Christmas at Rose Hill Farm: An Amish Love Story, by Suzanne Woods Fisher

Title: Christmas at Rose Hill Farm: An Amish Love Story

Author: Suzanne Woods Fisher

Publisher: Revell

Date: September 5, 2014

Paperback: 240 pages








About the Book
Billy Lapp is far away from his Amish roots working as a rose rustler for Penn State and wants nothing to do with Stoney Ridge. And that suits Bess Riehl just fine. Why should she think twice about a man who left without a word of explanation? It's time she moved on with her life, and that meant saying yes when Billy's cousin Amos proposed--for the third time--and beginning to plan for her Christmas wedding.

When a "lost" rose is discovered in a forgotten corner of the greenhouse at Rose Hill Farm, Billy is sent to track down its origins. His plan is to get in, identify the rose, and get out. The only catch is that he's having a hard time narrowing down the identity of the lost rose--and he can't get Bess Riehl out of his mind.

As the history of the lost rose is pieced together, it reminds Bess and Billy--and Amos too--that Christmas truly is the season of miracles.



My Take
Let me start off first by saying, I wasn't to excited while reading this book. I thought it was going to have a different feel to it, being that it is an Amish book and set around Christmas time. I love Amish books and read them all the time. I just felt like this one didn't have that same feel. It seemed to be just another story with an Amish "surrounding".

The book has a very easy read to it. Maybe a little too easy. This might have been why I felt like it was just a "story". I wasn't able to submerge myself into the story like I usually do when reading books. The images of the characters didn't pop out for me. I couldn't really visualize anything, sadly not even the roses.

I don't want to make it sound like she is a bad writer. It is just not the type of Amish story that I am use to.


About the Author

Suzanne Woods Fisher is the bestselling author of the Lancaster County Secrets series, the Stoney Ridge Seasons series, and The Inn at Eagle Hill series, as well as nonfiction books about the Amish, including Amish Peace. She is also the coauthor of an Amish children's series, The Adventures of Lily Lapp. Suzanne is a Carol Award winner for The Search, a Carol Award finalist for The Choice, and a Christy Award finalist for The Waiting. She is also a columnist for Christian Post and Cooking & Such magazines. She lives in California.

This complimentary advance copy was given to me by Revell for my honest review.

Secret of a Thousand Beauties, by Mingmei Yip

Title: Secret of a Thousand Beauties

Author: Mingmei Yip

Publisher: Kensington

Date: November 25, 2014

Paperback: 320 pages







About The Book
Spring Swallow was promised in marriage while still in her mother's belly. When the groom dies before a wedding can take place, seventeen-year-old Spring Swallow flees rather than become a ghost bride. In the city of Soochow, she joins a community of renowned embroiderers. The women work for Aunty Peony, whose exquisite stitching once earned her the Emperor's love. But when Aunty Peony agrees to replicate a famous painting, betrayal and jealousy emerge withing the group.

Spring Swallow become entangled in each woman's story of heartbreak, even while she embarks on a dangerous affair with a young revolutionary. On a journey that leads from the remote hillsides around Soochow to cosmopolitan Peking, Spring Swallow draws on the strength to forge a life that is truly her own.

My Take
I can sum this up by saying this book was an amazingly heart wrenching read that had me not wanting to put the book down until I was done.

I loved this story. The writer is very good at what she does. I have never read any of her books before, but she has a new reader. I really enjoy books where authors take you on a journey to the past and mix some history amongst their story, and that is what Secret of a Thousand Beauties is like. You get to learn about some of the traditions that the Chinese women had to go through, whether they are bad or good. You also get to learn about the whole artistry of embroidery, which I also did not know about.

I actually felt like I was right there with Spring Swallow, watching her go through everything that she encountered. I could envision all the surrounding areas, different outfits, people and every emotion that they each experienced. I truly felt for Spring Swallow. She was a very strong person who wouldn't give up on life even though it dealt her one challenge after another. She did whatever it took to survive and tried her best to help others along the way.

Not wanting to give too much away about the story, I feel like everyone should read this book. You will not regret it. I can guarantee it.

