"Amish Redemption" by Patricia Davids

About the Book  

 

An Amish Homecoming

Joshua Bowman is ready to go home. After spending time in prison for a crime he didn't commit, he's putting everything behind him and reconciling with his fractured family. When a devastating tornado throws him unexpectedly into the path of Mary Kaufman and her daughter, Hannah, he feels the first spark of life after months. But Mary's adoptive dad is the Englisch sheriff—and he'd never trust her care to a man with Joshua's past. Plus the lovely single mom has a secret of her own, one that she's spent years running from. Together they survived the storm, but are they strong enough to shed the shadows of their past?

Brides of Amish Country: Finding true love in the land of the
Plain People.

Please visit Patricia Davids' website

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This book was released in April 2015

This was a well loved library book that was reviewed

My Review

“Amish Redemption” by Patricia Davids is her last book in her 'Brides of Amish Country' and the start of a new series around the Bowman brothers, according to her Dear Reader letter in the back of the book. Though this is the end of a series, it is a wonderful stand alone book. To be honest, yes reading prior books will help one remember more of some of the events that were mentioned in this book, but any mention to events in prior books is gone over again so no one is truly lost.  I was a bit saddened to read that this is the last book set in Hope Springs for the characters have become like friends, but hopefully we will see them now and again in the new series.

Here is a story of how secrets can hurt, even when there is a very valid reason as to why they are kept. Some secrets kept here are understandable, and have a true reason behind them being kept, while the other secret is being kept more out of fear and pride. These secrets have a way of coming out though as they always do, and it is how they come out that really helps keep the reader interested especially when things start to spiral out of control.

It is amazing how these two character's, Mary and Joshua, meet and formed a bond. Truly this was a author's imagination, or how I think about it, God's way of showing His power is mighty. Sure Ms. Davids wrote this amazing first meeting but God gave her the idea and it was superb. Truly there are not many first time meeting of stranger main character's that stick out, but I know that this one will for some time. I think that it wasn't so much the circumstances of the first meeting but the description that just descriptive enough to give the reader a good idea of what was going on but not so much that overloads the reader.

Mary and Joshua, ironically have some things in common with their pasts, which gives them a great sense of empathy for others. They both were determined to help those who needs the help, almost regardless of what it might cost them individually. There are a lot of things that can go wrong, and almost does that is for sure. Trust is also learned to be extended even when one isn't sure who to trust when it counts. Both Mary and Joshua also have fears that the other character discovers through interaction but they don't call each other out on those fears. Both of these character's have warm, open hearts regardless what happened to them in their past, which at times seems to be pretty amazing.

Though this was the end of a series it is a wonderful start to another series for I really am looking forward to seeing what is going to be happening with the Bowman brothers that is for sure. I was glad that there was some ending to a couple of characters in the 'Brides of Amish Country' so that I won't be left wondering, but there are the twins I would love to see find a happy ending even with all their pranks.

I hope all who read this book enjoys it as much as I did..

 Other "Brides of Amish Country" Series

Katie's Redemption

The Doctor's Blessing

An Amish Christmas

The Farmer Next Door

The Christmas Quilt

A Home for Hannah

A Hope Springs Christmas

Plain Admirer

Amish Christmas Joy

The Shepherd's Bride

The Amish Nanny

An Amish Christmas Journey

Amish Redemption

"Heaven Sent Husband" by Gilbert Morris

  Due to a large purchase at my local library book sale, I will be alternating between a new book that I get from the library, and a book that I purchased.  I think that I have gone through all of the older Christian library books anyway so I am hoping that this will give them a chance to stock up on books I haven't read yet.  I am sure that there will be new books I have missed over the summer that I can read during the winter time.  I will let people know if the book I am reviewing is an older book.  The older books will be ones that really touched my heart and I think worth keeping and re-reading in the future.

About the Book

 

Between her dedicated nursing at Mercy Hospital and plans to be a missionary in India, Ketura Lindsey had no time to think about marriage. But to follow God's plan, she had to acknowledge that love was part of His higher purpose for her life. Yet did He really intend her to find wedded bliss with her high school nemesis, Jared Pierce?
              
Jared, the star of the baseball team, had hurt tall, gangly Ket with his teasing. Now an intern at Mercy, he was a constant presence in her heart and mind. But would Jared, who dated beauty queens, ever notice-let alone propose to-a plain Jane?

Please visit Gilbert Morris' website

Buy "Heaven Sent Husband" from Amazon

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This book was released in April 2005

This book is from my own personal collection.

My Review

“Heaven Sent Husband” by Gilbert Morris is the first book I have ever read by this gentleman and frankly I was blown away for several reasons.

