A Simple Vow

Edith hears noises outside her home and goes outside to hear two men arguing in loud voices over who was the father of twin babies in one man's buggy. Edith does what any reasonable woman does, she goes outside and grabs the babies who are crying and berates the men for acting like little boys. One of the men is Will, once her sister's fiance, and the other is Asa, a man accused by Will's late wife of being the father of the babies. The problem is that Asa has never met Will's wife, and Will is too distraught in his own grief to think logically. In the meantime, Will wants Edith to take the twins and take care of them until he finds a more permanent solution. Asa is taken by Edith and wants to know her better. Thus begins the Amish story of A Simple Vow by Charlotte Hubbard.

Things I wish about this book:
Edith's father is secretive, autocratic, and dictatorial. I wish Charlotte had revealed what he was hiding, how he changed into a happier man by the end of the book, and truly what his objection was to Edith taking in the twins.

Asa's twin brother made some boneheaded decisions, played dirty with Asa, and generally created havoc in his wake, yet he was never called to confess his sins to the church. I understand this is a comman practice to call the recalcitrant back into fellowship within the Amish Church. He did, however, make restitution for his misdeeds.

Things I love about this book:

Edith and her sisters are incredibly lovable characters. Each one has her own talent and it shines within the plot of the story. The use of several characters from previous books in the series is seamless and flawless. The way the Amish work together to help each other out is shown as a shining example of loving others as Jesus loves us.

Charlotte has researched her subject well and works many of the Amish practices into her novels so that the reader learns something, finds encouragement, and is lifted spiritually as the book is being read.

Five Stars, Two Thumbs Up, and the most darling twins you ever did see.

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

Two for the Price of One

I've enjoyed Tracie Peterson's books for a long time, and I was thrilled when this one came up on my reading list. I was ready for a change of pace and I got it with a slice of a second book. Not a bad deal, if I do say so myself.

Jessica was born in Windridge, but her birth caused the death of her mother. Her father, unable to cope with a baby and losing his beloved wife, sent Jessica to his wife's Aunt Harriet in New York. After Aunt Harriet, Jessica's husband, and Jessica's father all passed away, Jessica came home to Windridge with her infant son, Ryan. Buck and Kate were still there, but an addition to the staff had been made--Devon Carter. He had been running the ranch for several years and wanted to continue--to the point of bringing it back to the profitable ranch it had been.

Jessica had truly never been the recipient of honest love by any of her relatives, and kept her defenses on the offense. She resented Devon's interference into Ryan's life and his headstrong way of wanting to run the ranch.

This is a quick read that is quite satisfying. One thing that I truly appreciate about this book is how Tracie wove God's influence on Jessica into the story. Jessica comes across as a woman who truly wants to live as God directs her through the Bible. She is at times a shrew and at times the most humble character, but each time her shrewishness came out, she responded with the desire for forgiveness only God gives.

Five Stars

The other novel in this book is Lucy's Quilt by Joyce Livingston, and the story is similar in some respects to The House on Windridge, but where Jessica humbled herself, Juliette took a while to make that transition.

Similarities:
Jessica has a son, Ryan
Juliette has a son, Andrew

Jessica and Juliette both can have a sharp tongue and use their sharp tongues on the men in their lives.

Where the stories differ is in how the women get married--Jessica is well and truly in love, while Juliette marries Stone Piper out of convenience for both of them.

Windridge is definitely the better story in this book, I would only give Lucy's quilt three stars. This averages out to Four stars for the whole book.

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

Sarah's Surrender

Sarah was raised in a bordello, but ran away from her father with one of his girls and moved in with a woman who was soon to become like an older sister. While living with Lara, she became acquainted with one of the ranch hands, Luke. Luke has fallen in love with Sarah, but she's sure that there's something else out there for her to do. She finds that there is going to be a land lottery and decides to put her name in for it. Luke also puts his name in for the lottery. After they move, Luke is still trying to get Sarah to recognize that he does love her and he wants her to marry him.

I've read some of Vickie McDonough's books and found them to be satisfyingly readable. I found this one a bit lackluster, and had to give it up before I finished it. It's good enough for three stars, but I can't go much higher than that. I feel sure this is a matter of taste and it is just me, and not Vickie's writing abilities. Not every book by my favorite authors is going to send me tripping the lights fantastic. Sarah's Surrender had me surrendering a bit early.

I do want to thank Shiloh Run Press for allowing me to read and review this book.

Spiders, Scorpions, and Snakes, Oh MY

Colleen Coble writes romances with a bit of suspense, most of the time, but this time, it's all romance. To Love a Stranger seems so familiar but yet, I couldn't remember reading it.

Bessie grew up in Boston in a "society family," but her younger sister, Lorene, wants to get married and their parents have said not until Bessie gets married first. Lorene has written letters to Jasper Mendenhall using Bessie's name, posing as a mail order bride. Lorene even married Jasper by proxie, also posing as Bessie. When Bessie gets to Wyoming to meet Jasper, he's angry and disappointed that the bride he got was not the bride he expected. Bessie was apprehensive because within three days of her arrival, they were moving to Arizona. On the way, Bessie finds a Navajo baby whose mother has died, so Bessie adopts her with Jasper's approval. After moving into their home, Bessie is bitten by a snake and one of Jasper's men takes care of her. When Bessie has Jasper help her move a chest, a nest of black widow spiders comes out and Bessie and Jasper take care of them with a broom and a shoe.

