Here is the list of books that I read in 2015:
January:
"An Amish Second Christmas" by Beth Wiseman, Ruth Reid, Kathleen Fuller, and Tricia Goyer
"The Lady and the Officer" by Mary Ellis
"Heart of a Soldier" by Belle Calhoune
"A Woodland Miracle" by Ruth Reid
"A Brush With Love" by Rachel Hauck
"Huckleberry Spring" by Jennifer Beckstrand
"Secretly Yours" by Valerie Comer
"Miriam's Secret" by Jerry S. Eicher
February:
"The Last Heiress" by Mary Ellis
"My Candy Valentine" by Darlene Franklin
"A Woman After God's Own Heart" by Elizabeth George
"How to Catch a Prince" by Rachel Hauck
March:
"Serving Up a Sweetheart" by Cheryl Wyatt
"The Fruitcake Challenge" by Carrie Fancett Pagels
"Bethany's Calendar" by Elaine Marie Cooper
"By Your Side" by Candace Calvert
"All Dressed Up in Love" by Ruth Logan Herne
"An Uncertain Choice" by Jody Hedlund
April:
"A Stranger's Secret" by Laurie Alice Eakes
"Stepping Heavenward" by Elizabeth Prentiss
"Living Without Worry" by Timothy Lane
May:
"Chance of Loving You" by Terri Blackstock, Candace Calvert, and Susan May Warren
"As Love Blooms" by Lorna Seistad
"The Huntress of Thornbeck Forest" by Melanie Dickerson
"In Tune With Love" by Amy Matayo
"Never a Bridesmaid" by Janice Thompson
"Heiress of Winterwood" by Sarah Ladd
"In Firefly Valley" by Amanda Cabot
"Maggie Bright" by Tracy Groot
"The Headmistress of Rosemere" by Sarah E. Ladd
"Hidden Identity" by Carol J. Post
June:
"The Nesting Place" by Myquillin Smith
"Rori's Healing" by Dori Hiers
"A Lady at Willowgrove Hall" by Sarah E. Ladd
"Island Dreams" by Kimberly Rose Johnson
"An Amish Cradle" by Beth Wiseman, Amy Clipston, Kathleen Fuller, & Vanetta Chapman
"You CAN Write 50,000 Words in 30 Days" by D.J. Mynant
July:
"The Innocent" by Ann H. Gabhart
"The Wonder of You" by Susan May Warren
"To Capture Her Heart" by Rebecca DiMarino
"A Simple Prayer" by Amy Clipston
"Never Broken" by Kathleen Fuller
"Prison" by Toni V. Lee
"I Hope You Dance" by Robin Lee Hatcher
August:
"Hope Harbor" by Irene Hannon
"A Cowboy for a Lifetime" by Suzanne D. Williams
"Eight Twenty Eight" by Ian and Larissa Murphy
September:
"The Isaac Project" by Sarah Monson
"Stealing Jake" by Pam Hillman
"Through Waters Deep" by Sarah Sundin
"Where Can I Flee" by A.M. Heath
"Hand-Me-Down Princess" by Carol Moncado
"The Mistress of Tall Acre" by Laura Frantz
"The Memory Weaver" by Jane Kirkpatrick
October:
"Murder at the Courthouse" by A.H. Gabhart
"The Bishop's Son" by Kelly Irvin
"The Horse of my Heart" collected by Callie Smith Grant
"Winning the Queen's Heart" by Carol Moncado
"Island Christmas" by Kimberly Rose Johnson
"The Tethered World" by Heather Fitzgerald
November:
"In the Shadow of Thy Wings" by A.M. Heath
"Simply Tuesday" by Emily P. Freeman
"The Girl from the Train" by Irma Joubert
"The Imposter" by Suzanne Woods Fisher
"The Christmas Joy Ride" by Melody Carlson
"All is Calm All is Bright" by Colleen Coble
"Every Girl Gets Confused" by Janice Thompson
"The Golden Braid" by Melanie Dickerson
"The Perfect Arrangement" by Katie Ganshert
"Love in the Details" by Becky Wade
December:
"An Amish Christmas Gift" by Amy Clipston, Ruth Reid, and Kelly Irvin
"Mistletoe Justice" by Carol Post
"A Respectable Actress" by Dorothy Love
Thursday, December 31, 2015
Tuesday, December 29, 2015
Book Review: "A Respectable Actress" by Dorothy Love
India Hartley has embarked on an acting tour of the South. She is barely into her 2nd evening's performance at the Southern Palace Theater in Savannah, Georgia when things go terribly wrong. She finds herself in jail accused of killing her co-star. A benefactor hires Philip Sinclair, the best lawyer in town, to defend her. To keep India from being mobbed in town, Philip convinces the judge to let him take her to Indigo Point until her trial date. India is delighted with the island and finds herself drawn to Philip, but a mysterious room that appears to be a shrine of some sort and troubling clues seem to point to Philip's past and may be the key to India's freedom.
