Pennsylvania Patchwork by Kate Lloyd - Review of the second book in Legacy of Lancaster Trilogy

Holly and her mother Esther Fisher are living in Esther's family home with her mother Anna. The rest of Esther's family has moved to Montana so she and Holly are taking care of Mommy Anna, as Holly calls her grandmother. Both women, Holly and Esther have a lot of decisions to make about their future and the closer they get to thinking they know what they want, the more complicated things become.

This is a pretty busy story and keeps you guessing which direction they are moving toward. Esther's husband to be, Nathaniel, has to leave town to search for his first wife, Holly becomes engaged to a mennonite but finds herself falling for Armin, Nathaniel's brother, and to top that off an old friend comes from Seattle to visit and wants her to marry him.

As all of this is happening her grandmother is very sick and Esther gets a box from an old friend of her husband with the most bizarre contents. The contents are from Samuel, Esther's supposedly deceased husband, but what is in the box isn't something he would send to Esther and Holly and kind of throws Mommy Anna off the deep end which causes her to get even more forgetful.

Kate did a good job of keeping me guessing as to what was going to happen and I must say that I was surprised in Holly's decision. Another good read for all of you Amish book lovers out there. Don't forget to read "Leaving Lancaster" first to get the background for this story!

Catherine's Pursuit by Lena Nelson Dooley - Review of the third book in McKenna's Daughters Series

Catherine Lenora McKenna grew up as an only child, the daughter of Angus McKenna. She lived with her father and aunt Kirstin, her mother's sister who came to live with them after her husband died. On the day of her 18th birthday she hears Angus and Kirstin arguing, when she hears her name she interrupts demanding to know what they are arguing about. This is how she finds out that she is one of three, a triplet! As she prepares for her birthday party she is very depressed thinking about her sisters that died.

After a few weeks Angus is finally ready to answer all the questions Catherine may have. She is surprised when she finds out that her sisters are alive and living with two different families and Angus has no idea where they are because he promised the families that he'd never try to take them back. Catherine takes it upon herself to go looking without telling Angus.

This has been a very heartwarming series from beginning to end. Angus has struggled with the decisions he made for 18 long years, now that he's told his daughter the truth he has to deal with the consequences. He has hopes that if Catherine does find her sisters, will she, and her sisters, ever forgive him for making the decision he did, knowing in his heart that may never happen.

Lena does a beautiful job writing about this subject and telling the feelings from all sides. All three of these books kept me up late and not wanting to put them down. I would encourage anyone that likes Historical Fiction, Christian Historical Fiction, etc. to purchase this series (all three books at one time), believe me you will want to pick up the next in the series as soon as you finish the previous one.

Mary's Blessing by Lena Nelson Dooley - Review of the second book in McKenna's Daughters series

Mary Lenora Murray had loving parents but a very hard life. She knew that she was adopted but didn't know who her mother and father were or why they gave her away, she did know though that she was loved by her adopted parents. Mary had two older sisters, a younger sister and two younger brothers. Her mother and two older sisters died from cholera when she was eleven so she had to grow up fast and at a young age. Once her mother had died Mary had to take care of her father and siblings, her father was never the same and life was changed.

Daniel Winthrop came west in the same wagon train that Mary's family was in so they knew each other their whole lives, Daniel is 20 and Mary will soon be 18. Daniel gets permission from Kenneth, Mary's dad, to court Mary. After a short time he takes Mary on a Friday Surprise trip to Portland and when they return they find Kenneth laying in the field with a terrible cut on his leg. When they get him to the doctor, the doctor doesn't even know if he'll make it and if he does they might have to amputate his leg.

As Mary is caring for her father Daniel is falling deeper in love and has their future all planned out, Mary doesn't like what he plans so they have an argument and Daniel leaves in a huff. He is supposed to return so he can take her home to bathe, see her siblings and then return her to the doctor's office, but he never returns.

WOW! Mary's story is one that tears at your heart. She takes everything that is handed to her, and it's a lot, but keeps on going and giving her best for her family. She shows such strength for having to take over a household at such a young age with no resentment or anger. Sometimes maybe a little wishful thinking for some time for herself, but she pulls herself together and continues on with the life that she's been given.

I'm so glad I have the third book, "Catherine's Pursuit", so I can get started on it right now. All I can say is that if you get "Maggie's Journey" you might as well get the other two at the same time, that's what I did and I'm really glad.

Maggie's Journey by Lena Nelson Dooley - Review of the first book in McKenna's Daughters series

Margaret Lenora Caine, an only child, grew up in Seattle and had a very privileged life. She has noticed a change in her mother, Florence, in the last few years, she feels like her mother is constantly criticizing her and trying to change the person she has become. Maggie can't figure out what she's done to upset her mother. Maggie loves to design dresses which is what her grandmother does in Little Rock, Arkansas but she has never seen her and she is her only grandchild.

In a few days Maggie will be turning 18 and she wants to design a special dress but her mother already has something else in mind. When she remembers that there are some of her mother's old dresses in the attic Maggie goes exploring. She finds a beautiful green dress that would only need to be shortened and will look nice with her red hair. Maggie continues to look through chests in the attic and finds a little white chest, when she gets to the bottom of it she finds out a family secret, she may have figured out why her mother want's to change her, or is that really what is going on.