The first reason is because I always steered away from Mr. Morris books thinking that he couldn't possibly write a decent romance that I would like, but now I am seriously rethinking that for I just so completely enjoyed this book. I am going to look into a few other of his books just to see if I was completely wrong or if this book just hit a home run with me.

The second reason is that honestly I felt that this book was an absolutely wonderful fictional book with a great deal of imagination, after all that imagination is what it would take for this story to have come to life. This story as I read it, seemed magical while not having a shred of reality to it, but yet there was this element where even the die hard romantic couldn't help but wish that it was. I couldn't see this actually happening in real life (yes I enjoy stories that seem like they could really happen) but there was aspect to the story that I just enjoyed more than anything else. I then read the Note to the Reader from Mr. Morris at the end of the book, and I just couldn't help but sigh to see that maybe I was wrong.

Ketura is a woman whose faith is so strong that at first I wondered if maybe it was just an exaggeration but the more I read about Ketura the more I started second guessing my first impression. Yes her faith is strong, and has made me wonder if I would be so courageous as she was, if I was given the same task, but yet I found her questions to be so real for I know I would have been the same way. Here is a woman who has her own flaws as well that we see fairly early on, which makes her seem more down to earth as well.

I have to say that I found that the story was mostly told from the point of view of one of the characters, in the third person, with the other character's point of view when it was needed. I found this way of telling the story to be interesting and compelling at the same time for though I believed this to be completely fiction, it gave it more of a feel of a friend telling you their story with the added input from another character who didn't want to take away too much from the story-teller. Then it was the way that the story-teller was speaking that made it hard to stop reading.

If anyone is able to get their hands on this book, it is really worth reading it. I am so glad that I rescued this book from a yard sale, for this is certainly a keeper.

“The Texan's Inherited Family” by Noelle Marchand

About the Book 

A Father in the Making 

Busy Texas farmer Quinn Tucker is used to raising crops, not children. So when four nieces and nephews are left in his care, it's not long before he realizes they need a mother. But his search for a wife leads to the least likely woman for illiterate Quinn—schoolmarm Helen McKenna. 

City girl Helen has been told she'll never have children—and, it seems, a husband. So she jumps at the chance to be a mother to Quinn's little family. Though he is far from her image of an ideal husband, maybe a marriage in name will blossom into something more… 

Bachelor List Matches: A hand-picked bride for every bachelor in small-town Texas

 

Please visit Noelle Marchand's website

According to Ms. Marchand's Facebook page her website was hacked

and needed to be deleted but is in the process of being rebuilt.

Buy "The Texan's Inherited Family" from Amazon

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Buy "The Texan's Inherited Family" from Harlequin

This book was released in March 2015

This is a well loved library book that was used for the review

My Review

“The Texan's Inherited Family” by Noelle Marchand is the first book in her 'Bachelor List Matches' which is a spin off from her book “A Texas-Made Match”. It is not important to read that book or the other books in the same series with that book, for this is a book that sets off something really amazing. I am really looking forward to the rest of the books in this series and frankly I wonder if I already see one couple being matched and if I am right about the couple that should be a pretty explosive relationship.

Here is a story that is all about overcoming misconceptions. Misconceptions of what one believes about oneself. Misconceptions of what one is told to be the truth. Misconceptions of what others think of oneself. Overcoming these misconceptions are not always easy and certainly not simple for the most part. In order for things to come together at the end a lot of things have to fall into place if people are willing to take that step.

It seems as if both Quinn and Helen have secrets that they don't want to come out even as they join forces for the sake of Quinn's nieces and nephews. Life is certainly not easy as they learn about family life that is for sure while protecting themselves from what they are so sure they know what is going to happen. Then things take a twist that oh boy did I never see coming that is for sure. When I say that I didn't see what was coming I have to say that with complete emotion for WOW that was a shocker that is for sure.

I have to say that there are quite a few things going on at one time throughout the story and is all written in such a way that really they all seem to blend perfectly with each other. There are the issues with secrets, issues with the kids, issues with job and issues with the past, yet it never seemed as if there was too much going on at one time so that there wasn't a moment when things seemed to be slow in the slightest.

I truly hope that all who read this book enjoys it as much as I did.

 

"The Struggle" by Wanda E. Brunstetter

About the Book

 

Welcome back to Kentucky, where an Amish couple from Lancaster County seeks a new future in the land of tomorrow. When Timothy Fisher decides to move his wife, Hannah, and daughter Mindy to Christian County, where two of his brothers now reside, Hannah is very reluctant to go. Will the new home Timothy builds for them there do anything to lift her spirits? When a tragic accident occurs, Timothy and Hannah are inconsolable. Is an abrupt separation the beginning of the end of their marriage, or will they rally to seize a God-given second chance?

