The Things I Never Told You by Beth Vogt

 Book Description:  It’s been ten years since Payton Thatcher’s twin sister died in an accident, leaving the entire family to cope in whatever ways they could. No longer half of a pair, Payton reinvents herself as a partner in a successful party-planning business and is doing just fine―as long as she manages to hold her memories and her family at arm’s length.

But with her middle sister Jillian’s engagement, Payton’s party-planning skills are called into action. Which means working alongside her opinionated oldest sister, Johanna, who always seems ready for a fight. They can only hope that a wedding might be just the occasion to heal the resentment and jealousy that divides them . . . until a frightening diagnosis threatens Jillian’s plans and her future. As old wounds are reopened and the family faces the possibility of another tragedy, the Thatchers must decide if they will pull together or be driven further apart.

My Thoughts:  If you have a sister or sisters you know that there can be and probably will be drama.  Well, Beth Vogt delves into family dynamics...the push and pull of sisters.  

Three sisters separated by who have been separated now must find a common thread.  

An emotional read as the sisters tread through the deep emotions of forgiveness and redemption.

Sisters dealing with grief and secrets are trying to overcome when the oldest sister passes away.

Oh, the things that we keep hidden in her hearts.  Oh, the pains of family hurts and the healing and hope of forgiveness.

Such a great read! 

• Paperback: 432 pages
• Publisher: Tyndale House Publishers, Inc.
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1496427246
• ISBN-13: 978-1496427243

The Robin's Greeting by Wanda Brunstetter

Book Description:  For the past two years Belinda King, along with her two grown daughters and teenage son, has been struggling to keep the family greenhouse running. Despite disconcerting events that have threatened to put them out of business, they have survived two growing seasons. And now Belinda can focus on the two suitors vying for her attention. Herschel Fisher, a new acquaintance, makes her feel relaxed, and Monroe Esh, an admirer from her past, reminds her of her youth.

My Thoughts:  Oh my!  This is the last book in the wonderful Amish Greenhouse Mystery...Book 3. 

I was so sad for this book to end because it was like being a part of this family.  But, oh! what an ending.  I loved this book.

Okay, it may be my favorite book of all the Amish Greenhouse mysteries.  Why?  It's a happy book and there's so much in it.

Belinda King and her family are like the best family.  they all work together and have survived two growing seasons, as well as, growth in their own lives.

Belinda may be a mom and a widow but now that her kids are more mature it seems that she has two suitors.  Two great suitors who are vying foe her attention.

This romance was like icing on a great cupcake.  Too good not to finish!

And, yes, if you haven't read the previous two books in this trilogy you need too.  All the stories build on each other.

Don't miss this story!

"I received a complimentary copy of this book from Barbour Publishing and was under no obligation to post a review."

• Publisher : Barbour 
• Language : English
• Paperback : 320 pages
• ISBN-10 : 1643524798
• ISBN-13 : 978-1643524795

Fun Friday!

 

WOW {warm Oven Wednesday}

 

Choosing Real: A Devotional Thought Journal by Bekah Jane Pogue

 Book Description:  When you enjoy God's company first--even in the uncertain moments of life--the heavenly Creator will transform your mind to view your schedule, work, relationships, parenting, and responsibilities as opportunities to dance in life's storms and honor how beautiful simple can be. That's the message of the Choosing REAL journal, where popular author and blogger, Bekah Pogue, walks with you into life’s unplanned circumstances. . .and she reminds you it is in these very moments that God invites you to notice, respond, and even celebrate how He shows up—in every little detail. Featuring quotes from Pogue's, Choosing REAL, alongside inspiring scripture selections and journal prompts, you will be encouraged to record your personal thoughts and feelings. . .and to accept the invitation to embrace life just as it is!

My Thoughts: I've never read Bekah Pogue's blog but I was looking for a new journal and saw this one so I picked it.

It's a beautiful hardback book with 224 pages. The pages on the left side have a scripture and the page son the right side have a short/mini devotional and then a question.