What a great story this is, Lena did a wonderful job. I couldn't put this book down and read it in about 1 1/2 days. I can hardly wait to read number two in the series, Mary's Blessing, I will be starting it as soon as I'm done with this review. You won't go wrong investing in this book.

Murray Pura's American Civil War Series - Cry of Freedom - Volume 1 - Return To Shirley Plantation by Carrie Faucett Pagels - Review

Angelina Rose is a freed slave who chose to stay in Virginia until she could save enough money to pay the owners of her niece and nephew for their freedom, then she would move north. She had a job lined up as a seamstress up north but declined so she could be with her sisters kids.

Matthew Scott was abducted against his will and conscripted into the Confederate army because of his Copperhead father’s political leaning but his mother was a strong abolitionist. He ended up on Shirley Plantation as a wounded soldier.

What I thought would be a war story turned out to be more of a personal story and thoroughly enjoyable to read. Carrie did a wonderful job of holding my interest in this short story and made it a very quick read for me. I've read some books that take place during the civil war and I prefer this kind, more about the people and what they went through.

A Bride for All Seasons by Margaret Brownley, Debra Clopton, Mary Connealy and Robin Lee Hatcher - Review

And Then Came Spring

by Margaret Brownley

The longer superstitious Mary-Jo Parker waited for Daniel Garrett, the more mad she became. Finally after waiting for two hours she heads for a hotel when she is run into by a young boy, when she helps him up she asks if he knows Daniel Garret. Mary-Jo is shocked when he answers with a yes that's my dad, after all there was no mention of children in the ad posted in the Hitching Post Mail-Order Bride Catalogue. When asked where he is, the boy points across the street to the church. Mary-Jo dressed in a bright yellow dress rushes into the church where everyone is dressed in black on a Wednesday, then the sheriff informs her that Daniel is the man in the casket she hurries up to look at him then leaves. This is the second time she's been engaged and the second time to have her intended die. She just barely has money for a motel room for one night yet alone a return ticket to Georgia. 

An Ever-After Summer

by Debra Clopton

Melvin Eldora Smith is known as a born killer and has lived with her Aunt Millicent since she was born, according to Aunt Millicent she has killed three people. She has grown up with the whole town talking about her and even the kids taunting and calling her Murderin' Melvina. She has learned to depend on God so when Aunt Millicent found out that Melvin Eldora had been working on a farm and sometimes wearing mens jeans she slapped a copy of the Hitching Post Mail-Order Bride Catalogue in front of her and told her she had one hour to pick out a husband. When she saw Matthew's ad that he needed a mother for his two-year-old baby girl she knew that was the family for her. She didn't know that Matthew didn't want a wife and he didn't want a bible-thumper. 

Autumn's Angel

by Robin Lee Hatcher

Luvena was a single woman with the responsibility of her nephew and two neices. She had nothing because her father had lost the family fortune, her mother had died and now her sister and brother-in-law had died in a boating accident. When she saw Clay's ad for a wife to help him run the Grand Coeur she writes him as she's always wanted to be an opera singer. Clay sends the money for her to come but he's in for a surprise when she gets off the stage coach with three kids in tow. When he tells Luvena there's a big mistake here she faints but he takes her home and there is no marriage. She writes to the owner of the Hitching Post Mail-Order Bride Catalogue to inform him of the mistake and complain about the changes made to their letters to each other she then demands he run another ad for her, free of charge of course.

Winter Wedding Bells

by Mary Connealy

David, convinced he's going to die due to complications from pneumonia so he places an ad in the Hitching Post Mail-Order Bride Catalogue for a wife to care for his two sons and run his ranch once he's gone. Megan had raised her five brothers and thought this was the man for her. David didn't plan on her not believing that he had less than a year to live. Matter of fact she didn't find this out until they were married and headed home. He informed Megan that there would be no wifely duties as he didn't want to leave her with child, this doesn't sit well with this Irish woman.

I'm surprised the owner of the Hitching Post Mail-Order Bride Catalogue survived after all of the ads and letters he changed to bring couples together. In this day, he would be sued many times over. These ladies just continue to put their best foot forward with their writing ability. They have some pretty entertaining stories in this book.

Along Wooded Paths by Tricia Goyer - Review of the second book in A Big Sky Novel series

Marianna Sommer is still in Montana helping her family, at least that's what she says. She is really trying to figure out where she belongs, in Indiana with Aaron Zook or in Montana with Ben. Ben, an Englischer, has led her to believe differently about God but she still plans to stay Amish. Things get even more complicated when Aaron shows up in Montana unexpectedly. Marianna finds out by hearing than an Amish man was in an accident and is hurt in the hospital, his name is Aaron Zook and he's from Indianna.

Marianna's dad gets him out of the hospital and Aaron is now staying with them, his leg is in a cast and he won't be able to walk for several weeks, and taking her bedroom. Now she has both of the men she thinks she loves in the same town and finds her heart changing daily, if not more often.

Who will Marianna end up with? She feels like she really does love Ben but unless he becomes Amish it will be impossible to marry him. Then there's the days she feels that connection with Aaron that can't be broken and she's known him her whole life and has always planned on marrying him.

Tricia did a really good job keeping me in suspense on this one, and I have a feeling with the book ending as it did that things may change in the third book, "Beyond Hope's Valley". Way to leave us hanging! Anyone that likes Amish Fiction should read this series, I think you would really enjoy it.