About the Author

 Mingmei Yip was born in China and received her PhD from the University of Paris, Sorbonne. The author of the critically acclaimed Peach Blossom Pavilion, she has written for major Hong Kong newspapers and has appeared on many national and internations television and radio programs. She lives with her husband in New York City. Visit her at www.mingmeiyip.com.

This complimentary advanced copy was given to me for my honest review.

Deceived, by Irene Hannon

Title: Deceived (#3)

Series: Private Justice

Author: Irene Hannon

Publisher: Revell

Date: October 7, 2014

Paperback: 416 pages





About the Author
Irene Hannon is the author of more than forty-five novels, including Vanished, Trapped, and the bestselling Heroes of Quantico and Guardians of Justice series. Her books have been honored with two coveted RITA Awards from Romance Writers of America, a Carol Award, two HOLT Medallions, a Daphne du Maurier Award, two Reviewers' Choice Awards from RT Book Reviews magazine, a Retailers' Choice Award, and a National Readers' Choice Award. In addition, she is a Christy Award finalist, and Booklist included one of her novels in its "Top 10 Inspirational Fiction" list for 2011. She lives in Missouri. Learn more at www.irenehannon.com.

About the Book
For three years, Kate Marshall has been mourning the loss of her husband and four-year-old son in a boating accident. But when she spots a familiar-looking child on a mall escalator, she's convinced it's her son. With police skeptical of her story, she turns to private investigator Connor Sullivan for help. As the former Secret Service agent digs into the case, the boating "accident" begins to look increasingly suspicious. But if Kate's son is alive, someone is intent on keeping him hidden--and may go to lethal lengths to protect a sinister secret.

My Take
As I read through this book, I noticed there were times when I did not want to put the book down. It had me on the edge of my seat waiting to find out what was going to happen next. I was really excited when key points were revealed and the story was coming together and to and end. I felt like I was on the journey with Kate as she was trying to piece the puzzle together. Trying to visualize each character and seeing there emotions unfold on the pages, was a treat in itself. If you don't think you will enjoy this book, you are wrong. Irene Hannon is an amazing writer and will keep you reading until the end.

Irene Hannon's writing style is very simplistic, so you will not have a hard time getting through the story. When I get in to books, I usually visualize everyone and everything that is going on. Not so much in this one. I kind of was able to see everything around them and maybe one or two characters, but not necessarily their faces. I don't know if I was so engrossed into the story that it just didn't seem to come up or if she just wasn't descriptive enough. But it didn't matter. I still enjoyed the story just the same.

I am not one who likes to read romance novels, as this one is listed as Romance Suspense. I felt as though she didn't overdue it to the point to where it took over the story. It was just the right amount and I actually enjoyed that part of the story too.

Deceived is book #3 in the Private Justice series. Book #1 is Vanished and book #2 is Trapped. After reading #3 ( I always tend to read things out of order), I think I am going to go back and read #1 and #2. If they are as good as this one, the deserve to be given a chance.

This complimentary book was given to me by Revell for my honest review.

Nowhere to Turn, by Lynette Eason

Title: Nowhere to Turn (book 2)

Series: Hidden Identity

Author: Lynette Eason

Publisher: Revel

Date: September 2, 2014

Paperback: 320 pages





About the author:
Lynette Eason is the bestselling author of the Women of Justice series and the deadly Reunions series, as well as No One to Trust. She is a member of American Christian Fiction Writers and Romance Writers of America. She has a master's degree in education from Converse College and lives in South Carolina. Learn more at www.lynetteeason.com.

About the book:
The day Danielle Harding takes her eleven-year-old son and flees from her abusive husband is the same day Kurt Harding dies. A relieved Dani believes she and her son are finally safe-but in reality, things are just heating up. When Kurt was alive, he took something important from a mysterious individual-who wants the item back and believes Dani now has it. As she and her son run from their lives, they have nowhere to turn, until she hires Adam Buchanan of Operation Refuge and goes into hiding. Unfortunately, she won't be able to hide for long...

