Rachel Fordham A Lady in Attendance

...from the publisher...

Five years in a New York state reformatory have left a blemish on Hazel's real name. So when she takes a job as Doctor Gilbert Watts's lady in attendance in 1898, she does so under an alias. In the presence of her quiet and pious employer, Hazel finds more than an income. She finds a friend and a hope that if she can set her tarnished past in order, she might have a future after all.

As Gilbert becomes accustomed to the pleasant chatter of his new dental assistant, he can't help but sense something secretive about her. Perhaps there is more to this woman than meets the eye. Can the questions that loom between them ever be answered? Or will the deeds of days gone by forever rob the future of its possibilities?

Rachel Fordham pens a tender tale of a soft-spoken man, a hardened woman, and the friends that stand by them as they work toward a common purpose--to expunge the record of someone society deemed beyond saving--and perhaps find love along the way.

...my thoughts... 

I enjoyed reading A Lady in Attendance!  What a novel idea for it's time, to have a lady in attendance at a dental office in 1898.  This is the second book by Rachel Fordham for me and she is becoming a favorite author for me. I like her style and this book hooked me from the beginning. 

Shy Gilbert had no idea what he was getting into when  he engaged Hazel as his Lady in Attendance.  Happily, she was much more than he could have dreamed of for efficiency and congenial personality with his patients.  Too shy for much of a chairside manner, she made up the difference.  Efficiency and quick thinking on her feet made him look forward to each morning when they began their day together. 

The dark side of the story was formidable, but wrapped up neatly in the end.  A little faith, compassion and love ruled the day and strategic writing made this book one you should add to your reading pile this summer!

Reviewing: Depending On You by Melissa Jagears

 ...from the publisher...

Can the joy and hope of Christmas restore their love before it’s too late?

Leah Whitsett’s life was ideal until the disastrous day she nearly died because of her husband’s deceit. When he returns home weeks

before Christmas, she knows the best gift she can give him is forgiveness, but how can she relinquish her hard-won independence knowing he plans to turn their family’s life upside down again?

Bryant has always known his wife was a gift he’d never deserved, but how can he provide for her in a town that no longer wants anything to do with him? He longs to atone for the misery he’s put his loved ones through, but when he brings a family member home for the holidays, he and Leah may end up even further apart.

With emotions high and their marriage at stake, will the season bring the hope they need…or are their rifts too large to mend?

...my thoughts...

Depending On You by Melissa Jagears is a story of forgiveness and second chances. This is book 3 in Melissa's Frontier Vows series, and I was happy to learn that Leah's story was about to be told.  Left for dead by some hired men exacting payment for her husband's dastardly deeds, I wondered what would become of her.  She had always been a devoted wife and mother and clearly didn't receive any of what she experienced for her husband's cowardly deeds.  Now, her husband Bryant is released from prison only to find Leah distant and not ready to welcome him home with open arms.  

She lost everything because of him.  Now running the local laundry, she has had to start from scratch, something Bryant would have to do too, only he has the added stigma of being an ex-convict and hard to hire. Bryant was humbled, and willing to work at any job to start over in a town that has a long memory when it comes to trusting an untrustworthy man.

Leah was not sure she would ever allow him into her heart again, but she allowed that he was a loving father.  Witnessing her daughter's marital struggles, Leah was touched by the ways Bryant's fatherly influence guided his daughters.  I could write on about the story line, but why spoil a good book for new readers?  I recommend this book to all who enjoy Melissa Jagear's books and hopefully to those who are looking for a good story that takes you back to frontier days.  While this book could stand alone, I recommend reading Romancing the Bride, book one, and Pretending to Wed. This is a good series and I like how Melissa tied everything together, happy endings in all.

                

Reviewing: Beside Still Waters by Tricia Goyer

 ...publisher's notes....

Raised among the Amish of Indiana, 18-year-old Marianna Sommer plans to get baptized into the church, marry Aaron Zook, and set up life in the only community she has ever known. But when her older brother chooses the world’s path following his rumschpringe, and a younger sibling begins showing interest in Englisch ways, Marianna’s parents move the family to Montana.
Although she is also in her rumschpringe years and not obligated to move, Marianna makes the journey to dutifully help her mother who is expecting another child. Surprisingly, from strangers on the cross-country train ride to the less rigid stance of the new Montana community, many Englisch influences awaken within Marianna—and even her father—the desire to pursue a deeper kind of joy and love for God.
After an accident, Marianna tells her friend Ben a defining story about the Sommer family, and his response further illumines the active relationship God seeks with His followers. In due time, she learns the move from Indiana was not about losing anything, but finding out who God really is. Despite all the shake-ups, Marianna feels a sweet peace, like still waters, in her soul.

  
 ...my thoughts....

What a wonderful story!  Sometimes you find that one book that just captures your heart and Beside Still Waters is just such a book.  The characters are well developed and seem to come alive. I wasn't sure what to think when the story began with an unthinkable tragedy.  The story really begins when the family moves to Montana and leaves their stifling Amish community behind.  Our heroine Marianna longs to return and marry her childhood sweetheart.  Once she opens her heart to see God's plan for her she has some new decisions to make.  Tricia Goyer has a gift in helping things sort out nicely.  I can't wait to see what happens in Along Wooded Paths, next up in the Big Sky Series.

