Sunday, October 20, 2013

A Christmas Gift for Rose by Tricia Goyer - Review



Rose should be married to Jonathan by now but when he enlisted in the military she broke the engagement off. Jonathan has returned and she's doing her best to avoid him but then she finds out that she isn't truly Amish so will she be accepted in the community any more than he is. Jonathan was a medic, he didn't even carry a weapon, she's an Englischer raised Amish, will things ever be right in her life again?

This is a very touching story and you need to have some tissues ready, especially at the end.Tricia did a wonderful job of messing with your feelings for such a short book, mine were totally captured with this story.

The Grace That Leads Us Home by Kim Vogel Sawyer - review of the Prequel to What Once Was Lost series



Alice Deaton was happily married to Oscar with two children, Laura and Francis in Florence, Kansas. That was until Oscar went to help an elderly neighbor and had a heart attack and died. Now Alice has to find a way to support the children and herself on no income, the home they rent is paid for through Oscar's paycheck so she doesn't even know if they'll have a roof over their head. Oh, and when she went to apply for a job at the bank, the banker ends up telling her that Oscar has owed him money for three years, so now does she not get a job but she owes him money she didn't know about. She struggles without telling anyone about what a hard time she's having, that is until the preacher's wife finds a crumpled up letter from Alice's widowed sister-in-law telling her that she has no room for them to come and live there.

This was a short quick read and I'm now wondering what will happen to Alice, Laura and Francis. Alice appears to be a woman who will do anything to for her children so we will see how the future turns out when I read What Once Was Lost, I'm really looking forward to it.

Danger in Amish Country - Review of the omnibus by Marta Perry, Diane Burke and Kit Wilkinson



There are three short stories in this book, Fall From Grace by Marta Perry, Dangerous Homecoming by Diane Burke and Return to Willow Trace by Kit Wilkinson. Each one is a mystery and each one held my interest so I read this very quickly I really did enjoy them. A couple of the authors were new to me and I will look for more books written by them. If you like Amish and/or mystery I think you will enjoy the stories.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher through the NetGalley  <http://www.netgalley.com/> book review program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 <http://www.access.gpo.gov/nara/cfr/waisidx_03/16cfr255_03.html> : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

An Untamed Heart by Lauraine Snelling - Review of the first book in Songs of Blessing series



Ingeborg Strand loves the summer when several members of her family spend time at the Strand seter. It is a very busy time for them but they have a lot of fun and the best part is being away from her mother. Ingeborg loves her mother but she is constantly being criticized and feels like her mother doesn't like her. It is so peaceful at the seter, except this year. When a stranger, Nils Aarvidson, is found almost dead by the river, Ingeborg being the oldest has to figure out a way to get him up the hill and to their cabin so she can try to save him. She doesn't plan on falling in love and when he returns to his family in Oslo, Nowray she feels in her heart that she'll never hear or see him again. Then she receives a couple of letters from Nils saying he's coming to visit after Christmas, he hasn't forgotten her after all.

I have read all of Lauraine's books, and there are many, about Ingeborg Bojorklund living in the Dakota Territory as well as two of her other series, I love her books. I enthusiastically picked up this book to read and was not disappointed. I thoroughly enjoyed finding out about Ingeborg's life as a younger woman, how she learned to be such a strong woman and why she would go into her deep dark places in her mind. There will be three more books in this new series and, yes, I'm already anxious for them to be published so I can read them. I don't know any of the titles yet but will be watching for them.

If you have not read any of Lauraine's books I do encourage you to read them. I would not pass any of them up. Thank you Lauraine Snelling!

Wednesday, October 9, 2013

The Bride Bargain by Kelly Eileen Hake - Review of the first book in Prairie Promises series



Clara Field and her Aunt Doreen Edgerly are headed for Oregon for a new start in life. Doreen married a very cruel man so she would be able to raise Clara after her parents were killed. She didn't know how bad a life she would have with that man and he detested Clara. Now it is Clara's turn to do something for her aunt, and that is to start over. It is unusual for a wagon train to take on a wagon with no man but there is a man who has agreed to help them in exchange for meals so they are headed for Oregon. Their wagon isn't the best and they have a very ornery oxen who likes to eat leather and wander off. These things cause a lot of delays for the wagon train and they eventually find themselves left behind to go the rest of the way on their own, two women on their own. They make it to Buttonwood two days after the wagon train passed through.

They don't know what they are going to do when Josiah Reed, owner of the Buttonwood Feed and Dry Goods Store offers them a place to live in return for them taking care of his house and fixing meals along with helping out at the store when he needs help. Clara and Doreen have no choice but to take him up on his offer. Josiah has plans to leave town for a while after his son arrives to oversee things, this is where the bride bargain comes in, he wants Saul to stay in Buttonwood and not return to Baltimore. As a reward for getting Saul married to one of the five single girls in town (six counting herself, but she isn't including herself in the running, although Josiah is) then she and her aunt can have his house and he will build himself another one. It's rather interesting the way she tries to get Saul alone with all of the girls, especially since two of the families don't get along AT ALL.

This is a nice story and really kept me interested. Kelly did a good job and I'm looking forward to reading the next two books, The Bride Backfire and The Bride Blunder, knowing Kelly's books they'll be just as enjoyable as this one was.

A Dream for Tomorrow by Melody Carlson - Review of the second book in Homeward on the Oregon Trail series



The Martin's, the Dawson's, Brady and the rest of the wagon train are continuing on their trek to Oregon. They encounter some rough traveling, some loses and some inconveniences, like Elizabeth having to share her wagon with a grieving Mrs Taylor. Remember Mrs Taylor disapproved of the Martin's, Dawson's and most of the rest of their unit, but it is with Elizabeth Martin that she chooses to travel with after the tragic loss of her husband and her beloved organ.

The wagon train splits with more travelers going to Oregon than planned on when they started out. The split means that Eli has to lead the small group to California and leave the group Elizabeth is in. This gives Will a chance to court Elizabeth. Clara, Elizabeth's mother thinks he will make a good husband for her, but does Elizabeth want that?

I thought I had the third book in this series but find I don't so I guess I have to go buy it because Melody left me wanting to know how things go once they reach Oregon. Will it be as bad as her sister-in-law said it is, will Elizabeth give in and marry Will? Oh I like it when this happens but I hate it too, lol, it means buying more books, lol.

This has been a good series so far, can you imagine learning geography the way JT and Ruth are learning it, by traveling the Oregon Trail. I would recommend this book/series to anyone that likes reading Christian Historical genres. Melody shows the faith one must have had to travel like this.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher through the NetGalley  <http://www.netgalley.com/> book review program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 <http://www.access.gpo.gov/nara/cfr/waisidx_03/16cfr255_03.html> : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”