Reviewing: Storm Rising

 ...my thoughts...
 
Suspenseful and full of intrigue!  Clandestine operatives are competing to find the Book of War before other nations possess this book of all books on all wars.  The book is highly rated and written by popular author Ronie Kendig.  She has done her research and  delivered on her promise for a plot that twists, turns and entertains.  If you like fast action, this book is for you.

...from the publisher...
Mentioned in the pages of the Septuagint but lost to history, the Book of the Wars has resurfaced, and its pages hold secrets--and dangers--never before seen on earth.

Tasked with capturing the ancient text, former Navy SEAL Leif Metcalfe is finally given command of his own team. But their best efforts are ruined when a notorious Bulgarian operative known as "Viorica" snatches the volume right out from under them.

Iskra "Viorica" Todorova is determined to use the book to secure the thing that matters most--freedom. But a series of strange storms erupts around the globe and the coming dangers foretold in the text threaten crops, lives--entire nations. Though both are haunted by secrets of the past and neither trusts the other, Leif and Iskra must form an uneasy alliance to thwart impending disaster. However, the truth hidden in two-thousand-year-old words could unleash the storm of their own destruction.

Dreaming of an Early Christmas? An Amish Christmas Kitchen Will Get You Started!

 ...my thoughts...


Three Beloved Amish Fiction authors have joined to bring heartwarming novellas that will get you into the Christmas spirit early.

Leslie Gould's story An Amish Family Christmas is about a family coping with grief and loss.  Shy Noelle, the youngest daughter in a large family is tasked with manning the family stall at the market where all of her baked goods are sold.  She is more comfortable behind the rolling pin than greeting customers.  It is a case of when what works for someone else doesn't work for you, she rises to the occasion.  I enjoyed seeing a young woman with potential emerge along with a new lease on life for her entire family as she sets about bringing the family together.  A chance meeting with a fellow vendor mixes things up for her in ways she will always be grateful.

Jan Drexler's An Amish Christmas Recipe Box is a wonderful story of unrequited love.  A delightful young woman bakes up a flurry of goods to sell in the family furniture store.  Two  young men working for her father play a pivotal role in this season of her life. As this story unfolded it warmed my heart. The cliche "The way to a man's heart is through his stomach" plays a role in how she seeks to woo the man she believes to be the one she is to marry.

Kate Lloyd's "An Unexpected Christmas Gift has just the hint of mystery you expect from Kate's books when a lone visitor arrives on Christmas Eve.  A blizzard, a sleigh and a bit of confusion keeps the pages turning as you try to get to the bottom of this well written story of a family that comes together under circumstances nobody could have ever planned.

I enjoyed all three of these novellas and I can't pick a favorite. Each author has unique strengths that keep me coming back to their books. Rather than watch 25 days of Christmas movies, why not settle down instead with one of these novellas.  You will be happy you did.  I plan to read them again with a cup of tea and a cookie or two.

...from the publisher...

As the weather grows cold and the nights grow long, the cheer and warmth of the Christmas season is one thing all readers can find comfort in. This collection from bestselling Amish fiction novelists Leslie Gould, Jan Drexler, and Kate Lloyd finds the beating heart at the center of the holiday and offers three novellas that celebrate family, faith, and especially the sights and smells of a bustling holiday kitchen.

Leslie Gould tells the story of how, in the wake of a heartbreaking loss, a young Amish woman finds unexpected comfort and hope in a yearly baking tradition surrounding the local Lancaster Christmas market. Jan Drexler offers a sweet tale of a shy Amish woman who decides to use her gift for sweets to woo a local Amish boy with her beloved Christmas cookies. And Kate Lloyd offers a heartwarming tale of a woman's unexpected discovery about the truth of her past, and the warm and welcoming Amish family table she finds herself invited to on Christmas.

The Healing Jar By Wanda E Brunstetter A Heartwarming Story of Love and Healing

...from the publisher...
Lenore Lapp is an Amish schoolteacher in her late twenties still living at home with her parents and grandparents. She thought love had passed her by until she meets Jesse Smucker, a widower with a baby daughter. She quickly falls in love with them both and accepts Jesse’s proposal of marriage, but Jesse breaks off their engagement when he realizes he can’t marry only for convenience.
Resigned to living single, Lenore throws herself into caring for her elders. While working in her grandmother’s garden, she digs up an old jar. Will Lenore find healing for her broken heart and solve long-buried family secrets by reading the note contained inside?

 ...my thoughts...
The long awaited conclusion to Wanda E. Brunstetter's series, The Prayer Jars, is here! The Healing Jar is Lenore's story.  One day in the barn, she found the long hidden prayer jar, and found solace in the words tucked inside. The mystery of this jar and another, found on a shelf in the dark basement, piqued the interests first of Michelle, then Sara. Now Lenore sits in wonder at these words that seem to coincide with her own thoughts and feelings. At the discovery of a third jar, the mystery begins to unfold as the discovery of who started these jars hidden for so long.

Carefully written, complex lives of a seemingly simple world are upturned and will never be the same.  It is just like me to start a new book late at night, and I found myself unable to put it down.  I enjoy Wanda E. Brunstetter's books for the way she makes her characters come to life.  The Healing Jar is a fitting title for a book that touches the heart of this extended family.  I laughed, cried and found wisdom in this book.  I have a feeling that many a prayer jar will be started as more people read this wonderful series.  I am sad to see this series end, but look forward to more books written by this beloved author.