Wednesday, August 31, 2016

Mattie's Pledge by Jan Drexler

28637705



ABOUT THE BOOK

A Tender, Poignant, and Heartwarming Glimpse into the Amish Migration West from Pennsylvania
Mattie Schrock is no stranger to uprooting her life. Even as her father relocated her family from one Amish community to the next, she always managed to find a footing in their new homes. Now as the Schrock family plans to move west from Somerset County to a fledgling Amish settlement in Indiana, she looks forward to connecting with old friends who will be joining them from another Pennsylvania community--friends like Jacob Yoder, who has always held a special place in her heart.
Since Mattie last saw Jacob, they've both grown into different people with different dreams. Jacob yearns to settle down, but Mattie can't help but dream of what may lie over the western horizon. When a handsome Englisher tempts her to leave the Amish behind to search for adventure in the West, will her pledge to Jacob be the anchor that holds her secure?
Tender, poignant, and gentle, "Mattie's Pledge" offers readers a glimpse into Amish life in the 1840s--and into the yearning heart of a character they'll not soon forget.
 

MY THOUGHTS

hat a wonderful read!
I loved Mattie from the start. She has a terrible thirst for wonderlust. I enjoyed watching her characters get from uncertainty to finally realizing what she wants out of life ! it's a shame it took a man like Cole Bates to make her see the truth of things! Mattie also loves to be with her friends around the campfire when they are traveling west.
Jacob is a pretty interesting guy himself.
Afraid to let himself love because he's afraid of losing that person to death. Jacob for sure learns this lesson the hard way after almost losing Mattie to an Englisher the hard way for sure and certain!
Cole Bates wants everything that everyone else has by stealing whatever it is they have. In some weird way I kind of liked Cole. It wasn't his fault the way he was raised. But he did get caught stealing one too many times was therefore; caught and punished and I think the punishment for horse thieving is a hanging.
All in all, I enjoyed this story because it was different from the norm Amish genere that I usually read. I love how they went West because unlike them I got to travel all the way to San Diego, California. We followed the old Oregon Trail which is now interstate 70! I learned this when visiting the Kansas Historic museum. I was totally floored!
When reading this story I felt like I was traveling with the Amish to see a new land but I also didn't know there was swampland
Bottom line, I lived Jacob and Mattie's story and I loved to know that they have a happy ending! I won't say what that is because I don't want to give it away!!
 


ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Jan Drexler brings a unique understanding of Amish traditions and beliefs to her writing. Her ancestors were among the first Amish, Mennonite, and Brethren immigrants to Pennsylvania in the 1700s. Their experiences are the basis for her stories. Jan lives in South Dakota with her husband, their four adult children, two active dogs, and a cat. When she isn't writing, she enjoys hiking the Black Hills and the Badlands. She is the author of the Love Inspired novels "The Prodigal Son Returns", " A Mother for His Children", and "A Home for His Family" (September 2015).






review for Fraying at the Edges by Cindy Woodsmall

Fraying at the Edge (The Amish of Summer Grove, #2)


ABOUT THE BOOK

"Family, community, faith, and love. These "quilt blocks" sewn together made Ariana's beautiful life. When they are pulled to pieces, will anything familiar remain? The Old Order Amish life Ariana Brenneman loved vanished virtually overnight with the discovery that she was switched at birth twenty years ago. Now she's immersed in the Englischer world, getting to know her mother, and under the authority of her biological father, an atheist intellectual with resolute plans to expand Ariana's worldview. Only Quill Schlabach, a childhood friend living Englisch, can help steady Ariana's tilting ground between the two worlds, but can she trust him after so many betrayals? At the same time, Skylar Nash is forced to choose rehab or spend several months with her true relatives, the large Brenneman family and their seemingly backward life--no electricity, no technology, no fun. What the young woman can't leave behind is her addiction to illegal prescription drugs and deep emptiness from the belief that she doesn't belong in either family. New ties are binding Ariana and Skylar to the lives they were meant to have. Can they pray for the wisdom and strength they'll need to follow God's threads into unexpected futures? Fraying at the Edge is the second novel in The Amish of Summer Grove series"--

