A Name Unknown

Roseanna M White is a talented author without a nom de plume, but she certainly does her name no shame. This newest offering by her outranks her previous novels by a mile.

Rosemary is part of a "family" of thieves who live by their wits and practiced abilities just to put food on the table.  Barclay is the head of the group, and with Rosemary, there are twelve of them in age from twenty down to about six.

There is a man called V who hires Rosemary to steal some information about Peter Holstein, a recluse who is thought to have the ear of the king. Peter owns a manor house and needs some help organizing his library.  Rosemary applies for the job, and Peter likes her on sight. Peter has some things he needs to hold onto his lands and mansion and he feels that Rosemary is just the person to find the documents.  Peter holds a couple of secrets--that he writes novels under a pen name, and that he still has holdings in Germany.

The political world is in a set of upheaval with Germany making noises of taking over Europe, feelings of distrust among some of the other European nations, and Britain trying to decide what to do about the whole situation.  People on the whole were not enamored with folks of German descent, even though they may be loyal to the crown.  All of this plays into the plot of Roseanna's novel.  Learning some about the history of World War I was quite interesting.  Learning to learn faith was inspiring.

This is a five star, two thumbs up novel with a nom de plume for your most secret writings.

My thanks to Bethany House for allowing me to read and review this book.

The Promise of a Letter

When I was growing up, I went to a church that had three ways of joining--believer's baptism, the promise of a letter, or statement of faith.  When this title came up on my reading list, I thought it might have something to do with joining a church.  Boy, was I wrong!  This is one of the best Amish fiction books I've ever read.  One of the reasons I loved it was that the main character's name was Leanna--my daughter's name.  It's not a common name, but to me, it's a beautiful name.

Leanna works for Daniel as a mechanic on small engines.  She's part of the reason his business is so successful.  When Daniel's wife hears a two women from their church talking in the grocery store about Leanna and Daniel--accusing them of having an affair, it moves Daniel to fire her, but he gives her no explanation.

The same day that Daniel fires Leanna, Daniel's brother, Roman, comes back, at the request of their recently deceased grandmother.  She knows that there is a long-standing rift between Daniel and Roman and she knows that the only way for these two boys to heal from their upbringing is to heal their rift.

Kathleen Fuller writes truly engaging Amish fiction and this novel is no different. The Promise of a Letter is the promise of healing through Daniel's and Roman's grandmother's letters. I find that Kathleen's writing style is compelling and captivating.  She knows how to hook the readers in and keep them on her line until the book is finished. At least that's how it was for me.

Five Stars, Two Thumbs Up, and a repaired relationship to go along with the repaired engine.

My thanks to Thomas Nelson Publishing for allowing me to read and review this book.

Weddings at Promise Lodge

This is the third book in a series and the first book of the series that I've read. It can stand alone, but it would read better if the previous books had been in my reading list.

Three sisters have bought what used to be a church camp and a few other plain folk have bought land around it to make a new settlement.

Mattie and Christine are widowed sisters, and Rosette is older, but never married.  Mattie ties her knot first with Amos, one of the preachers.  Christine and Rosette both have beaux lined up for their own nuptials.  Christine is going to marry Munroe--the new bishop, and Rosette is going to marry Truman--a Mennonite.

The only problem is a couple of flies in the ointment--Leola thinks she's in love with Munroe, and Maria has known Truman for most of her life, and both women interrupt the road to true love for Christine and Rosette.

Charlotte Hubbard has put quite a bit of humor and misadventure in the Weddings at Promise Lodge. She uses the humor to keep the reader involved in the story and to keep the reader entertained, and she does it with aplomb.  I truly enjoyed this book and hated to see it end.  I wish now I'd read the previous ones.

Five Stars, Two Thumbs Up, and a wedding pie

My thanks to Kensington/Zebra publishing for allowing me to read and review this book.

