Thursday, January 31, 2019

All In (The Bridgeport Social Club Series Book 2) by Shelley Shephard Gray


Book Description:

Meredith Hunt is content with her solo life. She owns and runs a successful Pilates studio, volunteers at the high school every week, and recently bought a house. She can take care of herself, which is good because she has a hard time relying on other people. When she's mugged and a handsome man comes to her rescue, she doesn't know how to accept his help-or how to stop staring into his chocolate-brown eyes.
Ace Vance moved to Bridgeport to offer his fifteen-year-old son, Finn, a better life. Here, Finn has a chance to play football for a good team and maybe even earn a college scholarship. And Ace scored a job at a top-notch garage, where he gets to fix up classic cars. Plus, they could both use some distance from Finn's toxic mom. The last thing on his mind is falling in love, but he can't help offering assistance to a gorgeous redhead in need.
Thrown together by a careless criminal, Meredith and Ace can't deny their attraction. But can they open their hearts-and their lives-to make room for love?
Shelley Shepard Gray's Bridgeport Social Club series explores how communities can come together to support each other, whether it's around a poker table, in a Pilates studio, or anywhere in between. Get ready to fall in love with a group of men and women who, even when they feel lost, refuse to lose hope.




About the Author:

Shelley Shepard Gray lives in southern Ohio and writes full time. A busy wife and mother of two, she spends her days writing and keeping track of her two teenagers. Her two dogs keep her company when she writes in her basement.

Shelley enjoys writing about the Amish and visits Amish communities in Adams and Holmes counties several times a year. When not spending time with her family or writing, she serves on several committees in her church.

She also bakes a lot, loves coconut cream pie, and will hardly ever pull weeds, mow the yard, or drive in the snow.

Shelley also spends a lot of time on line! Please visit her website, www.shelleyshepardgray.com to find out her latest news...or become her friend on FaceBook.
Pinterest:  http://bit.ly/2Wts2qc
Goodreads:  http://bit.ly/2CVrNvb


My Thoughts:

Okay.  Let me begin by saying that as I write this review, I find myself in a bit of a conundrum.  It comes from my background of experience with author Shelley Shepard Gray’s earlier books. My experience with this author has been through her works in the genres of romance/historical/mystery&suspense mainly involving Amish and Mennonite.  They have also been labeled as religious/christian/clean&wholesome.  Thus, my conundrum begins.  I had to separate & get beyond my past experiences with the author’s prior works in order to give my honest thoughts about All In.

So, let me just begin by saying that my first challenge was to accept that All In doesn’t fit into a mold that I’ve experienced with the author’s prior works.  That being said, it was scary, refreshing and exciting for me to read.  Scary in that from the beginning, I could tell this was a different type of story from what I was used to from this author.  Refreshing in that from the beginning, I was immediately drawn into the characters, which were different from the other works I’d read by this author.  Exciting in that I really wanted to see where the story would go.

I was indeed drawn in from the start when Meredith Hunt is mugged and two guardian angels in the form of Ace and Finley Vance, show up just in the nick of time to help her.  The problem is that Meredith isn’t used to being helped.  She didn’t have the best situations while growing up.  The difficult situations in her life and relationships have made her self reliant and hesitant to receive help from anyone.  Even in this situation, she found it uncomfortable to 
have someone, make that two someones, helping her.  

Ace Vance hasn’t had things so easy either.  He’s just moved to Bridgeport to make a better life for his son Finn and to get away from Finn’s mother.  His main focus has been to make things better for Finn.  The situation with Finn’s mother combined with his focus to make a better life for Finn has kept the whole dating thing off of his radar.  

And as for Finley Vance, he’s had his share of bad experiences in his young life, most of which stem from his mother’s lack of mothering.  At his young age he feels the need to be self reliant but also struggles with things he’s missed out on, as well as the typical challenges faced by teens.

The lives of these three become entwined when Meredith’s mugging brings them together.  The story has romance, mystery and intrigue. But the largest part of the story revolves around how these three individuals come to terms with their pasts and how they are able to move forward from there to find forgiveness, healing and love.  

So, I said all that to say this.  All In is a clean, wholesome read with a slight contemporiness (is that even a word?)  to it.  It will take you to a place where you will find just how powerful love, and love’s healing, can be.  


***I received a complimentary copy of this book through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

Tuesday, January 29, 2019

The Farmer's Bride (An Amish Brides of Birch Creek Book 2) by Kathleen Fuller


Book Description:

They promised to keep each other’s secrets . . . not realizing they were about to make some of their own. 
Martha Detweiler has a problem many Amish women her age would envy: she’s the only single woman in a community of young men, and they’re all competing for her favor. Overwhelmed by the unwanted attention, Martha finds herself constantly fleeing from her would-be suitors, dismayed at what her life has come to. 
Birch Creek’s resident matchmaker, Cevilla Schlabach, suggests a solution: Martha and the bishop’s son, Seth Yoder, should pretend they are dating. What better way to keep the other young men away? 
But Seth is the only man around not interested in Martha. He has a secret hobby that keeps him away from social gatherings: woodcarving. Having grown up in poverty, he’s determined to keep his father’s farm successful, even if it means he has no time for dating. Then Delilah Stoll, a new resident of Birch Creek, eyes Seth as the perfect man for her granddaughter. Suddenly Cevilla’s proposition doesn’t seem all that ludicrous. Can Seth and Martha convince their family and friends to leave them alone? 
The second book in bestselling author Kathleen Fuller’s Amish Brides of Birch Creek series, The Farmer’s Bride celebrates the unexpected power of love and the joy of discovering God’s calling.