MY THOUGHTS


This was a totally amazing book! It was worth the wait! It had a delay in printing and I thought I'd never get it!
I really didn't think the whole thing was fair that the girls were taken out of their surroundings and put into different ones that each had to adjust to.
Arianna is a girl with guts and determination to do anything that her real father wants so that she can come back home Like me, she loves her adopted family and I don't really think she likes change very well! 
Skyar is also in a place she'd rather not be! It takes someone in her real family to make her see some sense and see that her family does really love her in spite of all that she does to them. 
I didn't like Nicholas because he's a hard ass. it's his way or not at all! He's responsible for all the mess and upheaval in the girls lives. 
Brandi really tries to connect with Arianna and dies succeeds somewhat better than Nicholas does. 
I really like Cameron Arianna s half sister. At first they butt heads a lot until something happens and then they start getting along. She is the fun loving and adventurous type and loves annoying her parents! I think most children love to annoy their parents. 
Will Arianna and Rudy get back together at the end of Ariannas adventure outside the Amish faith and Will Skylar stay with her Amish family or will she return to the English world in which she raised in?


ABOUT THE AUTHOUR


Cindy WoodsmallCindy Woodsmall is a New York Times and CBA best-selling author who has written nineteen (and counting!) works of fiction and one of nonfiction. She and her dearest Old Order Amish friend, Miriam Flaud, coauthored the nonfiction, Plain Wisdom: An Invitation into an Amish Home and the Hearts of Two Women. Cindy's been featured on ABC Nightline and the front page of the Wall Street Journal, and has worked with National Geographic on a documentary concerning Amish life. In June of 2013, the Wall Street Journal listed Cindy as one of the top three Amish fiction writers.

She is also a veteran homeschool mom who no longer holds that position. As her children progressed in age, her desire to write grew stronger. After working through reservations whether this desire was something she should pursue, she began her writing journey. Her husband was her staunchest supporter as she aimed for what seemed impossible.

She’s won Fiction Book of the Year, Reviewer’s Choice Awards, Inspirational Reader’s Choice Contest, as well as one of Crossings' Best Books of the Year. She’s been a finalist for the prestigious Christy, Rita, and Carol Awards, Christian Book of the Year, and Christian Retailers Choice Awards.

Her real-life connections with Amish Mennonite and Old Order Amish families enrich her novels with authenticity. Though she didn’t realize it at the time, seeds were sown years ago that began preparing Cindy to write these books. At the age of ten, while living in the dairy country of Maryland, she became best friends with Luann, a Plain Mennonite girl. Luann, like all the females in her family, wore the prayer Kapp and cape dresses. Her parents didn’t allow television or radios, and many other modern conveniences were frowned upon. During the numerous times Luann came to Cindy’s house to spend the night, her rules came with her and the two were careful to obey them—afraid that if they didn’t, the adults would end their friendship. Although the rules were much easier to keep when they spent the night at Luann’s because her family didn’t own any of the forbidden items, both sets of parents were uncomfortable with the relationship and a small infraction of any kind would have been enough reason for the parents to end the relationship. While navigating around the adults’ disapproval and the obstacles in each other’s lifestyle, the two girls bonded in true friendship that lasted into their teen years, until Cindy’s family moved to another region of the US.

As an adult, Cindy became friends with a wonderful Old Order Amish family who opened their home to her. Although the two women, Miriam and Cindy, live seven hundred miles apart geographically, and a century apart by customs, when they come together they never lack for commonality, laughter, and dreams of what only God can accomplish through His children. Over the years Cindy has continued to make wonderful friendships with those inside the Amish and Mennonite communities—from the most conservative ones to the most liberal.

Cindy and her husband reside near the foothills of the North Georgia Mountains in their now empty nest.


