A Fragile Hope by Cynthia Ruchti

April 16, 2017

FTC: I received a free copy of this book from Litfuse in exchange for my honest review. I received no other compensation and the opinions expressed in this review are one hundred percent true and my own.

A Fragile Hope by Cynthia Ruchti was an interesting book, to say the least. I had a hard time getting into the book, but once I reached chapter four, I didn’t want to put the book down. I was so glad that I didn’t give up on the book because once things started to happen in the book, I was hooked and didn’t want to put it down. I also didn’t like Josiah in the first few chapters because I thought he was a jerk and should have paid more attention to his wife. After I was to chapter four though I started to feel bad for him because yes he was disconnected from his wife, I couldn’t help but feel sad because his wife seemed to have been lying to him as well. This book kept me guessing because you aren’t sure what is going on throughout the entire book. It was a book that kept me guessing because just when I thought I figured out what was going on, I soon found out that I was wrong and I love books that do that. I would recommend this book to anyone who loves mystery books. I say that because it is rare that I find books that keep me guessing because I have gotten pretty good at figuring out what is going on. I also wanted to add that I haven’t read a book by this author that I haven’t liked, so she is one that I think most people enjoy the books that she has written.

About The Book

Hope grows when seeds are planted-even in the muddy middle of life.

Josiah Chamberlain’s life’s work revolves around repairing other people’s marriages. When his own is threatened by his wife’s unexplained distance, and then threatened further when she’s unexpectedly plunged into an unending fog, Josiah finds his expertise, quick wit and clever quips are no match for a relationship that is clearly broken.

Feeling betrayed, confused, and ill-equipped for a crisis this crippling, he reexamines everything he knows about the fragility of hope and the strength of his faith and love. Love seems to have failed him. Will what’s left of his faith fail him, too? Or will it be the one thing that holds him together and sears through the impenetrable wall that separates them?

About The Author

Cynthia Ruchti tells stories hemmed in hope through her novels, novellas, nonfiction books, articles and devotionals, drawing from 33 years of on-air radio ministry. Ruchti has written more than 20 award-winning novels, novellas, nonfiction books and devotionals. Her books have received numerous awards and nominations, including the RT Reviewers’ Choice, ForeWord Reviews Book of the Year nominations, two Selah Awards, Christian Retailing’s BEST, was an ACFW Carol Award finalist and a Christy finalist, among other honors. Her latest release is the novel A Fragile Hope.

One of Ruchti’s greatest joys is helping other writers grow in their craft. To that end, she has served as worship and devotions staff and faculty for the Write-to-Publish conference and teaches at other writers’ conferences across the country and internationally as opportunities arise. She also serves as the professional relations liaison for American Christian Fiction Writers.

Ruchti speaks frequently for women’s groups and serves on her church’s worship team. She and her husband live in the heart of Wisconsin, not far from their three children and five grandchildren.

Find out more about Cynthia at http://www.cynthiaruchti.com.

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June by Miranda Beverly-Whittemore

April 5, 2017

FTC: I received a free copy of this book from Blogging For Books in exchange for my honest review. I received no other compensation and the opinions expressed in this review are one hundred percent true and my own.

June by Miranda Beverly-Whittemore was a weird book, and I still am not sure if that is a good thing or not. There are parts of the book where the house is talking, and that threw my off throughout the entire book. I am sure that was because this is the first book I have read where the house is a big part of the story. I didn’t like Lindie right from the start because she seemed like a person that if they were alive, I wouldn’t get along with because they just get on my nerves. I always have to smile when I end up hating a character because it means that the author did a great job of making me feel like the characters and alive and real people. I did find myself just scanning some of the pages because I felt like there were way too many details and unneeded information in this book. I liked how they went between current times and the 1950’s because it gave me a better idea of what the characters were actually feeling. In the end, I did like most of the book, but there are parts I think they could have left out or cut down.

About The Book

About The Author

MIRANDA BEVERLY-WHITTEMORE is the author of three other novels: New York Times bestseller Bittersweet; Set Me Free, which won the Janet Heidinger Kafka Prize, given annually for the best book of fiction by an American woman; and The Effects of Light. A recipient of the Crazyhorse Prize for Fiction, she lives and writes in Brooklyn.

