"The Amish Wanderer"

By Laura V. Hilton
Review with GIVEAWAY!

Description

Desperate for a ticket out, Bethany Weiss is ready to leave town. Tongues haven't stopped clacking in Jamesport, MO, since her daed, the bishop, was admitted to a mental hospital after hurting their small Amish community. But her sharpest wounds Bethany hides from prying eyes, quietly biding her time until she can take a chance at a new life—away from Jamesport and away from God. Searching for a home, Silas Beiler was kicked out of his own family's home. Dogged by a rough childhood and a family who blames him for each new disaster, he begins hitchhiking across the country, sleeping in barns where he can, working for food when possible—headed for Pennsylvania, in the hope of some stability. A memory of lemonade. When Bethany spies a man asleep in the hayloft, she first fears the return of an unwelcome suitor. But when it is Silas who turns and speaks, the memories flood back, a happy summer six years ago full of lemonade, long walks, and budding courtship. Now, however, those months of bliss seem naive and idyllic. Will their old love overcome new pain? Or will hurt and rejection continue to haunt their path? 

Biography

Award winning author, Laura Hilton, her husband, Steve, and their five children make their home in Arkansas. She is a pastor’s wife, a stay-at-home mom and home-schools. Laura is also a breast cancer survivor.
Her publishing credits include three books in the Amish of Seymour series from Whitaker House: Patchwork Dreams, A Harvest of Hearts (winner of the 2012 Clash of the Titles Award in two categories), and Promised to Another. The Amish of Webster County series, Healing Love (finalist for the 2013 Christian Retail Awards). Surrendered Love and Awakened Love followed by her first Christmas novel, A White Christmas in Webster County, as well as the Amish of Jamesport series, The Snow Globe, The Postcard, and The Birdhouse. Other credits include Swept Away from Abingdon Press’ Quilts of Love series. Laura is contracted for another three book Amish series set in the Jamesport area, with the first book, The Amish Firefighter, planned for April 2016.

She has indie published a Christmas novella, Christmas Mittens.

Laura is a member of American Christian Fiction Writers and a professional book reviewer.

My thoughts ~

I commend Ms. Hilton for a very well written narrative that portrays social issues that have a profound affect on the reader. Characters are well defined and credible. Two young adults are caught up in their own nightmares and fear for their lives. Their connections to the past play a powerful role in their relationship to one another some years later.

Credibility is a strong point throughout this story of relationships and the circumstances that affect young lives. I found this book to be one that I read more slowly than many, due to the fact that it is a very moving and poignant representation of realistic incidents. 

Ms. Hilton has raised the bar in Amish fiction. This book delivers far more depth than many traditional Amish books I've read. I highly recommend The Amish Wanderer. It's a taste of reality through the traditions of a different culture, and the reactions of the various members of their community. 

Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book from the publisher with no expectations for a positive review. This review reflects only my personal expressed opinions, and no monetary compensation was received for this review.

CONTEST GUIDELINES: Please leave a comment and your email address using [at] and [dot] to protect your email address. Giveaways are limited to residents of the continental US only, please. I am not responsible for loss or damage through the postal service. Winners have one week to claim their prizes. Thank you so much for visiting my blog! I appreciate all of your comments!

Optional: For additional chances to win this giveaway, share this contest through either Twitter or Facebook, and sign up to follow my blog. Please let me know what you did for extra chances to win. Deadline for this giveaway is Monday, 2-13-17.

 

  "Amish Weddings"  

(Neighbors of Lancaster County #3) 

by Leslie Gould!

Review & GIVEAWAY!
2 copies!

Description

Gregarious Rose Lehman, who's always the life of the Amish youth singings, is determined to marry the bishop's son, Reuben Byler--until the handsome Army buddy of her future brother-in-law shows up in Lancaster County. In comparison to Trevor, Reuben seems downright boring. Trevor shares Rose's sense of fun and adventure, and her easygoing disposition.

