I Just Gotta Say.....

....There is not much that smells better than fresh cut lilacs in the spring.

I love this time of year!

Book Review: The Bridesmaid (Beverly Lewis)

When updating my “Book Reviews” tab, I realized that somehow (don’t ask me how!) my review of The Fiddler by Beverly Lewis never got published! I loved this book so how the review never got shared is beyond me….let me remedy that now!

The Bridesmaid is the second book in Beverly Lewis's Home to Hickory Hollow series. This book is special in that we met the main character, Joanna, in the first book in the series, The Fiddler. While the series takes place in a location familiar to readers of other Lewis novels, and while each book can stand alone with its own story, it was really nice to hear Joanna's story, having gotten to know her in the first book.

Joanna Kurtz is the classic story of "always a bridesmaid, never a bride." While she has stood up with many of her friends at the altar, she has never had the opportunity to stand up as a bride.

Joanna meets Eben Troyer, and falls in love. The only problem is Eben lives in Indiana....and his plan to marry Joanna depends on his brother. See, his brother has gone off to the English world, and unless he returns, Eben can't leave his family in Indiana. 

There is also a side story in the book, also focusing on Joanna, on the fact that she is a writer. She writes stories. And that is certainly not encouraged in the Amish community! In fact it is frowned upon.....will it backfire on her? And will Joanna become a bride, finally? You'll have to read to find out.

As usual, I enjoyed this book. Another winning series from Beverly Lewis!

I received this book from Bethany House publishers. The opinions in my review are entirely my own.

Book Review: Courting Cate (Leslie Gould)

I believe that Courting Cate is the first book I've read by Leslie Gould, and I heartily enjoyed it. An Courting Cate tells the story of Cate and her sister Betsy, who live with their father, a widower, on his farm. Betsy is outgoing. Cate, on the other hand? She somewhat resembles her namesake from Shakespeare's The Taming of the Shrew.
easy read,

The problem is that their father will not let Betsy marry until Cate, the older sister, has married. This would be fine except that, while Betsy has no trouble finding a potential suitor, Cate has lots of trouble. She is not the most agreeable person in the world, and has driven away every possible suitor, for one reason or another.

Then Pete Treger arrives on the scene. Pete is, of course, attracted to Betsy (as is every other bachelor in the area) but once he realizes he is not the only one knocking on Betsy's door, he goes after Cate. Cate, meanwhile, has decided she needs to start finding a man so that poor Betsy can finally get married, too.

Will Cate find love? I'll let you read the book to find that out.

I enjoyed this book. As mentioned previously, it was an easy read....perfect reading material for a rainy day, or a summer day under a nice shade tree. I enjoyed the subtle references to The Taming of the Shrew. I'm eager to try reading some more of Leslie Gould's books.

I received a copy of this book from Bethany House publishers. The opinions expressed in this review are my own.

Book Review: The Guardian (Beverly Lewis)

Janette Oke is the author who hooked me on Christian Fiction, and Beverly Lewis is the author who hooked me on Amish Fiction. Whenever Beverly Lewis comes out with a new book, I am eager to dig in. The Guardian is the third book in the Home to Hickory Hollow series. While some characters may seem familiar from previous series', the stories and protagonists are brand new. I've enjoyed the entire series, but this post is not to talk about the series as a whole, but rather about The Guardian.

In the book, we meet Maryanna, a young Amish widow, who dotes on her youngest daughter, Sarah. Sarah is a quiet, sweet little girl, spoiled, in many ways. One night while the family is returning home from a function, Sarah falls out of the buggy and it is not until the family returns home that they realize what has happened. The Amish search for her, but to no avail.

Meanwhile, we meet Jodi...a 20-something teacher, who is housesitting for her cousins in Pennsylvania. One day while out on a run, Jodi stumbles upon little Sarah. She returns Sarah to her home, and makes some new friends.

I won't spoil the storyline with more details. I will just say that, as with every other Beverly Lewis book I've ready, I loved this one. The storyline drew me in, and I was transported to Lancaster County. I recommend this book if you are a Beverly Lewis fan, a Christian/Amish Fiction fan, or just want an easy book to read. You don't need to have read the previous two books in the series - each one can easily stand on its own.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from Bethany House Publishers (thank you!!!!). The opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own.

Happy Spring!

Happy Spring, blog readers!

I know it has been awhile.....and now that Spring has Sprung I thought it would be nice to share some pictures from around our yard. The lighting was just perfect this afternoon - overcast. Enjoy!

  

 

Happy Birthday, Cody!

Happy Birthday to this big lovable boy. Today he turns 13 (or, as I like to say, 13 going on 91, which is how old he is in dog years). He is a sweet boy and we are blessed to have him as a member of our family.

Happy Birthday, Cody!

March 6, 2013

Chair. My lovely friend KF relaxing at our small group Bible study last night.

#fmsphotoaday #chair #biblestudy