Christian Fiction

The First Love by Beverly Lewis

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first love

Pages: 304

Publisher: Bethany House

Published: September 4, 2018

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

1951: It’s a summer of change and acceptance. Maggie is learning to deal with her chronic illness and help her younger siblings accept their new stepmom. A Mennonite tent revival has set up in town and Maggie attends at the urging of her Mennonite cousins. Will the meetings bring her closer to accepting her illness and accepting her stepmom or will the meetings take her away from her Amish faith?

I knew very little about Juvenile Rheumatoid Arthritis until reading Maggie’s story. JRA sounds absolutely terrible not to know day to day when you wake up on how you are going to feel and if you are going to be able to move or not.

I applaud Lewis for her positive stepmom portrayal. So many times we read stories of a terrible stepmom who hates her step kids. Being a stepmom myself it made my heart sing to see the stepmom as loving and trying to keep their mom’s memory alive. Yes, there are hard times but with love and patience hard times can be overcome.

My favorite story line was Maggie’s spiritual awakening. The thirst for understanding and believing was beautiful. There were a lot of biblical stories mentioned that I was not completely familiar with and has made me interested to read more of my Bible.

Lewis has written another story that reminds you of the beauty in the world.

I received a complimentary copy from Bethany House through NetGalley. Any and all opinions expressed in the above review are entirely my own.

When Mercy Sings by Kim Vogel Sawyer

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mercy

Pages: 352 (eBook)

Publisher: WaterBrook Multnomah

Published: October 7, 2014

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

Suzanne was made to leave her Mennonite home when she did the unthinkable and became pregnant with her boyfriend. Her mother sent her to Indiana to have the baby, give it for adoption to her married cousin and then return. Suzanne decided to stay in Indiana. At the urging of her brothers and sisters, Suzanne returns with her nineteen year old daughter in tow to care for her mother who is now handicap. What Suzanne did not expect was the love of her life from her childhood to be working at her mother’s house. Paul has no clue that she was pregnant when she went away all those years ago. But things are not as they seem. Will Suzanne keep her secret or will everything come out in the open when she least expects it?

I read the third book in this trilogy a couple of years ago and was excited to read the first to see how it all began. Book One was just as wonderful as the third one. I did not want to put it down. It felt very realistic as I was reading.

The angst between Suzanne and her mom is so true of many mothers and daughters that faced the situation they found themselves experiencing. My heart was hurting for them. I especially felt for Suzanne’s mom dealing with becoming handicap late in life as my mom has had to face something very similar. Her loss of freedom to do what she wants when she wants has been a very hard adjustment.

Kim Vogel Sawyer writes with grit and beauty in When Mercy Sings. You will find yourself looking deep into yourself as you read.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from WaterBrook Multnomah through NetGalley. Any and all opinions expressed in the above review are entirely my own.

An Amish Homecoming by Amy Clipston, Beth Wiseman, Shelley Shepard Gray and Kathleen Fuller

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homecoming

Pages: 416 (eBook)

Publisher: Zondervan Fiction

Published: October 16, 2018

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

Four wonderful stories on forgiveness and love.

No Place Like Home by Amy Clipston
Can Eva forgive her parents for their actions and feelings years ago for the benefit of her four year old son?
A perfect story on forgiveness: forgiving yourself and others that have wronged you.

When Love Returns by Beth Wiseman
Sarah and her daughter must return to home she fled six years ago and face those she left behind. Upon her returned, Abram has realized he never stopped loving her. Will Hurricane Harvey mend the destruction of Sarah and Abram’s lives?
This story had me in tears from almost the beginning to the end. The raw emotions and heartache of the characters came through beautifully.

The Courage to Love by Shelley Shepard Gray
Can Irene overcome her past and let people into her heart?
A story to remind us to get to know others before judging them.

What Love Built by Kathleen Fuller
Upon retuning to Birch Creek after being away 18 years, Carolyn is determined to realize her dream of opening an Amish Bakery. Will Carolyn relinquish control and let Atlee and others help her with her dream?
I found this story as a great reminder to forgive others who have hurt me in the past and to also let others help me when I need it. You are not showing weakness in needing help, you are letting others follow Jesus’ example.

I received a complimentary copy of the book from Zondervan Fiction through NetGalley. Any and all opinions expressed are in the above review are entirely my own.