When her sister Lila's buggy is rear-ended and Lila is horribly injured, Rose finds herself with more freedom than she's ever experienced. Everyone is so concerned about Lila that no one realizes Rose is sneaking out with Trevor. Except for Reuben. But in his usual passive way, he doesn't confront her, nor does he address the situation with her Dat or anyone else in the district. Rose appreciates Reuben's discretion, but she also resents it. Part of her relishes the freedom she's found with Trevor, but the other part of her wishes Reuben would "fight" for her, as much as any Amish man would. Too late, she realizes the foolish choice she's made. Has she ruined her best chance at love, or is there another path to happiness she just hasn't seen yet?






Biography

Leslie Gould is the best-selling and award-winning author of twenty-three novels. She loves traveling, research, Shakespeare's plays, and church history. She and her husband live in Portland, Oregon and are the parents of four children. http://www.lesliegould.com/






Thank you to the author, Leslie Gould, for offering TWO copies of Amish Weddings for this contest. This is very generous of her! 


My thoughts ~


Leslie Gould takes Amish fiction a step further into a world of characters not only of the Amish community, but Englisch families as well. Relationships between the two cultures are interwoven with credibility and harmony. Characters from past novels in this series surface, but this could be a stand alone book. Personally, I would suggest reading the entire series. I have immensely enjoyed each one of these novels and the characters included.

All is not perfect in the community. Lila Lehman is rear ended while driving her buggy, causing serious injuries and valid concerns for a normal life with her future husband. In the meantime as family is focusing on Lila, her younger sister, Rose plays with fire by spending time with a former Englisch soldier. Relationships become tense and Rose's future may be compromised.


The author has created some very unique situations and social concerns, bringing this novel to a level above and beyond many of the Amish books that have become so popular. This series is impressive and constitutes an intense read. I highly recommend it and its prequels!

Disclaimer: I received a copy of this novel with no expectations for a positive review. All expressed opinions are my own.

CONTEST GUIDELINES: Please leave a comment and your email address using [at] and [dot] to protect your email address. Giveaways are limited to residents of the continental US only, please. I am not responsible for loss or damage through the postal service. Winners have one week to claim their prizes. Thank you so much for visiting my blog! I appreciate all of your comments!

Optional: For additional chances to win this giveaway, share this contest through either Twitter or Facebook, and sign up to follow my blog. Please let me know what you did for extra chances to win. Deadline for this giveaway is Monday, 10-30-17.

  

Never Forget 

(Beacons of Hope)

by Jody Hedlund

Description

Rose Island Lighthouse, Rhode Island June 1880 Will she betray his trust to stay on the island she loves? Abbie Watson is content to spend her days clamming, crabbing, and tending Rose Island Lighthouse. Her grandpa is the head light keeper, but his senility may lead to their eviction. Since leaving the island would kill her beloved Gramps, Abbie will do anything to keep him in the one place he knows and loves. Wealthy Nathaniel Winthrop III’s wild living has gained him a reputation as the ‘bad boy’ among the elite social circles of Newport. After a blow to the head in a yachting accident washes him up on Rose Island, Nathaniel has no memories of his past. Abbie tends the wounded stranger in her home only to realize he assumes they’re married. Although she knows she needs to correct Nathaniel’s mistake, his presence calms Gramps and provides a way to prevent eviction from the lighthouse. The longer the charade continues, the harder it gets for Abbie to tell Nathaniel the truth, more so as she begins to fall in love. Everyone she’s ever loved has abandoned her. Will Nathaniel leave her too, once he discovers he’s not really her husband? **NOTE: Never Forget is Book 5 in the Beacons of Hope series but can be read as a standalone novel.

Biography

Winner of 2016 Christian Book Award for fiction and Christy Award for historical romance, best-selling author Jody Hedlund writes inspirational historical romances for both youth and adults.

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.