My take:
I felt like this book was a decent read. I didn't fall in love with it like I thought I would. It did wonder how the outcome was going to be, but to the point to where I just wanted to get to the end. I guess you could say, I didn't really want to go on the journey with the characters to find the ending. With that said, I am still glad that I read the book. I guess I had higher expectations of it.

The story shows how determined a person can be to get from under a cruel and hard life to make it better for themselves and those that they care about. Plenty of women are caught in the situation that Dani (the lead character) found herself in, but with the strength and determination she is able to at least make the journey.

The author's writing style is very descriptive. This is what I liked most about the story. I feel like if you can picture everything in the story, down to lets say the way someone is dressed, then you know you are reading a book by someone who "knows" how to write. I was able to visualize what I perceived as what was going on and what all the character's looked like. Like I stated before, it is not a bad book. I think a lot of people would enjoy reading it. It just didn't hold my attention the way that I thought it would.

This complimentary book was given to me by Revell in exchange for my honest review.

Daughters of the Dragon, by William Andrews

Title: Daughters of the Dragon: A Comfort Woman's Story

Author: William Andrews

Publisher: MADhouse Press LLC

Date: January 10, 2014

Paperback: 350 pages











About the author:
Bill Andrews has a personal connection to Korea - his only child who arrived from the Land of the Morning Calm as a cheerful, smart four month old. Since then, Bill has been fascinated by Korea.

For over 30 years, Bill was a copywriter and a marketing/brand executive with several Fortune 500 companies. For fifteen of the more painful years, he ran his own advertising agency. At night and on weekends and sometimes during the workday, Bill wrote fiction. Bill's first novel titled The Essential Truth (coming out later in 2014) won first place in the Mayhaven Contest for unpublished fiction.

Today, Bill is retired and focuses on his writing. He lives in Minneapolis with his lovely wife, an inner-city public school teacher for 32 years. And proudly reports that the smart four month old is now an orthopedic surgeon.

About the book:
During World War II, the Japanese forced 200,000 Korean women to be sex slaves for their soldiers. This is one woman's riveting story of strength, courage and promises kept.

Young Ja-hee and her sister are torn form their family farm and forced to become sex slaves, or comfort women, for the Japanese army during World War II. Before they leave home, their mother gives them a magnificent antique comb with ivory inlay of a two-headed dragon, telling them the dragon will protect them. The sisters suffer terribly at the hands of the Japanese and by the end of the war, Ja-hee is forced to flee while her sister lays dying. 

Ja-hee keeps her time as a comfort woman a secret while she struggles to rebuild her life in North Korea. she meets a man who shows her what true love is. But the communists take him away in the middle of the night and she is forced to escape to the South. There, she finally finds success as the country rebuilds after the Korean War. But her terrible secret is revealed and she's thrown into poverty. In the depths of her despair, she's tempted to sell the comb that she believes has no magic for her. But one day she discovers its true meaning and her surprising heredity. And now she must find the only person who can help her carry on this legacy... someone she abandoned years ago.

My take:
I have to start out by saying, this has become one of my number one favorite books on my shelf. I didn't really know what a comfort woman was until it came across my mobile in the news section one morning. The article didn't go deep into it, so I just learned about the surface of it.Then the opportunity to review this book presented itself and I couldn't pass it up. I am glad I didn't because this is a story that everyone should read to learn in depth about what actually happened to some of the women in Korea.

When you read Daughters of the Dragon, the author's writing style will totally draw you in. I didn't even feel like I was reading to be perfectly honest. My imagination was able to take off and allow me to feel as though I was on the heart wrenching journey with Ja-hee. I could actually envision not only the main characters, but all the other ones in the story and their surroundings, vividly.  I also really enjoyed how we went from present time with Ja-hee talking to her granddaughter (Anna) and jumping back in time when she was telling her life story.

Most of the time when people do book reviews they do not mention the cover art. This one can't go without something being said. The cover is amazing. Just looking at it will make you want to read the book. It is just absolutely elegant. The black background with the face coming out and the red and white letters make it very beautiful. Also in the back of the book, there is a section where the author gives more information on the history of this topic and some pictures to go with it.

