A Brush of Wings (Angels Walking #3)

A Brush of Wings is a wonderful reminder that we're not in this battlefield of life alone. All those near misses and little reminders may not be simply a coincidence. I love Karen's description of the hissing dark side and praying angles who intercede on our behalf. I believe the only thing that could have made this story better, is if I had read the first two novels in the series. At different times I felt like I was missing the back story. 

I would recommend this novel to anyone who loves Karen Kingsbury novels, needs a reminder that angles war for us, or anyone who just wants to read a great novel.

*This book was given to me by NetGalley for an honest review.

The Atonement

The Atonement is a beautiful story about love, forgiveness, and redemption. It reads, in my opinion, like it's a sequel. As you read through the novel, the back story slowly unfolds.

I found myself greatly sympathizing with Lucy as she reveals her past and struggles with her present and future. On certain issues, I've been in her shoes and how she can function while keeping it all bottled up is beyond me. Perhaps her packed schedule is evidence that bottling up your past isn't healthy.

One thing that really stuck out to me is the notion that what we've done is to bad for God to forgive, either by will or ability. I guess when fretting over our problems we forget that the God who put the earth just close enough to the sun for us to be warm and just far enough away to not burn us to a crisp, can surely forgive us our past.

I recommend this book to anyone who loves Amish fiction or if you've ever dealt with loss.

*This novel was given to me by NetGalley for an honest review.

Bad Luck

I'm always on the lookout for a great series for my daughter so I jumped at the chance to read Bad Luck. I was no disappointed. I kept reminding myself the book is for kids, yet I really enjoyed it. I started telling my nine year old the story and she was quickly hooked and asking to read the novel. Bad Luck is a great mix of mystery, adventure, and best of all (for my daughter anyway) a dragon.

I highly suggest this book to all the young readers who enjoy adventure and perhaps the older readers who enjoy a good read.

*The novel was given to me by NetGalley for an honest review.

The Restoration

The Restoration is a wonderful continuation of the Prairie State Friends series. This is one of the few series that I've read that truly continues where it left off with all the characters. Yet, if you haven't read the first two books the novel reads smoothly and complete.

I love how we can learn the rest of Leah's story, find out what happens to Priscilla, and finally get closure for Elaine. Of course Wanda couldn't just tell us the next chapter in our main characters lives and move on. She throws in some twists, turns, and closure.

I enjoyed reading this novel and would recommend it to anyone who loves Amish fiction.

*This book was given to me by NetGalley for an honest review.

The English Son (The Amish Millionaire #1)

After reading the Discovery series I had high hopes for this first book in The Amish Millionaire series. Did it meet my expectations? Yes and no. It gave some good bones to build on for the next five books, it has a great ending (no peaking, you must start on page one), and it did a good job of setting up the story. I know most of the distaste for the novel is simply because it's the introduction. We meet all the main characters and start to learn the difficulties of their relationships and suddenly we're on pause until the next book.

Even though this is an entry book where everything is building and not even close to being settled, Wanda does give us some good lessons. We can learn a good lesson on parenting from Eustace. He shows wisdom in how he handled a difficult situation with Joel. Without giving away the story, we can learn about the importance of honesty and being slow to make assumptions.

Overall, I enjoyed the book because I know it's setting the foundation for something greater.

*This book was given to me by NetGalley for an honest review.

The Cactus Creek Challenge

This novel is laugh out loud funny with witty comebacks in difficult situations. To balance out the funny parts Vetsch threw in some mystery, danger, love, and a whole bucket load of stretching opportunities for the challenge contestants.

I really enjoyed how this isn't your typical history nor romance novel. I was drawn into the story immediately and found myself from the beginning of the challenge, guessing who would win. In the end I wasn’t disappointed in how the story wrapped up.

I would recommend this book to anyone who likes Old West stories and enjoys a good laugh.

*This book was given to me by NetGalley for an honest review.

An Amish Christmas Gift

An Amish Christmas Gift leaves me wanting more, yet happy with the little glimpses into other series. Amy Clipston's story takes us back to rub elbows with the characters in the Kauffman Amish Bakery Series and Kelly Irvin takes us back to The Amish of Bee County. After having invested time into the characters lives by reading the other books, it was exciting to go back and get another glimpse of the stories. I've never read a novel by Ruth Reid, but I enjoyed her novella here. I found myself identifying with Abigail perhaps a bit more than I care to admit. Abigail teaches us to show kindness to everyone and think before you speak.

The novellas feel like they ended short especially Kelly Irvin's. I wish her story had been made into a novel with more details of how the situation played out. Also, I was surprised to find that characters I loved in the original series, that played only small roles in this book, weren't as likable. Eventually one of the characters in A Christmas Visitor won me over by showing the same kindness as in The Beekeeper's Son.

*This book was given to me by NetGalley for an honest review.

Macrame Fashion Accessories & Jewelry

A popular 70's craft with current day projects. Sure there are some throwbacks to the 70's, but many of the patterns are current. I love the pattern for the pretty edging on the stole. The small jewelry is simple enough my 8 year old daughter could make them with me.

I appreciate how the book not only gives me the degree of difficulty for each pattern, but they show me the techniques being used.

I would recommend this book to anyone wanting to try their hand at macrame.

*This book was given to me by NetGalley for an honest review.

Joline's Redemption

Action packed, tense, and exciting to the end. This book was entertaining to read and worth the late nights. Although the story is set in the late 1800's, Vickie McDonough did a wonderful job incorporating current lessons for us to learn. One nugget that can be taken from Joline's Redemption is how to God, sin is sin; man ranks sin as some being worse than others, but God sees them all the same. She weaves God in the story so naturally and easily it didn't feel like a random "God drop".

