This book concludes a six-part short series about Luke and Merideth. It ends somewhat predictably, but happily so. I would have loved to see more development and much more could have been written, but I guess the story had to end somewhere. No real surprises were in this story, but it was a sarisfying to a good, clean, hopeful story. Keep the books coming Mrs. Brunstetter!
A three-year old son, a struggling café, and fading memories are all Robin Price has left of her late husband. As the proud owner of Willow Tree Café in small town Peaks, Iowa, she pours her heart into every muffin she bakes and espresso she pulls, thankful for the sense of purpose and community the work provides. So when developer Ian McKay shows up in Peaks with plans to build condos where her café and a vital town ministry are located, she isn’t about to let go without a fight. As stubborn as he is handsome, Ian won’t give up easily. His family’s business depends on his success in Peaks. But as Ian pushes to seal the deal, he wonders if he has met his match. Robin’s gracious spirit threatens to undo his resolve, especially when he discovers the beautiful widow harbors a grief that resonates with his own. With polarized opinions forming all over town, business becomes unavoidably personal and Robin and Ian must decide whether to cling to the familiar or surrender their plans to the God of Second Chances. (less)A three-year old son, a struggling café, and fading memories are all Robin Price has left of her late husband. As the proud owner of Willow Tree Café in small town Peaks, Iowa, she pours her heart into every muffin she bakes and espresso she pulls, thankful for the sense of purpose and community the work provides.
So when developer Ian McKay shows up in Peaks with plans to build condos where her café and a vital town ministry are located, she isn’t about to let go without a fight. As stubborn as he is handsome, Ian won’t give up easily. His family’s business depends on his success in Peaks. But as Ian pushes to seal the deal, he wonders if he has met his match. Robin’s gracious spirit threatens to undo his resolve, especially when he discovers the beautiful widow harbors a grief that resonates with his own. With polarized opinions forming all over town, business becomes unavoidably personal and Robin and Ian must decide whether to cling to the familiar or surrender their plans to the God of Second Chances.
My Comments: Katie Ganshert writes a sweet, tear-producing book. I enjoyed reading all about Robin’s journey from widowhood to new love. A question in the reader’s guide asks which character am I the most like, and I would have to say Amanda. I don’t usually hold on to things like Robin and Ian. I hold on to things for a little while, but not years. Of course, I still have my family – all except my Dad, so my issues are different. I enjoyed the setting of this book a little town in the midwest. I love the idea of a small cafe which is completely owned and family-run. Robin is sweet and wants to do the right thing by her son and her late husband. Ian wants to prove himself all the while keeping a tragic secret.
Wishing on Willows is a very engaging read – a sweet slice of life. Thank you WaterBrook for providing a free copy in exchange for my honest review!
Being married to a saint isn’t what it’s cracked up to be.
Beth’s husband won’t be joining the family on vacation at the beach this year. He’s not even joining them in the house. Instead, Rick has holed up alone in the backyard shed. Nobody knows exactly what he’s up to. Maybe he’s immersing himself in prayer. Maybe he’s lost his mind. Maybe he’s even the modern-day prophet or the saint the neighborhood artist imagines him to be. But while “St. Rick” waits for an epiphany, Beth will have to figure out what to do with herself and their teenage sons, possibly for the rest of her life.
What happens next is both uproarious and bittersweet: a peace march turns violent, her son is caught with drugs, and she embarks on an ambitious road trip that turns into something nearly surreal. Will Beth rediscover the idealistic woman she used to be, once upon a time? Can her marriage survive Rick’s backyard vigil? Will anything ever be the same? And should it be?
Truthful, comic, heartbreaking, and magical in the very best sense of the word, The Sky Beneath My Feetgently tears the veil off our egos and expectations to reveal the throbbing, redemptive, and achingly beautiful life beyond and within us.
My Comments: When I began this book I got very excited. I thought I was reading a book I could really relate to. As the book went on, however, I felt a little lost and found it harder to relate to what I was reading. This story was good at showing how real people in ministry are – they have the same thoughts and struggles as people not in ministry. We all don’t grow up in ministry families – some of us don’t even grow up in Christian homes. Ministry families have the same struggles are everyone else and some unique ones all their own. This book did a great job portraying that. However, the struggles were difficult for me to relate to very different from my own. Having said all of that, I enjoyed this book and was excited to read it because both of my daughters love Lisa Samson. This book is a great slice of life.
Everything changed between them the first time he called her Katie.
Katherine Yoder has loved Johnny Mullet since the two were children, but he’s never returned her affections.
Now Johnny is trying to forge a new life for himself by purchasing a farm and building a business of his own. But times are tough, and he soon learns that he can’t take anything for granted—especially Katherine.