Reading Daughters of the Dragon, you will learn a little about history, a time and place that most of us do not know about. The struggles that these women had to go through and carry with them for the rest of their lives. You will learn that courage and strength can over come anything and help you survive.

Daughters of a Dragon is a must read.

I was given this complementary book by the author and Bostick Communications for my honest review.

Shadow Hand, by Anne Elisabeth Stengl

Title: Shadow Hand

Series: Tales of Goldstone Wood

Paperback: 416 pages

Publisher: Bethany House 

Date: March 4, 2014

Language: English

About the book: By her father's wish, Lady Daylily is betrothed to the Prince of Southlands. Not the prince she loves, handsome and dispossessed Lionheart, but his cousin, the awkward and foolish Prince Foxbrush. As her wedding day dawns, Daylily flees into the dangerous Wilderlands, her only desire to vanish from living memory.

But Foxbrush, determined to rescue his betrothed, pursues Daylily into a new world of magic and peril, a world where vicious Faerie beasts hold sway, a world invaded by a lethal parasite.

About the author: Anne Elisabeth Stengl makes her home in Raleigh, North Carolina, where she lives with her husband, Rohan, a passel of cats, and one long-suffering dog. When she's not writing, she enjoys Shakespeare, opera, and tea, and studies piano, painting, and pastry baking. She studied illustration at Grace College and English literature at Campbell University. She is the author of Heartless, Veiled Rose, Moonblood, and Starflower. Heartless and Veiled Rose have each been honoured with a Christy Award, and Starflower was voted winner of the 2013 Clive Staples Award.

My thoughts: Shadow Hand, the sixth book in the Tales of Goldstone Wood series is suppose to be an amazing read, but unlike most people who have read this book, I had a really hard time getting through it. I picked it up and put it down a couple of times before just sitting there and reading it. I don't think it had anything to do with the storyline ~ girl loves boy, boy loves girl, girl betrothed to another boy. It is like most love stories that people would enjoy reading, but I guess not me. I do enjoy reading a typical love story, but I think it had something to do with the character names and the place where the story was held. I guess you could say that fantasy books aren't my cup of tea.

The story begins with Lady Daylily and Prince Foxbrush getting ready for their wedding. Unfortunately it did not happen due to the fact that Lady Daylily ran away. This is where I have to say the book took a turn for me. In the woods, or another "place" (Wilderlands) I couldn't quite make it out, she ran into different creatures and animals that could talk to her. Not only were the names hard for me to keep reading, but the names of some of the places and creatures just didn't mesh well with me. Some of the names in the story are Lionheart, Wolfsbane, Rose Red, Tortoiseshell and Nidawi. Some of the sames of places in the book are Farthestshore, Wilderlands, and Middlecrescent. As you can see, these aren't typical names used in our everyday world.

Another thing that I just couldn't get with was the part where they were in the forest (Lady Daylily had to be found) and different animals or creature type things were able to communicate with them, show them things that they wouldn't be able to see on their own, and partly control them. Yes I know, these are all things that would take place in a fantasy story. 

Technically, I could go on and on, but I don't want to tear the book apart and make it look like it isn't worth reading. It is a very easy read. And one can easily get into and follow the story. If you like fantasy fiction, then this book will probably interest you and you will like the story. But for me, who isn't too keen on fantasy stories, not so much. Part of me wonders if I had read the other books if it would have made a difference.

This book was given to me by Bethany House for my honest review.

What The Heart Sees, by Kathleen Fuller

I am a really big Kathleen Fuller fan. So when I was given the chance to review her book What the Heart Sees, I was truly thrilled. Not only do I get to read one story written by her, but also I get to read three all in one book. In this book, she has put a collection of Amish romance stories together.