Please visit Wanda E. Brunstetter's website

Buy "The Struggle" from Amazon

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This book was released in July 2012

This book is from my own personal collection.

My Review

“The Struggle” by Wanda E. Brunstetter is the third and final book in her 'Kentucky Brothers' series. This book wrapped up several story lines that have been there throughout the series and wrapped up the book story line wonderfully to where I personally didn't feel as I was left hanging. Now though this is the third book in the series, I think that if it was just picked up by someone that they would be okay reading it without feeling as if they were lost for everything that is important that happened in the prior books is explained in the book. I would have to say that honestly I think the book is enhanced greatly by having read the prior books, “The Journey” and “The Healing”.

I must say that this book like the other books have several different points of views, but really nothing is lost with the changing of scenes or characters. In a lot of ways I think that it enriched the story for it helped create a deeper and richer story all the way around. Also the length of this story was between one or two years which for the story that was happening really made it so believable.

This is a story about change, and how we accept that change. There is one character that honestly I just didn't like, though I know that this character was in for some pretty big lessons, but this character just really got on my nerves. I do have to say that with this character it was a great reminder of Corrie Ten Boom's saying of “Be grateful for the fleas”. I never really did warm up to this character but that is just me, but the rest of the characters touched my heart as well as the story. I have to give credit where credit is due for even though I didn't care for this one character without this character the story would have fallen flat on its face.

Another great message from this story is never to give up on a marriage. Far too often when things don't go exactly the way we want them to we give up and vows or not people walk away. There are plenty of struggles and not only for the Fisher family for others in the book. It is interesting to see how each character handles their own struggle, and even when some of the characters are struggling with the same thing, it is their reactions that make this story so interesting.

I truly hope that those who enjoy Amish and romance or the struggle with romance, then this book is the book for them. I loved this series.

Other "Kentucky Brothers" books

The Journey

The Healing

The Struggle

"The Healing" by Wanda E. Brunstetter

  I am sorry that I didn't post this sooner, like the day after I posted my review on "The Journey".  Honestly I thought I had posted them, but apparently with things posting the reviews slipped my mind.  So here is "The Healing" and tomorrow will be "The Struggle".

 

About the Book

 

 

 

Seek a fresh start with Amish widower Samuel Fisher as he journeys from Lancaster County to Bluegrass Country, hoping to find a balm for the grief he’s carried with him. Will this single father, burdened by yesterday’s memories, discover a new and perhaps better life in Kentucky, the land of tomorrow? Esther Beiler, who helps watch Samuel’s children, develops a crush on Samuel and a true affection for his kids. Can she win his heart, or has she already lost it to an English woman? How will God untangle star-crossed lovers when jealousies and misconceptions threaten to tear them apart?

Please visit Wanda E. Brunstetter's website

Buy "The Healing" from Amazon

Buy "The Healing" from Barnes&Noble

This book was released in September 2011

This book is from my own personal collection.

My Review

 

“The Healing” by Wanda E. Brunstetter is the second book of her 'Kentucky Brothers Trilogy' series. It would be helpful to have read “The Journey” though it is not really vital. We see another member of the Fisher family, Samuel and this is a journey that he takes along with some other members of his family.

There are one or two new characters introduced to the series along with a new story line, and of course there is the visiting with the Fisher family, both in Pennsylvanian and Kentucky. This is a story that again uses several different point of views to get the story told. Through all the different point of views this story is a wonderful story of heartache and healing.

This story picks up shortly, and I mean within days time wise, from the end of “The Journey”. There is plenty of grief in different forms and from different causes. It was interesting to see how each person handled the loss that happened in their life. One suffered greatly while others suffered slightly, but regardless grief and loss is suffered for the person it is bad.

This story takes place over a years time which is good for the story that is being told. Honestly if it was told in a shorter period of time, then I think it would have really ruined the story. Though things take place over a years time, nothing feels rushed or that one is missing something important. There are some eye opening moments that are not skipped over, yet not overly detailed. Honestly I have to say that this story was beautifully and I so thoroughly enjoyed the book even after reading it once before.

I do usually like telling people my thoughts of the main characters but is so hard to do that for there are so many changes that happen. In order to give people my thoughts on the different characters I will end up giving away something so important about the story. There is more than just Ester and Samuel that is for sure and really I can't wait to start reading the final book in the series “The Struggle”

The end of “The Healing” gives a pretty good idea as to what the last book of the series will be about, though hints have been given gently throughout this story. The final story of the series will hopefully have the conclusion to one story line that started in this story.

This is a book that I would highly recommend this book and entire series to those who enjoy romance and Amish for it is something really worth reading.

Other "Kentucky Brothers" books

The Journey

The Healing

The Struggle