Book Review~When Love Returns

About the Book: 
From the Back Cover: Riddled with doubt and lingering regrets, will Suzanne and Paul find strength in God to explore a second chance at love?  It wasn’t easy to move back to the Old Order Mennonite community from which quiet, responsible Suzanne Zimmerman was shamefully sent away as a pregnant teen. Returning twenty years later to take care of her mother, Suzanne and Alexa—the daughter she raised as her own—have spent months rebuilding relationships with her family.

Now with the upcoming wedding of their biological daughter,  Suzanne and Paul find themselves drawn to one another once again—but with new challenges to face. They have been single parents with painful pasts. Can Paul and Suzanne find the strength to rebuild the loving relationship that was torn apart by their teen pregnancy so long ago?

Suzanne must also let go of Alexa as she heads back to Indianapolis to visit friends--and as her chance to find her birth parents. Leaving the bed-and-breakfast in Suzanne’s apprehensive hands, Alexa embarks on a journey that will certainly change her life completely. Can mother and daughter trust God to restore all things in His timing?

What I Thought: 
When Love Returns is the third book in The Zimmerman Restoration Trilogy by Kim Vogel Sawyer, published by WaterBrook Press.  This series has been my favorite Amish series that I have read in a long time. The author did an amazing job of weaving a tale full of surprises. I was so excited to read this third and final book, which did a great job of wrapping up the series. Aside from being a great story, I especially enjoyed the theme of adoption, as I was adopted and have adopted one of my children. If you are looking for a good series that you won't be able to set down, look no further-The Zimmerman Restoration Trilogy is for you!

*Disclosure-I received a copy of this book free from Blogging For Books in exchange for my honest review. All opinions expressed here are my own.

Book Review~An Amish Christmas Gift

About the Book: 


Naomi's Gift by Amy Clipston
Naomi has started to think that she isn't meant to find love, but she might receive more than she ever hoped for this Christmas. Twenty-four-year-old Naomi King, who has been burned twice by love, has all but given up on marriage and children. As Christmas approaches-a time of family, faith, and hope for many others-Naomi is more certain than ever her life will be spent as an old maid, helping with the family's quilting business and taking care of her eight siblings. Then she meets Caleb, a young widower with a 7-year-old daughter, and her world is once again turned upside-down.

An Unexpected Joy by Ruth Reid
Abigail has driven other suitors away, but can Micah find a way to show her he cares? Abigail Kemp has managed to frighten off every bu who's ever driven her home from a singing. Sure she will live to be an old maid, Abigail starts saving her money to buy a horse so she can at least have some independence. Micah Zook is looking for a caregiver for his grandmother, and Abigail needs a new job. He never expected that Abigail would talk so much . . . or that his grandmother would keep finding ways to set the two of them up. Despite Abigail's constant chatter, she and Micah become friends-until Micah makes a decision that leaves Abigail feeling betrayed. With Christmas in their midst, can Micah find a way to reconcile with Abigail and to reveal what's on his heart?

A Christmas Visitor by Kelly Irvin
Frannie Mast returns to Bee County for Christmas, but her heart stays back in Missouri with an Englisch farm boy. Frannie knows her parents have the best of intentions when they send her back to Bee County, Texas, to live with her aunt Abigail and her husband Mordecai. After all, she knows nothing can come of a relationship with Rocky, the handsome but Englisch farmer boy back in Missouri. It's best to put those feelings aside, no matter how hard it is. But all bets are off when Rocky follows Frannie to Texas to plead his case. Could he be the Christmas gift to end all gifts?

What I Thought: 

An Amish Christmas Gift is a collection of three novellas written by three different authors: Amy Clipston, Ruth Reid, and Kelly Irvin.  I really enjoy these collections of novellas-with each story being around 100 pages, individually they are quick reads.  I've read books before by the other two authors, but had never read anything by Kelly Irvin. Her story, A Christmas Visitor, was my favorite of the three. It is fascinating to consider a person raised English wanting to become Amish.  Sure, we all may think occasionally that a 'simple' life would be great, but would we really go through with it? I enjoyed all three novellas, each with a heartwarming message to remind us of the true meaning of Christmas.

*Disclosure: I received a copy of this book free from BookLook Bloggers in exchange for my honest review. All opinions expressed here are my own.

Book Review~Prayers That Changed History

Tricia Goyer is one of my favorite authors, so I was eager to read her latest non-fiction book: Prayers That Changed History-From Christopher Columbus to Helen Keller, how God used 25 people to change the world. Written for kids, but also fascinating and educational for adults, this 237 page softcover is published by Zonderkidz.

Each chapter in Prayers That Changed History is devoted to a historical person, and all 25 chapters are in chronological order.  The chapter has a black and white illustration and these categories:
*When He/She Lived
*Something to Think About
*In His/Her Own Words
*How He/She Changed History
*It's in The Bible
*Your Life

I think the book is set up perfectly, making it easy to focus on one person at a time.  Each chapter has  history, biblical reference, and ideas for reflection. I homeschooled for many years, and Prayers That Changed History would have been a great addition to our curriculum. I am actually planning on having my 7th grade son go through the book during summer break next year. I enjoyed reading this book, and learned a lot.  I think it can really make an impact on children's prayer lives and be an encouragement to pray.