About the Author:

With over a million copies sold, Kathleen Fuller is the author of several bestselling novels, including the Hearts of Middlefield novels, the Middlefield Family novels, the Amish of Birch Creek series, and the Amish Letters series as well as a middle-grade Amish series, the Mysteries of Middlefield. Visit her online at: 



My Thoughts:


I am not new to author Kathleen Fuller’s works, and I’ve always enjoyed her writings.  Her stories grab you right from the start.  The characters are lovable and make you feel like you’re right there with them, feeling what they’re feeling and going through what they’re going through.  When it comes to these characteristics, The Farmer’s Bride is no
exception.

Enter Martha.  Poor Martha is struggling with something that most would consider a plus.  She’s being pursued by not just one, but a number of young men in her district.  Instead of being happy about it, she dreads it, and that’s her secret.  From the beginning, the reader is drawn into her plight and gets the sense of what Martha is going through. 

Enter Seth.  The furthest thing from his mind is dating.  He’s too busy with his own secret, a secret that Martha accidentally gets drawn into.  And there begins the camaraderie between the two.  Where it goes next will take the reader on a fun ride full of just enough twists and turns to keep you drawn in.

The story will make you laugh, hold your breath, reflect, sigh, and much more.  But through it all, there are also lessons in trust, forgiveness, overcoming past hurts, and love.  All of this is the wonderful combination that makes The Farmer’s Bride a most delightful read.

***I received a complimentary copy of this book from Zondervan through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.




Saturday, January 12, 2019

The Amish Candymaker by Laura V. Hilton


Book Description:

Agnes Zook finds herself on her own in a small Amish community in Mackinac County after a tragedy kills her family. Most of the Amish call her “off in den Kopf” (strange) since she’s starting her own business and forging her own way in the community instead of relying on the bishop to take care of her. Since she’s viewed as non-submissive and too-forward for an Amish woman, she’s not courted by young men in the area.
Isaac Mast is on the verge of leaving the Amish church. He’s become a sought-after auctioneer and has a thriving business, but he feels confined by the strict rules. When his brother is severely injured in a wild fire, Isaac receives a letter from his sister-in-law, begging him to come to Mackinac County to help out while his brother is hospitalized. Isaac agrees but is unsure how to manage their young children when he has weekend auctions he’s expected to attend.
Agnes may be the answer to a prayer. Sparks fly when she and Isaac meet. But could their differences help them form a deeper connection to their faith...and each other?
https://amzn.to/2Cfqy9G




About the Author:  Laura Hilton

Laura V. Hilton has authored more than two dozen books and is a member of the American Christian Fiction Writers. She is also a professional book reviewer for the Christian market, with more than a thousand reviews published on the Internet.The Amish Candymaker is Laura’s second book in the Amish of Mackinac County series; the first was Firestorm. Her last series, The Amish of Jamesport, included The Snow GlobeThe Postcard, and The Birdhouse. Although not part of that series, her novels Love by the NumbersThe Amish WandererThe Christmas Admirer, and The Amish Firefighter also take place in Jamesport.Laura’s first series with Whitaker House, The Amish of Seymour County, consists of Patchwork DreamsA Harvest of Hearts, and Promised to Another. In 2012, A Harvest of Hearts received a Laurel Award, placing first in the Amish Genre Clash. Her second series, The Amish of Webster County, includes Healing Love, Surrendered Love, Awakened Love, and A White Christmas in Webster County.Laura and her pastor-husband, Steve, have five children and make their home in Arkansas.To learn more about Laura, read her reviews, and find out about her upcoming releases, readers may visit:


My Thoughts:  Fun and Entertaining!


Although I am not an author, I feel it’s safe to say that an author faces many challenges when  creating a story.  They write a quality story whose plot and characters engage and entertain the reader.  Yet, I often read reviews stating that although the book was enjoyable, the characters were not likable.  Sadly, that last part doesn’t do much to encourage one to read the book.  However, I can assure you that as you read The Amish Candymaker, you will not come away complaining about the characters.  Instead, you will find that Agnes and Isaac are two of the most endearing characters you’ve come across in quite some time. 

Agnes is quite a unique character.  She doesn’t quite fit the mold of a typical Amish woman.  She runs her own business.  She’s quirky.  She’s blunt.  She speaks her mind in that if it pops into her head, it’s going to come out of her mouth.  Zero filter.  But, at the same time, she’s extremely caring and lovable.  Then there’s Isaac who is also quite unique. Isaac doesn’t live in one place.  He has a job that keeps him traveling all of the time.  Because he’s never in one place very long, he’s not a member of a particular church.  Instead he attends church wherever he is.  So, when it comes to following the Ordnung and rules of the church, he pretty well marches to the beat of his own drum.  

Together, Agnes and Isaac make quite the pair.  Although these two are fun and endearing, they’re also two individuals full of pain, guilt and scars left behind by events they’ve each had to face in their lives. But through it all, these two are drawn to each other and begin to grow in love for one another. In doing so, they also begin to find their way back to God’s plan for their lives as they receive forgiveness and freedom from the weight of guilt they’ve been carrying for so long.


An engaging storyline, endearing characters, romance, twists and turns, laugh out lout moments (and there were many), as well a message of hope and forgiveness make The Amish Candymaker a fun, entertaining, hard to put down, definite must-read.

Disclaimer: I was given a copy of this book. All expressed opinions are my own.