Marrying Jonah (A Wells Landing Romance) by Amy Lillard

Spring is in the air and I'm back in one of my favorite fictional communities, Wells Landing.  By now I feel like I know everyone pretty well and it's a second home.

From the back:  Life isn’t always as simple as it seems for the Amish community of Wells Landing, Oklahoma. Neither is love. . .

Everyone in town knows that Sarah Yoder is enamored with Jonah Miller, even though he’s been with his girlfriend, Lorie, for years. But all that changes when Lorie runs off with another man. Inconsolable, his faith in love shattered, Jonah resists everyone’s attempts to ease his pain—until the unexpected happens one night.

Jonah is filled with confusion. Sarah is not the woman he yearns for, yet he asks for her hand in marriage, if only out of honor. Still, he worries, can they live in harmony if their vows are built on a lie? As Sarah seeks spiritual advice, Jonah tries to look toward the future—and finally begins to see her for who she really is: A beautiful, strong-willed woman whose heart is pure and belief is true. But will it be too late for him to prove that he wants to be her husband?

Every book that comes out in this series is better than the last.  I have truly enjoyed my time in Wells Landing and every character shines.  This story was wonderful from start to finish.  Love isn't easy, even if you are Amish.  

Jonah can't move on from his heartache of loosing Lori.  Sarah has loved Jonah forever and her stubbornness won't let her entertain thoughts of another.  One night things change for both of them.  

This book made me tear up more than once.  These two have so much going against them you wonder if they will be able to figure out the beautiful things that God can bring together out of brokeness.   These two have so much to learn.  Can they learn it in time or will they loose it all? 

I truly enjoyed this series and even though the book can stand alone if you haven't read the others you miss some of the background and storylines.  So pick up your copy of Marrying Jonah and visit the community of Wells Landing where there is a story on every corner and a community of faith and fun.  Happy Reading!  

Gems of Wisdom: The Treasure of Experience (Grace Under Pressure Radio series Book 1) by Angela Breidenbach

I'm often on the hunt for devotionals and books that help challenge me to grow spiritually.

I found a hidden treasure in this beautiful book.  From the back:  Gems of Wisdom: The Treasure of Experience, helping women cope with the past while they gain courage, confidence, and candor. Rereleasing as the first book in the new Grace Under Pressure Radio series that supports becoming a woman of courage, confidence, and candor! Updated material and new cover, (originally published as Gems of Wisdom: For A Treasure-Filled Life) you'll embark on a treasure hunt for God's unique gems of wisdom. Be empowered, learn to influence through your own life lessons, and preserve important relationships. Gems of Wisdom invites the reader on a treasure hunt to find important life concepts represented by the beautiful stones God created. Excellent for Bible study and book clubs. 

I really love Angela's fiction books so when I saw this for free for my Kindle I decided to grab it.

I'm so glad I did. Packed with practical advice, beautiful stories woven with wisdom and good advice for dealing with the hardships we face in life. This book takes you from being reactive in situations to proactive. I felt encouraged as I read through topics that aren't always talked about in society. This book doesn't shy away from some tough issues. It helps you work through them and not let pirates steal the beautiful gemstones.

I plan on getting a hardback copy of the book so I can go through it again and do the journaling with it. This is a good book to go over more than once because there is so much richness and depth in it that you honestly need more than one read through.

Pick up your copy (free if you have Prime Unlimited!) and enjoy a wonderful book!  Happy Reading! 

Her Secret by Shelley Shepard Gray

We've been having terrible storms down here so I was in the mood for something to match the weather.  Something not typical with a twist of suspense.

Boom!  I had just the right book.  From the back:  New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Shelley Shepard Gray begins a new series—The Amish of Hart County—with this suspenseful tale of a young Amish woman who is forced to move to a new town to escape a threatening stalker.

After a stalker went too far, Hannah Hilty and her family had no choice but to leave the bustling Amish community where she grew up. Now she’s getting a fresh start in Hart County, Kentucky…if only she wasn’t too scared to take it. Hannah has become afraid to trust anyone—even Isaac, the friendly Amish man who lives next door. She wonders if she'll ever return to the trusting, easy-going woman she once was.

For Isaac Troyer, the beautiful girl he teasingly called “The Recluse” confuses him like no other. When he learns of her past, he knows he's misjudged her. However, he also understands the importance of being grateful for God’s gifts, and wonders if they will ever have anything in common. But as Hannah and Isaac slowly grow closer, they realize that there’s always more to someone than meets the eye.

Just as Hannah is finally settling into her new life, and perhaps finding a new love, more secrets are revealed and tragedy strikes. Now Hannah must decide if she should run again or dare to fight for the future she has found in Hart County.

Secrets have a way of haunting us.  Ms.  Grey weaves an Amish thriller packed full of secrets, suspense, twists and turns.  You feel Hannah's fear and tension as a stalker makes her life miserable. What links would you go to to protect your child?  Would you move and try to hide your secrets?

This book often left me with chills running up my spine and kept me drawn in turning page after page.  Will the family ever find peace?  Can Hannah turn to God after all that has happened to her? Can secrets stay hidden or will everything be brought to the light?

Pick up your copy of Her Secret and visit Hart County for a suspenseful and fast paced read!  Happy Reading!

Once Upon A Book Club

Sometimes people try to reinvent the wheel and it falls flat.  Sometimes it is a smashing success.

In a new service I discovered thanks to my book loving friends, Once Upon A Book Club,  a monthly book club takes the wheel and rolls with it!

The idea is to fully immerse you in the author's world.  You receive a pretty box:

In that box you find the book of the month (This month's book was From Sand and Ash by Amy Harmon) and other goodies wrapped up to go along with the story.  

This is so cute!  In typical me fashion I had to pull everything out right away, shake packages and see if I could guess what was in there.  

Everything was boxed up so prettily and I couldn't tell what was in a single box.  So because I was so excited to unwrap stuff and the book looked so inviting, I started reading right away.  

This was amazing.  The book itself was powerful and could have stood alone. Originally I was going to review the book and the service together but both are so outstanding that I felt that each needed the limelight of an individual post.  I looked forward to getting to each page so I could open each package.  

I want to say that there was a lot of thought that went into each individual present.  I found that even though you can open each gift when you get to the post it note (I did that with the first one) it's so much better if you read the whole page first and even the next page.  I found myself reflecting more on the item and thinking about that part of the story. 

So I am putting a spoiler in here.  If you haven't read to wear the first post it note is DON'T PEEK!

 Wow!  The first gift and all the other ones just blew me away.  I repeat, someone put an amazing amount of thought into these gifts.  As I sat looking at Eva's purse and passport I was transported to her side as she was being brought in for questioning.  Her fear became mine.

From start to finish this was such an immersive experience for me.  I loved it all.  Plus, there is a bonus online community and book discussion.  I'm excited to take part in it!

So if you are looking for an amazing new way to jump into a good book I would strongly recommend signing up!  You can see their website here!  March's book box will be shipping out soon and  I can't wait to see what I get!  So pick up your subscription and plan on being transported and immersed in a good book!  Happy Subscribing!