Reviewing: The Stone Wall by Beverly Lewis

...from the publisher...

Anna is eager to begin a new chapter in her life as a Lancaster County tour guide in the picturesque area where her Plain grandmother once stayed. Anna wishes she could talk with her grandmother about those long-ago days, but the elderly woman suffers from Alzheimer's, and beyond a vague hint about an old stone wall, much about that time is a mystery. Thankfully, Martin Nolt, a handsome Mennonite, takes the young Beachy Amish woman under his wing for her training, familiarizing her with the many local highlights, including Peaceful Meadows Horse Retreat, which serves children with special needs. The retreat's mission so inspires Anna that she returns to volunteer, and she quickly strikes up a friendship with Gabe Allgyer, the young Amish widower who manages it. 

As Anna grows closer to both Martin and Gabe, she finds herself faced with a difficult choice--one in potential conflict with the expectations of her parents. Will Anna find true love and the truth about her grandmother's past in Lancaster County? Or will she find only heartbreak?

...my thoughts...

The Stone Wall is a wonderful blend of past and present stories between a young woman and her beloved grandmother.  I liked the parallel of their lives as Anna sets off for Strasburg and her grandmother, who was growing more withdrawn into Alzheimer's perks up and speaks briefly of her time there in her youth. Things seemed to fall into place for a once heartbroken Anna, and I cheered her on as she was open to try so many new and enjoyable things she never considered at home.  Her yearning for a new start in a new place while discovering God's will unfolds in such a wonderful way as she deepens her faith.  As with all of Beverly Lewis' books, the characters are people you wouldn't mind sitting down with for a good cup of coffee.  The book is easy to read but will warm your heart as your learn more about Peaceful Meadows Horse Retreat and the youthful romance between Anna's grandmother and a handsome young Old Order Amish man.  

I recommend this book to those who enjoy good Amish fiction but looking for something a little different this time: a romantic story that includes a young, progressive Beachy Amish woman, a Mennonite man and....an Old Order Amish man.  A bit of a twist I say, to keep it interesting!  Many thanks for an advanced reader copy of this book by Bethany House Fiction and Netgalley.com for an honest, but independent review.

Reviewing: Line by LIne by Jennifer Delamere

...from the publisher...

Alice McNeil resolved at a young age to travel through life unencumbered by love or marriage, free to make her own decisions. A seasoned telegrapher, she's recently acquired a coveted position at an important trading firm, but when the company's ambitious junior director returns to London, things begin to change in ways Alice could never have imagined.

For Douglas Shaw, years of hard work and ingenuity enabled him to escape a life of grinding poverty. He's also determined to marry into high society--a step that will ensure he never returns to the conditions of his past.

He and Alice form a friendly relationship based on mutual respect, but anything deeper is not in their plans. However, when Alice accidentally raises the ire of a jealous and vindictive coworker who's intent on ruining her life, Alice and Douglas are forced to confront what is truly important in their lives. Will their growing bond give them the courage to risk finding a better way?

 ...my thoughts...

Alice was a true modern woman who thought she could have it all by working at a special career and being fully independent.  All was gong well until she happened on the "spinster book" and began to implement some of the suggestions therein.  Alas, the best laid plans can backfire.  Douglas, too, had a glimpse of the book and began to doubt his goal of marrying well and furthering his career.  The two collided, so to speak and as the story unfolded, this reader began to look at all the players and see just how amusing human nature can be when tampered with in the name of success.  

I enjoyed this book and learned a bit about the early days of the telegraph industry in the bargain.  It seemed to make the world smaller when deals could be struck by the mere stroke of a telegraph key.  Good characters made this book fun to read and although I did shake my head a time or two at the foibles of Alice and Douglas, I can say without spoiling the ending that people often struggle when pursuing the wrong goals.  It is when one leaps out in faith that pieces fall into perspective.   I recommend this book for those who are looking for lighthearted reading!

Seconds To Live by Susan Sleeman - Fast Paced and Heart Pounding Suspense`

...from the publisher... 