My thoughts ~

The last in the Beacons of Hope series is no disappointment! Jody Hedlund researches her setting and topic to the point that I could imagine myself on Rose Island. A stand alone novel, I highly recommend that you read all the books in this series. 

Never Forget is so touching, filled with faith, and the passion between Nathaniel and Abbie is breathtaking! I loved both of these characters. Their struggles are palpable. Abbie's Gramps struggles with senility and fear of losing his position at the Rose Island lighthouse, and Abbie fears this constant threat. She is willing to do anything to keep their post, including lying about a man who isn't her husband.

I love the coast of the Atlantic ocean along the northern coastal states, and the coastal regions of the great lakes. Jody has based this series on some of the most historic lighthouses along the shores of numerous locations. I'm impressed with her descriptive elements of both the locale and the characters. 

I'm impressed with all of Ms Hedlund's books, and this one is a winner! Don't miss out on a beautifully penned novel that will warm your heart!

Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book with no expectations for a positive review. All expressed opinions are my own.

"The Mark of the King"

by Jocelyn Green!

Description

Sweeping Historical Fiction Set at the Edge of the Continent

After being imprisoned and branded for the death of her client, twenty-five-year-old midwife Julianne Chevalier trades her life sentence for exile to the fledgling 1720s French colony of Louisiana, where she hopes to be reunited with her brother, serving there as a soldier. To make the journey, though, women must be married, and Julianne is forced to wed a fellow convict.

When they arrive in New Orleans, there is no news of Benjamin, Julianne's brother, and searching for answers proves dangerous. What is behind the mystery, and does military officer Marc-Paul Girard know more than he is letting on?

With her dreams of a new life shattered, Julianne must find her way in this dangerous, rugged land, despite never being able to escape the king's mark on her shoulder that brands her a criminal beyond redemption. 

Biography

Jocelyn Green is a former journalist who puts her investigative skills to work in writing both nonfiction and historical fiction to inspire faith and courage.

Her books have finaled in the Christy Awards and Inspirational Readers Choice Awards, and have won gold from the Military Writers Society of America and the Advanced Writers and Speakers Association.

Jocelyn loves Broadway musicals, the color red, Toblerone chocolate bars, Mexican food, and well-done documentaries. She lives in Iowa with her husband, two children, and two cats she should have named Catticus Finch and Purrman Meowville.

Visit her at jocelyngreen.com, and receive a free gift when joining her e-newsletter mailing list at jocelyngreen.com/subscribe.


My Thoughts ~

Julianne Chevalier's life was in shreds. Convicted for a crime that she didn't commit, she was arrested and branded with the mark of the King of France. Forced to marry and travel to Louisianna with orders to help develop a colony resulted in near hopeless conditions. As a midwife she was scrupulous, but loneliness and adversity were her constant companions. Her brand induced recurring horrors.

I loved Julianne's character, a strong, capable young woman whose sensitivity and fortitude accompanied her through struggles in a new world where the unknown was a perpetual threat. The numerous other characters throughout the book are well defined and credible as well. Growth in faith and redemption are important aspects.

Descriptive elements throughout this book are brilliant, as pictorial as an artist's creation. Ex: "Bright green feathers seemed to sprout from the tips of their branches. Their limbs were hung with pale grey tendrils that swayed in the wind like witches' hair." The author portrays eloquent visions of the most mundane objects. The book flows in a poetic manner. Ex: "Spring rain drove into the ground like arrows, pockmarking the mud and stippling puddles." This detailing is so impressive. I savored every page of this book. 

Ms. Green has done a great deal of research regarding the historical details throughout this book. Steeped in facts, The Mark of the King is realistic fiction. The documentation and detailing of the subject matter is brilliant! I will be reading this book again. I don't say that about many books, but there are a few that are worthy of experiencing more than once, and this is a winner.

Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book from Bethany House with no expectations for a positive review. All expressed opinions are my own.