The Hope Jar by Wanda E Brunstetter - Review of the first book in the Prayer Jars series

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A HOMELESS GIRL FINDS AN UNLIKELY FAMILY

What happens when making an elderly Amish couple very happy means going along with a lie that becomes more complex by the day?

Michelle Taylor is not who her new family in Lancaster County believes her to be. The Lapps were looking for their long-lost granddaughter when they met Michelle and she assumed the identity of Sara Murray. Once homeless and hopeless. Michelle has come to love her new Amish friends and even considers the idea of romance among them.

Finding an old blue jar in the barn that is filled with slips of paper with handwritten thoughts, quotes, and prayers by an unknown author encourages Michelle's budding faith---but she also finds herself feeling convicted. How can she tell the truth without hurting the ones she has truly come to love?

MY  REVIEW

I usually enjoy Wanda Brunstetter books, as I did this one, but I did find it pretty 'predictible'. What I mean is that I could tell what was going to happen before I turned the page in so many instances in this book. The story is an inspirational one and Michelle seemed to have remorse for what she was doing, how she appeared to be turning her life around even while living a lie, so that was good. You will have to read the book to see if she did actually come clean and change her life, or not.

Belle by Sarah Price - Review of the first book in the Amish Fairytale series

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In author Sarah Price's fresh and inspirational retelling of a beloved classic, a 

dutiful young Amish woman agrees to marry a notorious recluse for her family's

sake--but the consequences are more than either bargained for . . .

To most townsfolk, he's known simply as The Beast. Annabelle Beiler has little interest in gossip, but she's heard about Adam Herschberger's scars and his gruff, solitary ways. Though he sounds like a character from one of Belle's treasured books, the man is real and, it turns out, just as unreasonable as the rumors claim. When a buggy accident wipes out the last of her daed's money, forcing him to sell their farm, Adam buys it. The he offers Belle a deal--marry him, and her family can keep their home.

Everyone is shocked by Belle's decision, but she's determined to be a good fraa, cleaning Adam's rundown house and tending the overgrown garden. Breaking through her new husband's icy reserve will be another matter. Belle's courage and strength are abundant, but it will take true faith to guide Adam back to the heart of his Amish community--and to the loving marriage they both deserve.

MY  REVIEW

I enjoyed this book more than I thought I would. Sarah Price did a wonderful job of bringing a fairytale to life in an Amish community. Grab a copy and see if you agree, this is the first in a series of three stories.

Ilsa by Shanna Hatfield - Review of the third book in the Pendleton Petticoats series

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(copied from Amazon)

Do you love sweet historical romances?

  Ilsa will instantly draw you into a happy ever after! 

One of the most talented seamstresses of her time, Ilsa Thorsen could sell her creations anywhere in the world, but she ends up on her sister's ranch in the western town of Pendleton, Oregon. Disgusted with the dust, smells and nearly every aspect of rural life, Ilsa wonders how she'll survive, particularly with the arrogant Tony Campanelli constantly underfoot.

Enterprising and hardworking, Tony Campanelli embraces life in the small community of Pendleton with his sister and their friends, especially since Ilsa Thorsen moves to town. The uptight seamstress just needs to learn to have some fun and Tony's convinced he's the man for the job.

MY  REVIEW

I haven't read one of Shanna Hatfield's books in quite some time and oh how I have missed them. I'm so glad I pulled this one of of my TBR pile/list.

Shanna does a wonderful job of pulling you right into the story from the very beginning and never lets you out. I can highly recommend this book, and the series, if you enjoy a good Christian Historical Fiction story. I will suggest you start at the beginning of the series though.