The first story, A Miracle for Miriam, is about a girl who is young and in love and then has it all taken away from her. That is what happens to Miriam. As a child she has a crush on Seth who one day humiliates her and causes her to harden her heart when it comes to men. As time goes by, Seth moves away and spends time with some English friends. While there, he gets involved in an accident, which causes him to change mentally and physically. When Miriam sees him years later, she notices the changes. But is it good enough for her to let go of the past and move forward with him?

The second story, A Place of His Own, is about two good friends and on tragic moment. Josiah moves away without saying good-bye to Amanda. Years later, he returns to the community a different person. Amanda wonders what has happened to her friend from years ago. Why is he so bitter? Then a barn fire erupts and the community comes together, which has Josiah come to a realization about them.

The third and final story, What the Heart Sees, is about a man name Christopher who is angry from the accident that left him all alone and without a fiance. And after a downward spiral, he enters into a five-year bann. Later he decides to go home where he is reunited with Ellie, who was left blind from an accident of her own. Can they let go of the pains from the past and move forward into the future?

The book also has a couple of Amish recipes in the back that you can try. Can I say Cream Cheese Brownies?

What the Heart Sees is a really great book and if you love Amish books, you will really love this one. Kathleen Fuller is a really great writer and I think everyone should read it.

I thank Thomas Nelson for the opportunity to read and review this book.

Red Ink, by Kathi Macias

*Click here to follow the Red Ink Virtual Book Tour*

Do you believe in God? If so, how often do you rely on him to help you through your life? In the story Red Ink, by Kathi Macias, the third book in the Extreme Devotion Series, shows just how important God is and how some rely on him to make it through the tough times that they experience.

Zhen-Li is a young woman who has a strong love for God. Even though it has put her in harms way and has landed her in jail away from her family and friends, there is no one who is more important to her than him. While in jail, she has learned that he is the only one that can help her deal with the torture that she faces from a guard who is trying to break her belief. She also takes the time to witness to her cell mate, Mei, about God and how wonderful he is. Even though she realizes that this is highly frowned upon and can get her killed, she risks it just so that she can show her love of God or more or less his love for us.

Tai Tong is a young twenty year old guard at the jail where Zhen-Li resides. He is one of the toughest ones that they have. He prides himself on how great he is at his job. He is know as being able to break anyone that is under his control. That is until Zhen-Li is assigned to him. She becomes the challenge that he has longed to have. Every time she mentioned how much she loved her God, it presented him with the rage that he needed and loved to torture her into breaking and becoming his personal "sex slave". But no matter how hard he tries, there is something or someone who keeps him from prevailing.

Julia is an older women, who lives in an assisted living home due to the fact that she broke her hip and can no longer live on her own. Though she has met a couple of people, God is the one she talks to the most and relies on for help. One day, she feels compelled to pray for a young woman in China who is in dire need of help. She doesn't know any information about this woman. All she know is that God has pressed upon her to pray for her, and she does. Not only does she pray for the young woman in China, she also prays for one of the residents, Margaret, who has a granddaughter that brings new challenges to their living quarters.

Mei (Zhen-Li's cell mate), Zhou Chi (Zhen-Li's husband), Maggie (Margaret's grandchild) and Yin Xei (Zhen-Li's mother) all have pivotal parts in this story also. The way that everyone is intertwined is amazing. It shows how one pray can affect a million people. And that is what happens in this story. A person prays for another and their life is changed by that devotion and pray, which leads to the most surprising result that one could even imagine.

I really liked this story. So much that I am going to go out and buy the first two books in this series. I am going to also purchase the fourth one when it comes out. This story shows you just how much your love for Christ can help you conquer anything if you truly put your heart and soul in his care.

I thank Dee for the opportunity to read and give an honest review of this book.

Blog Tour and Giveaway for Red Ink: October 21st - 28th



I am happy to announce the Red Ink Blog Tour and Giveaway that will be running today through next Thursday (October 28th). Red Ink is the third book in the Extreme Devotion Fiction Series by Kathi Macias.

   Day #1 - Thursday, October 21, 2010

A Cozy Reader’s Corner Reviews

http://acozyreaderscorner.blogspot.com/

At the Water Cooler

http://atwc1.com/

Be sure to stop back through on the 27th of October to read my review on the Red Ink book. And leave a comment to let me know how much you enjoyed it!!

