Beside Still Waters by Tricia Goyer - Review of the first book in A Big Sky Novel series

Marianna Sommers was born early due to a freak accident that killed her two older sisters, Marilyn and Joanna. Her parents and older brother survived but her mother went into premature labor and her dad named her Marianna after the older sisters that were killed. She lived her life in Indiana and planned on marrying Aaron Zook once they started courting and both joined the church.

The family was blessed with three more boys and a daughter. Levi, her brother that survived the accident, left the Amish when he got older. Marianna spent her life taking care of the younger siblings, doing chores and working for a neighbor taking care of kids. She had little time to herself and always seemed sad but kind, didn't express any anger over her situation. She did wish she had been able to know Marilyn and Joanna to know what they were like and wondered how her life would be different if the accident never happened. Even though she and Aaron weren't courting she knew that he planned on marriage too and was even starting to build a house for them.

Things changed when her dad decided to move his family to Montana, she thought about staying in Indiana with her Aunt, after all she would be 20 in about a month. When she was told that her mother was in the family way again, she decided she didn't have any choice but to go with them. She couldn't explain to Aaron why she had to go, it wasn't her place to tell that news. Her mother was reluctant to move too but her dad wouldn't let her talk him into staying in Indiana.

How do you think you would handle thinking that you weren't good enough your whole life? Your birthday brings back the memory of two dead sisters that you're named after and your parents always talk about how 'good' each of the girls were. Would you feel like you were forgotten yet you're right in front of them, like you don't even mean anything to them? The whole community seems to look at you with sympathy because they know the whole story and see how it's affected your family throughout the years.

What a good book this was and Tricia makes you feel the sorrow within Marianna's heart. Through it all she stays true to her faith. I've had this book for quite some time and finally pulled it out of my 'to read' pile and have started the second one, Along Wooded Paths, as I'm anxious to move ahead in Marianna's life with her. There is one more book in the series, Beyond Hope's Valley, I now have to get that so I'll be able to finish her story. Tricia did a wonderful job.

The Face of Heaven by Murray Pura - Review of the second book in the Snapshots in History series

Lyndel Keim finds two runaway slaves in their barn and promises to help them and keep them safe. She gains the help of her brother Levi and his friend Nathaniel King. Reluctantly her father lets them stay in the attic until they are healthy enough to move on. They soon have visitors among which is the owner of the slaves and have to turn them over. Lyndel, Levi and Nathaniel are all heartbroken but not as bad as they are when they find one of the slaves hung in a tree on their property. The Amish community agree to have a proper burial and bury him in their cemetery.

Nathaniel, who has become Lyndel's beau, is so distraught that he decides to join the Union and fight against slavery. Lyndel finds that she can't sit at home and do nothing while Nathaniel is doing all he can so she leaves to go nurse the wounded. Nathaniel and Lyndel work closely in the field and soon they are joined by Levi and a few other young members of their community. They are all now under the bann and not allowed any communication with family.

Murray does a fantastic job of pulling you into the story and telling what it must have been like on the front lines. Nathaniel and Lyndell were lucky to be able to see each other during the war and they showed such faith and dependence on God throughout. I shed some tears while reading the first book, The Wings of Morning, and I shed some more while reading this one. I expect to shed some more when the third book, Whispers of a New Dawn when I get it.

I do not think I could have been as strong as Lyndell, or any of our ancestors, could you? I am so to be thankful to them and to our military who continue to fight for our rights. Thank you Murray for sharing these stories with us, they make us stop and think about how lucky we really are today.

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.”

Stealing the Preacher by Karen Witemeyer - Review

Crockett Archer is on his way to interview for the preaching position at a church in Piney Woods, Texas but he doesn't quite make it there. Silas Robbins, notorious for holding up trains but never harming anyone or taking large amounts of money, decides to hold up the train that Crockett is on after 16 years of laying low. It isn't money he's after this time though, it's the preacher! His daughter, Joanna, told him that she wants a preacher for her birthday the next day and he will do anything to make his daughter happy, yet again no one was harmed and this time no money at all was taken.

