Romancing Nadine by Amy Lillard (Wells Landing 10)

I am so excited!!  I get to go back to my favorite fictional town, Wells Landing.  

In the next installment of the Wells Landing Series we get to know Nadine better.  From the description: In this heartwarming series from Amy Lillard, three generations of women find the Oklahoma Amish community of Wells Landing a heaven-sent opportunity to take new leaps of faith . . .

Wife, widow, mother, and grandmother—sixty-something Nadine Burkhart is everything a sensible Amish woman is supposed to be. She’s moved to Wells Landing to give her daughter and granddaughter a fresh start—not herself. So as far as she’s concerned, good-hearted farmer Amos Fisher should find something better to do than try to draw her out, be there when she needs help—and make her believe in love for the first time . . .

 A friendly but solitary man, Amos is realizing there’s more to life than work. Although he hasn’t courted in years, Nadine’s honesty makes him long to know her better—and understand her standoffishness. But when everything he tries fails to soften her stubbornness, he’ll just have to trust his heart that real, true, and utterly impractical love will prevail—for a lifetime…

This series just gets better and better.  Wells Landing really is my happy place.  I really liked the fact that this romance was between seniors.  Amos sees Nadine and is smitten by the love bug for the first time.  Nadine has already been a widow and thinks Amos is off his rocker.  

What ensues is a sweet, funny, and entertaining love chase.  With lifelike characters and realistic situations the story will draw you in and keep you wondering if poor Amos will ever win Nadine's heart.  

So take a trip back to Wells Landing and pick up Romancing Nadine.  Happy Reading!  

Disclaimer: *Disclosure of Material Connection: I received a copy of this book for free in the hope that I would mention/review it on my blog. I was not required to give a positive review, only my honest opinion - which I've done. All thoughts and opinions expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255: "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.*

Heart of a Warrior by Angela K. Couch

All Christina Astle wants is to reach Oregon before her baby is born, but the wagon train is attacked, and her husband killed, stranding her in a mountain labyrinth. Raised in the East, within civilization’s embrace, survival is not a skill she’s learned. Neither is evading the lone warrior dogging her trail.

Disgusted by the greed and cruelty of men like his white father, Towan has turned to the simpler existence of his mother’s tribal people. He is not prepared for the fiery woman who threatens to upturn his entire life … and his heart. 

Heart of a Warrior is Angela Couch's new book and I once again find myself spellbound by her writing.  She brings history to life in her books and adds her own beautiful story to it. 

Two very different people from very different walks of life, Christina and Towan, are thrown together in a journey of faith and trust.  Can they find a way to connect their two very different worlds?  

With a rich historical backdrop, a beautiful love story, and lots of action, Heart of a Warrior will keep you engaged.   If you are a historical fiction fan this is a must read!   So pick up your copy on August 14th here.  Happy Reading!   

Disclaimer: *Disclosure of Material Connection: I received a copy of this book for free in the hope that I would mention/review it on my blog. I was not required to give a positive review, only my honest opinion - which I've done. All thoughts and opinions expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255: "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.*

His Pretend Amish Bride (Unexpected Amish Blessings Book 2) by Rachel J. Good

It's summertime and time to pull out some take wherever you need to go books.  For me it's my new back deck.  When we moved from Virginia to Minnesota and then moved again from a rental to a home we bought I lost my front porch and swing.  So to have a place to read good books and relax is a blessing!   

This is the second book in Rachel Good's series.  From the excerpt:

In a small Amish town like picturesque Lancaster, Pennsylvania, one solution to an indiscretion is to make a good marriage. Or perhaps, fake a respectable engagement . . .

Priscilla Ebersol has a fulfilling life teaching special needs children—until her boyfriend’s humiliating betrayal ruins her reputation and threatens her job. Ostracized for something she didn’t do, Priscilla throws herself into a project on the benefits of camel’s milk for autism. Her research leads her to a fledgling local camel farm, where she discovers far more than she bargained for . . .

When a pushy Englisch company shows interest in shy, handsome Gabriel Kauffman’s camel farm, he struggles to get out of a sticky negotiation. Lovely, well-spoken Priscilla appears at the perfect moment, and defends Gabe’s business so well that she is mistaken for his wife. It’s a ruse the two quietly continue, all the while secretly wishing it could be true. But though their bond deepens, Priscilla’s heart is still wounded, and Gabe battles with a troubling secret. And when a misunderstanding comes between them, it will take faith, honesty, and trust in the future to overcome the past—and allow their partnership to blossom into something more . . .

