Saturday, August 25, 2018

Through the Autumn Air by Kelly Irvin - Review of the third book in the Every Amish Season series




BACK  OF  THE BOOK  BLURB
The past filled her mind even as her heart yearned for stories yet to be told . . .

The mother of ten and a widow of seven years, Mary Katherine is a bundle of energy, always willing to step in and help her friends around her Amish community. Now that her last child is married, she pours her abundant creative spirit into writing stories, even as she speaks aloud to her late husband every day. Her dream is to open a bookstore with an English friend, but the church elders want this wayward widow to work in and Amish-owned store instead. When her old school friend, Ezekiel, offers her a position as a cook in the restaurant he opened after his wife died, she knows she should accept. But does she really want to spend her time working over a hot stove?

When a mysterious English stranger breaks into her house to make himself a sandwich one autumn night, Mary Katherine doesn't call the sheriff. She turns to Ezekiel. They both see that Burke is in need of more than a meal, and Ezekiel offers him the job at the restaurant.

As they set out to care for their new friend, Mary Katherine and Ezekiel find themselves often working together. Mary Katherine is drawn to Ezekiel, but she remembers teh terrible risk of giving her heart to someone. Can two people in the autumns of their lives and so well-versed in the pain of loss put the past behind them and trust in the hope that comes with each new season?


MY  REVIEW
They may be in the autumn of their lives with no spouse, but that doesn't mean they can do what they please, especially Mary Katherine. She not only has to listen to the bishop but her children, mainly her sons, the oldest Thomas. I feel like Thomas has forgotten he's the son and not the father, lol, he is looking out for her safety with the mysterious break-ins going on, but he expects her to 'mind' him. WOW, can you imaging that in the Englisch world? A good story and some wonderful characters, Kelly has a great addition to the series here.

I received this book free from the publisher through the BookLook Bloggers; book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own.

Tuesday, August 14, 2018

Beneath the Summer Sun by Kelly Irvin - Review of the second book in the Every Amish Season series




BACK  OF  THE  BOOK  BLURB
(copied from Amazon.com)
Jennie Troyer knows it's time to remarry. Can she overcome a painful secret and open her heart to love?

It's been four years since Jennie's husband died in a farming accident. Long enough that the elders in her Amish community think it's time to marry again for the sake of her seven children. What they don't know is that grief isn't holding her back from a new relationship. Fear is. A terrible secret in her past keeps her from moving forward.

Mennonite book salesman Nathan Walker stops by Jennie's farm whenever he's in the area. Despite years of conversation and dinners together, she never seems to relax around him. He knows he should move on, but something about her keeps drawing him back.

Meanwhile, Leo Graber nurtures a decades-long love for Jennie, but guilt plagues him--guilt for letting Jennie marry someone else and guilt for his father's death on a hunting trip many years ago. How could anyone love him again--and how could he ever take a chance to love in return?

In this second book in the Every Amish Season series, three hearts try to discern God's plan for the future--and find peace beneath the summer sun.


MY  REVIEW
As with all of Kelly's other books I've read this was a very good read. She pulls you into the world of abusive that can happen in Amish communities just as it does in the English ones, the struggle to 'not' blame yourself for everything that happens to you and finding the strength and faith to move on with your life and let yourself be happy again. I am really enjoying this series and would suggest that you read the books in order. Now onto the third book "Through the Autumn Air", can't wait!!

Wednesday, August 1, 2018

a Perfect Square by Vannetta Chapman - Review of the second book in the Shipshewana Amish Mystery series




BACK  OF  THE  BOOK  BLURB
There's more to the quaint northern Indiana town of Shipshewana than handcrafted quilts, Amish-made furniture, immaculate farms, and close-knit families. When a dead girl is found floating in a local pond, murder is also afoot. And Reuben, brother of Deborah's best friend's fiancee is in jail as the suspect!

Reuben refuses to divulge any information, even to clear himself of a crime Deborah is certain he didn't commit. So, with her English friend, Callie--fellow sleuth and owner of Daisy's Quilt Shop--Deborah sets out to uncover the truth. But the mystery deepens when an elderly man seeks Callie's help in finding his long-lost daughter, missing since the days of the 1965 Palm Sunday Tornadoes.

An old man who has lost his past. A young man who may lose his future. Once again Deborah and Callie find themselves trying to piece together a crazy quilt of lives and events--one that can bring unexpected touches of God's grace and resolve the tragedy that has shaken this quiet Amish community.


MY  REVIEW
Oh my, two mysteries in one, and what does one have to do with the other??? You will have to read the book to find out! This is a great addition to the series and a very good read. You really do need to read the series in order, and you won't be disappointed with either book that I've read so far. I had both of these in paperback, which I prefer, but will have to read the last one, "Material Witness" on my Kindle, so looking forward to reading it!

Falling to Pieces by Vannetta Chapman - Review of the first book in the Shipshewana Amish Mystery series




BACK  OF  THE  BOOK  BLURB
Not your usual Amish buggy ride!
Deborah Yoder needs to sell her quilts. Callie Harper has reluctantly inherited her aunt's quilting store. Deborah is Amish, tall, and hearty, the married mother of five. Callie is English,petite, young, and single. They form an unlikely partnership when Deborah reveals her plan to auction her quilts ... online ... in a town where few residents even have electricity.

In the tiny community of Shipshewana, what could be more implausible?

A murder.

And when circumstances and a relentless detective point to a surprising prime suspect, Deborah and Callie set aside their differences and work together in an attempt to solve the mystery and catch a killer.

In Falling to Pieces, the first in a three-book series, author Vannetta Chapman blends the best components of Amish fiction with a great who-done-it twist. You'll be glad she did.

Two women, an auction, a dead body, and one friendship quilt. Shipshewana will never be the same.


MY  REVIEW
I have had this book for a while, as well as the second one, as I love Vannetta's books I thought I had already read them, but NOPE, I hadn't!!! Well I am sorry I waited so long to get around to them, better yet I thought I'd already posted my review, but NOPE to that too! This was a great example of the Englisch and Amish living together and becoming great friends and able to work together whether it be in normal everyday life or when things pop up to bring a little 'thrill' into life. Thrill as in solving a very serious, as in deadly, mystery. Yep, another winner for Vannetta.