 

The Amish Christmas Letters by Patricia Davids, Sarah Price and Jennifer Beckstrand

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letters

Pages: 304 (eBook)

Publisher: Kensington

Published: September 25, 2018

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

In this collection of three stories from three wonderful writers of the Amish romance genre we meet Marybeth Martin in Marybeth’s Circle Letter. In order not to host her Great Aunt Ingrid she must match one more couple before Christmas. Her target is Josiah Weaver, a widower who is in need of a nanny but can that person also be his next love? In Love Delivered by Sarah Price we meet Katie Mae and her father who is wheelchair bound. Due to the unfortunate circumstances their farm is suffering. The bishop has a plan but will Katie Mae accept the help? In Sealed with a Kiss by Jennifer Beckstrand we get to catch up with Anna and Felty from her Huckleberry Hill series. Anna has sent Carolyn to be a babysitter for a large family that is too busy to see to the needs of their children. Will Carolyn fall in love with their uncle or will she run away in frustration?

All three stories start out with a letter known as a circle letter. Person A writes a letter to all and mails it to person B. Person B reads letter A, writes letter B and sends letters A and B to person C. The letters continue until it gets back to the original person who takes out the old letter of theirs and repeats. What an interesting way to communicate not involving electronic communication. I still believe old fashioned letters are the best kind.

This is the perfect book for a cold winter’s night of reading in anticipation to Christmas. The stories are romantic and sometimes full of laughter. You will find yourself immersed in the beauty of the Amish and cheering each woman on in her quest for fulfillment.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from Kensington through NetGalley. Any and all opinions expressed in the above review are entirely my own.

Sadie: An Amish Retelling of Snow White by Sarah Price

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amish sadie

Pages: 400 (eBook)

Publisher: Kensington

Published: September 25, 2018

Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

Sadie has tried and tried to be a good stepdaughter but to her detriment her stepmother, Rachel, is as jealous as ever. Rachel sees Sadie as everything she is not young, beautiful, and able to bear children when the time is right. In order to move on with her life, Rachel has decided to marry Sadie off to an ungrateful widower with many children. Sadie decides to take her future in to her own hands and runs away while on a buggy ride with the ungrateful widower. As she run away into the forest she finds herself awaking in a small cottage belonging to the seven Glick brothers who are outcasts in their Amish faith due to their small size. Will Sadie make a life with the brothers as chief cook and bottle washer or will her true love find her?

If you are a fan of retellings of fairytales and like the Amish genre then Sarah Price is your author. Her creativity of retelling Cinderella, Beauty and the Beast and now Cinderella are a pure delight. I did not want to put any of the books down.

In Sadie: An Amish Retelling of Snow White, Sarah Price has taken the beloved fairy tale and moved it into the current real world. She tackles jealousy among women (especially stepdaughters and stepmoms), out casting others due to being different (little people/dwarfism) and the dangers of food allergies. I bring up the food allergy danger because it is getting more and more common and it is not just your usual peanuts and shellfish. Even with all real world problems tackled we still get our romantic ending.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from Kensington through NetGalley. Any and all opinions expressed are entirely my own.

A Christmas by the Sea by Melody Carlson

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christmas sea

Pages: 176 (eBook)

Publisher: Revell

Published: September 4, 2018

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

Wendy and her son, Jackson, have been living in Cincinnati, OH and trying to cope with life after the death of her husband, his dad. Wendy’s grandfather passed away and left her his home in Seaside, Maine. Wendy plans on updating the home and selling it ASAP. They drive to Maine over Thanksgiving break and both fall in love with the house and town. Jackson wants to live there but Wendy sees no way to make a living and insists they must go back to Cincinnati. Will the townspeople, one in particular, change her mind and give a young boy his Christmas wish?

What a heartwarming, beautiful Christmas read. Melody Carlson writes with such love and hope that you can’t help but fall in love with Seaside. She makes the reader wish we could experience the Christmas season on the Maine coast with mornings of shelling, days filled with creating beauty within our home and evenings filled with delicious seafood meals.

I would like to see a return visit to Seaside with one of the other characters with an update to how Wendy and Jackson are doing.

I received a complimentary copy of this story from Revell through NetGalley. Any and all opinions expressed in the above review are entirely my own.

The Christmas Prayer by Wanda Brunstetter

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christmas prayer.jpg

Pages: 176 (eBook)

Publisher: Barbour Publishing Inc. (Shiloh Run Press)

Published: September 1, 2018

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

In the wake of the Donner party, three wagons of strangers meet in Independence, MO to head to the land of gold, California. Eight months later December arrives and they have just reached the Sierra Nevada Mountains and have encountered a blizzard that could mean the end of the trip and themselves.

Cynthia is traveling with her fiancé and mother. As the trip has progressed she finds herself questioning if he is the man she thought he was, especially as she finds herself spending more time with the children on the trip. Christmas is approaching and the travelers are finding themselves getting bleaker and bleaker but will Santa come save them and show Cynthia the way to love?