When cybercriminals hack into the US Marshals' Witness Protection database and auction off witnesses' personal details to the highest bidders, the RED Team led by FBI Agent Sean Nichols begins a high-stakes chase to find the hacker. But before he can even get started, the first witness is targeted and barely escapes with her life. Sean believes Phantom, an obsessed hacker who previously outwitted the top minds in the field, is behind the attack, and Sean needs this witness's help, as she's the person who has come closest to discovering Phantom's identity.

Trouble is, she's a witness under the care of US Marshal Taylor Mills, and Sean is reluctant to work with the captivating marshal who knows his deepest secrets. But Phantom claims he knows where the witness is hiding and will kill her, so to stop the hacker, Sean and Taylor must work through their personal pain and learn to trust each other. . . . The seconds are ticking down before someone dies.
 
...my thoughts...
From the moment I opened Seconds To Live I was hooked.  I haven't read anything by Susan Sleeman before and believe me when I say that I was pleased to find this author.

Cybercrime hits the  U.S. Marshal's Witness Protection Database in a big way. It is a race against time to capture a high profile hacker who is out for revenge.  There are no second chances for his victims and he seems to see anyone who has had the slightest encounter with the RED team of experts assigned to bring him in. These are the things I enjoy about suspense novels.  It is edgy and keeps the reader coming back for just a few more pages.  A few more leads to another chapter and pretty soon it is after 1:00 in the morning!

The main characters are pretty closed off at first and as the story unfolds, so too does the character development of Sean and Taylor.  I liked this book for the story and the team who worked so hard together, under difficult circumstances.  It gave me an even greater respect for those members of law enforcement who are honest, hard working and dedicated to their jobs. 

I was given a copy of this book  for an honest review from Bethany House Publishers but the opinions expressed here are mine.  Seconds To Live is Book One in the Homeland Heroes series.  I am already looking forward to Book Two.

Searching For You By Jody Hedlund Is the Final Stop in The Orphan Train Series

 All Aboard for the Final Stop On the Orphan Train! 

 ...from the publisher....
 Despite years on the run, Sophie Neumann is determined to care for two young children. She won't abandon them the way she thinks her older sisters abandoned her. But times are growing desperate, and when she falls in with the wrong crowd and witnesses a crime, she realizes fleeing 1850s New York is her only option.

Disappearing with her two young charges into a group of orphans heading west by train, Sophie hopes to find safety and a happy life. When the train stops in Illinois for the first placement of orphans, Sophie faces the most difficult choice of her life.

Reinhold Weiss has finally purchased his own small farm. With mounting debts, a harvest to bring in, and past scars that haunt him, he's in no position to give his heart away . . . but can he say no when his long-lost friend shows up on a nearby train pleading for his help?


...my thoughts....

I couldn't wait to read this book!  This series is wonderful and while I didn't want it to end I wanted to know what happened to Sophie Neumann after she was separated from her sisters.  Like so many children in New York in the late 1850's, Sophie and her two sisters became orphans.  Times were desperate and many lived and worked in squalor.  Jody Hedlund introduced the series with her novella An Awakened Heart and I was  immediately hooked.  Each sister has her own story on the train and along the way the lives of many are changed.  Searching For You is Sophie's own story.

Sophie is the youngest of three sisters but has every ounce of sheer determination as her older sisters to survive in the cruel world that surrounded her.  She was charged with the care of little Olivia and Nicholas who were left in her family's care after the death of their mother.  When her sisters found work she cared for them. When she was separated from her sisters she took full responsibility for them.  After that, they became her world.

When circumstances became too dangerous, she left New York on the Orphan Train with the children and her friend Anna.  They were determined to stick together no matter what happened.  Sophie promised she would do the right thing for the children she loved.  Just older than a child herself, she had given of herself fully to Olivia and Nicholas.