When Silas returns with a preacher Joanna can't believe her father actually kidnapped a man after he'd promised her mother that he'd quit robbing trains. Joanna and Crockett go for a walk so she can explain what this is all about, along the way being confronted by someone who claims to be her suitor pulls a gun on Crockett. They return to the ranch house and Joanna loans Crockett her horse so he can go into Deanville and catch a train and move on to Piney Woods.

Crockett gets to town and sends a telegram explaining he is safe and will catch the next train to Piney Woods. In the mean time the Sheriff finds out he's in town and tries to get him to press charges, Crockett refuses, and then he gets a wire telling him to meet one of the elders in Caldwell where he finds out they gave the position to the other applicant. Now what to do?

This is a novel but Crockett is one of the brothers from Short-Straw Bride and does find himself in some strange predicaments, some funny and some more serious. I liked this one even better than Short-Straw Bride, so much so, that I stayed 'awake' one night (morning) till 4:00 A.M. to finish it! You can't go wrong with a Karen Witemeyer book! !

The Outcast by Jolina Petersheim

Rachel Stoltzfus finds herself single and pregnant making her the talk of her Old Order Mennonite community. She is living with her twin sister Leah and her husband Tobias King, she was helping when Leah had a problem pregnancy and continues to live there as her dad won't let her come home to live since she is an outcast.

She refuses to disclose the father of the baby and soon finds herself leaving her sisters house and living with Ida Mae Speck who has left her Old Order Mennonite community a few years ago. Ida Mae is a great support for Rachel and when Rachel's son Eli gets sick, she is there at every turn, even calling her family when she thinks Rachel needs them.

I really enjoyed this book and read it rather quickly, for me anyway, and had to use a few tissues in the end. Have you ever had a sibling rivalry, not one where you just don't get along, but privately in your mind? There is more than one sibling rivalry going on in this story, in more than one family, internal feelings, but one sibling doesn't know the other sibling has similar feelings. I think there have been times when I was upset with a sibling and not voiced it but these feelings, rivalry's, have been going on most of their lives.

The story is written from the view of two people, Rachel Stoltzfus and Amos King, Tobias's father, he is being buried as the story begins. The first chapter was a little confusing to me but I was soon involved and kept things pretty straight. This is not your typical Amish story therefore it's a little more interesting because you don't hear about these things going on in the Amish, or Mennonite, community too often but it makes you realize they do have things happen in their families just like us "English" people do.

This is the first book I read that Jolina has written, I think it may be her only book so far, and I am looking forward to some more. You might want to go find a copy and read it, it's quite good!

Prairie Song by Mona Hodgson - Review of the first book in Hearts Seeking Home series

Anna Goben not only lost her brother to the Civil War, but she lost her Mother and Grandfather too. Wilma turned to alcohol after learning of her sons death and Anna's grandfather was lost in a malaise of grief and depression. Anna comes up with the idea to leave St Charles, MO and relocate to California. Wilma and Otto agree to go with the Boone's Lick Company Wagon Train, they won't go alone though, several of Anna's friends from her quilting club are going along while some are staying in St Charles.

Things get started on the wrong foot as Anna had agreed to marry Boney, her brothers best friend from childhood, but as everyone is waiting for the wedding to start she motions him to the back of the church and tells him that she can't marry him. Being the good person he is, he accepted that and informed all of the guests that the wedding is being called off. Now she just has to face her Mother and Grandfather.

Boney is employed by the Boone's Lick Company Wagon Train and several of his co-workers were at the wedding so they now have ill feelings toward Anna, letting her know their feelings later that day when she went to talk to her friends at the dry goods store and explain her decision. Not only will this cause problems on the trip, the men taking the wagon train west decide that women should not be traveling with them, it seems like the trip is encountering nothing but problems.