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An Amish Home by Beth Wiseman, Amy Clipston, Kathleen Fuller, Ruth Reid

March 28, 2017

FTC: I received a free copy of this book from BookLook in exchange for my honest review. I received no other compensation and the opinions expressed in this review are one hundred percent true and my own.

An Amish Home by Beth Wiseman, Amy Clipston, Kathleen Fuller, Ruth Reid was a good book. I have read quite a few books like this one now, and I think that they are some of the favorites because they usually have three to four short stories in them and I like being able to finish a story and move on to the next one at a fast pace. I am going to share some thoughts that I had on each of the stories because that is the easiest way to review them.

A Cup Half Full by Beth Wiseman

It took me a few chapters to get into this book. I felt so bad for the characters in this book because of everything that happened right before this book started. I did find that this story is the typical story about the Amish and that isn’t a bad this because I love these types of books.

Home Sweet Home by Amy Clipston

This was my favorite story in this book. I liked that it had an Amish family in the book, but they weren’t the main characters. I loved that you get a different point of view in this book because the main characters are just regular people and they are helped by the Amish family. This story just made me feel good by the end of the book because I feel in love with the characters in this story and this is one that I wished would have been a longer story because I was sad to see these characters go.

A Flicker of Hope by Ruth Reid

I had a really hard time getting into this book because I didn’t connect with these characters like I usually do. I am not sure why I didn’t like this story, but this is one that I was glad that the story was short because I don’t know that I could force myself to finish this book if it had been any longer.

Building Faith by Kathleen Fuller

I think that this story was my second favorite because I loved that Faith wasn’t the typical Amish women and she did things that most Amish women don’t do. I also wished that this book had been a full-length book because I was sad that it was so short. I did think that this book was predictable, but I still loved it.

All in all, if you are looking to get into reading Amish fiction I would recommend picking up a book like this because it is an excellent way to read different stories but not be committed to an entire book if you end up not liking the book.

About The Book

A Cup Half Full by Beth Wiseman—Sarah Lantz always dreamed of the perfect home, the perfect husband, the perfect family. When she married Abram, she knew she was on her way to securing her perfect life. All of that changes in one moment when an accident leaves her unable to walk and confined to a wheelchair, dashing all of her dreams. As Abram starts to transform their home, Sarah begins a transformation in her spirit, and she begins, once again, to see her cup as half full.

Home Sweet Home by Amy Clipston—Down on their luck and desperate after they are evicted from their small apartment, Chace, and Mia O’Conner reluctantly take Chace’s Amish boss up on his offer to rent them the daadihaus located on his property. They are certain they will never feel at home in the rustic cabin without any modern conveniences, and they start to blame each other for their seemingly hopeless situation. But with the help of their new Amish friends, Chace and Mia begin to enjoy their cozy cabin and realize that home really is where the heart is.

A Flicker of Hope by Ruth Reid—Fifteen years ago, Thomas and Noreen King were blissful newlyweds. Young, naive, and in love, life was rosy . . . for a while. Then trials and tribulations rocked their foundation, shattering them emotionally, and soon, their marriage was in shards. All hope for restoring their previously unshakable union seems lost. When a fire destroys their home, Thomas and Noreen are left to sift through the rubble. As uncovered items from the remains of the house shake loose memories of the past, Thomas and Noreen begin to draw closer and a flicker of hope—and love—is re-ignited.

Building Faith by Kathleen Fuller—Faith Miller knows that carpentry is an unlikely hobby for a young Amish woman, but she loves the work, and it keeps the memory of her grandfather alive. So when her cousin asks Faith to build the cabinets in her new home, Faith is only too happy to take on the job, even if it is the most ambitious project she has ever taken on. The only catch is that she has to work with her ex-fiance, Silas. As they work to build Martha’s kitchen, can they put the past behind them and start to build faith in one another again?

About The Author’s

Beth Wiseman

“I wish I had the time to review books and chat with you here, but my writing deadlines just don’t allow it. Please like my Fans of Beth Wiseman Page on Facebook where I try to post any news and interact with readers.”
Beth is the best-selling and award-winning author of the Daughters of the Promise series – Plain Perfect, Plain Pursuit, Plain Promise, Plain Paradise, and Plain Proposal. She is contracted with HarperCollins Christian Publishing. Her other series–the Land of Canaan Novels–begins with Seek Me With All Your Heart, then The Wonder of Your Love and now, His Love Endures Forever. Seek Me With All Your Heart is the first Amish fiction book selected as a Women of Faith novel in 2011. Beth has also written three contemporary Christian fiction novels, Need You Now published in 2012 and The House That Love Built in 2013. In The Promise, (2014) Beth jumps way outside the box. This story takes readers far away from Amish Country and small Texas towns to a dangerous place on the other side of the world. Inspired by a true story, Beth believes this is the book she’s been working toward for a long time. 2015 brings Beth back to the Pennsylvania Amish with her new series, Amish Secrets. She is currently working on book #2 following much success with book #1, Her Brother’s Keeper.