Reinhold Weiss, a former close friend of Sophie's family in New York plays a prominent role in our final story.  He had been in love with her sister Elise before she left New York when she found a job in Illinois.  When Marianne was in Illinois searching for  Sophie the year before he offered her his protection with a marriage proposal.  Now, little Sophie was before him, but she was not so little anymore.  I am not sure if Sophie or Reinhold was more surprised to see the other!  It was a very long way from the tenements of New York to a growing farm in Illinois.

Jody Hedlund's writing ties this book up neatly and leaves no questions unanswered for the series.  The characters are well developed and it is easy to get hooked on their situations  immediately.  Jody's careful research and attention to detail gives a telling glimpse into the lives of how it must have been living as an orphan riding the orphan train to places unknown.  I recommend this book with 5 stars. 



 About the Author....
Jody Hedlund is the author of over twenty historicals for both adults and teens and is the winner of numerous awards including the Christy, Carol, and Christian Book Award.

Jody lives in central Michigan with her husband, five busy children, and five spoiled cats. Although Jody prefers to experience daring and dangerous adventures through her characters rather than in real life, she's learned that a calm existence is simply not meant to be (at least in this phase of her life!).

When she's not penning another of her page-turning stories, she loves to spend her time reading, especially when it also involves consuming coffee and chocolate.

Reviewing: The First Love by Beverly Lewis

...from the publisher...

It's the summer of 1951, and Maggie Esh is in need of some hope. Sweet-spirited and uncommonly pretty despite struggling with chronic illness, she is used to being treated kindly by the young men of her Old Order Amish church district. Yet Maggie wishes she were more like other courting-age girls so she could live a normal, healthy life.

To make matters more complicated, Dat has recently remarried, less than a year after her mother died. And while her stepmother is kind, Rachel is much younger than Mamm, and she simply doesn't understand Maggie or her illness the way Mamm did.

When tent revival meetings come to the area, Maggie is curious, and the words of the Mennonite preacher challenge her to reconsider what she knows about faith. Can she learn to trust God even when hope seems a distant dream?

...my thoughts...

I was inspired after reading The First Love by Beverly Lewis.  Maggie is such a wonderful young woman.  She doesn't wish to be defined by her illness although she could be if she weren't so determined to be thought of as whole. Her faith is strong yet when she is offered a chance to attend the tent revival meetings there is a turning point.  Her  Old Order Amish faith is accustomed to silent prayer, not the exuberant prayer she encounters.  It is intriguing and she is led to learn more about prayers for healing.  Once she begins to seek healing scriptures she is surprised at who reveals their own discoveries of faith and healing.  When she begins to feel stronger it is a wonder...did her faith heal her or was it the new herbal supplements that were recommended she try?

Maggie is one of my favorite Beverly Lewis characters.  She is pivot-able in this story not just because of her health issues but because she is a magnet for her family.  They are drawn to her for her wisdom.  In our story she celebrates her 18th birthday but she is mature beyond her years.  She is patient to her elderly aunt, kind to her stepmother, while acting as a buffer between her and the other children.  She listens first and offers advice only when it is sought.  She is a glue that bonds deep.  I appreciate how her family respected her and helped her on her bad days with patience and love.  I think we have all had a Maggie in our life.  I recommend this story for those who enjoy a story rich with faith, hope and love. I received a copy of this book from Bethany House Fiction in exchange for an honest review.  My opinions are my own.

Reviewing: More Than Meets the Eye by Karen Witemeyer

...from the publisher....

Many consider Evangeline Hamilton cursed. Orphaned at a young age and possessing a pair of mismatched eyes--one bright blue, the other dark brown--Eva has fought to find her way in a world that constantly rejects her. Yet the support of even one person can help overcome the world's judgments, and Eva has two--Seth and Zach, two former orphans she now counts as brothers. 

Seeking justice against the man who stole his birthright and destroyed his family, Logan Fowler arrives in 1880s Pecan Gap, Texas, to confront Zach Hamilton, the hardened criminal responsible for his father's death. Only instead of finding a solitary ruthless gambler, he discovers a man not much older than himself with an unusual family. When Zach's sister, Evangeline, insists on dousing Logan with sunshine every time their paths cross, Logan finds his quest completely derailed. Who is truly responsible for his lost legacy, and will restoring the past satisfy if it means forfeiting a future with Evangeline?