Then each page is filled with lines so the reader has plenty of room to write her thoughts.

This is a devotional thought journal so it's set up for a lot of writing of one's thoughts.

I also love the little gold stars that are splayed on the edges of the pages.  I just love the look of this journal but as I said above I love ALL the room for writing.  I believe that is the whole purpose of this journal...writing out one's thoughts and choosing what is REAL.

• Hardcover: 224 pages
• Publisher: Shiloh Run Press 
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1683229320
• ISBN-13: 978-1683229322

The Healing Jar (The Prayer Jars) by Wanda Brunstetter

Book Description:  Lenore Lapp is an Amish schoolteacher in her late twenties still living at home with her parents and grandparents. She thought love had passed her by until she meets Jesse Smucker, a widower with a baby daughter. She quickly falls in love with them both and accepts Jesse’s proposal of marriage, but Jesse breaks off their engagement when he realizes he can’t marry only for convenience.

Resigned to living single, Lenore throws herself into caring for her elders. While working in her grandmother’s garden, she digs up an old jar. Will Lenore find healing for her broken heart and solve long-buried family secrets by reading the note contained inside?

My Thoughts:  This third novel in The Prayer Jars by Wanda Brunstetter is my most favorite out of the three.  Probably because it's about a school teacher and healing.  Isn't God good to give us healing?

Lenora Lapp is a loving. sensitive young lady who has much to offer.  So when Jesse Smucker asks her to marry him, even though he is a widower with a baby daughter, Lenora know that she loves Jesse and his sweet little daughter.  So when Jesse breaks their engagement, he breaks Lenora's heart as well.

Lenora decides to forget about love and help her aging grandparents.  Whole working in their garden one day she digs up a jar filled with slips of paper.

This is the beginning of the Healing Jar.  Oh, what a read!  O, What hope and healing!

Mrs. Brunstetter writes with such emotion that the reader feels as if she might be Lenora.

Loved this story!

• Series: The Prayer Jars (Book 3)
• Paperback: 320 pages

Fun Friday!

 

WOW {Warm Oven Wednesday}

 

The Pie Lady: Classic Stories from a Mennonite Cook and Her Friends by Greta Issac

Book Description:  What is a Pie Lady moment? For one family, it s breakfast on the patio. For another, it s Mom serving up creamy chicken and noodles. These are Pie Lady moments: times of goodness and glamour in the middle of ordinary days. In The Pie Lady, Mennonite homemaker Greta Isaac ushers readers into the kitchens of Velda, Shyla, and other Pie Ladies as they whip up confections and concoctions that please the mouth and nourish the soul. Fans of Ruth Reichl, Sherry Gore, and Ree Drummond will love Isaacs intimate, delectable writing. Home cooks will love the recipes that appear in each chapter. Maybe you drop grapefruit slices in a glass of water. Maybe you brown the gravy and salt it from eighteen inches up. (Forget for now the sink full of dishes.) Each cook has her own Pie Lady moments. Each has a story to tell. Hear straight from Amish and Mennonite people themselves as they write about their daily lives and deeply rooted faith in the Plainspoken series from Herald Press.

My Thoughts:  When I saw this book I thought it would be all about pie.  I was so wrong!

This book is a treasure of inspiration.  A slice of life passed on to others.

Mrs. Issac is a Mennonite wife and mother who has "pie" moments."  Those inspiring times where she has a short story or a memory that has to do with a specific dish she has made...not necessarily pie.

I love her thoughts and inspirations about life.  To me this is more like a devotional book with wonderful recipe thrown in as a reference point.

There are 194 pages all filled to the brim and then at the end of each chapter there is a wonderful recipe.

I've decided to use this as a devotional book as I read and journal from my daily devotions.

This is a smallish, not too large of a book and it would make a great gift.  

