Tuesday, December 30, 2014


A Road Unknown: 
by Barbara Cameron
Series: Amish Roads (Book 1)
Paperback: 304 pages
Publisher: Abingdon Press (February 4, 2014)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 142674059X


Description:

Elizabeth is at a crossroad. She's been given the chance to experience life outside of her community, away from the responsibility to care for her eight younger siblings, but Elizabeth Bontrager can't decide which road to take. Goshen has its charms and pressures, but Paradise, Pennsylvania, sounds . . . well, like paradise. And it's also home to her Englisch friend, Paula. Decision made. Elizabeth is Paradise bound. 

But will the small town live up to its name? When Elizabeth meets Paula's friend, Bruce, she quickly learns he wants more than a friendship. And the same might be true of Saul Miller, her new boss at the country story that sells Amish products to the Englisch community. As the two compete for her attention, Elizabeth is surprised to realize she misses her family and becomes even more uncertain about where she belongs. She has a choice to make: return home or embrace this new life and possibly a new love?

Review:

A Road Unknown is part of the Amish Road Series. Elizabeth Bontranger is the oldest of nine siblings, and has fallen into the role of caretaker for her younger brothers and sisters, to the point that she has no life outside of her home, except for the few hours she works in a local fabric store. She gains a good friend in Paula, an Englischer whom Elizabeth met earlier in the year when her family vacationed in Elizabeth's hometown of Paradise. They became pen-pals, and developed a strong friendship. Elizabeth decides she's in need of a change and moves to Goschen to live with Paula and try to figure out which direction she wants to take for her life. On the bus ride there, she meets a young Amish man named Saul Miller. They keep bumping into each other, and eventually, Elizabeth starts to work at Saul's country store. They're relationship develops as they spend time with each other, but Elizabeth still needs to sort out what she wants to do, and whether she needs to return home or make a new life for herself in Goschen.

I enjoyed this book very much. I felt for Elizabeth's character. How hard it must have been to leave the family you love, yet feel smothered by. And I can't imagine how scary it would be, especially as a young Amish woman, to up and leave your family to live in an English world. 
She was fortunate to have found such a good friend in Paula and such a wonderful man in Saul. This was a fun read.
Reviewed by: Sarah Meyers

Friday, December 26, 2014

Susan May Warren's Always On My Mind ~ Reviewed


Always on My Mind (Christiansen Family Book 4)
Susan May Warren (Author)
Print Length: 400 pages
Publisher: Tyndale House Publishers, Inc. (December 18, 2014)
Sold by: Amazon Digital Services, Inc.
Language: English
ASIN: B00LPQLIKY


Description:
After a failed dig in Honduras, aspiring archaeologist Casper Christiansen heads home to Minnesota to face his unresolved feelings for Raina Beaumont, the woman of his dreams. But when he arrives unannounced on her doorstep, he receives the shock of a lifetime: Raina is pregnant with someone else’s baby.

Heartbroken, especially when he discovers the identity of the baby’s father, Casper tables his dreams and determines to be dependable for once, helping his older brother, Darek, prepare the family resort for its grand reopening. Casper longs to be the hero of at least one family story, but a never-ending Deep Haven winter and costly repairs threaten their efforts—and the future of the resort.

Worse, one of Casper’s new jobs constantly brings him into contact with Raina, whom he can’t seem to forget. A tentative friendship begins to heal fresh wounds, but can they possibly overcome past mistakes and current choices to discover a future together?


Review:

I am a fan of novels by Susan May Warren. I enjoy her stories and her writing. Always on My Mind is the 4th book in the Christiansen Family novel series. I have not read the first three books so I was a little reluctant about reading this one. But even though this is a continuing story about the Christiansen family, I was able to enjoy this one by itself. The author is skillful at weaving in important details from past novels so that you understand the story. In this story, Caspar Christiansen has been away to an island near Honduras treasure hunting but also running away from issues back home. He decides to return and confront the woman he loves and find out if he has a chance with her. But he is shocked when he finds out the condition Raina is in and what her plans are. The story explores Casper and Raina’s feelings for each other and whether or not they will ever have a chance. Also, all the relationships within the Christian family are involved to some degree. The author does a good job of juggling lots of characters yet keeping the story going. There is also a mystery from the past, which is shared through a diary Raina finds. So there is a parallel story that is told along with Raina's own story. Raina has some deep wounds she is running from. Will she make the wrong decision about which man to love? Will Caspar be able to accept the choices she has made? Will they solve the local mystery by following clues in Aggie’s diary? What about Caspar’s older brother, Darek? Will he make a decision that could hurt his family?
   
