Long Time Coming

Long Time Coming by Edie Claire
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Long Time Coming is not a book I'd typically choose to read but I loaded my Kindle up with lots of free books and this one intrigued me enough to give it a try. I usually find it hard to read contemporary literature but this book kept my interest from the beginning. I enjoyed the mysterious addition to the book and found the plot very believable. I liked the characters and being from a small town myself had no problem believing that one small town could be home to so many quirky people. I loved the backstory and think the author did a good job leading the characters to a healthy acceptance of the past tragedy. I'm glad I gave this one a chance.


View all my reviews

Lady in the Mist

Lady in the Mist by Laurie Alice Eakes
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Mystery of missing men, espionage, danger, and romance. This book is filled with everything. Laurie Alice Eakes is a masterful storyteller. Her ability to ignite your senses and put you right in the middle of the story is unbelievable. I loved her descriptive writing and found myself transplanted to the seaside in colonial America. The story had me guessing from the beginning to the end, trying to determine the good guys from the bad guys. The love triangle was nerve wrecking but wonderful. I would suggest this book to anyone who enjoys a good romance and historical fiction.


View all my reviews

Heir to the Everlasting

<img alt="Heir To The Everlasting" border="0" src="https://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1347641386m/10475005.jpg" />Heir To The Everlasting by 2012 copyright/ Janice Daugharty

My rating: <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/825945357">4 of 5 stars</a><br /><br />
Heir to the Everlasting is a book set in southern Georgia and spans the twentieth century. The main character is May Alexander and the book basically tells her life story in two parts. The first half of the book details May's life and relationship with her maternal grandmother who is known as Pinky. Pinky is a high spirited,independent, non-traditional, take-charge woman. May is raised by her grandmother following her mother's death and becomes like a little shadow always close at her grandmother's heels, and so she is known as Little Pinky for much of her youth. The second half of the book surrounds the relationship of an adult May and her granddaughter Sara Ann, whom she is raising.

The first half of the book is filled with lots of characters and I found it hard to keep track of all of them and their relationships to others. At times the book was fast moving only to turn almost deathly slow in sections. The long time period the book spanned was another difficult thing to get used to but I found it interesting to see how the life of May changed so much in her lifetime of almost 100 years.

If you enjoy historical fiction or southern literature you should give this book a try. I found it to be a very unique read.
<br/><br/>
<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/list/8671103-andrea-norton">View all my reviews</a>

His Love Endures Forever

Title: His love Endures Forever
Author: Beth Wiseman
Publish Date: October 2, 2012
Post Date: October 2, 2012
Blog url: http://www.sweetpea0944.wordpress.com
Review link:

His Love Endures Forever is a wonderful story of forgiveness. Danielle is a troubled young English woman who is involved with two young Amish men. She has a close friendship with Levi and is romantically involved with Matthew who is planning to leave the Amish faith. After finding Danielle is pregnant Matthew leaves the Amish community and Danielle behind. Danielle turns to Levi and Levi turns to God for direction. Although Levi has always held firm to the Amish faith, he finds God leading him to marry Danielle and provide for her and her unborn child.

The couple meets with resistance from the Amish community and Levi's interfering mother but they are determined to create a family and meet their struggles with grace. This is a book filled with love, forgiveness, and healing.

I loved this book and recommend it to anyone looking for an enjoyable read

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

Disclaimer: I received a free copy of this book via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. I have not been compensated in any way. The opinions stated in this review are my own and I give them freely without bias.

Book review

Title: Sagebrush Knights
Author: Erica Vetsch
Publish Date: December 1, 2012
Post Date: November 15, 2012
Blog url: http://www.sweetpea0944.wordpress.com
Review link:

Sagebrush Knights is a set of four novellas about the Gerhard sisters who have recently lost their father and find themselves homeless because the home they live in belongs to the University where their father was employed. Desperate to stay together they decide to advertise as mail order brides in the Wyoming Territory.

I liked how each novella primarily focused on one sister while building on the overall story of all four. The setting was interesting and the individual struggles and personalities of each sister made for a very enjoyable read. I particularly liked the way each sister learned to face her difficulties with determination and honor.

Rating: 4 out of 5

Disclaimer: I received a free copy of this book via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. I have not been compensated in any way. The opinions stated in this review are my own and I give them freely without bias.

Doc: A Novel

Doc by Mary Doria Russell
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I found the story of Doc Holliday very interesting. Since he was a native to my home state of Georgia and became a famous man I was interested in learning more about his life. I was surprised by my reaction to John Holliday and often found myself wondering how different his life might have turned out if life had been kinder to him. The hardship of losing his beloved mother at a young age, the dreadful consequences of suffering from tuberculosis, and the political and economic hardships of the country had to have huge impacts on the man he became. I think the author did a wonderful job of bringing the characters to life and helped me see John Holliday as more than a sick, drunken, gambling gunslinger. It was refreshing to read more about his life than the typical focus on his short time in Tombstone, Arizona and the fight at the O. K. Corral.