This was a really good read.  Priscilla was betrayed by her boyfriend and he was rotten.  Priscilla is hurt and her job is threatened by the scandal.  She works with special needs children, which I thought was pretty awesome.  It was nice to see a character in an Amish book in a unique job.  So she ends up at the new local camel farm. 

Gabe was a really well thought out character.  He also had a unique job (camel farmer) and it was easy for me to picture him walking down the street in town.  

With mystery, betrayal, twists and turns this was a hard book to put down.  It's getting a special shelf place (as soon as I unpack them!) and I plan on reading it again.  So pick up your copy of His Pretend Amish Bride (available June 30th) and enjoy a unique Amish story.  Happy Reading!  

Disclaimer: *Disclosure of Material Connection: I received a copy of this book for free in the hope that I would mention/review it on my blog. I was not required to give a positive review, only my honest opinion - which I've done. All thoughts and opinions expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255: "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.*

The Crow's Call (Amish Greenhouse Mystery #1) by Wanda E. Brunstetter

I always like it when you take a typical genre and flip it around.  Wanda Brunstetter has been doing this for a long time with her Amish fiction.  

From the back:  Mysterious Events Plague a Greenhouse in Pennsylvania’s Amish Country

When Vernon King, his son, and son-in-law are involved in a terrible accident, three women are left to cope with their deaths, as they become the sole providers of the family they have left. The women’s only income must come from the family greenhouse, but someone seems to be trying to force them out of business.

Amy King has just lost her father and brother, and her mother needs her to help run the family’s greenhouse. It doesn’t seem fair to ask her to leave a job she loves, when there is still a sister and brother to help. But Sylvia is also grieving for her husband while left to raise three children, and Henry, just out of school, is saddled with all the jobs his father and older brother used to do. As Amy assumes her new role, she also asks Jared Riehl to put their courtship on hold. When things become even more stressful at the greenhouse, will Amy crumble under the pressure?

This was such a good book!  Brunstetter has really found her calling and every book just gets better and better.  I love how she take the day to day and turn it into such good books.  Who is causing all the trouble for the King family?  

I enjoyed reading it because of the strength of their faith and how the family works through their grief while still remembering past joys. I am interested to find out if the crow is really a symbol of foreboding or is there more going on?  Brunstetter allows the characters to struggle with life just like real people do and find hope. Enjoy this great first book in the series and be sure to keep an eye out for book two, The Mockingbird's Song.  Happy Reading!  

Disclaimer: *Disclosure of Material Connection: I received a copy of this book for free in the hope that I would mention/review it on my blog. I was not required to give a positive review, only my honest opinion - which I've done. All thoughts and opinions expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255: "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.*

Promise at Pebble Creek (Hope Chest of Dreams #6) by Lisa Jones Baker

I love a good series and am always excited to read the next book.  Hope Chest of Dreams has been amazing but like all good things it has come to the end with the last book in the series.  

From the back: Amish country girl Hannah Lapp lives for adventure—the kind found in favorite novels and the stories she secretly writes. And at her family’s popular tourist store, she’s fascinated by the different Englischers she meets. Especially when Marcus Jackson comes to town. She’s sure there’s more to the ex-city boy than his quiet, helpful ways, and she’s curious to find out just what it is . . .

Marcus fled Chicago before his brothers’ life of crime ruined his future. He’s not sure exactly why God’s plan brought him to this quaint little town. Or why his growing friendship with the bubbly, inquisitive Hannah has him trusting her with his past. But when local stores are robbed and suspicion falls on Marcus, can he and Hannah come together to prove his innocence—and make their own happy-ever-after ending?

I always love going back to Pebble Creek and revisiting friends while making new ones. The characters were well done and there was a good mystery plot as well. The storyline does a great job of addressing the issue of struggling with faith and looking to God for guidance and having faith. 

So will Marcus and Hannah be able to rely on God's answers and promises?  You will have to pick up a copy of the book and find out!  Happy reading!  

Disclaimer: *Disclosure of Material Connection: I received a copy of this book for free in the hope that I would mention/review it on my blog. I was not required to give a positive review, only my honest opinion - which I've done. All thoughts and opinions expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255: "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.*

Loving Jenna by Amy Lillard

I am alway so excited when I get a book in a favorite series.  I get to go back to one of the places I wish I lived, Wells Landing.  

