Secrets She Kept by Cathy Gohlke

Book Description: All her life, Hannah Sterling longed for a close relationship with her estranged mother. Following Lieselotte’s death, Hannah determines to unlock the secrets of her mother’s mysterious past and is shocked to discover a grandfather living in Germany.

Thirty years earlier, Lieselotte’s father is quickly ascending the ranks of the Nazi party, and a proper marriage for his daughter could help advance his career. Lieselotte is in love―but her beloved Lukas is far from an ideal match, as he secretly works against the Reich. Yet Lieselotte never imagined how far her father would go to ensure her cooperation.

Both Hannah’s and Lieselotte’s stories unfold as Hannah travels to Germany to meet her grandfather, who is hiding wartimes secrets of his own. Longing for connection, yet shaken by all she uncovers, Hannah must decide if she can atone for her family’s tragic past and how their legacy will shape her future.

My Thoughts:  Last summer I read Saving Amelie by Cathy Gohlke and was so enthralled with the story that when this book, Secrets She Kept, came out this summer, I jumped at a chance to read it. 

My!O!My!What!A!Story!

This story takes place thirty years earlier and is more about Hannah's parents and then intermingles with Hannah's "today" life.

Hannah wants to know the secrets of her mother's past (hence the title Secrets She Kept).

Unfortunately, any time one tries to uncover a secret, the past or the secret isn't all that one will hope for nor is it always good to uncover what someone has gone through in the past.  Sometimes, people keep secrets because the hurt and hopelessness they had to go through felt too hard to share.  Or maybe, they keep a secret because they don't want to hurt their loved ones....whatever the case, Hannah uncovers more than she knew was lurking underneath the family skeletons.  
Such a poignant story! And yet, so sad that at times I felt as if my heart would break.  {This, to me, is not just the sign of a great book but the sign of a fantastic author!}  
Another fantabulous story by Cathy Gohlke!

A definite must read for all WWII fans!

• ISBN-10: 1496400801
• ISBN-13: 978-1496400802

A Reluctant Bride (An Amish of Birch Creek Novel) by Kathleen Fuller

Book Description:  She never wanted to marry. He hopes to make amends for past wrongs. Can love find a way to heal both of their hearts?

Sadie Schrock swore she would never marry. All of her other Amish friends could court and marry—she was content to manage the family business and eventually take it over when her parents are ready to retire. But all of that changes when a reckless driver kills both of her parents and seriously injures her younger sister. With mounting hospital bills adding to the pile of debt her parents left behind, Sadie is left with no choice: she must marry. And not just any man—the man who saw her at her weakest and walked away.

Aden knows what his brother did to Sadie years ago was inexcusable. And every day since that incident, Aden has lived with the guilt for not intervening sooner. When he is faced with the chance to protect Sadie once again, he can’t let her down—even if it means living with the scorn of the woman he loves for the rest of his life.

Working alongside Aden at the store, Sadie realizes he isn’t the same boy who once betrayed her. Just when Sadie starts to let her guard down and perhaps develop feelings for her new husband, dangerous secrets are revealed. Now everything Sadie has worked so hard to protect is threatened, and she must find a way to save her family—and herself.

My Thoughts: Sometimes it's great to pick up a novel that is fresh and thought provoking.  Yes, A Reluctant Bride is a thought provoking Amish read.  Why is it thought provoking?  I'm so glad you asked, reader.  It's thought provoking because the story is about an Amish woman who does not want to marry.  Not wanting to marry in the Amish community is kind.of.like not wanting to drive in the English community.  Just kind of hard to understand.

Sadie does not want to marry.  She is content taking care of the family business...and then everything changes in a  flash!  Her parents are killed by a reckless driver.  Both her parents are gone! And her youngest sister is seriously hurt and is in the hospital.  

Mounting hospital bills seem like a huge mountain that will never be conquered.

Sadie then realizes that she will need to marry for the sake of her family. 

As she works alongside Aden her once boyfriend, she realizes that he isn't the young man that betrayed her all those years ago.  In fact, she marries Aden and begins to feel that he is the man she was meant to marry.

And then secrets and more dangerous secrets come to the front of their marriage.  

Kathleen Fuller writes a fantastic novel of the Amish world that is filled with secrets, love and faith!

• ISBN-10: 0718033159
• ISBN-13: 978-0718033156

Fabulous Friday

With all that is going on this CrAzY world do you ever feel like 

you're jumping cliffs?

Do ever feel out of control?

Ever feel like things will never be the same?

See the person jumping?  He is not afraid.

Simply because he knows who holds him.

And He holds you, too.

Dear friend, Don't fear.  Love conquers all.
He holds you in the palm of His hand.

WOW {Warm Oven Wednesday}

Chicken Salad with Watermelon and Peaches

Another great recipe from Reader's Digest:

Ingredients

3 cups chopped cooked chicken
1 cup plain yogurt
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1 teaspoon dried dill leaf or
1 tablespoon fresh snipped juice from a lemon
dash of salt and pepper to taste
2 peaches seeded and chopped
2 cups chopped seeded watermelon

Instructions

Mix together the chicken, yogurt, mayonnaise, dill and lemon juice.

