General Fiction

The Proposal At Siesta Key by Shelley Shepard Gray

Book Review

The Proposal At Siesta Key by Shelley Shepard Gray was a great story.  I did read the first book in this series so if you want to check out that review you can click here but you won’t be lost if this is the first book you pick up and read in the series.  I love all the books that Shelley has written about the Amish so going into this book I expected to love it as well.  I always get worried when I start reading a book and already expect the book to be amazing because I have been let down before but this book didn’t let me down at all.  I loved this book.  I instantly loved Penny from the first page right through the end.  At the start of the book I wasn’t a huge fan of Michael but after I was a few chapters in I did start to like him as well.  I loved that we got to check back in with some of the characters from the first book as well because I like to see how they are doing.  If you love Amish fiction than I would for sure recommend this book to you.

The Proposal at Siesta Key

About The Book

The Proposal at Siesta Key (Avon Inspire, May 2015)

A young Amish woman, yearning for freedom, crosses paths with a handsome Mennonite celebrity in a deeply moving tale of friendship and self-discovery—the second installment in the unforgettable New York Times bestselling author’s new Amish Brides of Pinecraft series.

Penny Troyer rarely disobeys her parents. In the years since her sister’s tragic death, they’ve wanted nothing more than to keep her safe…even if it means never leaving the house.

But tonight, she’s bending the rules because Michael Knoxx, the most famous member of The Knoxx Family Singers, a traveling Mennonite Evangelical family —is scheduled to speak. Penny has heard of Michael—how he lost part of his leg in a terrible accident and uses the experience to inspire others—and knows she must meet him. So, for the first time ever, Penny stands up to her parents and goes out on her own.

Though he speaks about living life to the fullest, Michael knows he needs to take his own advice. Life on the road is grueling and Michael wants to slow down, to rest…to perhaps meet someone who sees him as a man, not just a celebrity. So when a twist of fate allows him the chance to stay a little longer in Pinecraft, Michael knows God is showing him a new path, especially when he discovers how much he and Penny Troyer have in common.

But new friendships can’t stop time. Soon, Michael’s time in Pinecraft will be over and he’ll be back on the road. Her time with Michael has brought her happiness, but will she be able to follow her heart? Or will she be faced with the one thing she’s sure she’ll never have the courage to do?

Shelley Shepard Gray

About The Author

Shelley Shepard Gray is a two-time New York Times bestseller, a two-time USA Today bestseller, 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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Digiprove sealCopyright secured by Digiprove © 2015 Margaret Margaret

As Waters Gone By by Cynthia Ruchti

Book Review

As Waters Gone By by Cynthia Ruchti was a great story.  I fell in love with the crazy people who lived on Madeline Island because I could totally see people really acting they did and they made me love the story even more that I did when I started the book.  I have read one other book by Cynthia Ruchti and I have to say that she is quickly becoming one of my favorite authors which is getting harder and harder to do with the amounts of books that I am reading.  I have to say Emmalyn bugged me through out most of the first few chapters because she was almost always feeling sorry for herself but after I read more of the book I really did enjoy her and fell in love with her.  I loved watching her grow and learn while she was living on Madeline Island.  If you are a lover of general fiction than I think you should check this book out!

As Waters Gone By

About The  Book

Can a marriage survive a separation of hundreds of miles and impenetrable prison walls? And are the walls around her heart more daunting than the concrete and razorwire he faces?

Emmalyn Ross shares something in common with spouses of the deployed or those whose work takes them on the road for long stretches. She’s trying to figure out how to sustain a marriage with a man who’s never home. He won’t be home until the end of his sentence, if then. His actions stole her heart’s desire and gave their relationship a court-mandated five-year time-out. What didn’t fall apart the night he was indicted fell apart in the intervening years. Now, on a self-imposed exile to beautiful but remote Madeline Island—one of the Apostle Islands of Lake Superior—Emmalyn has a handful of months left to figure out if and how they can ever be a couple again. And his silence isn’t helping.