Trusting Grace

Maggie Brendan writes with quite a bit of humor in her novels.  She wants her readers to laugh at some of the antics of her characters and the situations that happen.  She also adds a bit of suspense to her stories.  She wants to keep her readers engaged in the narrative. She has done so with her newest offering--Trusting Grace.

Grace Bidwell would like to be married, but she's taking care of her father and her potato farm--there really isn't time to look for a suitable mate.

Robert Frasier has become the father of his late wife's three children.  Robert doesn't have two dimes to rub together and his children need food, shelter, and clothing.

The two come together when Grace mentions to her friend that she needs a hired hand.

Maggie introduces her suspense in the character of Warren, who seems to be a nefarious type from the very beginning, and he lives up to his characterization.

This is a book that grabs the reader's attention and shakes it around before letting go.  Five Stars, Two Thumbs Up, and a potato farm to keep food on the table.

My thanks to Revell Publishing for allowing me to read and review this book.

High as the Heavens

Kate Breslin is one of the absolute best authors around for Christian Fiction.  Her research is impeccable, her characters are most believable, her settings are real, and her plot lines are incredible.  I just finished High as the Heavens a couple of days ago, and I have been stewing on how to review it.  It is not a light read, but it is worth every minute spent reading it.

When I was a child, I absolutely loved the show Hogan's Heroes.  While Kate's book is not in any sense "comedic" like the television show, there are some parallel plot lines.  High as the Heavens is a World War I book, Hogan's Heroes is World War II.  The similarities include an underground group of people working for freedom from the Kaiser in Germany.  Spies and counter-spies are just some of the people who populate this book.

Eve is a Red Cross nurse working in a hospital in Belgium when her husband, who she thought was dead, shows up in her ward.  Between her work at the hospital and at her aunt's cafe, she has quite the job to do to get her husband out of the hospital without the Germans knowing where he went.  That is the starting point for all of the adventures to follow.

This is a five star book, two thumbs up, and a coded message for the underground.  I can't recommend this book highly enough.

My thanks to Bethany House for allowing me to read and review this book.

Brides of Kansas

Every now and again, I encounter a book that I've read a long time ago and it's like being reacquainted with an old friend.  Brides of Kansas is a compilation of three books featuring one family in Kansas.  Cassidy is raising her niece, Emily, after her brother passed away, and she's going west on a wagon train. She is looking for work and sees an advertisement in the general store for a wife and/or housekeeper for a man and his four children.  She decides this might be the answer she's looking for.

Tarah fell in love with Anthony years ago, and now he's back in town, but Louisa Thompson has her claws into him.

Laney wants to be in charge of her life, regardless.

These three women find love unexpectedly and delightfully.

Tracey V Bateman is one talented author who not only develops her characters one by one, but continues their development throughout the collection of novels.  She is one of my favorite authors and certainly hits the mark with these three stories.  Five Stars, Two Thumbs Up, and a ranch in Kansas.

My thanks to Barbour Books for allowing me to read and review this book.

The Prodigal's Welcome

Kristen Billerbeck and Peggy Darty have each contributed a novel to this book.  And both novels have similar actions in their respective plots. Both of the novels were fun enough to read, but I nearly got whiplash from the speed at which the heroines changed their attitudes about their beloveds.

In the Prodigal's Welcome, Nathaniel comes home after the war to find that his brother is going to marry his sweetheart. At first she would have nothing to do with him, then she proclaims her love for him within a day.

Grace is working herself ragged on her family's farm when a stranger comes bearing a message from her father.  She and her mother ask him to stay for the night and share their meal.  By the end of the evening, Grace is falling in love with him.

Both of the ladies in these novels fall into and out of love with their heroes with amazing speed.  If the men haven't made a bone-headed mistake, they've said something that have made the ladies mad. Overall, the novels are quick reads, I just wish they spent more time developing the love story.  Four stars.

My thanks to Barbour Books for allowing me to read and review this book