Romancing the Bride.... Another Good Read by Melissa Jagears

....from the publisher.....
Marrying a stranger to save a ranch is one thing; losing the land on their wedding day is another.

Desperate to keep the ranch where three of her children and a husband lie buried, Annie Gephart must marry or sell. Which of the few bachelors in town would consider a surprise proposal to wed a plain widow with a rebellious daughter, a spirited boy, and unpaid taxes—without laughing in her face?
Jacob Hendrix has never fully let go of his ranching dreams despite ending up as a small Wyoming town’s marshal. The job wouldn’t be so bad, except he’s more errand boy than lawman. When Annie proposes marriage without a single coquettish bat of an eyelash, can he commit himself to a woman he hardly knows for a choice piece of property he’d be an idiot to pass up?

But taxes aren’t all that threaten Annie and Jacob’s plans. Cattle rustlers, crumbling friendships, and wayward children make this marriage of convenience anything but. When they lose what they’ve sacrificed everything to save, will the love of a stranger be enough?

Romancing the Bride is the first book in the Frontier Vows Series by award-winning Christian romance author Melissa Jagears. If you like heartwarming marriage-of-convenience stories, you’ll love this sweet romance filled with endearing characters.

...my thoughts...

Romancing the Bride is such a compelling story. I can't imagine facing the hardships women like Annie faced.  Life in the old west was hard and on any given day a man or woman could lose their spouse.  Like many who sunk their money into land and cattle, there wasn't much money left over.  Under most circumstances for a woman to lose her husband meant losing her livelihood.

I could almost feel Annie's desperation when she decided to ask Jacob to marry her.  I could almost feel how she felt moving to town and seeming to live as his wife to a town that wasn't sure what to make of her.  Melissa Jagears has made the characters of this book come alive.  Between the pages of this book you can see the tension in the air when church services are over and everyone prepares for the wedding.  It cracks in such a way you aren't sure what is going to hit this couple next. Take a surly teenage girl, unsupportive friends and a flirty young beauty and even the best bride or groom might want to turn around and leave the altar.

So many things backfire and it takes a great deal of faith sprinkled with patience. I found myself thinking about Cassie, Annie's daughter.  She is so full of anger and disappointment over her father's death that she does her best to make everyone in the family unhappy. Yet, through it all, Jacob, as her stepfather deeply cared about her.  He would do whatever he could to make her see he wasn't trying to replace her father.  Jacob's prayer for his marriage and his new family are an inspiration.  He was a strong man who was humbled by his faith, and that faith is what made him strong.

I received an advance reader copy of this book but was under no obligation to review it.  However, I can't help but share when I read such a good book.  I recommend this book with 5 stars: great story, wonderful characters who are superbly developed and lovely description for a glimpse back into historical times in Wyoming.

An Amish Christams Love - Four Novellas to Get Your Christmas Spirit Roaring!

Take a reading break from all your Christmas preparations.  An Amish Christmas Love is a collection of four Amish novellas written for us by Beth Wiseman, Amy Clipston, Kelly Irvin and Ruth Reid. 

Winter Kisses by Beth Wiseman

I enjoyed this story of the three Stoltzfus women who all happen to be single living together on the family farm. Grandmother Ruth is a lonely widow, Barbara, also widowed is the mother to Naomi, who has never been married.  As luck or a Christmas wish would have it, three single men, working on a construction project have rented the Daadi house. What follows is a heartfelt, sometimes humorous story of love for all the ages. 

The Christmas Cat by Amy Clipston

 A big yellow barn cat adopted Emma Bontrager on Christmas Eve, her first Christmas without her beloved Henry, who passed away last July. Not one to allow cats in her home, the cat is persistent and undeterred as Emma tries to shoo it away.  A group of young people stop to visit and bring Emma a gift.  During the course of their visit, they are interested in hearing Emma’s story of her courtship with Henry.  A simple snowstorm turns quickly into a visit and all are snowbound at Emma’s, along with the big yellow cat.  What follows is a delightful story of how kind gestures can develop into lasting friendships.

  Snow Angels by Kelly Irvin

This is the story to test one’s faith. An Amish man falling in love with an Englischer during his Rumspringa.  Molly Shrock loves David Byler but he has yet to commit.  Could it be he hasn’t settled down yet?  David is content to be back among his family and is about ready to propose to Molly when his other love returns to add enough confusion to turn his head.  Will he choose Molly or Bobbi McGregor?  Can he be happy living as an Amish man with Molly after the thrill of the other lifestyle in Bobbie’s world?

Home for Christmas by Ruth Reid.

Ellie Whetstone parked her motorhome near the farmhouse she inherited from her aenti.  Short on cash she is bent on selling the home quickly and getting back to her profession as a trainer for competitive dog shows.  Ezra mistook the quirky Englisch woman for a burgler when he found her in his kitchen.  After directing her to her aenti’s home on the same property, he thought he was rid of her.  However, the beautiful English woman and the handsome young widower continually ran into each other.  Just when one thinks they are going to be rid of the other, the good Lord shows His hand and what follows is a wonderful story.

Four stories written by the masterful hands of award winning authors.  I recommend this collection as one to read and one to keep to re-read for seasons to come.