Servings

Makes 4 to 6 Servings.

The Discovery Series by Wands E. Brunstetter

Book Description:  A young Amish couple faces formidable challenges in this innovative 6-part serial novel. Introducing you to Meredith and Luke Stoltzfus, whose marriage is threatened, Brunstetter leads you on a compelling journey of doubt, faith, love, and hope that will keep you reading---and guessing---until the end. A heartwarming saga! 128 pages each, six slipcased softcovers from Barbour.

My Thoughts:  This is one of the best "mini series" that I have ever read!  Each book is about this sweet, young Amish couple who are newly married, Meredith and Luke.

Intrigue, mystery and romance...along with Amish traditions.

Each of the mini books is a story within itself but each until you reach the sixth book has a wonderful cliff hanger.  

Yes, each book goes with the next.  

This is one great set....A must read for all Amish fiction lovers!

Format: Paperback Number of Pages: USA Vendor: Barbour Publishing Publication Date: 2013 ISBN-13: 9781624167515

A Deadly Business {A Mia Quinn Mystery} by Lis Wiehl

Book Description:  A prosecutor of violent criminals. A detective on a dangerous beat. When these two pros take on an off-the-books case, the line between professional and personal becomes perilously blurred. 

When a twenty-two-year-old convict walks into the courtroom, his eyes confirm what Mia Quinn already guesses: he blames her for his conviction. In seconds, he knocks her to the ground and holds a razor blade to her throat. While she manages to escape without injury, it's just one more reminder that Mia's job prosecuting Seattle's s most dangerous criminals is far from low risk.  

As a single mom, the last thing Mia wants is for her work to follow her home or discover that it already has.

Now Detective Charlie Carlson is suggesting the very thing Mia doesn't want to believe—that her accountant husband’s deadly car accident was no accident at all. When Mia and Charlie encounter resistance to reopening the case, they take the investigation into their own hands. And they find much more than they bargained for.

Was Mia's husband more than an accountant . . . and less than an honest man? As the truth becomes more shocking and the case grows more complex, her husband's killers take note of Mia . . . and her children. How far will this prosecutor go to learn the truth about her husband—and how far will she have to go to protect her family? 

My Thoughts:  Oh.Be.Still.My.Heart!  I have waited (it seems like forever ) for the next Mia Quinn mystery.  And here it is!  

Mia is a prosecutor.  And usually her job is stressful and full but today when that twenty-two-year old walks into the courtroom Mia senses/knows that he blames her for his predicament.  Uh!Yeah! She did the crime!    Honestly these criminals make one SO angry.   As the reader can tell this is a one great suspense read!  I was SO angry at the criminal . . . a good sign that an author brings out emotion in the reader.

Mia is a single mom because her husband was killed in a deadly car accident.  But now Detective Carlson telling her the one thing she really doesn't want to hear.  Her husband's accident was probably not an accident!  And to top.it.all.off!  Her husband seems to have been into some shady dealings.

Poor Mia! She is a single mom who wants to blend into the woodwork.  She doesn't want these criminals to know that she has a family and where she lives.  

This is one of Lis Wiehl's best books!  The suspense is, well for a lack of another word, suspenseful! {smile}  One of those I'm looking over my shoulder as I read in bed at night!  Yeah!That good!

• Series: A Mia Quinn Mystery (Book 2)
• Hardcover: 320 pages
• Publisher: Thomas Nelson
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1595549048

The Mockingbird's Song (Volume 2) (Amish Greenhouse Mysteries) by Wanda E. Brunstetter

 

Book Description:  Sylvia has been nearly paralyzed with grief and anxiety since the tragic death of her husband, father, and brother in a traffic accident. She tries to help in the family’s greenhouse while caring for her two young children, but she prefers not to have to deal with customers. Her mother’s own grief causes her to hover over her children and grandchildren, and Sylvia seeks a diversion. She takes up birdwatching and soon meets an Amish man who teaches her about local birds. But Sylvia’s mother doesn’t trust Dennis Weaver, and as the relationship sours, mysterious attacks on the greenhouse start up again.

My Thoughts:  After reading The Crow's Call by Wanda E. Brunstetter I was so excited to receive this next book.  

This is a wonderful story of love and grace.  And it's a somewhat   sequel to The Crow's Call.  It's about the women who lost their husbands in the tragic buggy accident.  So, in a way the books should be read in order.

Poor Sylvia she was once a married woman and independent in the community.  And then she becomes a widow with two young children.  

And mothers!  Mothers try so hard to help but so many times they inadvertently get in the way.  Hence, Sylvia's mother, who also lost her husband, is giving Sylvia a headache by trying to run her life.

A wonderful story.  This is not a fast paced story so if you're looking for a fast paced mystery, this isn't it.  This is more of a cozy mystery with alot of Amish facts for those of us who love reading about the Amish community.

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