There are many funny scenes in this narrative, and many heart-wrenching scenes, but all of them together make this book worth reading.

This is a short novel, but the characters are quite developed; the plot moves at a steady pace; and the spiders, scorpions, and snakes make the story more interesting. This is a strong five star book, two thumbs up, and NO spiders, scorpions, or snakes.

Thomas Nelson provided the galley I was allowed to read and review.

Someone Like You

Hi! My name is Ladybug and I am going to be your guide today at Caliente Springs Resort. You'll see it in a way you never thought you would and in a way that the owners really don't approve. I am a goat and I belong to Ginger Travers, but no one really owns me. I am my own woman and I will plow over anyone in my way. I don't like being penned in and I don't like being roped up. I am fairly stubborn by my own admission.

Let me introduce you to the staff at Caliente Springs:

First, Zeke is the General Manager and is usually the one who hears the complaints when I get out. He's also the one who usually rounds me up when I get out. He's okay for a human, but he's not very tasty to me.

Next, Julia has been hired as a temporary fill-in for Irene who has to take time off for surgery. Julia and Zeke knew each other in college but their lives were vastly different then. Julia has a young son now and he takes the lion's share of her attention. The first time Julia and I met was especially memorable for her when I butted her into next week. Oh, yeah, Julia has been hired to be a wedding planner for Ginger's "honorary daughter," Tiffany. I helped to make that wedding pretty memorable too.

George Travers is Ginger's twin brother and together they own Caliente Springs. He doesn't care too much for me one way or the other, but he has a faith in God that just won't quit. Ginger wants to sell the resort, George wants to hold out and see if Zeke can turn things around.

It's all pretty interesting to see how Zeke and Julia get along, how Julia's mom falls for George, and how Julia's ex tries to stir things up.

I guess I should make mention of Julia's ex, his name is Hunter, and he is a bully of the first order. He gives me a run for the money in the stubbornness area. He's rather narcissistic and quite abusive to Julia and their son. Zeke would like nothing more than to give Hunter a punch in the nose, but he holds back.

I've got to say that Victoria Bylin was pretty nice giving me such a great role in her book. She loves her characters, and she can describe the scenery in a way that makes you think you are right there. You need to read Someone Like You, because I'M in it. Five Stars, Two Thumbs Up, and a goat to float in a boat.

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

Courage is. . .

Barbour Books puts out collections of novellas that are just the ticket to fill a random hour or two when you don't have the time or inclination to take on a whole novel. Every now and again I need to lighten up my reading with a less-than-serious story, and the Courageous Brides Collection fills that bill to a T. There are nine stories by vetted authors that take the readers back in history and enjoy a few moments of light reading.

Most of the stories are great, there was only one that was too silly for me to finish. I really enjoyed the "Encumbered Bride" story, where Mae had the responsibility of her younger siblings and her younger cousins. She felt sure no one would want to take on nine children at various ages and her fight to keep her land from a nefarious thief. When her brothers find a cowboy who had been injured while on his way to their ranch to look at horses, she works with all of the children to bring him back to full health. What she doesn't count on is that he would fall in love with her, and that she would fall in love with him.

This is a solid four star collection.

Barbour Books provided the galley I read in exchange for my honest review. My thanks to them.

Move Over, Mountains

In a continuation of Millie's story from Into the Free, Julie Cantrell brings a whole new set of characters to life and further develops Bump and Millie. When Mountains Move opens with Bump and Millie's wedding and follows them as they move to Colorado to work a ranch for Cauy Tucker. The most surprising event when they get to the ranch is to find it beyond dilapidated and in need of so much repair to make it habitable, Bump and Millie have to camp in the barn for a bit before they can live in the house. Bump also has to fix the fences, set the barn to rights, and get everything ready for the horses to arrive.

When Janine and Cauy arrive to see the condition of the ranch, they bring Oka, Millie's grandmother. Nothing gets by Oka and truly nothing surprises her. It is a neighbor, though, who alerts Millie to her enceinte condition, a neighbor who makes plays for Bump, leans on him, takes him away from Millie at any opportunity. A neighbor who is, to put it mildly, a piece of work.

Millie reacts with predictable jealousy, but Oka is the voice of reason and keeps Millie from over-doing her reaction. Oka is one character I dearly love--she puts her hand to any job that needs doing, she loves her family deeply, and she loves to cook. She shares her faith and her heritage as a Choctaw. One of the most important things Oka shares is that the Choctaw have several names--the birth name, the family name, and then the secret name that is never revealed to another soul.

It is through the trials of her pregnancy, the trials of keeping secrets from Bump, and the trials of unexpected guests that Millie finds her secret name--one she will never tell, and one will never be taken from her.

While I gave the pre-quel to this book only four stars, I give this one five stars, two thumbs up, and a secret name that no one will ever take from you.

My thanks to Thomas Nelson for allowing me to read and review this book. My only obligation was to share my honest opinion.