Book Review~Abiding Mercy by Ruth Reid

About the Book: 

Abiding Mercy is the first book in author Ruth Reid's Amish Mercies series.  

Sixteen-year-old Faith has worked full-time in her parents' restaurant since she finished eighth grade. She loves her Amish community and the romantic attentions of her longtime friend, Gideon. 

When her sister seems to be getting too friendly with Englischers, and her parents are in a buggy accident, Faith wants to escape into her dream of joining the church and getting married. 

But then a local newspaper runs a story about a child named Adriana who was kidnapped fifteen years earlier, and everything Faith has held true comes into question. 

Suddenly the community Faith has known her whole life seems unreal. Can she even trust her own family? And how will she ever find home again if she no longer belongs in the world she knows best?

About the Author: 

Ruth Reid is a full-time pharmacist who lives in Florida with her husband and three children. When attending the Ferris State University College of Pharmacy in Big Rapids, Michigan, she lived on the outskirts of an Amish community and had several occasions to visit the Amish farms. Her interest grew into love as she saw the beauty in living a simple life. Visit Ruth online at www.ruthreid.com, on Facebook at Author Ruth Reid, and Twitter at @AuthorRuthReid. 

What I Thought: 

I've read several of author Ruth Reid's books and always enjoy them. I find it especially exciting when I'm reading the very first book in a series and it turns out to be a really great story, like Abiding Mercy did. Now I know that there are more good books coming in the series!

The main character Faith is a very sweet Old Order Amish young woman. Her boyfriend, Gideon, is charming, and they have a blossoming romance. Faith is a very hard worker, and besides her rough relationship with her sister, life is full and good. After an unfortunate accident turns the family upside-down, Faith throws herself into saving her family's beloved restaurant, The Amish Table. Soon a secret is uncovered about Faith's past, and her life is forever changed. 

I enjoyed reading about the conflicting emotions everyone had regarding Faith being found by her birth parents, and how they were resolved. God definitely throws some curve balls in our lives, and this story emphasizes trusting Him to get you through these hard times and following His lead. Abiding Mercy was a heartwarming story that I really enjoyed. There are Discussion Questions at the back of the book, making it a perfect choice for a book club!

*Disclosure: I received this book free from www.booklookbloggers.com in exchange for my honest review. All opinions expressed here are my own.

Book Review~What We See in the Stars:An Illustrated Tour of the Night Sky

I have often looked up into the sky on clear nights and wished I knew more about what I was looking at. Recognizing the Big Dipper is the extent of my knowledge. So when I saw What We See in the Stars: An Illustrated Tour of the Night Sky available for review, I was excited to have this book as a resource at home for the entire family.

Kelsey Oseid is both the author and illustrator of the book, which is a beautiful 160 page hardcover.  There is a detailed index at the back of the book, which is extremely helpful with the amount of knowledge contained in the pages. Topics covered are the Constellations, the Milky Way, the Moon, the Sun, the Planets, Asteroids, Comets, and Meteors, and Deep Space.

I learned so much reading What We See in the Stars! It is easy to understand, and of course the gorgeous illustrations helped to keep my attention throughout the book. This book will stay on our bookshelf to grab when we need it, and for our children and future grandchildren to enjoy. I think it would make an excellent gift.

I received this book free from Blogging for Books in exchange for my honest review.

Book Review~The Proving by Beverly Lewis

About the Book:
After five years as an Englischer, Amanda Dienner is shocked to learn her mother has passed away and left her Lancaster County's most popular Amish bed-and-breakfast. What's more, the inn will only truly be hers if Mandy can successfully run it for twelve months. Reluctantly, Mandy accepts the challenge, no matter that it means facing the family she left behind-or that the inn's clientele expect an Amish hostess? Can Mandy fulfill the terms of her inheritance? Or will this prove a dreadful mistake?

About the Author:
Beverly Lewis penned her first story at age nine while living near Lancaster County Amish farmland, where she grew up. She welcomes her many reader-friends each day on Facebook and personally replies to fan mail. Lewis lives with her husband in Colorado near their family. Visit her website at www.beverlylewis.com .

What I Thought:
Beverly Lewis never disappoints with her Amish fiction. The Proving was no exception. This story was unique with Mandy coming back to the Amish after years away. She then pretends to be Amish to make her guests happy, but it becomes comfortable for her over time. Although so much had changed with her mother's death and her sister's estrangement, the inn seemed to bring comfort to her. I enjoyed the relationship between Mandy and her sister and watching it be repaired. Although Mandy is determined to do her twelve months and move on, God had different plans for her and she has to realize that. It is a good lesson for all of us, to be open to God's direction for our lives.

I received this book from Bethany House in exchange for my honest review..

Book Review~Many Sparrows

About the Book:
In 1774, the Ohio-Kentucky frontier pulses with rising tension and brutal conflicts as Colonists push westward and encroach upon Native American territories. The young Inglesby family is making the perilous journey west when an accident sends Philip back to Redstone Fort for help, forcing him to leave his pregnant wife, Clare, and their four-year-old son, Jacob, on a remote mountain trail. 

When Philip does not return and Jacob disappears from the wagon under the cover of darkness, Clare finds herself utterly alone, in labor and wondering how she can recover her son...especially when her second child is moments away from being born. 

Clare will face the greatest fight of her life, as she struggles to reclaim her son from the Shawnee Indians now holding him captive. But with the battle lines sharply drawn, Jacob's life might not be the only one at stake. When frontiersman Jeremiah Ring comes to her aid, can the stranger convince Clare that recovering her son will require the very thing her anguished heart is unwilling to do-be still, wait, and let God fight this battle for them?

About the Author:
Lori Benton was raised east of the Appalachian Mountains, surrounded by early American history going back three hundred years. Her novels transport readers to the eighteenth century, where she brings to life the Colonial and early Federal periods of American history. When she isn't writing, reading, or researching, Lori enjoys exploring and photographing the Oregon wilderness with her husband. She is the author of Burning Sky, recipient of three Christy Awards, The Pursuit of Tamsen Littlejohn, Christy nominee The Wood's Edge, and A Flight of Arrows.

What I Thought:
Many Sparrows is the first book I have read by Lori Benton, and I am incredibly impressed by her talent. She brought this time in history to life-I would have loved History class in school if I could have read her novels instead of the dry textbooks!

I felt so horrible for Clare and all she was going through. It is every parents worst nightmare to lose a child. Ms. Benton does a wonderful job of getting the reader to really feel the emotions of the characters.I learned quite a bit about the Indian tribes during this time, and felt compassion for them, while also feeling compassion for the Colonists. I will definitely be reading more of Lori Benton's books, and recommend Many Sparrows highly.

I received a copy of this book free in exchange for my honest review. All opinions expressed here are my own.