• Paperback: 202 pages
• Publisher: Herald Press
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1513804219
• ISBN-13: 978-1513804217

 

Present Danger (Rocky Mountain Courage) by Elizabeth Godddard

 

 Book Description:  Former FBI Special Agent Jack Tanner is working as a detective in Montana when he comes across a body in the national forest during a search and rescue mission. He's committed to finding the killer, even if it means working alongside his old flame, US Forest Service Special Agent Terra Connors.             When Terra discovers that the murder victim had ties to a powerful and dangerous trafficker of archaeological artifacts, the investigation takes a deadly turn--one that hits too close to home. As Terra fears she lacks the courage to face what comes next, Jack is more determined than ever to protect her. But he's failed her before. And if he fails this time, it will cost them far more than just their hearts.

 My Thoughts: What a read!  What a story!  What a cover!  Oh, yeah it's a murder investigation at its best.

This is the first book I've read by Elizabeth Goddard and it won't be the last.  

I love the thrill of the investigation, the clean romance and the way Mrs. Goddard uses descriptive words, not just adjectives, to describe all that is transpiring in this mystery.

Of course, I love mystery/suspense novels and this book is one of the best.

Jack Tanner is great detective and all around great guy.  He discovers a body in the national forest.  The national forest of all places!

But he needs help on this murder investigation so he ends up working with Tara Conners, a long lost love.

But what he and Terra don't know until they begin to uncover the facts about the murder only to discover that the murder must be tied in to the stolen artifacts.

And, poor Jack, he's failed the gorgeous Terra before.  

It's a great story!

*This book was provided for review by Revell*

• Publisher : Revell 
• Language : English
• Paperback : 384 pages
• ISBN-10 : 0800737989
• ISBN-13 : 978-0800737986
• Item Weight : 13.6 ounces
• Dimensions : 5.5 x 1 x 8.4 inches

Fun Friday!

 

WOW {Warm Oven Wednesday}

 

Settle My Soul: 100 Quiet Moments to Meet with Jesus by Karen Ehman

 

Book Description:  Whether you're a working professional, a wife, a mom, a sister, an aunt, a daughter-in-law, or any combination of these, your life is busy. And no matter what stage of life you may find yourself in, what your hurried and overcrowded heart needs most is rest. Beyond time-management skills or tips for worrying less, you need a few minutes to connect with God's heart.

My Thoughts:  If you're a mom or a working woman then you know how busy life can get.  Or let's just admit it, all women are busy.  There's always something to do.

As the keeper of the house, the time management lady or the grandma who helps out.  Women find there time is short and much to do.

So, when I saw this nice medium sized, hardback devotional it was love at first sight.  The cover has a "springy" look with small pinkish flowers all around the from cover. There are 100 quiet moments/devotionals that help calm our soul and draw us closer to God.  And I love the subtitle. Pressing Pause, because that is exactly what we need to do to find our strength in Him.

There are some questions that help the reader to think about her life and then a short space with about three lines to write one's thoughts on.

The font is nice and in a green color with pink writing through out the devotional.

It's such a relaxing color scheme that it's a joy to open the book and read.

There is a scripture at the top of each devotional. 

Love this book!  And it makes a wonderful gift!

• Series: Pressing Pause
• Hardcover: 256 pages
• Publisher: Zondervan
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0310095409
• ISBN-13: 978-0310095408

The Governess of Penwythe Hall (The Cornwall Novels, Book 1) by Sarah E. Ladd

 Book Description:  Blamed for her husband’s death, Cordelia Greythorne fled Cornwall and accepted a governess position to begin a new life. Years later her employer’s unexpected death and his last request for her to watch over his five children force her to reevaluate. She can’t abandon the children now that they’ve lost both parents, but their new guardian lives at the timeworn Penwythe Hall . . . back on the Cornish coast she’s tried desperately to forget.

Jac Twethewey is determined to revive Penwythe Hall’s once-flourishing apple orchards, and he’ll stop at nothing to see his struggling estate profitable again. He hasn’t heard from his brother in years, so when his nieces, nephews, and their governess arrive unannounced, he battles both grief at his brother’s death and bewilderment over this sudden responsibility. Jac’s priorities shift as the children take up residence in the ancient halls, but their secretive governess—and the mystery shrouding her past—proves to be a disruption to his carefully laid plans.