Review for Like a Bee to a Honey by Jennifer Beckstrand

Like a Bee to Honey (The Honeybee Sisters #3)



                      ABOUT THE BOOK

Affectionately dubbed The Honeybee Sisters in their Wisconsin Amish community, the three Christner girls are devoted beekeepers who are coming-of-age—and discovering the sweet surprise of love… 
  
Shy, skittish Rose Christner is more comfortable tending to the beehives on the family farm and keeping her aunt’s unruly cats in line than attending social gatherings with the rest of the die youngie. A childhood trauma and secret shame keep her heart under lock and key, and Rose just can’t accept the sweet attention she’s receiving from a handsome neighbor. But the more she shies away from Josiah Yoder, the more their families sneakily plot to bring them together. And when a vandal who’s been plaguing the Honeybee Farm starts targeting Rose, Josiah’s steadfast protection—and patience—just may lead her into his waiting arms…

MY THOUGHTS

This is a fast paced, very entertaining, and it even has a little bit of mystery in it! I love the who done it cases. In this case, Jennifer Beckstrand keeps you guessing for sure and certain!! It is also very funny in places. I howled in some places of the book even though I'm in a lot of pain right now from today's fiasco at work lol! Jennifer Beckstrand thank you for making me laugh.

Aunt Bitsy is really cracking me up! Especially, the way she treats Josiah. I love love her personality! Even though she carries a shotgun to ward off stray cats lol she really does have a heart of gold! I'd love to have a Aunt like her. I guess in a way I do. I also like how she gives Josiah a choice on what to do with Rose's feelings. I myself thinks he's the perfect choice for Rose. 

Josiah is madly in love with Rose Christner. I love a sweet and caring man like him. My hero (swoon ). He's always there in the right place and time and jumps to Rose's defense especially against mean Paul Glick! 
Josiah reminds me of my husband. He thinks he can fix anything but when it comes right down to it he can't fix a lick!! Lol!!!
I give him an E for effort. 

Then we have sweet,shy Rose Christner. A very lovable and kind pain but who was on the wrong place at the wrong time. It is why she's afraid all of the time and always looking over her shoulder. Her sisters and Josiah is always protecting her bit she doesn't want to be a project or a burden on them. This is Rose's story to tell like Aunt Bitsy said. 
May the Lord guide Rose in her telling the story and if she tells will the mystery be solved? Only the Lord knows. He is our protector at all times and sends ppl to help Him in his stead. 
I still will not like Paul Glick!! He's mean and a cheater and liar! He is the one who done the Honeybee sisters wrong! I do ot like ppl who twist what really happened to.make themselves look good! It's not right! But, I believe Paul will get his justice in the end. I say this because God will take care of the mean ppl in the end!!

ppl you ve just got to read this last book in the series!!! As the Honeybee sisters say,"it's wonderful gut!!!! 

ABOUT THE AUTHOR


Jennifer BeckstrandI grew up with a steady diet of William Shakespeare and Jane Austen. After all that literary immersion, I naturally decided to get a degree in mathematics, which came in handy when one of my six children needed help with homework. After my fourth daughter was born, I started writing. By juggling diaper changes, soccer games, music lessons, laundry, and two more children, I finished my first manuscript—a Western—in just under fourteen years.

I have always been fascinated by the Amish way of life and now write Inspirational Amish Romance. I am drawn to the strong faith of the Plain people and admire the importance they put on enduring family ties. I have visited and studied Amish communities in Pennsylvania and Wisconsin where I met with a bishop and a minister as well as several Amish mamms, dats, and children. It has always impressed me at what salt-of-the-earth people they are. My interactions with these kind people have been some of the most rewarding experiences of my life. I have a dear Amish friend with whom I correspond in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania. She helps me keep my facts straight and gives me inspiration for my stories.

My goal is to write uplifting, inspiring stories with happy endings and hopeful messages. If my books make readers want to give themselves a big hug or jump up and down for joy, I’ve done my job. I am a member of Romance Writers of America and American Christian Fiction Writers and am represented by Mary Sue Seymour of The Seymour Agency.