Before Johnny has the opportunity to tell Katherine his true feelings, she’s struck by a serious illness. While Katherine struggles to recall recent memories of Johnny, a surprise visitor comes back into her life, claiming that his letters speak of a history and a future for the two of them.
With the two men vying for her attention and her memory still elusive, Katherine has never felt so torn. But will the solutions to both Johnny’s and Katherine’s problems lie in places neither one has ever considered?
My Comments: Johnny’s feelings somewhat confused me throughout this story. I didn’t really understand how he was supposed to feel about Katherine. It came together for me, however, as I continued to read the story. I never knew before that meningitis could cause irreversible short-term memory loss. Memory loss is frightening to me and I felt so sorry for Katherine. I enjoyed this sweet read by Kathleen Fuller as I enjoy all of her Amish stories. I love how Katherine’s mother is so protective of her, although at times that also frustrated and annoyed me while reading. I guess you could say I was engaged and interacted with this story while reading. Thank you NetGalley for another great book to review!
One innocent mistake . . . a lifetime of consequences.
After growing up an only child, Amanda Lisandra wants a big family. But since she and her soldier husband can’t afford to have more children right away, Mandy decides to earn money as a gestational carrier for a childless couple. She loves being pregnant, and while carrying the child, she dreams of having her own son and maybe another daughter. . . .
Just when the nearly perfect pregnancy is about to conclude, unexpected tragedy enters Mandy’s world and leaves her reeling. Devastated by grief, she surrenders the child she was carrying and struggles to regain her emotional equilibrium.
Two years later she studies a photograph of the baby she bore and wonders if the unthinkable has happened—could she have inadvertently given away her own biological child? Over the next few months Mandy struggles to decide between the desires of her grief-stricken heart and what’s best for the little boy she has never known.
My Comments: The content of books never ceases to amaze me. Angela Hunt takes an issue I have had questions about and weaves it into a great story! Struggles are a part of life – some are thrust upon us and some are due to choices we make. This book covers a struggle which is a result of a choice. Carrying another person’s baby is not a choice I would have ever made mainly due to the fact that I hated being pregnant. My hormones worked overtime and I felt sick for 9 months. It’s worth it for your own child, but for someone elses’? and to get paid for it? Wow, this book made me think. One thing I love about reading is that you live vicariously through someone else – you see their struggles and you work out in your own mind how you would solve their problems. There were a few twists along the way, but this makes for a great story. I usually read everything Angela Hunt writes – and enjoy her writing. She did a great job of putting me into Mandy’s head, so that I could feel what she felt and see what she saw. Her relationship with her mom was interesting and I felt it could have been developed a wee bit more, but enough information was given. Her relationship with her in-laws was even more interesting to me. They seemed more like her birth family, and they were of another culture! Great writing Ms. Hunt!
ve”Help me.” When she opens her door to a wounded, handcuffed stranger, Laney Jefferson is Fugitive”Help me.” When she opens her door to a wounded, handcuffed stranger, Laney Jefferson is terrified…until she recognizes her unexpected visitor. Thirteen years ago, Logan Randal was there for her when she desperately needed a friend. Now the wrongfully convicted lawman needs the widow’s help. On the run from the law and guided only by Laney’s unswerving faith in Logan’s innocence, their mutual attraction begins to break down the barriers around Laney’s heart. But the real culprit is much closer than they imagine…a cunning enemy determined to keep the past—and the truth—buried forever.terrified…until she recognizes her unexpected visitor. Thirteen years ago, Logan Randal was there for her when she desperately needed a friend. Now the wrongfully convicted lawman needs the widow’s help. On the run from the law and guided only by Laney’s unswerving faith in Logan’s innocence, their mutual attraction begins to break down the barriers around Laney’s heart. But the real culprit is much closer than they imagine…a cunning enemy determined to keep the past—and the truth—buried forever.
My Comments: This book entertained me. The book was a clean read with Christian principles. There were some elements that kept me in suspense throughout. I would have liked more back story into Laney’s life. I felt like much was alluded to, but this still left me with questions, and I felt it could have been developed more. Logan was an interesting hero. He overcame quite a bit in his life. Overall, an engaging read.
Thank you NetGalley for a free review copy in exchange for my honest review.
The tornado that devastated Kings’ Orchard pushed Rhoda, Samuel, and Jacob to make a new start in Maine. Are they strong enough to withstand the challenges of establishing an Amish community—and brave enough to face the secrets that move with them?
Book 2 of the Amish Vines and Orchards series asks: can the three faithfully follow God’s leading and build a new home and orchard in Maine? Or will this new beginning lead to more ruin and heartbreak?