The island hunting cottage they’d purchased on a whim when life made sense isn’t fit for habitation. But it’s all she has. Restoring it may put a roof over her head, but a home needs more than a roof and walls. As Emmalyn and the cottage grow stronger, they feel emptier. Is it possible hope lost her address?

Cynthia Ruchti

About The Author

Taking multi-tasking to new heights (or depths, depending on your perspective), Cynthia Ruchti is the award-winning author of recent releases “All My Belongings” (novel), “When the Morning Glory Blooms” (novel), and “Ragged Hope: Surviving the Fallout of Other People’s Choices” (nonfiction). She makes potato corn chowder for her husband of 42 years, loves on her three kids and five grandchildren, recently retired from 33 years of writing and producing a daily radio broadcast called THE HEARTBEAT OF THE HOME, is past president of the 2,700-member American Christian Fiction Writers and now serves as ACFW’s Professional Relations Liaison, all while working on more book projects in addition to the eight already on the shelves. The year 2010 saw the release of her debut novel–“They Almost Always Come Home” by Abingdon Press (a Carol Award finalist)–and a Christmas collection novella, “The Heart’s Harbor” in A Door County Christmas, a Family Fiction Reader’s Choice, by Barbour Publishing. “His Grace is Sufficient…Decaf is Not,” released Nov 1, 2011. Another novella collection–“Cedar Creek Seasons” (Barbour) released in spring of 2012. “When the Morning Glory Blooms” (April 2013) was followed by “All My Belongings” (2014, also from Abingdon Press). Her books have recently been honored with two Selah Awards, two Christian Retailing’s BEST Awards, and awards from CAN Golden Scrolls and AWSA Golden Scrolls. She tells stories of Hope-that-glows-in-the-dark through writing and speaking, but she gave up knitting, counted cross-stitch, sewing her own clothes, naps, and dusting baseboards a long time ago.

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Digiprove sealCopyright secured by Digiprove © 2015 Margaret Margaret

Not This Time by Vicki Hinze

Book Review

Not This Time by Vicki Hinze was interesting book to read.  At times I got bogged down in all the details that she had in the book but other times I was glad that she had all the detail that she did.  I loved all of the characters & the setting of this book and it made me want to check out the first two books in the series and see what happened in them.  That being said I understood most of what was going on so you don’t have to read them in order  but if are wanting to read all the books in the series than I would for sure suggest that you read them in order.  This book is also fast paced which is nice because it keeps you reading even at the parts where there could be less details used.  If you love suspense novels than I would for sure recommend this book to you.

Not This Time by Vicki Hinze

About The Book

Small town scandal. International terrorist attack. Who among them is the traitor?
Sara and Beth have built a multi-million dollar business together, but their once solid friendship is now strained. Beth is leery of Sara’s husband, and when he is kidnapped, authorities consider Beth their prime suspect.
Then, their small town of Seagrove Village is rocked by an act of terrorism, and Beth doesn’t know who to trust. Someone she knows is linked to the attack, but who? Is there a connection to Crossroads Crisis Center? In the midst of the confusion and fear, Beth finds herself attracted to a man from her past. She knows she shouldn’t fall in love with him, but she can’t resist or even explain their bond. As her world unravels around her, she wonders, is it possible to be beyond redemption?

Vicki Hinze

About The Author

Vicki is the award-winning author of 30 novels, 4 nonfiction books and hundreds of articles. She’s recognized as an author and as an educator by Who’s Who in America and Who’s Who in the World.

Vicki mentors writers through her Writers’ Zone program and has for well over a decade.

Currently she’s writing faith-affirming thrillers and inspirational romantic suspense. Her latest releases are SURVIVE THE NIGHT, Book #1 in her Lost, Inc. series, and NOT THIS TIME, Book #3 in her Crossroads Crisis Center series. Books 2 and 3 in Lost, Inc. will be released next.

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Digiprove sealCopyright secured by Digiprove © 2015 Margaret Margaret