I enjoyed reading how Caspar handles his own feelings and struggles by learning to pray and ask God’s help as he goes. This is a story about people of faith but they are shown as real people who struggle as we all do. They make mistakes, learn from them and grow. I got bogged down at one point in the story because of a charsacter I didn’t like but that could be a sign of good writing. I am glad I finished reading the book. It is well written and has elements of romance, friendship, mystery, faith, abusive relationships, pregnancy, sibling relationships and adventure. It even has a little bit of historical fiction shown through Aggie’s diary and other historical finds. At the heart of the story is a message about God’s unconditional love and how His grace can redeem any situation. I think anyone who is a fan of contemporary romance will enjoy this story.


I received a copy of Always On My Mind to review but I was under no obligation to give a positive review.

Reviewed by: Susan Aken

Friday, December 19, 2014

Travis Thrasher's ~The Remaining ~ Reviewed





The Remaining 
by Travis Thrasher
Paperback: 368 pages
Publisher: Tyndale House Publishers, Inc.; MTI edition (September 1, 2014)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1414397526

Description:


The Remaining is a novelization of the apocalyptic movie from Sony Affirm. Just after a young couple says their vows, the earth shakes, and some people die suddenly and are taken away. The rest of their wedding party and friends are left to wrestle with what happened and with their faith. Characters struggle with secret love, dreams, hopes, and beliefs as they continue to evaluate their faith. This book and movie are both action-packed thrillers that will encourage audiences to think about their beliefs.

Review:

This compelling novel puts a whole different spin on end times fiction. The rapture doesn't leave behind empty clothing, instead it leaves behind bodies. Lots of bodies, and lots of destruction and a whole bunch of terror. 

In other post rapture fictionalizations there is the opportunity to gradually have questions about God answered and time to study and even do some research. Not so much in The Remaining. This is a adrenaline laced page turner with twists and unexpected turns. 

Prepare to feel unsettled if not out right horrified. However, fans of suspense, horror and make-you-think fiction might want to put this one on their must read list. 

Reviewed by: Kelly Klepfer 

Review:

One word: creepalicious. This is one book you will not want to read on a stormy dark night all alone in the house. This is a scare-your-pants-off kind of tale. Author Travis Thrasher knows how to take a reader to the edge of fright and then dangle him over the edge a bit, and as always, he does it with style.

The Remaining is an end of the world rapture story, but NOTHING like the Left Behind series. Think Stephen King meets Ted Dekker, then click it up a few notches. The story revolves around six college friends who discover that there's nothing tame about God's wrath. 

Because there are technically six main characters, the beginning of the book was a little confusing, trying to keep sorted who was who. But once you figure that out, buckle up because the story takes off. I finished this book in two days, which is super freaking fast for me.

Disclaimer: don't read this story if you don't like horror. I mean, seriously . . . is there anything more horrific than God's wrath?

Reviewed by: Michelle Griep 

Tuesday, December 16, 2014

Stephanie Reed's The Bargain ~ Reviewed



THE BARGAIN
Stephanie Reed
Series: Plain City Peace (Book 1)
Paperback: 288 pages
Publisher: Kregel Publications (September 19, 2013)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 082544215X

Description:

It’s 1971, and Betsie Troyer’s peaceful and predictable life is about to become anything but.
When their parents flee the Amish, nineteen-year-old Betsie and her seventeen-year-old sister Sadie are distraught. Under the dubious guidance of a doting aunt, the girls struggle to keep the secret, praying their parents will return before anyone learns the truth—a truth that may end all hopes of Betsie’s marriage to Charley Yoder.
Worse still, Betsie must learn a trade while she boards with a dysfunctional Englisher family: Sheila, a twelve-year-old desperately searching for a friend and in dire need of her mother; the free-spirited mother, who runs off to "find herself" on the stage; the angry father whose structured life crumbles; and Michael, a troubled college dropout nearly killed in the Kent State Massacre.
Thrust into the English world, Betsie must grapple with the realities of war and miniskirts, pot parties and police brutality, protests and desertion. Can she help the Sullivan family and find peace in her new surroundings, or must she forget the bargain she made and seek refuge back in Plain City with protective and reliable Charley?

