Beth did on these stories! All three of them were good, I really liked "A Change of Heart" and "Healing Hearts" kept me captivated.


Lydia gets a second chance at love, with her first love, but only if she can forgive Elam and Dan of their cover-up from years ago. Engaged to Dan, he leaves her on Christmas Eve with only a note and no explanation. Elam, Dan's brother, consoles her and they end up falling in love and getting married. After 15 years and three children, Dan dies of a heart attack. Elam, lived in the Englisch world all that time and didn't hear about his brother until it was too late to return for his funeral, he then takes more time before he returns to his Amish roots. Lydia knows she will now be in close contact with Dan often, through Church and family gatherings. Can she forgive him and love him once again or will she forgive but not forget. She knows what her heart wants, she knows what her mind it telling her, that he kept a secret from her before, would he do it again. She has to depend on God and her faith to make the right decision.

My heart goes out to Leah, she is completely different from her sisters, who along with her parents just don't understand her. I was brought to tears reading this story. Leah just keeps doing what she knows she wants to do, when her Dad tries to force her to change, her whole family laughs at her when she makes a mistake.  She finally starts seeing Aaron as a way to get out of the house. Aaron's Auntie Ruth helps her Dad to see that maybe he was wrong all along about Leah. Leah's life gets turned around while being able to continue being herself. With Amish families being so close knit, it's surprised me when they laughed at Leah and everyone tried to change her, sometimes it isn't the other person that needs to change, but maybe our way of thinking is what needs to change.

A lot of  couples experience the 'empty nest' syndrome, but you don't usually hear about Amish couples going through that. Naaman does just that, goes to visit his cousin and doesn't return for about a year. When he returns, he knows it'll be hard for Levina (his wife) and his grown children to forgive him, but he asks for that forgiveness when he apologizes to them. The problem is they are having a hard time, as Naaman doesn't have a reason as to why he left, why he stayed so long and what he did during that year, other than staying with his cousin's family in Ohio. Levina finally comes around and they are like newlyweds again, then a Sheriff shows up in town looking for Naaman. I could not put this book down until I found out what he wanted Naaman for, I had my ideas, which were 'kind of' the reason, you'll have to read it to find out. Everyone in town knows the sheriff is looking for him, except Naaman. The children try to keep it from him so he won't leave again. He even loses a contract with a furniture company, where his son works, because of the rumors that are spreading.

I would recommend this book as a very good investment.

Monday, August 22, 2011

The beginning of another week, I pray this week goes better than last week ended. I should be finishing up Healing Hearts by Beth Wiseman, my daughter bought it for me last week since I had to do her a big favor, lol. I really enjoyed the first novella and this second one has brought tears to my eyes. I will be posting a review when I finish.

Friday, August 19, 2011

Love Finds A Home by Wanda E Brunstetter - Review

Love Finds A Home
 3 Historical Romances
by Wanda E Brunstetter
Just got done with this book, it is a fast read with three unrelated stories. Each one held my interest throughout. I liked Daddy's Girl and Dear Teacher the most, probably because I like historical fiction based on faith and they were set in the 1800's. Twice Loved was set in the early to mid 1900's.

Glenna thought she would always be Daddy's Girl. She loved her father so much she was willing to lie for him sometimes to keep him safe from his own faults. After meeting Reverend David Green things changed for her.

Judith grew up being teased, but turned out to be a Dear Teacher by having her students write letters to her secretly. I liked her because I once knew a person with two different color eyes. Judith would not allow bullying in her classroom and expected the children to behave, even if it meant standing up to, Ernie, a man who would change her life.

Bev or Dan never thought they would be Twice Loved or be able to love twice. Set during World War II, Bev suffered lots of hardships and had to move on with her daughter, but without her husband. Dan had to move on after losing his wife to leukemia.

Wednesday, August 17, 2011

Alaskan Brides series by Allie Pleiter, Linda Ford and Dorothy Clark - Review of Yukon Wedding, Klondike Medicine Woman and Gold Rush Baby

Alaskan Brides series 

Yukon Wedding  by Allie Pleiter

Klondike Medicine Woman  by Linda Ford

Gold Rush Baby  by Dorothy Clark

I have finished all three books and enjoyed each one in the series. There are three sisters in this series that you will find quite interesting to follow, Lucy, Margie and Frankie Tucker. They are quite a trio.

 "Yukon Wedding" tells of Lana's hard life after losing her husband and having their child to raise alone in "gold country".  She finally gives in and marries Mack, her husbands best friend, who he founded Treasure Creek, Alaska with. Married to a man she doesn't love, Lana proves to be good for the town and for Mack. The marriage of  'convenience' soon turns to a marriage of love and respect.


 "Klondike Medicine Woman" shows how Teena's faith, even though a Tlingit and thought to be use superstitious rituals for medical treatments by the new doctor in town. Dr Calloway came to Treasure Creek, Alaska so he could treat white people after his brother died there. He believed that his brother was poisoned by such a medicine woman. All Teena wants to do is learn the white man's medicine but she gets a whole lot more.



"Gold Rush Baby" showed Viola's strength while trying to keep her past a secret, that secret just about cost her the love of her life. She was entrusted with the care of a baby by someone unknown to her but saw how she treated another baby. In caring for that baby, along with keeping her past a secret, Viola just about lost her life as she knew it. She was willing to do anything for that child and to protect her secret past.