There are three Amish romances in the Forever After in Apple Lake Series (Summerside/Guideposts). Kate’s Song, Rebecca’s Rose, and Miriam’s Quilt are all now available.

I have six Amish Romances in the works with Kensington Books. The first and second books, Huckleberry Hill and Huckleberry Summer, are now available in stores and online. The Matchmakers of Huckleberry Hill is set in northern Wisconsin Amish country.

The series, The Matchmakers of Huckleberry Hill, is about an elderly Amish couple who try to find suitable mates for their grandchildren. What could be more fun than throwing two young people together to see if sparks ignite? No one would ever suspect two octogenarian Amish folks of mischief.

Romantic Times gave Huckleberry Hill 4 1/2 stars and chose Huckleberry Summer as a TOP PICK.

I have four daughters, two sons, three sons-in-law, and two adorable grandsons. I live in the foothills of the Wasatch Front with my husband and one son still left at home.






My Father's House by Rose Chandler Johnson -- Book Spotlight + Giveaway





Genre: Christian, Contemporary, Fiction, Romance, Suspense
Publisher: CreateSpace
Publication date: March 13, 2016
Number of pages: 314

Growing up, life is idyllic for Lily Rose Cates due to her one constant – her father’s love. But in her sixteenth summer, all that changes without warning with her father’s sudden death. There begins Lily’s struggle to find herself and a life she thinks is gone forever.


Marriage to her prince charming promises fulfillment, but their happily-ever-after barely survives the honeymoon. Beneath the sophisticated façade lies a brooding man who hides dark secrets. When all Lily’s illusions of happiness shatter, she must make hard choices – abandon her husband or risk losing much more than her marriage. She flees their home in Detroit and sets out on a fearful journey to a house in Georgia that her husband knows nothing about. . . .​


In spite of heartbreak and regrets, will she find the strength to survive whatever comes? Or will her husband find her and shatter all her hopes . . . again. This is one woman’s compelling tale of love and survival as she finds her way back home to faith and who she’s meant to be . . . in her father’s house.




My Father’s House is Rose’s first novel. Her devotional journal, God, Me, and Sweet Iced Tea: Experiencing God in the Midst of Everyday Moments won the Georgia Author of the Year Finalist Award in 2014. It was also awarded the Selah Finalist Award in the same year. Rose enjoys writing for her blog, Write Moments with God and engaging with her readers. A native Georgian, Rose has lived in a suburb of Augusta for the last thirty years. Before retiring from Georgia’s public school system, Rose taught English, French, and ESOL. She is currently an adjunct English instructor at a community college. In addition to reading and writing, Rose enjoys cooking, sewing, gardening, and spending time with her six children and their growing families. And yes, sweet iced tea is her beverage of choice.





Enter the giveaway HERE.



Thursday, August 25, 2016

No way up by Mary Conneally

No Way Up (Cimarron Legacy, #1)


                      ABOUT THE BOOK

When Cimarron ranch patriarch Chance Boden is caught in an avalanche, the quick actions of hired hand Heath Kincaid save him. Badly injured, Chance demands that his will be read and its conditions be enforced immediately. 
Without anyone else to serve as a witness, Heath is pressed into reading the will. If Justin, Sadie, and Cole Boden don't live and work at home for the entire year, the ranch will go to their low-down cousin Mike. 
Then Heath discovers the avalanche was a murder attempt, and more danger might follow. Deeply involved with the family, Heath's desire to protect Sadie goes far beyond friendship. The danger keeps them close together, and their feelings grow until being apart is the last thing on their minds.