You can also follow Beth on Twitter: @BethWiseman

Amy Clipston

Hi, I’m Amy Clipston. I am an author of Amish and Christian fiction with HarperCollins Christian Publishing. Most of my books focus on the Amish community, faith, and love. I also write romance novels and young adult inspirational stories

Kathleen Fuller

Kathleen is the best-selling author of over thirty books, including the Hearts of Middlefield Series and the A Middlefield Family Series. She lives with her husband and three children in Northeast Ohio. Kathleen loves to hear from readers.

Ruth Reid

Ruth Reid is a CBA and ECPA best-selling author of the Heaven on Earth series. She’s a full-time pharmacist who resides in Florida with her husband and three children.

Find out more about Ruth at:http://ruthreid.com

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Her Secret by Shelley Shepard Gray

March 15, 2017

FTC: I received a free copy of this book from Litfuse in exchange for my honest review. I received no other compensation and the opinions expressed in this review are one hundred percent true and my own.

Her Secret by Shelley Shepard Gray is one author that I am almost guaranteed that I will like whatever book she puts out. This is the first book in the “The Amish of Hart County” series, and I can’t wait to read other books in this series because I feel in love with the characters in this book. This book was more of a slow starter for me but once I was a few chapters in I was once again hooked and didn’t want to put the book down. I loved that this book took on a subject that I haven’t ever read before when it comes to Amish fiction books. I know that is why I enjoyed this book as much as I did. I have read just about every book of Amish fiction that has been written, and I enjoyed that this book put me in a different place than all of the others ones that I have read. I really did enjoy the characters in this book, and I was sad when I finished it because I hate saying goodbye to characters that I fall in love with. If you love Amish fiction, I would for sure recommend this book to you, but I would also recommend any book written by this author because I don’t think I have ever read one that I didn’t like.

About The Book

A suspenseful tale of a young Amish woman who is forced to move to a new town to escape a threatening stalker
After a stalker went too far, Hannah Hilty and her family had no choice but to leave the bustling Amish community where she grew up. Now she’s getting a fresh start in Hart County, Kentucky…if only she wasn’t too scared to take it. Hannah has become afraid to trust anyone-even Isaac, the friendly Amish man who lives next door. She wonders if she’ll ever return to the trusting, easy-going woman she once was.
For Isaac Troyer, the beautiful girl he teasingly called “The Recluse” confuses him like no other. When he learns of her past, he knows he’s misjudged her. However, he also understands the importance of being grateful for God’s gifts, and wonders if they will ever have anything in common. But as Hannah and Isaac slowly grow closer, they realize that there’s always more to someone than meets the eye.
Just as Hannah is finally settling into her new life, and perhaps finding a new love, more secrets are revealed, and tragedy strikes. Now Hannah must decide if she should run again or dare to fight for the future she has found in Hart County.

About The Author

Shelley Shepard Gray is a New York Times and USA Today bestselling author, a finalist for the American Christian Fiction Writers prestigious Carol Award, and a two-time HOLT Medallion winner. She lives in southern Ohio, where she writes full-time, bakes too much, and can often be found walking her dachshunds on her town’s bike trail.

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Home At Last by Deborah Raney

March 10, 2017

FTC: I received a free copy of this book from Litfuse in exchange for my honest review. I received no other compensation and the opinions expressed in this review are one hundred percent true and my own.

Home At Last by Deborah Raney was a good book, but it left me feeling sad because I hate to say goodbye to the characters that I fell in love with while reading the very first book. This series had 5 books in it, so I feel like I have spent years with this family and now I have to say goodbye to them. I had a tough time getting into the story of this list book, and I think that all had to do with me not feeling like I had anything in common with the characters in this book. I loved that I got to find out what was going on with the rest of the family because I really do look at this characters as if they are alive and living somewhere in the United States. In all, I really loved this series, and it is one that I could see myself re-reading in the future. If you like contemporary fiction than I am sure you will love this series as much as I did.