 ...my thoughts....

I enjoyed reading More than Meets the Eye, book one of Karen Witemeyer's new series called A Patchwork Family. Evangeline is an ideal heroine. With her mismatched eyes she could have been bitter and unforgiving to those who ridiculed her yet she was the complete opposite. I admired her for her openness and kindness; just they type of gal you'd want for a friend.  When she met Logan it was her good nature that disarmed all his defenses.   He found out that this sheltered young woman was no match for any designs he might have on her for his plans.

While Evangeline and Logan's story is at the heart of this book I have a soft spot for Zach, Eva's oldest brother.  He had such a hard shell around his heart created by difficult circumstances.  He'd had to grow up quickly after the Orphan train crashed.  He could have escaped on his own but quickly decided to stand by and protect two younger orphans who survived with him. In one moment he went from being a teen with a chip on his shoulder to creating and providing for a new family.  A Patchwork Family he never let down.

This is a wonderful story of resilience, forgiveness and love.  Not just the romantic love but a love story of families who grew out of need in the wild west of old.  Karen Witemeyer is noted for her wonderful stories emanating from the wild west and for that I am pleased.  I enjoy a peek at what life may have been like for those who helped build this great western piece of our country.

Reviewing: The Road Home by Beverly Lewis

...notes from the back cover....

"As the sun began to rise, Lena Rose leaned against the cool pane of the bus window and gazed out at the familiar landscape of her life. I'm leaving my family and everything I know behind. She sighed, trying to keep her composure.
Grieving the death of her Amish parents and the separation from her nine close-knit siblings, Lena Rose Schwartz consoles herself that her new life in Lancaster County won't be forever. Surely someday soon she will return to her beloved Michigan settlement, including her beau. But even as she holds on to hope for a reunion with those she loves most, she discovers that Lancaster holds charms of its own. Will she find the courage to open her heart to other possibilities?"

...my thoughts...

The Road Home by celebrated author Beverly Lewis was even better than I expected.  The story was easy to get into and hard to put down.  Lena Rose Schwartz is an amazing young woman who has a special gift of giving to others without hopes of anything in return.  She spreads joy in surprising places even through the pain of losing her parents and a long distance separation from her younger brothers and sisters.  

She was welcomed so warmly into the home of her father's second cousin Harley and his wife Mimi.  She soon felt like a member of their own family.  Her talents as a seamstress helped Mimi with her home sewing business.  People in her new community soon became attached to her as she touched their lives with unselfish kindness. It wasn't long before she caught the eye of handsome cabinet maker Arden Mast.  A relationship with him was not in her plans. She was determined to return to her family in Michigan as soon as a door opened to make that possible  Arden knew his home and family were in Pennsylvania and didn't plan to leave them.  She knew a friendship with him was safe.  

Yet even with the happy circumstance of being reunited with her family and her responsibilities towards them she felt as though she left part of her heart in Pennsylvania.  Oh I can't say how it ends but this is a good story you may just want to read twice!  I heartily recommend this book.  

I received my copy of The Road Home from Bethany House in exchange for an honest review but my thoughts are mine.

Together Forever A Ride You Won't Forget

Last spring, since reading With You Always by Jody Hedlund, I have been anticipating the release of Together Forever, Book 2 in the Orphan Train Series. This series tells the story of children who were either orphans or from families who could no longer care for them. The financial crisis in New York, 1857, left many factory workers in dire straits worse than the tenement lifestyles we can only imagine today. Living on the streets was dangerous and many safeguards today were unheard of then. Charles Loring Brace founded the Children's Aid Society in 1853. This was an incredible movement and many children placed with families went on to live lives that would have been unheard of had they stayed in the poverty that laced the streets of New York City.