I know whenever I pick up a Wanda Brunstetter book or novella whether Amish or not I am in for the perfect feel good read. Although I know the ending will be a happy one and love will always win the story to get to the ending is always beautiful. This is the perfect story to get you ready for the colder months and Christmas. Pick this book up for the romance reader in your life or yourself. You won’t be disappointed.

I received a copy of this story from Barbour Publishing Inc. through NetGalley. Any and all opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own.

 

The Mending by Susan Lantz Simpson

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mending

Pages: 288 (eBook)

Publisher: Kensington

Published: August 28, 2018

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

Malinda is happy to be out of the hospital in Ohio and heading back home to Maryland. As she settles back in the swing of home life she wonders if she will ever share the joy her friend Phoebe has with her boyfriend soon to be fiancé. Malinda has Chron’s disease and feels she is a burden to everyone around her, especially her family.

Timothy has been in Malinda’s life for as long as anyone can remember as he is her older brother, Sam’s, best friend. Timothy has waited patiently for years for Malinda to grow up and be ready to accept suitors. Now that the time has come can he convince Melinda that she will never be a burden to him?

What a beautiful love story between Malinda and Timothy. The love and patience he has for Malinda would make any girl swoon, young or old, English or Amish. Both of them have a strong faith in God and the way it is portrayed is great. The author uses real life experiences to show how God is in each of our lives. The author writes with such knowledge that one would think you were reading a true story and not one of fiction.

This is the second book by Susan Lantz Simpson I have read and I am eagerly awaiting the next book in the series.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from Kensington Book through NetGalley and any all opinions expressed in the above review are entirely my own.

Secret at Pebble Creek (Hope Chest of Dreams #4) by Lisa Jones Baker

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pebble

Pages: 256 (eBook)

Publisher: Kensington

Published: August 28, 2018

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

Englisher, Jessica Beachy, has inherited her late great uncle’s Amish farm in Illinois. She makes the journey from St. Louis, MO to sell the property but one thing she did not expect was to fall in love, with the memory of her late great uncle, the property and the handsome Amish carpenter, Eli. As Eli remodels the house for Jessica to sell, he tells Jessica stories of her great uncle and the loves found at Pebble Creek. Will Eli lose his heart to Jessica?

This was my first visit to Pebble Creek and I am absolutely smitten. Lisa Jones Baker does an incredible job in making the reader feel as if Pebble Creek is a real and magical place. I am afraid of heights and would never in my right mind climb a ladder into a hay loft but she made me want to when reading about the view of Pebble Creek from Old Sam’s hayloft.

It was beautiful to read about the witnessing Eli does with Jessica. A non-believer learning about our beautiful God and coming to the realization that Jesus died for you to have eternal life with him in the kingdom of heaven is a miracle. Lisa Jones Baker did just this in a subtle but powerful way.

I would recommend this book to any fan of Christian and/or Amish romance. It is definitely safe for a young teenage girl ready to read clean romance novels. No sex, foul language or violence.

I received a complimentary copy of this novel from Kensington through NetGalley. Any and all opinions expressed in the above review are entirely my own.

The Hope Jar (The Prayer Jars #1) by Wanda Brunstetter

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hope

Pages: 320 (eBook)

Publisher: Barbor Publishing Inc. (Shiloh Run Press)

Published: August 7, 2018

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

A winner from one of America’s favorite Amish authors, Wanda Brunstetter.

Many years ago the Lapps daughter left her Amish community for the English world. Unbeknownst to them she was pregnant with her daughter, Sara. When Sara’s mom passes away she finds a letter in her mom’s Bible telling her of her grandparents. As she tries to set up a time to visit them an imposter has taken her place with the Lapps.

The imposter is Michelle, a young woman who is so far down on her luck that she jumps at the chance to pretend to be Sara when the Lapps mistake her for Sara at the bus station.

Can Michelle make amends with the family and community she has come to love before the real Sara comes to visit her grandparents.

While I thoroughly enjoyed this book it did take me some time to get through it. Mainly because I would get so frustrated at Michelle stringing the Lapps along. The Lapps are so caring and loving and I know she truly has found herself loving them back. For the first time in her life she has felt true love and felt apart of a real family.

The idea of a hope (prayer) jar sounds like a wonderful concept. I have heard of prayer journals but not hope (prayer) jars. Imagine keeping one and many years from now someone finds it and finds the help and/or strength they need.

I am very interested to see how this series progresses.

I received a complimentary copy from Barbor Publishing Inc. through NetGalley. Any and all opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own.