                          MY THOUGHTS


I love this book! So far, I've laughed and snickered through this book! Mary is a fine author and I love her books! I always look forward to the next one and I wonder what surprises are in store for us in the next one?
Mary also knows just where to put humor in her books where it needs to go!
Chance knew his kids needed a good dose of reality. He wanted them to learn a lesson because he was afraid they'd drifted so far apart and lose the land that he worked so hard to build up. 
Sadie is my favorite and Cole comes in next. I'm thinking that Justin will come a close 3rd! 
Cole and Justin are so stubborn! Sadie is just as stubborn and sneaky it seems!



                   ABOUT THE AUTHOR


Mary ConnealyI wrote my first book when I was about twelve. A romance novel. I shudder to think what a twelve year old could know about romance. I have no idea what happened to the manuscript. I suppose my mother found it, and burned it while screaming in horror, but I’ve always been afraid to ask. Was it a hundred pages? Two? I have no idea, but I seem to remember just writing FOREVER! So I’m guessing two pages long at least.

As a new bride I marched straight out of journalism school and into the kitchen, I did a lot of scribbling. I still have those heartbreaking works of staggering genius, Ode to Roast Beef, things like that, all born out of the ‘Write What You Know’ school of literature.

I began writing more seriously when my baby went to kindergarten. Not writing well of course, but just putting words on paper. No one does anything well the first time. I’m sure Babe Ruth missed the first ball pitched to him. I’m sure Picasso smeared pages with paint-y fingers when he was a kid—as I remember he went back to that later in life. I’m sure Beethoven played the eighteenth century version of Chopsticks before went for the sonatas.

My writing journey is similar to a lot of others. Boil it down to persistence, oh, go ahead and call it stubbornness. I just kept typing away. I think the reason I did it was because I’m more or less a dunce around people—prone to sit silently when I really ought to speak up(or far worse, speak up when I ought to sit silently).

So, I have all these things, I want to say, in my head; the perfect zinger to the rude cashier, which you think of an hour after you’ve left the store, the perfect bit of wisdom when someone needs help, which doesn’t occur to you until they solve their problems themselves, the perfect guilt trip for the kids, which you don’t say because you’re not an idiot. I keep all this wit to myself, much to the relief of all who know me, and then I write all my great ideas into books. It’s therapeutic if nothing else, and more affordable than a psychiatrist.

So then a very nice, oh so nice publishing company like Barbour Heartsong comes along and says, “Hey, we’ll pay you money for this 45,000 word therapy session.” That’s as sweet as it gets.

My journey to publication is the same as everyone’s except for a few geniuses out there who make it hard for all of us. And even they probably have an Ode to Roast Beef or two in their past.
 





Eden Hill

Eden Hill





Nothing seems to change in Eden Hill, Kentucky, and that’s just fine with Virgil T. Osgood. He’s been content to raise his family and run the only service station in town. But when a new station is set to open right across the road from Virgil’s pumps, he suddenly faces obstacles in his career, his marriage, and his self-worth that he’s never even dreamed of.

Cornelius Alexander wants his new Zipco station to succeed and help establish a strong foundation for his growing family. As long as he follows the Zipco guide, he’s sure to be a success―and prove his father wrong.

Reverend Caudill wants to be a conduit for grace in his town, but that grace is challenged by the changes sweeping through in the early 1960s. For the sake of this small town, Virgil and Cornelius must learn to get along, but how do you love your neighbor when his very presence threatens to upend everything you hold dear?


MY THOUGHTS


his was a very enjoyable read!! Funny,very entertaining, and some seriousness too!
I loved that it was set in the 60's because it shows us that neighbors still cared about neighbors and helped them out in time of need.
Bill, I loved this novel and I Especially loved Reverend Caudill! He definitely had his hands full with the flock of Eden Hill!!!
Madeline Crutcher made me want to strangle her at times!
Virgil and his family cracked me up in mote ways than one. my thoughts were maybe he shouldn't have have hung around frank so much because he was always in trouble with Frank squeezing out of which wasn't fair.
I loved the town of Eden Hill, Kentucky. Wished it was a real place!
I wish that we today, could take time out to help ppl these days like they did back then.
But, people are hard to trust and we are just way too busy with our lives. The world has changed greatly since then and not for the good either.
Our generation has even shut God out of our lives and that is really sad for without Him we are nothing!
Bill, I hope you write a sequel to this story. I'd like to see Vee a grown up young man and see how he turned out and I'd like to see how the Reverend liked his new job
 