Here is a small preview of the book:

Prologue

Yang Zhen-Li was nearing thirty but at times felt twice that old. Her back was becoming permanently bent forward from the heavy pails she carried daily, one attached on each end of the thick bamboo rod that stretched across her shoulders, mirroring the heaviness of her heart. There had been a time when she’d been acclaimed as a beauty, but she could scarcely remember why…or imagine that it would matter.

She tried to fight the encroaching darkness, tried to hold fast to what she knew was true, but the constant lies and propaganda were taking a greater toll even than the physical labor and abuse or the burning, gnawing hunger. If her situation didn’t change soon, she knew she would never live long enough to see her husband or son again. And with nearly eight years of her ten-year sentence left to serve, the possibilities of her emerging from prison alive grew dimmer by the day.

For to me, to live is Christ, and to die is gain. She forced herself to focus on one of the many scripture verses she’d had opportunity to memorize between the time she accepted Zhu Yesu as her Savior and her arrest by members of the Public Security Bureau (PSB) on charges of teaching religion to children, including giving them papers containing religious writings. Even before her arrest, her parents had written to her—warned her, begged her, threatened her—and finally had her kidnapped in an attempt to convince her to go along with the government rules, especially the one limiting each family to one child. After all, she already had a healthy son. Why would she want another baby when they could scarcely afford to feed the first one? But though her abductors had forcibly aborted her second child, they had not succeeded in convincing Yang Zhen-Li to abandon the faith she had adopted before marrying her Christian husband. If anything, the ordeal had only strengthened her resolve to take a stand for the meaning of her name—Zhen-Li, “Truth,”—and spurred her to begin actively sharing the Good News of Yesu every chance she got. As a trained teacher, that quite naturally included talking with children about the gospel, a practice expressly forbidden by the government.

And now she was paying the price. Separated from her family and sentenced to ten years of hard labor and “re-education,” Zhen-Li struggled to survive against pain, exhaustion, and bitter loneliness. Worst of all were the times she felt God had abandoned her. It wasn’t enough to know in her mind that He promised never to leave or forsake her. She needed a visible reminder—soon—if she was to continue to remain faithful behind these prison walls.

The Thorn, by Beverly Lewis (The Rose Trilogy #1)

I must say that I am a big Amish fan and to be able to read books about their life makes it all worthwhile, especially when you pick up a book by Beverly Lewis. She is a very talented writer, which makes her stories come alive when you read them. The Thorn (The Rose Trilogy #1), is about two sisters and their struggles with life.

The older sister is named Hannah, but she goes by Hen. She is married to an outsider. This causes a lot of friction because he doesn't want her to have anything to do with her past Amish life. Even though she loves her present life with her husband and child, she longs for the way things were when she was living with her Amish community. The fact that she wants her daughter to be able to experience some of the things that she did makes matters even worse.

The younger sister is named Rose, who realizes she wants to dedicate her life to the Amish ways and not that of the world. The only problem is her closest friend, Nick. He is and outsider who was brought in as a foster child. Because of his outsider ways, he tends to stir up a lot of trouble. Rose is cautioned to stay away from him, but can't help being friends with him and spending a ton of "secret" time with him. She is also going out with a guy named Silas. She knows he wouldn't approve of her time with Nick, but he is a great friend to her. What is most important is her choice to spend time with Nick or to let him go and spend her time with Silas.

I really enjoyed this book and look forward to reading the next ones that will follow. I highly recommend it, especially if you enjoy reading Amish books.

This book was given to me by Bethany House for an honest review.

Somewhere to Belong, by Judith Miller

Have you ever lived in one type of “world” and was put into another one? Or lived in one place and chose to visit another? In a sense, that is what happens to the two girls in this story, Somewhere to Belong, by Judith Miller. This is the first book in the Daughters of Amana Series, which is set in the Amana colonies in 1877.

