An Amish Wedding Feast on Ice Mountain

I thought I would finish out this year by being caught up on my reviews.  I just finished An Amish Wedding Feast on Ice Mountain last night.  Rather than let this book stew in my mind, I'm going to get the review done before the year is done.

This is a Cinderella story where a man's daughter (Beth) is living with her stepmother and stepsister after her father's death.  The only problem is stepmom and stepsis expect Beth to wait on them hand and foot.  Stepsister, Rose, has her eyes on a man who only has eyes for Beth.  Rose was going to do anything she could to prevent any wedding plans Beth might have. She and stepmom, Viola, conspire to keep Beth away from Ransom, the man in question.

There are a lot of interesting aspects to this book.  A great aunt of Ransom's comes to visit with her menagerie:  a parrot named Jack, three dogs, a guinea pig named pig, a pig named Petunia; and before the end of the book another dog gets added to the bunch.  Their antics make the book totally entertaining. 

I am not sure how many of Kelly Long's books I've read, but this one is certainly memorable and entertaining.  I especially like the twist Kelly put in the Cinderella story when Viola apologizes to Beth for how she's been treated. 

This is a five star book, with two thumbs up, and a blueberry pie for dessert.

I would like to thank Kensington Books and NetGalley.com for providing the galley I read for this review.

Aiming for Love

Mary Connealy writes a humorous novels with a Western flair.  Aiming for Love is one of them.   In this novel, the main characters are three almost feral women who have lived on Hope Mountain in Montana for most of their lives.  Their grandmother was a fearful woman--afraid of the possibilities that the outside world would kill them.

Jo Nordegren is the middle sister of the three.  When her fortress is invaded by David Warden and ten thousand head of cattle, her oldest sister wants them gone, while Jo is intrigued.  Then David's father shows up with a shot in his side, David's mother, and the rest of the cattle from the Circle Dash Ranch after a land grab from a neighbor. Jo enlists the help of Ilsa, the youngest sister, who knows the ways of healing herbs. 

David is intrigued by Jo and spends as much time with her as possible throughout the book.  During the time of his father's recovery, his brother, Mitch, shows up; his father ends up with what sounds like Chicken Pox; Jo's oldest sister, Karen, moves out of their cabin; and Jo helps David find another cabin on the property that her grandfather had built, as well as a well kept cave set up for living. 

I found the ending rather abrupt, and felt like something was missing.  This is an easy read--one of those quick reads that keep the reader engaged and enjoying every page.  A solid four star book.

My thanks go to Bethany House and NetGalley.com for providing the copy I read for this review. 

Echoes Among the Stones

This book is a dark read, with mystery covering seven decades.  I am not a mystery reader, so it was hard for me to get through this book.  There were some parts that were lighter, but for the most part, the overall sense of the book was a dark, foreboding plot.  If I had paid closer attention, I would not have chosen to read this.

Imogene made a promise to her sister that she would find the person who killed her sister.  Ever since Hazel was murdered, right after World War II ended, it has been Imogene's mission to find out who committed the crime.

When Imogene's granddaughter's (Aggie) career fell apart in flames, Imogene writes to Aggie, telling her that she has a broken hip.  Aggie comes to Imogene's home, thinking  she was going to be taking care of Imogene.  Instead, she gets a job at the flooded cemetery helping an archaeologist sort out who is buried where and bringing the records up to date.

There is enough intrigue to keep a reader involved in the book until the very last page.  The writing is excellent and the character development only adds to the story.  For those who love mysteries, Jaime Jo Wright is worth picking up anything she writes.

Five Stars, Two Thumbs Up, and time switch to keep readers on their toes.

My thanks to Bethany House and NetGalley.com for providing the copy I read for writing this review.

The Amish Wedding Promise

Levi Bontrager is a disappointment to his father, who wasted no opportunities to let Levi know.  When a tornado rips through another town, Levi volunteers to go with the Mennonite missionary to help with the restoration of the town.  The last thing his father said to him was something like, "Don't be a disappointment to me."

Grace Lantz is engaged to be married, although she is having significant doubts about her fiance and about the marriage itself.  The day after the tornado, Tim, the fiance, didn't come to check on her to see how she fared and that was just one more doubt about the relationship. 

When Levi arrives, he is assigned to stay with the Lantz family.  What he doesn't anticipate is being assigned to room with his cousin who doesn't like him at all.  The cousin has been reporting Levi's behavior back to Levi's father.

Grace finds her friendship with Levi growing, in spite of the constraints put on Levi for being a member of the restoration group.  Grace's father still asks Levi to escort Grace around to check on various people, especially her fiance. 

Laura V Hilton writes well researched Amish fiction and her stories are tremendously fun to read.  The Amish Wedding Promise is just as fun to read and what's more, it's the beginning of a new series. I can't wait to see who comes next in the series. 

Five Stars, Two Thumbs Up, and a conspiring grandfather to help smooth out the path of love.

My thanks to Grand Central Publishing and NetGalley.com for the opportunity to read and review this book.

When Silence Sings

Sarah Loudin Thomas writes Appalachia, especially Depression Era Appalachia.  Her newest offering, When Silence Sings, brings Jonah, Jesus, and the Hatfields and McCoys to life in ways that were never expected.

Colman Harpe hears things most other people cannot. When he hears a voice telling him to preach to the McLeans, his first thought is to go the other way.  One of the McLeans shot his cousin, Caleb, in the back over a card game. It's just one more volley in the feud between the Harpes and McLeans.

There is a power struggle between Webb Harpe and Serepta McLean, the leaders of the two families.  Webb wants Serepta's bootlegging operation and Serepta wants nothing more than power and wealth.  The demise of Serepta's hold on her family begins when both of her sons steal her liquor from her and one of them ends up dead.  Colman has been preaching to the family in a brush arbor meeting, but he still feels the burden to talk to Serepta. 