Bill Higgs


ABOUT THE AUTHOR



Bill Higgs is a lapsed academic, former engineer, and avid storyteller. He also admits to being a nostalgic baby boomer, with a keen interest in how things past can teach lessons for the present. He lives in Kentucky with his wife, author Liz Curtis Higgs, and her two cats. Eden Hill is his first novel.



















Review for Seasons in Paradise by Barbara Camaron


Seasons in Paradise


ABOUT THE BOOK

Sam Stoltzfus left the Amish community and followed his older brother, David, into the Englisch world, walking away from a chance for love. Sam had clashed with his father, but is there more to his leaving the community than what he says? 
Mary Elizabeth, the woman he was starting to love before he left, is determined to find out the reason and bring him back into the fold in time for Christmas.


MY THOUGHTS


Oh my! I finished this book today. All in one day! That's how good it was!
God is good is he not?
Just when Mary Elizabeth lost hope in ever getting married God helps her along the way.
Mary Elizabeth is a pretty cool Amish woman. I loved how she bounces back after having her hopes up about marrying Sam.
Mary Elizabeth is a woman of many talents from cooking, sewing, whatever the case may be.
I just knew it was wrong when she was dating Ben because she was trying to show Sam up but I also knew she was using Ben as a rebound which isn't good either!
Aren't men just so hardheaded? Sam just goes to prove it by running away from home with his 2 brothers. Their father wasn't good to them but maybe it had something to do with the way he was raised? Some parents doesn't know how to show their affection especially men. From what I hear, it is more difficult for them to show their feelings which I think is a lot of malarkey. They're human too.
Sams mother mentions that it took Lavina to marry David to get him to come home. She also mentions it about Sam. It took someone to tell her that it was God's will that Sam might come home? Who knows? Only God does!
I am so so happy for Lavina! She's a wonderful inspiration as well.
Isn't there a pattern here? I think the Stolzfus's mirror the Zooks. I believe each of their children were meant for each other but sometimes it just takes a little nudge from God to help show us the way and that is why I love this story. This is why I gave 5 stars to this wonderful book
Barbara is an excellent storyteller!
 
Barbara  Cameron
ABOUT THE AUTHOR

BD, CBA, and ECPA bestselling author of 24 books (including new series upcoming for Abingdon Press in 2011/2012) including fiction and non-fiction books for Abingdon Press, Thomas Nelson, Harlequin, and other publishers.

I sold three films to HBO/Cinemax and am the first winner of the Romance Writers of America Golden Heart Award.

My two novellas won the 2nd and 3rd place in the Inspirational Readers Choice Contest from the Faith, Love, and Hope chapter of RWA. Both were finalists for the novella category of the Carol Award of the American Christian Writers Award (ACFW).


Where Hope Prevails

Where Hope Prevails (Return to the Canadian West #3)

ABOUT THE BOOK

When Beth Thatcher returns to Coal Valley, she has much to be excited about. She anticipates Jarrick's proposal of marriage and perhaps a spring wedding. The mine is expanding, and there are more schoolchildren than ever.
But the town's rapid growth brings many challenges. A second teacher is assigned, and Beth finds herself going head-to-head with a very different philosophy of education--one that dismisses religion and rejects God. Fearful for the children who sit under the influence of Robert Harris Hughes, Beth struggles to know how to respond.
At the same time, Beth wonders if Jarrick is considering a position at her father's company simply for her sake. Should she admit her feelings on the matter? Or keep silent and allow Jarrick to make up his own mind?
 