Learn more about author Tricia Goyer at her website.  You can purchase a copy of Prayers That Changed History at Amazon.

Book Review~The Photograph

About the Book: When her sister Lily disappears only months after their widowed mother's passing, Eva Esch fears she has been wooed away from the people. Yet Lily's disappearance isn't Eva's only concern. She and her sisters must relocate once their older brother takes over the family farmhouse. Then Jed Stutzman, an Amish buggy maker from Ohio, shows up in Eden Valley with a photo of a Plain young woman. Eva feels powerfully drawn to the charming stranger-but the woman in the forbidden photograph is no stranger at all...

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. She lives with her husband near their family in Colorado. Visit her website at www.beverlylewis.com

What I Thought: The Photograph is such a sweet story about family, love, and following God's direction for your life. The Esch sisters have been through so much, and each of them are handling their grief in their own way.  When the youngest sister Lily leaves for the Englisch world, her family is shocked and worried. Jed Stutzman, a stranger from Ohio dealing with his own grief, carries a clue to their sister's location.  I have read many of Beverly Lewis' books, and have never been disappointed. The Photograph is another delightful story written by this very talented author.

*Disclosure: I received a copy of this book free from Bethany House in exchange for my honest review. All opinions expressed here are my own.

Children's Book Review~M is for Manger

M is for Manger is a beautiful hardcover book written by Crystal Bowman and Teri McKinley.  The illustrator is Claire Keay, and the book is published by Tyndale House Publishers.  It is 8"x8" and 64 pages. 

M is for Manger goes chronologically and alphabetically through the story of the birth of Jesus. Each letter in the alphabet has a pair of pages, side by side.  The page on the left hand side shows the letter, the word it represents,and a drawing appropriate for what the letter represents. On the right page is a few sentences explaining the story and a corresponding scripture. Several different Bible translations are used.

Here is my grandson Daniel, 4, reading M is for Manger. He loves this book. It has just enough content to be meaningful, but not too much that he gets overwhelmed and doesn't want to finish the book. The illustrations are beautiful-both children and adults will appreciate them.  M is for Manger would make a wonderful gift-there is a presentation page in front for gift giving. I plan to keep this book in our Christmas box to pull out each year for our grandchildren.

You can purchase your own copy of M is for Manger at Tyndale House Publishers.

*I received this book free from Tyndale House Publishers in exchange for my honest review.  All opinions expressed here are my own.

Book Review~Promises to Keep

This week, the Christian Fiction Blog Alliance is introducing Promise to Keep Howard Books (October 13, 2015) by Elizabeth Younts

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

A Word from the Author:

I’m Elizabeth, a blessed child of The King. I’m a middle-born daughter, military officer’s wife, homeschooling mama, writer, closet DIYer, and, dare I say it, Downton Abbey addict. May I also mention that I love both my history and my coffee rich.

I am formerly Amish and my heritage is very dear to me and thankful to be so accepted among my still Amish family. I can still speak PA Dutch, too! You can learn more about my Amish family in my first book Seasons: A Real Story of an Amish Girl.

My three book series with Howard Books (a division of Simon & Schuster) is a dream come true. The series is titled The Promise of Sunrise. In this series you will live through World War 2 from an Amish perspective and experience their unique struggles as conscientious objectors during wartime. What happened if one of their members enlisted? What was it like to serve at the Civilian Public Service Camps for years with almost no compensation? How did Amish women and families cope when a son or father was drafted? I look forward to taking you back into the richness of these years of Amish history through fiction.

ABOUT THE BOOK

World War II Marine Joe Garrison returns home from war longing to be a father to his deaf daughter, Daisy, only to find that she is attached to Esther Detweiler, the Amish woman who has raised her since his wife’s death in this touching historical romance.

Orphaned as a child, Esther Detweiler is used to caring for herself and her ailing grandmother. They made the best out of a hard life and poverty without asking for help. They even take in her shunned cousin’s deaf daughter, Daisy, when her mother dies and her father goes off to war. When Esther’s grandmother dies, Daisy is all she has.

When war veteran Joe Garrison returns, all he can think about is recovering from the horrors of war and building a relationship with his seven-year-old daughter. Daisy, however, is unwilling to leave Esther, whom she loves. Joe and Daisy get to know each other again, but Joe struggles with nightmares and fatherhood is proving to be more difficult than he imagined. Esther loves Daisy and despite her Amish ways, Joe finds himself drawn to her as a woman and not just a caregiver.

As their love blossoms, Joe decides to send Daisy away to a school for the deaf which propels their lives into turmoil and a battle for love and family.

If you would like to read the first chapter of Promise to Keep, go HERE.

My Review: I just received the book yesterday, so obviously have not had time to read it yet! I will update this post with my review soon!