Review:

The Bargain takes place in 1971, a time when America was still involved in the Vietnam War. We meet a young Amish woman named Betsie Troyer, who's life is turned upside down when her parent's “find Jesus” and leave the community. On top of trying to keep it a secret from the community, she is also starting a new job with an “Englisch” family, running the harness show her cousin bought from them while her cousin is away in the war. Betsie tries to distance herself from the family, but finds herself becoming attached, particularly to young Sheila. Without meaning for it to happen, she also gets close to Sheila's older brother, Michael, a hippie and known protester of the Vietnam War who comes and goes as he pleases, wears his hair long, and dresses in a way completely opposite from Amish men. Betsie begins to find herself torn between her Amish life and this new Englisch world she's been thrown into.

I haven't yet read an Amish story in this time period, so I thought it quite interesting. I was really interested in Betsie's parents and their new faith in Christ. The Amish are all viewed as so religious, yet when confronted with the truth, many, like Betsie, want nothing to do with it. She is afraid her parents are now going to hell for leaving the community, yet she herself is unsure of what she really believes. I'm really looking forward to reading book two to see what happens next, as the story really leaves you hanging!

Reviewed by: Sarah Meyers

Thursday, December 11, 2014

Allison Pittman's All for a Story ~ Reviewed


All for a Story
Allison Pittman
Paperback: 384 pages
Publisher: Tyndale House Publishers, Inc. (October 1, 2013)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1414366817

Description:

Monica Bisbaine loves being a modern girl in the Roaring Twenties. Her job writing a gossip column allows her access to all the local speakeasys in Washington, D.C., where she can dance the night away—and find fodder for her next article. But when the owner of the Capitol Chatter newspaper passes away, Monica wonders what will happen to her job, and the lifestyle she loves.

Max Moore may hold the title of editor-in-chief for evangelist Aimee Semple McPherson’s paper, The Bridal Call, but Aimee calls all the shots. So when Max learns that his great-uncle has passed away, leaving him all his earthly possessions, Max resigns and heads to D.C. Determined to take over the Capitol Chatter, infuse it with his values, and turn it into a respectable paper, Max is soon bumping up against the equally determined Monica Bisbane.

Under Max’s direction, Monica embarks on her most challenging assignment yet: infiltrating and reporting on the Anti-Flirt Society. Though reluctant at first, as Monica meets and mingles with the young women of the club, she begins to question the innocence of her flirtatious lifestyle. And when romance begins to blossom between Max and Monica, she must choose where her loyalties lie: with the young women of the society or the alluring pull of the speakeasy and its inhabitants.

Review:

All For A Story is about Monica Brisbane, a young, modern woman in the roaring 20's. She writes a gossip column for a local paper, which allows her access to all of the local speakeasies in Washington DC. This is the perfect job for her as it allows her to drink and dance the night away, and get paid for writing about it. Her life changes quite a bit when the owner of Capital Chatter passes away, and the paper is taken over by the next of kin, Max Moore. Max has recently been working with Aimee Semple McPherson, but decided moving on his own might be just the change he needs, so he moves to Washington DC to claim the inheritance left to him by his uncle, including the newspaper, Capital Chatter. Max and Monica find themselves oddly attracted to each other, yet each, so set in their ways, that they aren't sure what to do with the other.
 

   This story was really interesting. I haven't read up a lot on the 20's, but I really enjoyed it. One forgets there was a time when alcohol was illegal, and that there were all of these secret places people could go to drink and “have a good time.” I really enjoyed seeing Monica's character grow up, however, I was disappointed in how the book ended. She started coming around to things, but didn't really seem to come to know the Lord, and Max, who is supposed to be a Christian, seems ok with it. The book just seemed to leave that part of the story hanging for me, leaving me disappointed. I think it really bothered me because towards the end of the story, Max realized that for as much as he cared for her, he had never really shared the Lord with her. And he never really did seem to after that, yet he seemed ok with the fact that she wasn't quite ready in the end. It made the end of the story a downer for me.