It must have been frightening for the children who rode the train to new homes and families. Placing agents, like Andrew Brady and Marianne Neumann supervised all aspect of the journey from the preparing for the trip, supervising the ride, placing the children with families and checking in with them at a later date. It must have taken a special person to be an agent and I believe Marianne and Drew fit that role well.

Marianne and Drew both had secrets from their past that they were reluctant to share with each other. It is only with the realization of true love that one can relinquish their fears only to discover that those who love us can do so without reservation. It is within that safety net that understanding and faith for the other reside.

Drew was indomitable in his pursuit of her. No reminders of her implied engagement to Reinhold could dissuade him. He was falling for her yet he wouldn't tell her because he just knew he was unworthy of her. He believed his past, once she found out, would stop any chance he may have had in winning her heart.

Marianne admired Drew. He was a wonderful agent and had such a way with the children, especially the older boys, who could easily get under her skin. It wasn't easy to be a young woman who was not much older than 15 year-old Liverpool. He was hardened after living on the streets since he arrived in New York alone at a tender age. He knew he could get to Marianne and it was Drew who stepped in and kept the young man in check.

She could easily fall for Drew, a handsome, capable man, but she reminded herself often that she took her job with the Children's Aid Society solely to find Sophie. Besides, if he found out that she had "lost" Sophie he wouldn't want anything more to do with her. She was determined to concentrate on the children she was responsible for as her job as a placing agent. The children came first to both of them.

It is only when tragedy strikes and one of them is on the line with responsibility, they find more than anything just how much they were united through the children. In a surprising turn of events, Marianne proves much stronger than I would have guessed. She reached an independent maturity that helps her rise above what she perceives are her dark past.

I recommend Together Forever with 5 stars. The writing is what I expected from Jody Hedlund. Her research is thorough, and her characters are well developed and come alive. My heart was with the children who expressed their fears and delights. The wit between Drew and Marianne was filled with humor yet they were very intentional in other aspects of their roles as agents. Their story and the story of the children riding the train is worth reading!

Long Time Gone Has a Plot With a Twist!

I recently finished reading Mary Connealy's Long Time Gone for review.  Book 2 in the Cimarron Legacy the book will take you back on a trip back to the wild west days of New Mexico ranching.  The Boden family has been beset with troubles as they fight to keep their ranch from rustlers who will stop at nothing to bring the family down.

The story unfolds after a trap left Cole, the oldest Boden son nearly dead.  That leaves Justin to manage the ranch while frantically searching for the reason behind this shooting and an avalanche meant to kill their father Chance.  Only the quick thinking and training from ranch hand Heath Kincaid gave their father a fighting chance.  Secreted away to a Denver hospital Chance and his wife are unwillingly apart from the fight being fought at home.

The book is full of the usual rugged cowboys but what sets it apart are the strong women who know their way around the west.  Sadie Boden is a crack shot and fearless in a fight. Newly married to Heath, they are a force to be reckoned with.  Not content to sit around and become bait, she places herself in the middle of the whole fight.

Enter Angie DuPree with the doc to nurse Cole. Winsome and wan, she is seemingly out of place in the novel but the west definitely had some strange bedfellows when it came to surviving ranch life without the finer things in life.

If you crave tales of the old west, this book is for you. I think it only fair, however, to let you know that this is not a stand alone novel. Had I known this I would have read No Way Up, book one in the series first.  For series followers, this will make a good set. Book three is sure to follow!  Many thanks to Bethany House for an opportunity to try a new author.

A Noble Masquerade - Regency Meets Suspense!

 Kristi Ann Hunter is launching her first book, A Noble Masquerade this week,  and I had the privilege of reading an advance copy.  I found all the elements of a good story between 361 pages including romance, intrigue and a bit of old fashioned faith.