View all my reviews

Shadow on the Quilt

Title: Shadow on the Quilt
Author: Stephanie Grace Whitson
Publish Date: September 1, 2012
Post Date: October 25, 2012
Blog url: http://www.sweetpea0944.wordpress.com
Review link:

Julianna Sutton lives in Lincoln, Nebraska in the year 1883. She is the wife of a very successful businessman and is one of the elite in their community. Her life looks perfect on the outside but everything soon begins to unravel after the untimely death of her husband. The circumstances surrounding his death confirm the fear Julianna has that things are not as they seem in her marriage.

Cass Gregory is a foreman in Julianna's husband's business. He has secrets of his own that haunt him. Determined to keep the jobs of the the company men secure Cass works alongside Julianna to keep her husband's business thriving.

This is one of the best books I've read this year. I was completely engrossed in the lives of the characters throughout the entire book. This is a must read for fans of historical fiction.

Rating: 5 out of 5 stars.

Disclaimer: I received a free copy of this book via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. I have not been compensated in any way. The opinions stated in this review are my own and I give them freely without bias.

 

Tidewater Inn

Title: Tidewater Inn
Author: Colleen Coble
Publish Date: July 17, 2012
Post Date: October 19, 2012
Blog url: http://www.sweetpea0944.wordpress.com
Review link:

Libby is a restorer whose business partner is abducted after discovering that Libby has a family she doesn't know exists. While on Hope Island searching for her partner and settling the legalities of a recent inheritance Libby begins to fall for a local Coast Guard lieutenant while trying to connect with her newfound siblings.

I really enjoyed this book. The mystery of the abduction had me guessing until the very end. It is a great read.

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars.

Disclaimer: I received a free copy of this book via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. I have not been compensated in any way. The opinions stated in this review are my own and I give them freely without bias.

A Love Surrendered

Title: A Love Surrendered
Author: Julie Lessman
Publish Date: October 1, 2012
Post Date: October 17, 2012
Blog url: http://www.sweetpea0944.wordpress.com
Review link: http://wp.me/p16xCO-jb

A Love Surrendered is the third book in the Winds of Change series written by Julie Lessman. The book is set in Boston, Massachusetts in 1932 during the prohibition. I enjoyed reading about this period of history and found the events in the book to be believable. This is the only book in the series that I have read and therefore had no prior knowledge of the O'Connor family who make up most of the main characters in the book. I found it hard to keep the secondary characters straight in my mind. The main characters, Annie and Steven, to be realistic and could relate to the conflicts they each faced.

I enjoyed the book overall but found that some of the content seemed to repeat to the point that I became annoyed. I also found that some details were left out that should have been included to enhance the storyline.

Rating: I give this book 3 out of 5 stars. I give this grade to the book as a stand alone novel and my score may have been lower due to the fact that I haven't read the first two books in the series. It is an enjoyable book overall.

Disclaimer: I received a free copy of this book via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. I have not been compensated in any way. The opinions stated in this review are my own and I give them freely without bias.

A Season of Love

Title: A Season of Love
Author: Amy Clipson
Publish Date: July 1, 2012
Post Date: October 2, 2012
Blog url: http://www.sweetpea0944.wordpress.com
Review link:

A Season of Love is book five in the Kauffman Amish Bakery Series written by Amy Clipson. The author does a great job introducing characters and this book can easily be read as a stand alone novel. I have read a couple of the other books in this series and plan on getting the ones I've missed to complete the series.

The book is set in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania's Amish country. Katie Kauffman is an unattached Amish girl whose two best friends are courting young men from their community. Katie often feels like the fifth wheel when she is with her friends since she is unattached and most of their conversations revolve around courting and the upcoming marriage of her friends. She meets a young Mennonite man who is working with her grandfather remodeling her grandmother's bakery where Katie works. They become fast friends but this quickly comes to the attention of Katie's father. Amish and Mennonites don't intermarry and Katie's father wants to ensure that his daughter isn't involved in an inappropriate relationship so he forces Katie to end the friendship. This book is a perfect example of how complicated life can become and how our actions are often judged by others.

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars. This book is appropriate for ages 14 and up.

Disclaimer: I received a free copy of this book via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. I have not been compensated in any way. The opinions stated in this review are my own and I give them freely without bias.

The Irish Healer

Title: The Irish Healer
Author: Nancy Herriman
Publish Date: April 3, 2012
Post Date: September 26, 2012
Blog url: http://www.sweetpea0944.wordpress.com
Review link: The Irish Healer

I was held captive by Nancy Herriman's debut novel The Irish Healer. The book is set in Victorian England and tells the story of Rachel Dunn an Irish healer accused of murder. Rachel leaves Ireland in hopes of rebuilding a future for her and her family. Vowing never to work as a healer again she finds employment with a wealthy and high-bred physician in the process of closing his practice. Hannah's job is to facilitate the move of the doctor as he prepares to retire to the country estate of his family.

Through numerous circumstances the two are forced to face the things they are determined to run from. I felt the characters possessed depth and realism. I thoroughly enjoyed reading the work of this first time author and cannot wait to read her next book. You definitely want to add this book to your list of must reads if you enjoy historical fiction.

Rating: I give this book 5 stars.