Reviewed by: Sarah Meyers

Tuesday, December 09, 2014

Hannah Conway's The Wounded Warrior's Wife ~ Reviewed



The Wounded Warrior’s Wife
by Hannah Conway
File Size: 1195 KB
Print Length: 277 pages
Page Numbers Source ISBN: 1939603587
Publisher: Olivia Kimbrell Press; 1 edition (September 22, 2014)
Language: English
ASIN: B00NE9DZV0

Battles Raging Within Are Those You Must Fight to Win 

WHITLEIGH CROMWELL dreamt of a happily ever after with her newlywed soldier husband. COLLIER CROMWELL loved God, his wife, and his country, though military life exacted a demanding toll. 


An unexpected deployment during the height of war sends Collier away for yet another year. Their lives tumble down a path marked with struggle, and fatalities.Burdened with unseen emotional wounds and crippled faith, Collier's homecoming only increases their trials. 


The angry, defeated hermit at Whitleigh's side barely resembles the loving, faithful hero she married two years earlier. Concerned about possible career repercussions, admitting his need for help proves difficult for Collier and his behavior worsens. 


Angry outbursts — and his cold, callous nature — isn't all that provokes Whitleigh to pack her bags. Collier seeks solace for his private suffering in the worst possible place leaving Whitleigh to walk away from shattered pieces of broken trust. 


Will Collier seek the healing he desperately needs in time to save their marriage, or is it over? Are there wounds too deep, marriages too broken, and lives so far gone they fall beyond even God's ability to restore?

Review:

Whitleigh and Collier Cromwell’s romance began in their tender teenage years in rural Kentucky. Both dreamed of a happily ever after that included prosperous careers and a loving family filled with children. Collier’s choice to join the Army, however, forever changed the outlook of their futures. With terrors and changes on the home-front in Colorado and a second unexpected deployment to the Middle East, both Whitleigh and Collier struggle to adjust to the Army’s demanding lifestyle during their first year of marriage. After a year away from home he returns burdened by the devastations of war and holding little faith—a shell of the man that Whitleigh married. With the struggles and challenges increasing every day after Collier’s return as he fights the emotions from the devastations and traumas of war, Whitleigh loses the little strength she has left to hold her marriage together. God awaits their understanding that only through Him can Whitleigh and Collier achieve peace, but this is easier said than done by two people who over the past two years have learned to thrive on their independence for survival.

The Wounded Warrior’s Wife is a story an Army soldier and his wife—of their hopes and dreams for the future and also of their realities. Whitleigh is a wife like so many of American Army wives find themselves to be: loyal to her spouse but frustrated with the constant fear and worry for her husband. She finds herself an independent spouse and parent surrounded with care from family and friends but without the support from her husband that she needs to truly take care of herself and their child. The Wounded Warrior’s Wife is also a story of the solider with the heart of warrior who desires to make the world a better a place but, in striving to protect his wife from the horrors of war, brings those horrors deeper into himself and creates a drift that damages his marriage beyond anything imaginable. This novel discusses the hopes and perils of war…the joys of returning home and freeing people from oppression, but also the difficulties that soldiers and spouses experience for the chance of freedom.

Author Hannah Conway has crafted a story of love, life, and learning in The Wounded Warrior’s Wife. An Army wife herself, Conway intimately understands the solider and the wife’s point of views of the horrors and hopes of deployment. There is no one better to write a story about Army life than someone who lives it—the challenges, struggles, and hopes are so unique to this circle that a non-Army spouse has a close chance of misunderstanding the emotions the soldiers, spouses, and families experience. The Wounded Warrior’s Wife holds characters from every angle of military life, and Conway brilliantly weaves each one’s attributes and faults with no bias or favoritism. Soldiers, wives, friends, children, and parents each play a significant role in the story, emphasizing that military life depends upon the support of a community.