I would recommend NOT reading the back info on the book as I think it gives too much of the story away before you get to it in the book.
I found it interesting (and somewhat frustrating) how the legal system worked in the 1870's. I liked the main characters and felt pulled into their lives. The book was well written and I enjoyed reading it. It has elements of suspense and romance. Although it is listed as "Religious & Inspirational", there really isn't any Christian element to it. There is a mention of "Fate" and another of ""Providence" and India goes to church once, but the characters don't look to God for guidance or direction.
"A Respectable Actress" is available in paperback:
- Paperback: 384 pages
- Publisher: Thomas Nelson (October 13, 2015)
- Language: English
- ISBN-10: 1401687598
- ISBN-13: 978-1401687595
- Product Dimensions: 5.5 x 1 x 8.4 inches
and in Kindle edition:
- File Size: 2252 KB
- Print Length: 383 pages
- Publisher: Thomas Nelson (October 13, 2015)
- Publication Date: October 13, 2015
- Sold by: HarperCollins Christian Publishing
- Language: English
- ASIN: B00WDJT06Q
I received a free copy of this book from the publisher in order to give my honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own and I received no other compensation.
Monday, December 7, 2015
Book Review: "In the Shadow of Thy Wings" by A.M. Heath
"In the Shadow of Thy Wings" by A.M. Heath is the second book in the Ancient Words Series. It picks up where "Where Can I Flee" ends and should be read in order or it won't really make sense. This book follows Frank Harper, Sally Chandler, Claire Harper, Olen Harper, and Ralph Williams. There are some letters between the characters, but not as many as are included in the first book. The romance that I wished for in the first book was finally brought out in this book. I enjoyed watching the romance blossom and grow. The Harpers and Chandlers feel like friends, so I wept with them and rejoiced with them in turn. There were several unexpected twists that were quite surprising to me.
I look forward to reading the next book in the series to find out how Frank Harper, George Chandler, and Ralph Williams fare after the war is ended.
"In the Shadow of Thy Wings" is available in Kindle edition:
- File Size: 1386 KB
- Print Length: 458 pages
- Simultaneous Device Usage: Unlimited
- Publication Date: November 29, 2015
- Sold by: Amazon Digital Services, Inc.
- Language: English
- ASIN: B018RERANK
A.M. Heath is participating in several giveaways and Facebook parties in conjunction with the release of "In the Shadow of Thy Wings".
***A Rafflecopter giveaway running from Dec 3-18:
***Facebook Party running from Dec 8-10:
***Another Facebook party running Dec 15- 17 (A.M. Heath is the 16th at 12 Central)
I received a free copy of this book in order to review it. I got no other compensation and all thoughts and opinions are my own.
Thursday, December 3, 2015
Book Review: "Mistletoe Justice" by Carol Post
Darci Tucker was just going back to her office to get the cell phone she'd forgotten when her life started spiraling out of control. Her only hope to get it back under control is co-worker Conner Stevenson who is trying to find answers about his sister's sudden disappearance. Neither of them is in a position for a relationship, so why do they want so much more as Christmas approaches?
"Mistletoe Justice" by Carol Post brings you back to Cedar Key. I was happy to read Darci's and little Jayden's story. It is best to read the books in order to get to know the characters better, but you could read this story alone. It was fun to see the characters we got to know and love from the other Cedar Key books. I'm also happy to see that there will be two more books to come. There were many twists and turns in the story that kept you guessing throughout the book as to what was going to happen. I devoured the book wanting to know exactly was going to happen. I enjoyed Conner's personal development through the book. So many things are happening in the book and it moves at a fast pace as the danger and suspense pulls you in.