My Thoughts:  This book captivated from page one.  It's such an intriguing story.  And it's the first book in the Cornwall Novels so there will be more to come.

As soon as I began this story I thought of the words christian gothic fiction.  I'm not sure that there is such a genre but if there is then this book is it.

Poor Cordelia Greythorne.  Everything seems to be against her.  And that mother-in-law, Ada Greythorne, just about gets one's goat!  It's terrible to dislike a book character so much but dislike Ada Greythorne I did!  Such a mean dried ups old woman with out an ounce of grace or pleasantness.

As the story progresses things in Cordelia's life become a bit more convoluted. She is now working as a governess to five children.  So, when the children lose both of their parents, lo and behold, the father has stated in his will that Cordelia is to remain with the children.  But in order for her to remain with the children she must take them to Penwythe Hall back to the same area she left after her husband's death.

What a story!  What grit!  And what forgiveness!

This is such a fantastic read!

• Series: The Cornwall Novels (Book 1)
• Paperback: 352 pages
• Publisher: Thomas Nelson 
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0785223169
• ISBN-13: 978-0785223160

A new story by Elizabeth Goddard---ComingSoon!

 For years, Ivy had prayed for the opportunity. The chance to make right the wrongs. TO REDEEM HER BIGGEST MISTAKE. ~Ivy, Hidden in the Night.

Sometimes our mistakes come back to haunt us or we struggle to let them go in the first place. 1 John 1:9 says, "If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness." If HE can forgive us then we most certainly should forgive ourselves.

HIDDEN IN THE NIGHT (Missing in Alaska 3) releases in June! You don't want to miss the conclusion to this series or Ivy and Nolan's story!

Get it on Amazon: https://amzn.to/4bXZcoq (#AFF)

Get it at Baker Book House: https://bakerbookhouse.com/products/553565

(40 percent off plus free shipping on PREORDERS)

Visit https://missinginalaskaseries.com for more purchasing options.

#Hiddeninthenight #MissinginAlaskaseries #ElizabethGoddardbooks #Christianromance #Christiansuspense #romanticsuspense #amreadingsuspenseromance

Fun Friday!

  

New book by Mary Alford--Releases May 21st!!

An FBI agent with a dark secret.

A killer on a mission.

A murderous past that unearths an unexpected connection.

The Last To Know - Coming May 21st!

https://amzn.to/3uz14D0

#thelasttoknow #hallowedhallsseries #readmaryalfordbooks #romanticsuspense #christiansuspense

WOW {Warm Oven Wednesday}

 

 Easy, peasy bread recipe from Betty Crocker

*3-4 whole ripe bananas

*1 box yellow cake mix (you can also use gluten free, sugar free or other flavor)

*2 large eggs

Instructions:

*Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

*Smash bananas in a large bowl, then add remaining ingredients and mix well.

*Spray 2 small loaf pans or 1 large loaf pan with non stick cooking spray.

*Fill the pans (or pan) with batter.

*Bake at for 35-40 minutes - you might need to bake longer if using 1 loaf pan.

** Use a chocolate cake mix for chocolate bread or add chocolate chips for a nice mix.

The Sleuth of Blackfriars Lane by Michelle Griep

 Book Description:  Wife. Mother. Homemaker. Detective. Kit Forge wears many hats, and if that’s not enough, she’s partnered with her father to open a new detective agency. It’s hard to be all things to all people, but Kit never shies away from the impossible. Despite her hard work and good intentions, some things fall through the cracks.

 Namely, her husband.

But Jackson barely notices. He’s too busy putting out his own fires. As the new chief inspector of a busy London station, he must salvage the disaster left behind by the former police chief—an obstacle made all the harder when the superintendent breathes an ultimatum down his neck.
 

Against her father’s advice, Kit takes on a case involving a missing child, one in which she and Jackson become a little too emotionally involved. . .and end up endangering their own little girl in the process.