Whitleigh and Collier—Conway’s female and male protagonists—are hugely loveable in this story. As an Army wife, Conway is equipped to understand Whitleigh inside and out. All of the frustrations an Army wife experiences during a deployment and upon her soldier’s return home are played out in The Wounded Warrior’s Wife. Readers will easily empathize with Whitleigh throughout the novel because her pain and suffering are displayed so eloquently; however, Conway does not shy away from using the secondary characters to show that military spouses hold just as power in the breaking and repairing of relationships. One of Conway’s significant lessons in The Wounded Warrior’s Wife is that spouses and families often are capable of ensuring soldiers’ healing because they have the ability to love others and control their emotions at the same time. Through Collier, Conway teaches that soldiers’ emotions upon their return are out of their control because of their need to not emote while at war; Whitleigh, as the warrior’s wife, learns that she is just as responsible for the outcome of her marriage—despite Collier’s harsh words and actions—because she has the ability to feel while his responses still react to situations seen in the Middle East. Readers will fall in love in Collier for his handsome appearance, desire to be a dutiful and loving husband and father, quirky sense of humor, sense of loyalty to his friends and soldiers, and his ability to recognize his faults.

The Wounded Warrior’s Wife is Conway’s debut novel; however, the story reads nothing like one of a typical new writer. Her characters are fully developed; her dialog is true-to-life; her pacing is even, with each scene necessary to move the story along; and her descriptions are vivid. Readers will easily visualize the splendid Colorado scenery and the gritty, malodorous, and dirty Iraqi landscapes. Her ability to so thoroughly create the scenes in The Wounded Warrior’s Wife ensures that no reader will walk away from this book without fully comprehending the grotesque and inhumane lives of American soldiers in the Middle East that are left out of the daily news.  Collier’s battle scenes are so heartbreaking that readers feel his sadness through aches in their chests and downturned mouths. On happier notes, the deep characterizations that Conway creates through having experienced these emotions herself also mean that the scenes of homecoming and friendship are just as fulfilling as the battle scenes are necessary for plot. The sincere gratitude of families and spouses for the soldiers return from deployment is a scene someone can appreciate regardless if they have ever been on a military base before.

The Wounded Warrior’s Wife is a superb novel for adult readers who enjoy stories love, family, and honor. The novel is clean: there is no course language and no intimate scenes; however, the trials of military life are discussed in the novel, so anyone younger than teenage age should be cautioned towards the novel. Elements of faith are discussed in The Wounded Warrior’s Wife and are present in the protagonists’ lives.

Review copy was provided free of any obligation by the author and by Olivia Kimbrell Press. No monetary or any other form of compensation was received.

Reviewed by Marisa Deshaies

Wednesday, December 03, 2014

Mirate Ferrell's Wishing on Buttercups ~ Reviewed





Wishing on Buttercups, Blossoms in Oregon Series #2
By: Miralee Ferrell
More in Love Blossoms in Oregon Series
Format: Paperback
Number of Pages: 416
Vendor: David C. Cook
Publication Date: 2014
ISBN: 0781408091


Description

In 1880's Oregon, a boardinghouse teems with the secrets of the women who take refuge there. Beth Roberts believes there are some things a lady never shares. But her fellow townspeople are curious - especially one man with a few mysteries of his own. Can she hide her past to protect her future?

Review:
Wishing on Buttercups is book two in the “Love Blossoms in Oregon” series. In this book, we follow Beth Roberts. Her and her Aunt Wilma have been living in a boardinghouse in Baker City, Oregon. Beth is currently an artist under a pen name, and is beginning to make a name for herself as well as a small income. However, she is afraid to share this information with anyone, afraid of what they might think of her. There are also scars from her past which she is afraid to reveal to others, so she tends to keep people at arms length. Jeffery Tucker is also staying at the boardinghouse. He comes from an affluent family, but wants to make a life for himself on his own without relying on the family fortune, so he ventures west in pursuit of topics for writing a novel. Jeffery and Beth develop an attraction for each other, however, Beth is afraid to let him too close for fear that he will discover secrets of her past that she has kept hidden.
I had read book one in this series, but it had been a while, so it took a bit for the characters to come back to me, but I found my memory picked up where the last story let off. I really felt for Beth's character. Due to some tragic circumstances which she couldn't remember, she was very self conscious of herself and afraid to let people get close to her, for fear they would judge her outward appearance. This, in turn, caused her to keep the Lord at arms length as well. But Jefferey's character was so patient and kind to her, it helped break down the walls, as well as her growing faith in the Lord.


Reviewed by: Sarah Meyers