I have deeply appreciated every book that Sarah has written.  She writes with a depth often not seen in many books of this genre. She knows her setting well, and researches the history of the area to make her plots realistic.  Her characters are not only believable, but reach to the emotions of the readers, whether with love or dislike.

This is a five star book, with two thumbs up, and a song in the silence.

My thanks to Bethany House and NetGalley.com for providing the galley I read for this review.  All opinions expressed are my own.

Abraham

Jennifer Beckstrand writes Amish Fiction with a touch of mischief and shenanigans, but that is easy to do when your best supporting characters are nine-year-old twins.

Alfie and Benji are sure that their mamm is trying to kill them by relegating them to the cellar since Mammi and Dawdi moved in after Dawdi's stroke. The only way they are going to get a bedroom upstairs is to get their older brothers married.  The one in their cupid's arrow's aim is Abraham.  He is the quiestest brother and the shyest.  But, Alfie and Benji have a trick up their sleeve to get Abraham married--their neighbor's chickens. Abraham doesn't think he has a chance with Emma, even though he knows quite a bit about her chickens.  The road to true love is rocky for Abraham and Emma, but gets smoother once Emma gets her head on straight, and stops seeking attention from all the boys instead of being true to Abraham, the man who truly fits her.

This is a five star book, with two thumbs up, and a matched pair of Silkies chickens.

I would like to thank Kensington books and NetGalley.com for providing the galley for me to read and review.

The Bridge to Belle Island

This book opens up with Benjamin Booker's colossal failure in the court room, followed fairly quickly by a murder.  Benjamin is picked by the owner of the law firm to go to Belle Island to check out the heir to the murdered man.  In the meantime, another man is murdered and all evidence points to Belle Island and Isabelle for whom the island is named. 

Julie Klassen is a marvelous author who writes historical fiction with grace and aplomb.   I really haven't found one of her books I didn't like.  Some I've liked better than others, and this one kind of fell into the lesser liked category.  A lot of my determination on this is probably my mood.  Sometimes I'm in the mood for heavier plot lines and sometimes I'm in the mood for fluff. 

I give this book four solid stars.  My thanks go to Bethany House for always publishing a quality product, and through NetGalley.com for providing the galley I read for this review.

Homefront Heroines

The four novellas in this collection center around the women who worked during World War II, some in factories--like shipyards, munitions factories, etc.  My favorite novella is by Johnnie Alexander, and details the story of a young woman who is doing security work for the Tennessee Valley Authority.  In the course of her work, she has been assigned a German Shepherd named "Liberty."  On one night when she was off duty, she ran into a man trying to sneak into a secure area with a dam.  In the chaos of the situation, he shoots her dog.  When she finally takes control of the circumstances, she realizes that the man is the one who broke her heart when he signed up for the Army.  Because of her skills and his assignment in Intelligence, they are both given an assignment that require them to pretend they don't know each other.  I've read several of Johnnie's full length novels and find that her writing is intriguing and compelling and it was worth every minute of reading. 

One or two of the stories are a bit abrupt and lack the depth of this one, but overall, I truly enjoyed the stories and applaud Barbour Books for pulling together such a quality read.

This is a solid four stars.  My thanks go to Barbour Books and NetGalley.com for providing the galley I read for this review.

Stitches in Time

This is not your normal Amish Fiction book.  It's not a whole lot of romance, but it's about healing the wounds of life. And every wound that has healed is called a stitch in time.

Luke Schrock has promised Amos (who was on his deathbed) that he would do what he could to empty the foster group homes in Lancaster County.  When black mold is found in the group home, the Amish gather together to help the girls by taking them in.  Luke wants to take in a girl, but his wife, Izzy, is resistant to the idea because she was once a foster child.

Mollie Graber is the new school teacher and would like to foster some young girls--preferably siblings.  When she is assigned twins, she didn't realize that she was getting a pair of delinquents with mischief for morals and values.  Sam Schrock (Luke's brother) has noticed Mollie and finds her intriguing, but he also sees that she's in over her head, especially when the girls assigned to Mollie try to steal his buggy and go for a joy ride.

Suzanne Woods Fisher does her research when she is writing an Amish book, and this is one of her absolute best.  She makes the characters realistic enough to be believable.  They are not perfect people, but they are people dealing with real-life situations and problems, and they do so with aplomb. 

I give this book five stars, two thumbs up, and a foster child to change your life.

Revell and NetGalley.com provided the galley I read for this review.  My opinions are totally my own.

The Telegraph Proposal

Gina Welborn and Becca Whitham have teemed up to write a great historical romance.  It has all the parts and moving pieces of an entertaining read--the hero and heroine, the support cast, and the surprising bad guy to give it some intrigue to hold the reader's attention.  Beyond that, it wasn't a formulaic romance. 

Yancey has signed up for a marriage matching service.  She feels she's about to be on the shelf, and the man she has loved for years wants nothing to do with her.  Hale Adams has been asked to step in as a candidate for mayor and Yancey has been asked to help out with his campaign.  Yancey has been over-exuberant in her pursuit of his affections.  When she overhears him saying something about her being a pest, she decides to leave him alone and concentrate on the man the matching service has provided to her.

In the meantime, a search is on for a counterfeiter who is spending fake $5 bills in nearby towns, but trying to keep them out of Helena, Montana, to throw suspicion off of him.  The only problem is that the counterfeiter is Hale's uncle and the judge for the area. 

This is an appealing book worth five stars, two thumbs up, and a proposal by telegraph. 

My thanks go to NetGalley.com and Kensington Books for providing the galley I read for this review.