I enjoyed the book but I thought it moved along kind of slowly, I did like the stories attached to each character and how they dealt with their individual problems though. I will read the next book, no title yet that I have found or when it will be published, as I am interested in what is in store for everyone.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher through the BloggingforBooks.org <http://www.waterbrookmultnomah.com/bloggingforbooks/> book review bloggers 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.”

Trouble in Store by Carol Cox - Review

Thank you to Bethany House for providing this book for review. 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

When Melanie Ross is fired as a governess she doesn't know what she'll do. She has no family, no money and no friends she can ask to help her. As she is packing her things she finds herself reading some letters she's saved from her now deceased family she comes across one from her cousin George in Colorado telling her that she's always welcome to come out there and work in the mercantile with him and his business partner but George has since died. Then she finds a letter from Alvin Nelson, George's business partner, letting her know that he is keeping all of her cousin's things for her and the invitation still stands for her to come to Colorado. Now she has a place to go but no money, that's when Mr Deaver enters and gives her a large sum for her severance pay, so now she finds herself leaving Ohio and moving to Colorado.

Upon her arrival in Colorado she goes straight to the Ross-Nelson Mercantile to introduce herself to Alvin. The proprietor is very busy as she enters and after waiting a few minutes she tries to pitch in and help. The problem is that it isn't Alvin, and the new owner doesn't know anything about Melanie. The new owner is none other than Alvin's nephew Caleb and he doesn't believe she owns half the mercantile but when she threatens to get the sheriff to see how he see's it, Caleb backs down because he's afraid she may just be right. Now we have two people that don't see eye to eye trying to run one store, not only that, someone wants them out of town. Alvin has been finding threatening notes since he moved to Colorado to help his Uncle Alvin, these notes are continuing, a man is found murdered on the back door stoop, someone is breaking in and wreaking havoc and putting Melanie's life in danger. Not only all of that, Caleb sic's all of the bachelors onto Melanie to try to get her to leave.

I so enjoyed this book, I found myself chuckling throughout even with the touch of mystery and murders. There is even an "S" shaped lady in the story, a very important lady in town no less. I would recommend this book as a good, fun, read and one you might not be able to put down until you are finished with it. This is the first book I've read by Carol and I now have another author that I 'have' to follow.

The Blessed by Ann H Gabhart - Review of the fourth book in the Shakers series

Lacey Bishop was taken in by Preacher Elwood Palmer to care for his wife Mona and later baby Rachel when she was left on their doorstep. When Mona died the ladies of the Ebenezer Church didn't think it was right that Lacey and Rachel live with Preacher Palmer unless they were married. Lacey didn't love him, really didn't even care for him but she did love Rachel and she knew that if she didn't marry Preacher Palmer she would lose Rachel. They agreed to be married and Lacey would have some time before she would have to become a real wife to him.

In the mean time the Shaker's came to sell their seeds to the parishioners but they got into a deep discussion with Preacher Palmer, after coming back several days they soon had him convinced to move his family and as many church members that wanted to, to join the Shaker's. He did give Lacey a choice, but if she chose not to go with him, again, she would lose Rachel. Lacey did go with him even though she'd heard they would take Rachel away from her because they don't believe in families in the conventional way, everyone is called brother or sister. The children are kept in one house, the women in one and the men in one.

How is Lacey going to survive, will she ever come around to their way of belief?

I thought the book had a slow start to it, maybe it was just because I was upset with the way Lacey's life was going and when she went to live with the Shaker's it seemed to get worse. As I read I was figuring some things out and then needed to read faster to see if I was right. I am enjoying this series but I really don't agree with the Shaker's belief's, maybe that's what keeps me coming back to try to understand it. I know, at least I think I know, that I could not live the way they do. Anyway, I would recommend this book, this series, yes, please start with the first book, to others. The Shaker's I guess really do amaze me with their ideas.