The Amish Wedding Promise

(Hidden Springs #1)

by Laura V. Hilton

Description

Could this bride's wedding disaster be a blessing in disguise?
Grace Lantz always imagined her wedding day would be a blissfully happy occasion. But after a tornado swept through town, she finds herself relieved that the ceremony is delayed. After all, her groom-to-be hasn't even bothered to check on her. Instead, it's the handsome volunteer Zeke Bontrager who selflessly offers Grace his strong shoulders to lean on.
Zeke came to Hidden Springs to assist a community in need. He didn't expect to meet his soul mate. Determined to ignore his feelings, Zeke promises to help reunite kind, beautiful Grace with her groom. But after spending time together, Grace confesses that she might not want to marry her fiancé after all. Can Zeke convince her that her true love is standing right in front of her? And can she find the courage to follow her heart? 

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

My Perspective ~

A tornado destroys a portion of an Illinois Amish community, leaving families uprooted and facing mammoth destruction. A group of Mennonite and Amish men from Indiana become involved in cleaning up the rubble and assisting in finding lost animals and missing persons, as well as repairing and rebuilding what was lost. Romance is forbidden to those workmen who are there to assist in rebuilding, not to enhance their personal lives. Zeke Bontrager finds it difficult to ignore his host family's daughter, Grace, whose wedding was called off as a result of the storm. Her bridegroom is missing! With the help of the volunteers the Amish community faces loss and destruction as they work hand in hand to find a new normal.

The Amish work ethic is ever present in Hilton's novels, and this strength is abundant in this story as well. Romantic attraction reveals itself as Grace sees a much different type of man in Zeke, so unlike her lost bridegroom, a demanding and cold individual. Loss and heartache reveal themselves in this emotional story, as families attempt to recover from the storm that changed their lives. I was touched by the compassion and love that is shared throughout this novel, and once again am impressed with this author's gift of demonstrating human frailties as well as strengths. The first in the Hidden Springs series, I'm eagerly looking forward to what the future holds for this cast of characters!

Disclaimer: I received a complimentary copy of this book. All expressed opinions are honest and my own.

Echoes Among the Stones

by Jaime Jo Wright

Description

After Aggie Dunkirk's career is unceremoniously ended by her own mistakes, she finds herself traveling to Wisconsin, where her grandmother, Mumsie, lives alone in her rambling old home. She didn't plan for how eccentric Mumsie has become, obsessing over an old, unsolved crime scene--even going so far as to re-create it in the dollhouse.

Mystery seems to follow her when she finds work as a secretary helping to restore the flooded historical part of the cemetery. Forced to work with the cemetery's puzzling, yet attractive archeologist, she exhumes the past's secrets and unwittingly uncovers a crime that some will go to any length to keep quiet--even if it means silencing Aggie.

In 1946, Imogene Grayson works in a local factory and has eyes on owning her own beauty salon. But coming home to discover her younger sister's body in the attic changes everything. Unfamiliar with the newly burgeoning world of criminal forensics and not particularly welcomed as a woman, Imogene is nonetheless determined to stay involved. As her sister's case grows cold, Imogene vows to find justice . . . even if it costs her everything.

Biography

Daphne du Maurier and Christy Award-Winning author, Jaime Jo Wright resides in the hills of Wisconsin writing suspenseful, mysteries stained with history's secrets. Jaime lives in dreamland, exists in reality, and invites you to join her adventures at jaimewrightbooks.com!

My Perspective ~

Jaime Jo Wright has honed the edge at creating another time-slip novel! Time frames attached by the threads woven between them reveal how the past has touched the present with a substantial intensity. Intrigue, relationships and suspense are revealed, as unforeseen and unpredictable enigmas surface throughout Echoes Among the Stones. Family ties are strong and reach across the span of time from one generation to the next, and onward, impacting both Aggie and her Mumsie, and the conundrums that confront them. The cast of characters is well described and unique, adding much depth to the plot.

Creative writing at its best is revealed throughout this story of the past and its affect upon the present. Wright uses poetic license in her descriptions, creating pictorial scenes that add artistry to her narratives. Unpredictable and mysterious, this suspenseful novel kept me guessing as events were revealed. I have read all of this author's novels, and highly recommend each of them, as they all stand on their own merits. Echoes Among the Stones will remain my permanent library, and will be read again in the future. 

Disclaimer: I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher. All expressed opinions are honest and my own.