Lady Miranda dreads the approaching London Season. This will be her sister Georgina's first season and her fourth. As such, she is feeling the impending doom of spinsterhood. With this in mind, we begin our story with her chance meeting of Marlow, the new valet of her brother, Griffith, the Duke of Riverton.  Undone by this handsome valet, she encounters him quite by accident again and again.  He seems to be everywhere she turns. She is intrigued by him  yet keeps up appearances as mistress of the household for her brother.  

When Miranda was young, she began to write letters to the mysterious Duke of Marshington, a school chum of Griffith. It started innocently as journal entries where she had the freedom to confide her thoughts and dreams. The letters were never mailed. Ever efficient Marlow, finding one of these letters. mailed it quite by accident to the long lost duke. This is where the story gets hot. Nobody knows where the elusive duke is or how to reach him, yet Marlow seems to find the address and a week later a reply arrives. When she decides to respond to the reply she relies on Marlow to post it. Her feelings are swayed by him yet she is secretly delighted with the attention of the duke. Marlow is charismatic and well turned out but he is a valet. As suspicious valet nonetheless but he could hardly compete with a duke.

All is not as it should be when the season opens. Balls, parties and card games lead to day time visits to the ladies at home. Miranda's thoughts are on the letters and hopes of meeting Marshington face to face. When she does meet him it isn't at all as she dreamed of. Sparks fly when he is finally revealed to her. Her world is turned upside down as the game is up an underlying tale emerges that takes this story to another level. It is, after all set in the days of the Napoleonic wars and not all are loyal to the crown.  You will have to read the book to get any more information on this front!

There is a lot of chemistry among Miranda, Marlow and Marshington. To see it on film is one thing but to find it in a book is a good recommendation for the author.  

Miracle In A Dry Season in Review

I just finished my review copy of Miracle In A Dry Season by Sarah Loudin Thomas this afternoon. In the quiet of a hot summer day what better plan than to finish a book I could barely put down only a day ago.  I am at that point every reader is at when a good book is finished and there is not another to take its place.

The story is set in 1954 in Wise, West Virginia. It is a small town with only one grocer, a place the town gathers for coffee and gossip. Robert and Delilah Thornton owners of the store have taken in their niece Perla Long, the young unwed mother of Sadie. The times are vastly different in 1954, a time when morals ran higher than one expects today when seemingly anything goes.  The town is suspicious of Perla who arouses curiosity as she cooks like a dream with a few simple ingredients.

Take Casewell Phillips, a youngish single man who accepts Delilah and Robert's invitation for Sunday dinner after meeting Perla at church. He isn't sure what to make of her situation but enjoys the finest pork roast he's ever eaten and isn't sure just how to thank her. He is taken with Sadie and  decides the thank you will be in the form of furniture for her doll.  He isn't looking for a relationship with Perla; after all, she is considered damaged goods and he couldn't think how any man could raise a daughter born out of wedlock.  Yet there is something about Perla that captivates Casewell and he can't get his mind off her gentle ways, her sweet Sadie and of course, her cooking!

The story weaves its way through these central characters to Casewell's harsh father John and his loving mother Emily. Pastor Longbourne, a stereotypical southern minister with a penchant for loud blustery sermons is a man without compassion or wisdom. The Talbot sisters, Liza and Angie, twins who both loved the same man have secrets that are waiting to come out into the open.

The town thrives with the same routine and stories until that dry summer that brought the drought. Wells dried up, crops failed and cattle were destroyed before they could die from lack of food and water. The drought brought out many things human nature tries to sweep under a rug. Tempers flared, people grew hungry and remembered the Great Depression of the 1930's. Perla, gifted cook that she was, fed the community with resources pooled together. Soon enough though, and with help fueled by an unlikely source, suspicions gave way to fear and mistrust and what unfolds can break the spirit if one is without faith.  

Without spoiling a wonderful story, the lessons learned are lessons from times long ago and yet ageless. The author has cast her characters in a way that could have walked off the streets in my own hometown in 1954 and shown their humanity, failings and grace. This story stirred my heart and I am looking forward to reading more books by Sarah Loudin Thomas.  Many thanks to Bethany House for the opportunity to read and review this book!