Mail-Order Christmas Brides by Jillian Hart & Janet Tronstad - Review

Her Christmas Family

by Jillian Hart

Gertie Winters wanted a ma for Christmas and Tate,her father, will do anything to please her since her mother died while he was in prison and she was sent to an orphanage until her aunt Ing went and found her. Felicity Sawyer was raised in an orphanage and has spent her life looking for her sisters. Gertie wrote to Felicity begging her to be her ma, Felicity gladly agrees and takes the train to meet them. When the train arrives that is supposed to bring Felicity, Tate and Gertie can't find her, then as they are leaving someone calls out Gertie's name and they stop in their tracks. Tate can't believe the lady in the yellow dress is Felicity, she'll never follow through on her agreement to marry him, how will Gertie handle this?

Christmas Stars for Dry Creek

by Janet Tronstad

Eleanor McBride has been sitting in an old cabin for twelve days with little to no food and no wood for the fireplace to keep warm, what she had she saved for cooking. Will Sergeant Adam Martin show up with his daughter or not? She had agreed to marry him when she was kicked out of her home and lost her job. After all it was her boss, Mrs Stout who had exchanged letters with Sergeant Martin's mother trying to find her a place to go. What will she do if they don't show up and would his mother still approve of her if she finds out that she is a Hamilton, but was disowned by them?

Two touching stories by two great authors!

Katie's Journey to Love by Jerry S Eicher - Review of the second book in Emma Raber's Daughter series

Life has changed for Katie and her mamm now that her mamm has married Jesse Mast. She now has 3 brothers and 2 sisters but if she thought life would be better, she's finding out that isn't so. Mabel still hates both Emma, her new mamm, and Katie, she says hateful things and is always trying to cause problems between them and Jesse, her daed.

Katie is still going to the Mennonite youth meetings, still working at Byler's and still 'in love' with Ben Stoll. Mabel has a secret love also and when her daed discovers her secretly seeing him he orders her to quit yet Katie gets to keep doing things not approved by the Amish, she even gets to take a trip to Europe to visit the birthplace of the Amish faith.

When Ben Stoll starts talking to Katie and taking her to and from the Mennonite meetings she couldn't be more pleased. It takes time but her mamm is coming around and letting it happen without trying to talk Katie out of seeing him. This part of her life couldn't be better, for now anyway.

As the series goes on it gets better, I enjoyed this book more than the first one and there is a lot of interesting information about the anabaptists brought out as they travel through Europe. You will be thrilled for Katie as you find yourself wanting to 'smack' Mabel and as the story moves on your emotions take a different path. I'm really anxious to get the next book and find out what happens now!

Thank you to Harvest House Publishers 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

The Winnowing Season by Cindy Woodsmall - Review of the second book in Amish Vines and Orchards series

Samuel King and Rhoda Byler have become partners in the Kings' Orchard and the Rhode Side Stands. With the help of Rhoda's friend Landon they found an old orchard in Orchard Bend, Maine so they get approval from the district and purchase it. Eight of the Kings and Bylers move to start a new Amish community.

Samuel and his brother Jacob have both fallen in love with Rhoda, while Samuel keeps it to himself Jacob expresses himself to Rhoda and she reciprocates the feelings. The problem is that Jacob has commitments from his rumschpringe days so every time Sandra calls, Jacob goes running. Samuel has also upset Rhoda by writing a letter to her district sharing some secrets that she shared with him.

Once in Orchard Bend Samuel and Rhoda continue to disagree on some things and there are times that Samuel won't hardly talk to her. Jacob continues to run when his past calls and when marijuana and drug paraphernalia are discovered in one of the greenhouses and Rhoda is accused of growing with intent to sell, Jacob has to leave so the police won't discover him. Jacob is gone more than he's home, it seems like he's never there when she needs some moral support, but she doesn't waver in her love for him. Samuel just finds himself falling deeper and deeper in love with Rhoda.

Rhoda also loses her best friend Landon because he falls for Jacob's 17 year old sister Leah, who really thinks she wants to leave the Amish. When Rhoda discovers him bringing Leah home late one night she asks to have a talk with him when he shows up for work the next morning and she demands that he stop seeing Leah or she will fire him. He knows that he needs the job so he starts avoiding not only Leah but Rhoda too. Rhoda finds herself spending more time with Samuel and even confiding in him again.