Disclaimer: I received a free copy of this book via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. I have not been compensated in any way. The opinions stated in this review are my own and I give them freely without bias.

Susanna's Christmas Wish

Title: Susanna's Christmas Wish
Author: Jerry S. Eicher
Post Date: September 12, 2012
Blog URL: http://sweetpea0944.wordpress.com
Review Link: http://sweetpea0944.wordpress.com/2012/09/13/susannas-christmas-wish/

Susanna's Christmas Wish was the first novel I have read by Mr. Eicher. I must admit that I was pleasantly surprised when I sat down to write this review and found that Jerry Eicher is a man and not a woman as I had assumed. His writing is wonderful and he beautifully expresses the heart of the female character in this book. I found the book to be very enjoyable and finished reading it in one day.

Amish fiction is one of my favorite genres and this book addressed issues that I have never encountered in any other Amish literature. Susanna and Hermann are newlyweds and face the issues that come along with the joining of a couple and the traditions and ways that each bring from their individual families. The couple face some difficult situations as they begin their new life together but handle them with dignity and grace. I could relate to the problems the young couple encountered in blending their lives. Mr. Eicher gave me a new dimension of the Amish that I have never thought about before. I'm sure that there is some resistance in an Amish marriage just as in the English world. Individual families have their unique ways of interacting and have small differences even though they come from very similar backgrounds.

I give Susanna's Christmas Wish 4 out of 5 stars and look forward to reading more books by this wonderful author.

Disclaimer: I received a free copy of Susanna's Christmas Wish through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. The opinions stated are solely my own and are unbiased.

Leaving Lancaster

 

Leaving Lancaster is wonderful story about how personal choices affect those close to us. A daughter chooses a path forbidden by her Amish culture and lives her adulthood plagued by guilt that prevents her from receiving the forgiveness her mother desires to give. The story is an example of how easy it is to repeat the patterns of our parents even when we determined to live our life differently. It is a wonderful story of forgiveness and grace.

I give this book 4 out of 5 stars and highly recommend it to readers 14 and older.

Disclaimer: I received a free copy of this book through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

flag

Harvest of Rubies

Harvest of Rubies is the second book I have read from author Tessa Afshar. I thoroughly enjoyed reading about the adventures of Sarah. I found myself imagining myself as a lowly Jewish girl living alone with a father whose work occupied most of his time and attention. It is difficult to imagine how limited women of that time and culture were in the path of their own fate. I felt angry toward the unfairness of the situations Sarah faced. Using the uncommon gifts God had blessed her with Sarah gained the favor of the queen which set her life on a different path than she desired. God used the situations in Sarah's life to show her the true value she held in simply being His child. As is often the case, the pressure of life transformed Sarah into the woman He created her to be.

Harvest of Rubies is a wonderful book that exemplifies God's sovereignty and grace toward His children.

I give this book 4 out of 5 stars.

Disclaimer: I received a free kindle edition of this book in exchange for an honest review.

The Gifted

Ann Gabhart delivers another beautifully written story. The Gifted tells the story of Jessamine, a young woman who was sent to live in a Shaker community at the age of 10 after the grandmother who had raised her died. Jessamine's vivid imagination and curiosity about the world outside the Shaker community are a continual source of problems. The strict rules of the community and the Shaker belief that the world is sinful contradict the early teachings of Jessamine's grandmother who told her stories of God's love as well as romantic love. After finding a wounded stranger in the woods Jessamine finds herself being tempted by the world even more.

The Shakers separated themselves from society much like the Amish. Each member in their society worked for the greater good of all. I found myself shocked by the way Jessamine was treated. The Shakers had members who watched to make sure their rules were followed and reported every infraction to those in authority. I couldn't help feeling that most of their members had joined after unhappy marriages or bad family lives. A religion that basically forbids love and emotion felt cold and empty to me. The Shakers claimed they loved all their brothers and sisters equally but I found them to be judgemental with very little real concern for others.

I have found a new favorite author in Ann Gabhart. She has a gift of drawing her readers into the stories she weaves and The Gifted is a perfect example of her ability to bring realism to the characters in her books. This is a great book for anyone who enjoys historical fiction, Christian fiction, or Christian romance.

I give this book 4 out of 5 stars.

Disclaimer: I received a free Kindle copy of The Gifted through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review of the book.

A Reckless Heart

I received an advance copy of A Reckless Heart by Amy Clipson. The book is set in a modern day Amish community. Lydia is the oldest of four children in her family. She has many responsibilities thrust on her young shoulders when her youngest sister becomes ill. Her mother is consumed in taking care of the youngest child and Lydia is expected to step up and take on her mother's responsibilities in addition to her own job as a teacher's assistant and part-time baker in her grandmother's bakery. Overwhelmed by the tasks expected of her she begins to struggle under the pressure. After
the Amish boy she likes stops pursuing her Lydia meets and befriends an English boy whose family has recently moved into the community. Their relationship is innocent but this doesn't prevent Lydia from being put under the scrutiny of her father. I felt that she was judged unfairly by her father. I found myself resenting the discipline her father gave her.

This is a good read and I give it 4 out of 5 stars.

Disclaimer: I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.