"Mistletoe Justice" is available in paperback:
- Series: Love Inspired Suspense
- Mass Market Paperback: 224 pages
- Publisher: Love Inspired (December 1, 2015)
- Language: English
- ISBN-10: 0373447124
- ISBN-13: 978-0373447121
- Product Dimensions: 4.2 x 0.6 x 6.6 inches
and in Kindle edition:
- File Size: 571 KB
- Print Length: 224 pages
- Publisher: Love Inspired Suspense (December 1, 2015)
- Publication Date: December 1, 2015
- Sold by: Harlequin Digital Sales Corp.
- Language: English
- ASIN: B00YN207E0
Wednesday, December 2, 2015
Book Review: "An Amish Christmas Gift" by Amy Clipston, Ruth Reid, and Kelly Irvin
"Naomi's Gift" by Amy Clipston: Caleb Schmucker has been a widower for two years. His eight year old daughter Susie hopes for a Christmas miracle-for her dat to be happy and truly smile. Naomi King has had more than her share of heartbreak and is resigned that she'll never find true love. Can God work a miracle in their lives?
I enjoyed reading "Naomi's Gift" and liked Caleb and Naomi and little Susie. I wanted to tell off Sadie for trying to run Caleb's life, though! I found a few places that seemed to be errors. When Caleb and Susie first arrived in Bird-in-Hand, Susie's cousins go to take a bath before bedtime. This is what the book says:
Caleb turned to Susie. "Let's find your gown. You can take a bath too." He placed her bag on the bed and rummaged through it.
He tried to suppress his smile. "Ya, but you were also cooped up on a smelly train overnight, and we have services tomorrow. Do you want the other kinner in the district to call you the stinky girl from Ohio?"
It seems to be missing some sort of remark from Susie about not wanting or needing to take a bath between the two pieces of dialog by Caleb.
In another spot, Caleb, Naomi, Susie and some other kids go shopping:
"Are we heading home now?" Susie asked. "I think I have to help my mamm start supper."
"Ya," Caleb said, placing his hand on Susie's shoulder. "I believe your dat may send out a search party if we don't head home soon."
Obviously, it can't be Susie who really said that as her mother is dead and her father is the one who said that her dat may send out a search party.
Other than the editing errors, I liked the story and the characters.
"An Unexpected Joy" by Ruth Reid: Abigail Kemp hasn't had a problem getting rides home from singings, its getting asked a second time that's the problem. She scares them off with her "gift of gab". She's resigned herself to the fact that she'll never marry and is saving to buy herself a horse. When Micah Zook is in need of a caregiver for his grandmother, she is eager to take the job. She wouldn't have been his first choice, but he doesn't have any other options. The more time he spends with her, the more he finds himself caring for her. Can they find an unexpected joy this Christmas?
I enjoyed reading this story and liked how Ruth Reid did the dialogue so you got the feel of Abigail's talkativeness. I liked watching Abby and Micah's relationship grow. One thing that jumped out at me was the fact that on the first page of the story, Abigail was 22. Eight pages later, it says she is 23.
"A Christmas Visitor" by Kelly Irvin: Frannie Mast's parents think she was getting to close to the Englisch man, Rocky Sanders, so she has been sent from Missouri to stay with her aunt and uncle in Bee County, Texas. When he shows up at her uncle's front door, Frannie is conflicted. She has feelings for him, but knows that she could never leave the faith. Can God turn her Christmas visitor into the best gift ever?
This story is best read after reading the novels in the "The Amish of Bee County Novels" series as it has the same characters and a lot of how they act is influenced by the events from the novels. It does give a bit of the story from those novels, so it isn't impossible to read alone, but you'd get more out of it reading it in order. I liked Rocky and his growth through the story. For as much as happens in this novella, I didn't feel like it felt rushed which was nice.
"An Amish Christmas Gift" is available in Kindle edition:
- File Size: 2097 KB
- Print Length: 401 pages
- Publisher: Thomas Nelson (October 6, 2015)
- Publication Date: October 6, 2015
- Sold by: HarperCollins Christian Publishing
- Language: English
- ASIN: B00WDJSWMY
and in paperback:
- Paperback: 416 pages
- Publisher: Thomas Nelson (October 6, 2015)
- Language: English
- ISBN-10: 0718039653
- ISBN-13: 978-0718039653
- Product Dimensions: 5.5 x 1.1 x 8.4 inches
I received a free copy of this book from the publisher in order for me to review it. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
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