Wednesday, January 21, 2015

Would-Be Wilderness Wife by Regina Scott - Review of the second book in the Frontier Bachelors series




BACK  OF  THE  BOOK  BLURB
The Kidnapped Bride
Drew Wallin's youngest brother is determined to see him married--so he kidnaps Drew a prospective bride. Not only is Catherine Stanway beautiful, but she's a nurse who can help their ailing mother. Drew doesn't have time for distractions--he's too busy watching over his fatherless siblings. Yet he's drawn to this woman who carries loss and pain equal to his own.

Catherine has traveled West to use her nursing skills to save lives, not to find a husband. She knows if she gives in to Drew's matchmaking family, she'll be risking her already bruised heart. But maybe it's time she takes the ultimate risk to win the groom she didn't know she wanted!


MY  REVIEW
I got this book yesterday afternoon and already finished it, one day! Yes, is was that good, Regina did a great job of keeping me up til 3:00 A.M. and got me up early this morning to finish it. This was a wonderful story of how God sees the bigger picture and leads you to what is right/good for you even though you think you know better. I have not read the first one in this series yet, "The Bride Ship" but will have to find it in my TBR pile now. I highly recommend Historical Fiction lovers to read this book and if you like the mail-order bride type of books, even though Catherine was not a mail-order bride, I think you will enjoy this also.

I was offered this book in return for an honest review, I was not given any monetary compensation for my review either.

Monday, January 19, 2015

Rebecca's Rose by Jennifer Beckstrand - Review of the second book in the Forever After in Apple Lake series




BACK  OF  THE  BOOK  BLURB
(taken from Amazon.com)
With her mother ill, Rebecca Miller must take care of the house, the farm, and her younger siblings. Although she feels trapped at times, Rebecca is determined to fulfill a promise made to a dying friend. Then she meets a boy with good looks and a mischievous glint in his eye who just might help her keep her vow. Levi Cooper was born into an Amish community and lived there until his father died and his mother married an Englischer. When shunned by their Amish relatives, they lived as Englischers. Now haunted by painful memories and on the path to self destruction, Levi meets a lovely, adventurous Amish girl. Rebecca's growing attachment to Levi could lead to the loss of everything she holds dear. And will the secrets he keeps separate them forever?


MY  REVIEW
Jennifer, Jennifer, Jennifer! By the time I got to the end of this book I was shedding tears. You started me out heading in the same giggling direction but boy did you turn this around. Wonderful, fantastic, awsome job on this book! I know that this isn't a long review but I hope it gets the point across that I would very highly encourage others to read this book.

Tuesday, January 13, 2015

An Amish Second Christmas by Beth Wiseman, Kathleen Fuller, Ruth Reid and Tricia Goyer - Review




BACK  OF  THE  BOOK  BLURB
When Christmas Comes Again by Beth Wiseman
Katherine knows the first Christmas without Elias will be hard for her and the children. But when a mysterious Englischer appears with photographs of her late husband, Katherine begins to wonder what other blessings Christmas could have in store.

Her Christmas Pen Pal by Ruth Reid
Joy was expecting a wedding proposal from Henry; what she got instead was news of another woman. But when her heartfelt letter to a cousin ends up in the hands of a young cabinetmaker, an unexpected correspondence between two strangers gets interesting fast.

A Gift for Anne Marie by Kathleen Fuller
Anne Marie and Nathaniel have been best friends since they were kids. Now things are evolving . . . in ways everyone else predicted long ago. But when her mother suddenly decides to remarry in another state, Anne Marie's new chapter with Nathaniel looks doomed to end before it begins.

The Christmas Aprons by Tricia Goyer
Vanilla crumb pie has been Esther's mem's calling card for decades. But when Esther finally gets her hands on the secret recipe, she discovers that vanilla crumb pie is more than just dessert . . . it's bachelor bait.


MY  REVIEW
Each one of these stories was touching in their own way. Beth's story brought tears to my eyes, Ruth's had me chuckling, Kathleen's was stirring and Tricia's was heart warming. These were some wonderful Christmas stories from four amazing authors. You will not be disappointed if you choose to read this book.

Kate's Song by Jennifer Beckstrand - Review of the first book in the Forever After in Apple Lake series




BACK  OF  THE  BOOK  BLURB
(copied from Amazon.com)
Kate Weaver returns home to her family's farm in Apple Lake, Wisconsin, battered and bruised and carrying a secret. She is not yet baptized and has spent the past year at a music conservatory in Milwaukee, living among the English. Music is Kate's passion, and she is very good, so she faces a difficult choice; she must either give up her family and home to pursue her talents or come home and be baptized and give up on her dreams. And with Nathaniel King, the handsome neighbor boy she grew up with, paying attention to her, the choice of whether to return to school in the fall is even harder. Kate wins a starring role in an upcoming opera, and as she wrestles with pressure from her family and her newfound feelings for Nathaniel, she is also haunted by what happened to her just before she left school: she fought to protect her friends against an angry ex and landed the man in intensive care. Will the consequences of that battle be the end of everything she's ever wanted? Will Nathaniel wait around while she tries to figure out God's plan for her life?



MY  REVIEW
I can't say enough about Jennifer's writing style, I have thoroughly enjoyed every book of her's that I've read so far. She pulls you into the story immediately and as she goes on you are right in the thick of it wanting to read the whole book in one sitting. I can highly recommend this book to anyone that enjoys Amish or Christian Fiction stories. I now have to buy the next two books in this series, "Rebecca's Rose" and "Miriam's Quilt". Oh Jennifer, why do you do this to me? Really I want to say thank you for writing such good books!

Saturday, January 10, 2015

Annie's Stories by Cindy Thomson - Review of the second book in the Ellis Island series




BACK  OF  THE  BOOK  BLURB
The year is 1901, the literary sensation The Wonderful Wizard of Oz is taking New York City by storm, and everyone wonders where the next great book will come from. But to Annie Gallagher, stories are more than entertainment--they're a sweet reminder of her storyteller father. After his death, Annie fled Ireland for the land of dreams, finding work at Hawkins House.

But when a fellow boarder with something to hide is accused of misconduct and authorities threaten to shut down the boardinghouse, Annie fears she may lose her new friends, her housekeeping job . . .and her means of funding her dream: a memorial library to honor her father. Furthermore, the friendly postman shows a little too much interest in Annie--and in her father's unpublished stories. In fact, he suspects these tales may hold a grand secret.

Though the postman's intentions seem pure, Annie wants to share her father's stories on her own terms. Determined to prove herself, Annie must forge her own path to aid her friend and create the future she's always envisioned . . . where dreams really do come true.


MY  REVIEW
I was looking forward to reading this book as The Wizard of Oz was one of my Mom's favorite movies, mine growing up and my daughter loves everything 'Wizard of Oz' to this day. The story had a slow start for me, this seems to happen to me sometimes but by the time I get to the end I find it hard to put the book down because the storyline gets really interesting. That is what happened with this book, it ended up with me wanting to quickly find out what would happened and found it hard to put the book down. This is a good story that shows how authors (Annie's father in this case) can bring a person back to the faith they thought they had lost, as was the case with Annie and Stephen. I can recommend this book to others who like Christian and/or Historical Fiction.