I really enjoyed the story and recommend it to anyone who enjoys old west stories.

*This novel was given to me by NetGalley for an honest review.

The Mistress of Tall Acre

The Mistress of Tall Acre is an engaging story that is difficult to put down. We read through a whirlwind of struggles, death, legal battles and so much more. I kept thinking I had to be nearing the end of the book because so much had happened, but I would only be at 40%, 60%, ect. And my goodness the twists the book takes.

This is a novel I struggle to leave a review for that doesn't include spoilers. I absolutely loved it! I read the book until I feel asleep and woke up to read it some more. I would recommend it to anyone who loves novels about the Revolutionary War or just great stories.

*This book was given to me by NetGalley for an honest review.

The Christmas Cradle

The cover and title of this book doesn't do the riveting story justice. This is an Amish story unlike any I have ever read. Charlotte Hubbard hit multiple big and current topics in The Christmas Cradle. She covers the consequences of premarital relations, revenge, shunning, death, love and grace. This was a book I struggled to put down. It's a mixture of sweet and intense moments all wrapped up in grace.

I would recommend this book to anyone enjoys a mystery or Amish fiction. It's definitely a great read.

*This book was given to me by NetGalley for an honest review.

Safe In His Arms

Safe in His Arms is a late night, edge of your seat, reading till you pass out from exhaustion kind of novel. If you love action and mystery novels you should give this one a read. Colleen hits on inheritance debates, murder, bank robbers, and of course love. I could relate to Margaret's feelings on her looks. Actually I believe most women find flaws in their appearance. We can all view ourselves to tall, short, heavy, skinny, big feet, small boobs and so on. Yet, despite our shortcomings, those closest to us can see the real us.


This book was a great read that I really enjoyed to the breath holding end.

*This book was given to me years ago for an honest review by Net Galley. I downloaded the book, but somehow missed reading it. Many apologies to Colleen Coble for delaying this review. It truly is a wonderful book.

The Curiosity Keeper

The Curiosity Keeper is a riveting book that dives into strenuous family relationships, loyalty, and purpose. I found myself glued to the story while weaving through the clashes between different classes, the missing Bovey, and a host of issues. This is one mystery novel I couldn't put down until I was done and even then I found myself thinking about the characters. I would recommend this book to anyone looking for a good mystery book. Even my eight year old daughter was caught up in the story.

*This book was given to me by Net Galley for an honest review.

Spectacular Selection of Sea Critters

My eight year old daughter and I read this together. We enjoyed the bright colors and fun rhymes. The book was a bit difficult to read, especially on a laptop, because of the creative illustrations and how the words were woven throughout it. However, we enjoyed it. If you have a child who enjoys the sea this would be a fun addition to their reading collection.

*This book was given to me by Net Galley for an honest review.

Made With Love

Made With Love by Tricia Goyer and Sherry Gore is a different look on Amish life in Sarasota, Florida. I enjoyed reading how Lovina's family adapted to life away from a farm. One thing we can take away from this story is how to handle someone's past. Do we hold it against them or look at who they are now? This seems like an easy decision until we're faced with the choice. There are quite a few things we can learn from this book about marriage, trust in God, and community.

Although I enjoyed the story it did feel slow. I was near the end of the book when I felt the excitement pick up. Do I need excitement? I need a story that will grip me enough I can't put it down till I'm done. I read the last 20% of the book in one sitting because I HAD to know how it ended; I wish I felt that way in the first 20%.

*This book was given to me by Net Galley for an honest review.

Stay! A Top Dog Story

Fun book with great illustrations. Ben knows his dog's quirks well and leaves humors, yet helpful note on how to care for him. One thing we can learn is that a little training goes a long way with dogs.

My third grader found it inspiring on how to write a short story for school this year.

*This book was given to me by Net Galley for an honest review.

A Bride at Last

A Bride at Last is a whirlwind of hurt, troubled pasts, and a little bit of love. There's a lot of action packed into this book; enough that I thought surely I'm nearing the end when I was less than halfway through. There's so much hurt and pain that I found myself grieving for these people. I can't imagine going a lifetime without a kind word or touch. Under all the story lines we see lessons that we can take away like not judging people for who they were, but who they are.

Overall it was a great story that I would definitely recommend and possibly read again.

*The novel was given to me by Net Galley for an honest review.

The Gift

The Gift by Wanda E. Brunstetter didn't disappoint!!! We journey through love, sacrifices, loss, pain, and so much more. This is one of those books I struggle to put down because I'm always at a "good part". You seem to settle or calm one issue and suddenly find yourself building up in another area. We have unlikely meetings and chances for new beginnings. It's a whirlwind of a story that leaves me wanting to read more.

While all the relationships are growing, building and blossoming we learn of Leah's love for humming birds. This isn't just a little "I like hummers" and moving on. A lot of facts are shared about the little guys. It made me wish I had a feeder to put out so we can attract our own humming birds.

*This book was given to me by NetGalley for an honest review.

The Promise Box

The Promise Box is a powerful book about loss, love, consequences, and your personal walk with God. We get to see the beauty of adoption after horrific circumstances and the love of a mother. We also witness the over protection of some parents and the patient love of others.

I found this book quite inspiring and at times I was moved to tears. Tricia Goyer's sprinkled wonderful life nuggets throughout the book.

*This book was given to me by NetGalley for an honest review. This is my second time reading it after I realized I didn't review it the first time.

The Undercover Bride

The Undercover Bride is an intriguing book about theft, deception, love, and danger. I was quickly drawn in and HAD to find out how it would end which involved some late night reading. The characters are engaging and loveable. I enjoyed reading the mystery unfold.

*This book was given to me to read by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.