From the back: In this new novel set in the beloved Oklahoma Amish community of Wells Landing, three generations of women challenge themselves and each other to make a fresh start in faith, family--and love.

Jenna Burkhart is tired of being "special" and hearing about what she can't do. Even though she suffered a head injury in a childhood swimming accident, she wants a life of her own just like any Amish woman. But now that she, her mamm, and her mammi have moved to Wells Landing, she's having a hard time fitting in. . . . Until she meets Buddy Miller, a boy just like her, who gives her the confidence to reach for the impossible . . .

Like Jenna, Buddy is used to being the boy no one expects much from, the one people see as "different." Still, being around Jenna's lively, kind-hearted ways makes him strive ever-harder to become the self-sufficient Amish man she deserves. But in the face of family disapproval and their own fears, will Jenna and Buddy's courage be enough to give them a forever happiness together?

So not only is this book set in my favorite corner of the fiction world it also touches on topics near and dear to my heart.  INCLUSION and REPRESENTATION.  There are not a lot of stories that represent people of the disabilities community.  People like my children.  

This book shows that people with disabilities want what everyone else wants.  A normal life.  The main characters, Jenna and Buddy, don't want to be seen as "special".  They want to work, fall in love, and get married.  But just like real life, things don't always run smoothly.  Jenna and Buddy's mamms are having a hard time letting go.  

Overall this book touched a really special place in my heart.  Amy Lillard really did an excellent job with the characters and representing and including characters with disabilities.  It was so awesome to see them take the main stage as well.  I really hope she writes more about Jenna and Buddy.  

So take a trip back to Wells Landing and pick up Loving Jenna.  Happy Reading!  

Disclaimer: *Disclosure of Material Connection: I received a copy of this book for free in the hope that I would mention/review it on my blog. I was not required to give a positive review, only my honest opinion - which I've done. All thoughts and opinions expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255: "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.*

City Sparrows and Who Fed Them by Ruth Nadelman Lynn

There are books hidden in plain site that no one knows about.  

Lamplighter finds books from a bygone time and brings them back to life and print.  

Join Zetta and her brother Harry in a cold, drafty garret as they learn that not even a sparrow falls to the ground without God seeing.  Follow burdened Margaret as she learns that suffering produces patience, patience produces experience, and experience produces hope. Watch as they discover together that “all things work together for good to those who love God.”

In a wretched part of town, filth and refuse add to the foul odor that pervades the air.  Zetta shivers in her threadbare rags as she tries to soothe her sick brother.  When their father was alive, they lived in the beautiful country with fields and flowers. But now mother is no help, for she has sunken into the lowest depths of drunkenness.

In such a pitiful setting, is there any hope of redemption? Who cares about this dirty child and her woes?  Zetta finds the answer in the minister’s story about a God who cares when even a sparrow falls to the ground.  How much more does He care about her?

While the reader may never know the darkness of Zetta’s world, we all experience some degree of tribulation. Rest assured that God is our refuge and strength – a very present help in time of trouble.

The story focuses on Zetta and her brother Harry as they are left to struggle with an alcoholic mother, little money, and even less hope.  Harry remembers better days with their deceased father.  

For the most part I enjoyed the story.  It's a very simple allegory of how the heavenly Father loves and cares for us.  He rescues us from poverty and rags restoring us and giving us a family.  The characters were well written and several story lines blended together really well.  

There were some parts that were not enjoyable and really ruined a nice story (spoiler alert).  Zetta and Harry's mother dies and the children were assured that it was better this way as she would have been a cripple.  Having a daughter who has Cerebral Palsy I was not real thrilled about that.  It devalued human life and ruined part of a great book.  I wish that this would have been rephrased or left out all together.  Sending a negative message about disability, no matter the era or time, is not Christian. 

Overall, this book was an OK read and as stated, does have some really good points.  you can purchase the book here.  Happy Reading!

Update:  After trying to place my review on the Lamplighter website I was contacted by Lamplighter and they stated they were going to remove the statement.  If it is taken out I have no issues fully recommending this story.  

Disclaimer: *Disclosure of Material Connection: I received a copy of this book for free in the hope that I would mention/review it on my blog. I was not required to give a positive review, only my honest opinion - which I've done. All thoughts and opinions expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255: "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.*