MY THOUGHTS



I almost felt sorry for Beth who returned to Coal Valley to everything changed and new ppl in town. Beth isn't one for change and I have to admit I'm not one for change either even if it is for good. Beth has a lot to overcome. But, I believe she can with the Lords help. Beth also has a challenge. 
A new teacher has come to town. Beth isn't sure what his motives are and does t like his ideas for teaching. 
Mr.Harry Hastings is new in town and thinks he knows it all! His beliefs differ very differently from Beths. I shouldn't have been shocked as there are a lot of non believers ot there. 
I love Mrs. Molly. she runs a boarding house and is a wonderful person and counselor. 
Sometimes it seems as of she's a second mother to Beth with her wisdom and wise ways. One things for sure, she definitely kows the Lord. 
I love her husband Frank as well. He has a lot of knowledge about the town and who has settled there since it was founded. 
It seems to me there is a little mystery involved. Someone is causing a ruckus down by the river. Who is doing it and why? 
Beth thinks she can take matters into her own hands and concoct them to go her way.But, when things don't go her way she seems confused and wants to throw a temper tantrum. 
Jarrack is still the sweet man that he aways is. He is still my hero! I just looove a Mountie. 
I loved this book for. any reasons. first I lived it ease the author is showing us there is still hope no matter what happens in our lives! If and when God allows it, it will happen for He knows what will happen before we do! 
Two, she is showing is that there is friendship in this town called Coal Valley. people still do gatherings and feel safe plus they don't mind helping one another. I love that! I wish we could trust like that in today's world but we're not sure who has your back and who doesn't. 
One thing I know for sure is God's got our backs. He is always there if you need a true friend.
I received a copy of this book from Bethany House in exchange for an honest review
I love Janette Oak. I definitely love her writing style! I also wanted to say I loooooved the book cover. 
I gave this book a 5 star rating because it was full of wonderful people and I especially enjoyed retuning to my previous friends.


                                        ABOUT THE AUTHOR

4049Janette Oke writes with a profound simplicity of what she knows best—real life, honest love, and lasting values. With over 23 million in sales, her historical novels portray the lives of early North American settlers from many walks of life and geographical settings. She also writes engaging children's stories and inspiring gift books that warm the heart.

Janette was born during the depression years to a Canadian prairie farmer and his wife, and she remembers her childhood as full of love and laughter and family love. After graduating from Mountain View Bible College in Canada where she met her husband, Edward, they pastored churches in Canada and the U.S., and they raised their family of four children, including twin boys, in both countries. Edward eventually became president of Mountain View Bible College and recently established a coalition of colleges that became Rocky Mountain Bible College.

During her earliest years, Janette sensed the desire to write. Though she yearned to be a published novelist, she devoted herself to being a wife and mother because, she says, "there is no higher honor—that is my number-one priority." She began serious writing when her children were entering their teens.

Her first novel, a prairie love story titled Love Comes Softly, was published by Bethany House in 1979. This book was followed by more than 75 others. She reaches both religious and general markets, telling stories that transcend time and place. Her readers of all ages and walks of life can identify with the everyday events and emotions of her characters. Janette believes everyone goes through tough times—the key is to be prepared with a strong faith as the foundation from which decisions are made and difficult experiences are faced. That perspective is subtly woven throughout her novels.

After Love Comes Softly was published, Oke found her readers asking for more. That book led to a series of eight others in her Love Comes Softly series. She has written multiple fiction series, including The Canadian West, Seasons of the Heart and Women of the West. Her most recent releases include a beautiful children's picture book, I Wonder...Did Jesus Have a Pet Lamb and The Song of Acadia series, co-written with T. Davis Bunn.

Janette Oke's warm writing style has won the hearts of millions of readers. She has received numerous awards, including the Gold Medallion Award, The Christy Award of Excellence, the 1992 President's Award for her significant contribution to the category of Christian fiction from the Evangelical Christian Publishers Association, and in 1999 the Life Impact Award from the Christian Booksellers Association International. Beloved worldwide, her books have been translated into fourteen languages.