My Thoughts:  I love Michelle Griep's stories and this one did not disappoint. 

This is a first for me, reading about a father/daughter detective team and a married woman with a child, too.

The suspense of the dangerous streets of London keeps the reader on the edge.  And to imagine that a young married woman with a child dares to take on the mastermind of evil.

Not all super heroines wear capes some wear courage and motherhood.  Kit is determined to find the missing child for she cannot imagine a mother without her precious child.

Kit's father advises her not to take the case but against his wishes she traverses the highways and byways of London scouring every crook and cranny to find the missing child.  But she unintentionally leaves her husband out of her detective work and unknowingly endangers her own sweet daughter to the evil of the madman.

On the other hand, her husband, Jackson, has a new job and unknowingly allows Kit the freedom to pursue the evil. one.  Jackson soon realizes his mistake and he knows he needs to reign in Kit and protect his family.

This is a NOT to be missed read if love to action and suspense.  Bonus setting in London.

*This book was provided for review by Barbour*

An Amish Reunion: Four Stories by Amy Clipston, Beth Wiseman, Kathleen Fuller, Kelly Irvin

 My Thoughts:  Four great Amish authors and four wonderful stories about Amish life.

The first story Their True Home by Amy Clipston has to do with the reunion of children all grown up meeting again.  When Marlene Bawell's family has to move back to Bird In Hand, it's been ten years, and she is all grown up and so is the boy, Rudy, whom she had a crush on in elementary school.  Love and a sweet relationship by one of my favorite authors.

A Reunion of Hearts by Beth Wiseman is about love lost.  Ruth and Gideon were married but when circumstances beyond their control and grief has taken a toll on their marriage.  Unable to get past their grief but, also, unable to dissolve their marriage they leave their families and Amish faith to find two different paths in life.  So, when they are each invited to a family reunion they both believe that the other will not be there.  AHA!  Can their grief be mended?

A Chance to Remember by Kathleen Fuller is a fun read.  A matchmaker in her eighties is surprised when a man from her past arrives in her small town.  Can a matchmaker take a chance on love so late in life?

Mended Hearts by Kelly Irvin pens a somewhat sad tale of a young girls who makes an unwise decision.  Even though the community all say they have forgiven her, she constantly feels the eyes of ht people are upon her as she and her daughter go throughout the community.  Can love over come obstacles?

Four great short stories in one book!  

And all such fantastic stories.  

A New book by Mary Alford

 You'll want to read this high octane suspense story!  Coming Soon!

Love Inspired Princess In Peril {Reclaiming the Crown} by Rachelle McCalla

 

Book Description:  A KINGDOM DIVIDED When insurgents attack the king’s motorcade, scattering the royal family, bodyguard Levi Granaldo has one goal—to protect the princess. Even though he knows Princess Isabelle distrusts him. On the run together, they fl ee to New York, to the shelter of a sanctuary established by Levi’s father. But their safety can’t last. After a surprise attack divides the pair, Isabelle is forced to face some hard truths. The danger she’s in is getting deadlier by the day…and she’ll never be able to face it without Levi by her side. Reclaiming the Crown: Born to rule with faith, honor…and love.

My Review:  Sometimes a small book packs the most punch!  Such is the case with Princess In Peril by Rachelle McCalla.  This book begins with a motorcade of the royal family being blown to bits by insurgents but focuses on just one car-Princess Isabella's.  Unbeknowst, to Isabella her father had an "inkling" that something might be amiss so he made plans to change Isabella's body guard.  Levi is now Isabella's bodyguard.  He takes his job very seriously and he is good at it.

The mystery and challenge of trying to find out why the insurgents want the royal family dead is intriguing.  And trying to find the "who" is behind this terrible action is a mystery that Isabella and Levi must track down.

This was a most believable read and truly enjoyable.

This read is filled with action, suspense, action, romance, action and faith.  This is probably my all time favorite Love Inspired.  I can't wait for the second book in reclaiming the crown series!