About The Book

Why did their differences matter so much?

Link Whitman has settled into the role of bachelor without ever intending to. Now he’s stuck in a dead-end job and, as the next Whitman wedding fast approaches, he is the last one standing. The pressure from his sisters’ efforts to play matchmaker is getting hard to bear as Link pulls extra shifts at work, and helps his parents at the Chicory Inn.

All her life, Shayla Michaels has felt as if she straddled two worlds. Her mother’s white family labeled her African American father with names Shayla didn’t repeat in polite-well, in any company. Her father’s family disapproved as well, though they eventually embraced Shayla as their own. After the death of her mother, and her brother Jerry’s incarceration, life has left Shayla’s father bitter, her niece, Portia, an orphan, and Shayla responsible for them all. She knows God loves them all, but why couldn’t people accept each other for what was on the inside? For their hearts?

Everything changes one icy morning when a child runs into the street and Link nearly hits her with his pickup. Soon he is falling in love with the little girl’s aunt, Shayla, the beautiful woman who runs Coffee’s On, the bakery in Langhorne. Can Shayla and Link overcome society’s view of their differences and find true love? Is there hope of changing the sometimes-ugly world around them into something better for them all?

About The Author

Deborah Raney’s novels have won numerous awards including the RITA, National Readers’ Choice Award, HOLT Medallion, the Carol Award, and have three times been Christy Award finalists. She and her husband, Ken Raney have traded small-town life in Kansas-the setting of many of Deb’s novels-for life in the city of Wichita.

Find out more about Deborah at http://deborahraney.com.

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The Elusive Miss Ellison by Carolyn Miller

March 4, 2017

FTC: I received a free copy of this book from Litfuse in exchange for my honest review. I received no other compensation and the opinions expressed in this review are one hundred percent true and my own.

The Elusive Miss Ellison by Carolyn Miller was a rich historical fiction book. This is the first book I have ever read by this author, and I was surprised by how much I liked this book. On the back of the book they compare this author’s writing to Julie Klassen, and if I had to pick between this author and Julie, I would choose this author. I was interested in this book right from the first page right up until the end of the book. I liked both Livvie and Nicholas from the outset because they seemed like they were people who were alive at one point. I love when I find that characters in historical books seem like they were alive at some time because it means I was able to feel like I was part of the book and that doesn’t often happen when I am reading historical romance. If you are looking for a great book to read I would one hundred percent recommend this book. I also think that this book would be a great book for some who is looking to start reading historical fiction.

About The Book

Handsome appearance counts for naught unless matched by good character and actions.

That’s the firm opinion of not-so-meek minister’s daughter Lavinia Ellison. So even though all the other villagers of St. Hampton Heath are swooning over the newly returned seventh Earl of Hawkesbury, she is not impressed. If a man won’t take his responsibilities seriously and help those who are supposed to be able to depend on him, he deserves no respect from her. In Lavinia’s pretty, gray eyes, Nicholas Stamford is just as arrogant and reckless as his brother-who stole the most important person in Livvie’s world.

Nicholas is weighed down by his own guilt and responsibility, by the pain his careless brother caused, and by the legacy of war, he’s just left. This quick visit home to St. Hampton Heath will be just long enough to ease a small part of that burden. Asking him to bother with the lives of the villagers when there’s already a bailiff on the job is simply too much to expect.
That is, until the hoydenish, intelligent, and very opinionated Miss Ellison challenges him to see past his pain and pride. With her angelic voice in his head, he may even be beginning to care. But his isn’t the only heart that needs to change.

These two lonely hearts may each have something the other needs. But with society’s opposition, ancestral obligations, and a shocking family secret, there may be too many obstacles in their way.

Fans of Georgette Heyer, Lori Wick, and Julie Klassen will enjoy the spirited exchanges between the bluestocking minister’s daughter and the bruised war hero as they move past pride and presumption to a humbled appreciation of God’s grace and the true strength of love.

About The Author

Carolyn Miller lives in New South Wales, Australia, with her husband and four children. A longtime lover of Regency romance, Carolyn’s novels have won a number of RWA and ACFW contests. She is a member of American Christian Fiction Writers and Australasian Christian Writers.