In recent years, Janette and her siblings lovingly restored their parents' prairie farm home, and it now serves as a gift shop and museum of prairie life. Please see below for a special invitation to the Oke Writing Museum and The Steeves' Historical House. She and her husband live nearby in Alberta, Canada, where they are active in their local church. Visits from their families, including their grandchildren, are their delight.
—[http://www.janetteoke.com/ME2/Sites/d...]



Wednesday, August 17, 2016

Collision of the Heart by Laurie Alice Eakes

Collision of the Heart


ABOUT THE BOOK

Mia Roper isn’t a typical nineteenth-century woman. Refusing to pass up the hard-won opportunity to prove herself as a journalist, she left Hillsdale, Michigan, hoping in vain that Ayden Goswell would follow her to Boston.

When the train bringing her back for her first major story crashes in a snowstorm outside town, Mia is stranded. Not even the survival of a fellow passenger, a toddler, can ease her heart’s sudden ache at seeing Ayden, now a history professor at the local college, courting someone else.

Ayden’s never gotten over the fact that the most fascinating woman he ever met chose her career over marriage…and he let her go. But marrying the department director’s daughter could at least guarantee him a permanent job. It’s a satisfactory arrangement, yet his kind, pretty bride-to-be has one simple flaw: she’s not Mia.

As soon as the trains are running, Mia will be leaving again, unless she and Ayden can reconcile ambition and love—and take a leap of faith together



MY THOUGHTS


I absolutely loved this story! Laurie Alice Eakes has done it again! I love her writing and her imagination to write such wonderful stories! She has been a favorite if mine since I first picked up her books in 2014 with the midwives series.

The reason I enjoyed this story was because I could see God's work on the move. He had to work especially hard on Ayden and Mia because of their stubborn hearts. One blames the other for their heart breaks and neither realize it takes two to work things out
I love Mia for her kindness and generosity towards helping others in need. 
She is stubborn as well!! It's this stubbornness that often gets her in trouble. I wish I was more like her! She's my heroine! She's my heroine because I love the fact that she stands up for women. We ladies didn't get the right to vote until 1919. Men think we r still not supposed to have our own minds. Mia wanted women to be recognized for what we are instead of staying at home and wasting our minds as Ayden called it 
Ayden is just as equally stubborn. He thinks he has to be right all the time just like most men do so he in turn does stupid things never once asking God for help before he does these things.
However; I do admire his admiration for women to want to go to college as he's always bugging his sister Rosalie about lol
He also teases her unmercifully but I guess that what siblings do. 
I also lie the novel because Laurie is showing us how people came together in the wake of a tragedy. That small towns cared about one another. I wish it were that simple in today's world.
Like Mia said in big towns u can't trust no one or know what their about. If you lose your job, there is no one to pick u up if u fall. 
Indeed there is someone that can pick you up if you fall. All you have to do is ask and ye shall receive. I believe most people have forgotten Him. 
I cried at the end because things do have a way of working themselves out!


                                           ABOUT THE AUTHOR


Laurie Alice EakesLaurie Alice Eakes used to lie in bed as a child telling herself stories so she didn’t wake anyone else up. Sometimes she shared her stories withothers; thus, when she decided to be a writer, she surprised no one. Family Guardian, her first book, won the National Readers Choice Award for Best Regency in 2007. In the past three years, she has sold six books to Baker/Revell, five of which are set during the Regency time period, four books to Barbour Publishing, as well as two novellas to Barbour Publishing and one to Baker/Revell. Seven of her books have been picked up by Thorndike Press for large print publication, and Lady in the Mist, her first book with Revell, was chosen for hardcover publication with Crossings Bookclub. She also teaches on-line writing courses and enjoys a speaking ministry that has taken her from the Gulf Coast to the East Coast.
Laurie Alice lives in Texas with her husband, two dogs and two cats, and is learning how to make tamales.

You can learn more about her and her work at http://www.lauriealiceeakes.com












                                                                                                                                      






















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