Wonderful story that shows even though people don't always get along, they can put those differences aside and live in one house supporting each other. Yes, eight people in one house, two different families that haven't really know each other all that long either, it can be done! Also the faith Rhoda has is impressive, she never loses her trust in Jacob even though he spends so much time with Sandra and her daughter or during the investigation when she's advised to get a really good attorney, she still depends on God to get her through without hiring an attorney.

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.”

Safe In His Arms by Colleen Coble - Review of the second book in Under Texas Stars series

Margaret O'Brien was born and raised on a Texas ranch and lives with her father. Her mother was killed in a stampede and her brother was shot by Texas Rangers. Bank robberies are happening in the surrounding towns when her father hires a new foreman without telling her. This upsets Margaret because she has been the boss of the ranch for many years and has increased the value of it, why would her father do this to her. Not only has he hired Daniel Cutler, a stranger, he brings her cousin Lewis back and has changed his will leaving the ranch to Lewis with a huge amount of money to Margaret. He is also demanding that she start dressing and acting more like a lady, Margaret in a dress, she doesn't like that order at all.

Along with all the changes someone is trying to kill her father and snooping around the ranch. Just who is Daniel Cutler and what is he up to? Bank robberies, attacks on her father and he doesn't seem like a true cowboy, dresses to neat and no callouses, although he does seem to know what he's doing when it comes to ranch work. It seems like every time she turns around there he is, she even over hears conversations he's having with people she doesn't know and from what she's hearing she does not trust him. Is Daniel the one trying to kill her father, is it Calvin, one of the hands who seems to be holding a grudge about something, because surely it couldn't be Lewis or Vincente, Vincent is the maids son and was born and raised on the ranch as was Margaret?

I loved the first book in this series and this one was just as good. I really like Colleen's writing and it doesn't take me long to get through her books. Good, clean, a touch of romante and some old fashioned 'old west' action to boot!

Swept Away by Mary Connealy - Review of the first book in Trouble in Texas series

Luke Stone is on his way home to reclaim his ranch that was stolen by the man, and his hired gunman, who killed his father. He is getting close to home when he comes across a woman, Ruthy, in the middle of nowhere. He finds her hung up in a tree.

Ruthy, was taken in by the Reinhardt family when she was seven after her parents had died. She thought it was a blessing but soon found out they wanted her for more of a slave that they could abuse and force to marry their son, who tried to attack her so many times that she slept with a chair under the door handle and a butcher knife in her bed. When the Reinhardt's decided to move west she promised herself she'd get away from them or die trying, little did she know her 'escape' would be taken out of her hands.

Once Luke found Ruthy he couldn't leave her there to die so he loads her up on his horse and takes her with him to Broken Wheel, Texas. He knows he's facing a war once he gets there and will have to hide until the time is right to confront Flint Greer. What is he going to do with a woman who he doesn't even know, it's not fair to bring her into this situation, but what choice does he have.

WOW! That's about all I can say. Reading this book I felt like I was right in the middle of the action. What good writing Mary has done with this one. I've read many of Mary's books and I like every new book more than I liked the last one. I found it very hard to put this down so I could get some sleep.

I don't know what words to use to encourage you to run, don't walk, out and get this book. If you like good clean westerns, you'll love this one.

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

My Amish Childhood by Jerry S Eicher - Review

This is a very enlightening book about Jerry Eicher's childhood. From Canada to Honduras and back to Belle Center, Ohio. He tells you about the life he lived in Honduras why they moved there, the difficulties the Amish encountered, how he loved that country and why they returned to the United States.

I was surprised at some of the things and could relate when I compared my own childhood to his story. I don't like speaking in front of people, I even passed out when I was a freshman in high school when I had to give an oral report. That is not the only area in our lives where I could connect with Jerry.

I recently read a series of books where some Amish moved to Mexico, these were based on a true story, so when I started reading Jerry's book and found out that most of it takes place in Honduras I was surprised. Surprised because I'm guilty of  'judging a book by it's cover' and title so I don't always read the blurb, I like to try and figure out the story as I go along.

The book was enjoyable and I encourage you to read it. I did think it was kind of slow in parts and seemed to jump around a little but not so much that it was real boring or confusing, there was always something to keep me reading to the end.

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.”

Thank you to Harvest House Publishers 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

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