Johanna Ilg, a 24 year old girl, has lived in one of the seven Amana colonies all her life. Much like the Amish community, they dress in solid dark colors, eat in communal settings, and rely heavily on God. Johanna’s older brother has chosen to move away from the colony and live in Chicago. This peaks her interest, but her parents don’t approve of her wanting to visit Chicago. The only form of the outside world that she gets are visitors to the area, until the Schumachers move in.

Berta Schumacher, a 16 year old girl who hails from Chicago, has moved to the Amana colonies with her parents. She is devastated that she has to live in an area where life is pretty much dull compared to what her life was like in Chicago. With her stubborn ways, she wrecks havoc in her new world.

Johanna is chosen to show Berta the ways of the Amana colonies and has a hard time getting the young girl under control. Throughout their up and down times together, they become closer than expected and learn to confide in each other. Little by little secrets start to come out and unexpected situations arise. These are what leave Johanna and Berta to make the biggest choices in their lives.

I highly recommend this book. It was a great read. Judith Miller’s writing makes you dive into the book and has you feeling as though you are right there experiencing everything that the people are going through in the book.

This book was given to me by Bethany House in exchange for an honest review.

Tempered Justice by Helene J. Smith

Isn't it amazing how one decision can change the overall span of everyone's lives around that person? In Tempered Justice, written by Helene J. Smith, that is what happens.

Dan, at one time young and in love, took it all for granted. Now he is living with his wife Amy and three kids and is extremely unhappy. In order to deal with life he starts spending more time in the city. One day he runs into an old friend, Steffi. They decide that they still have strong feelings for each other and start to kindle a relationship. This prompts Dan to leave his family and reside in the city. This in turn, leads to Steffi becoming pregnant.

Back on the farm, his family is left to fend for themselves. Amy can't seem to handle Dan's disappearance and retreats into a solemn state leaving their three kids to fend for themselves. After sometime, she comes out of her state and looks for a job in the city. Low and behold, she happens to find a job working for a man by the name of Jake. The twist is that Jake is Steffi's husband.

This story, produced by Dorrance Publishing Co., takes you on a roller coaster of emotions. I wasn't sure if I would enjoy this book at first, but wound up really loving it. You start to really feel for the characters in the story. And the author has a way of writing that keeps you wanting to find out what happens to everyone at the end. I do recommend this book.

Disclaimer: I was provided  a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

An Honest Love by Kathleen Fuller

"An Honest Love", written by Kathleen Fuller, is a very compelling novel. The compassion that is shown between the characters in this story made me want to fall in love all over again.

Fuller has set this story, the 2nd book in the A Hearts of Middlefield Novel series, in Middlefield, Ohio, surrounding a small Amish community. When reading this story, you will learn about some of the ins and outs of the life of the Amish men and women and some of their language, which has been implanted into parts of their conversations. You also learn how heavily they rely on God to get them through their times of trouble.

Anna Esh is a caring, quiet, modest young woman who moved to Middlefield with her mother in order to take care of her Uncle Zeb. While she and her mother take over a local goods shop, she meets a strong willed, caring man name Lukas Byler. Upon seeing her, he is immediately smitten, but because of past relationships, it takes her awhile to warm up to him. Overtime, what starts as a friendship turns into a heartfelt romantic relationship. The only problem, Anna has a secret that will either make their relationship stronger or tear them apart forever.

Aaron Detweiler is an attractive, reticent young man who took full advantage of his rumspringa. After returning to his community and starting work as a blacksmith, he meets a carefree, childlike young woman name Elisabeth Byler. Working at the same company allows Aaron and Elisabeth to spend time together and have their co-working relationship grow into best friends. Because of Elisabeth’s naivety and stubbornness at times, Aaron is forced to dwell on his past more than he wants to. Since they are such good friends, a lot of ups and downs are caused in their relationship which tears them between staying friends and wanting more.

This is a very riveting and well written story which makes you feel as though you are right there with them going through everything they are. I highly recommend this book, which has topped the list of my best reads of all time. I will definitely be reading the first book in this series and getting the next one when it comes out.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from Thomas Nelson Publishers as part of their BookSneeze.com book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255