What Once Was Lost - A Book Review

What Once Was Lost by Kim Vogel Sawyer is a heartwarming historical romance that I thoroughly enjoyed.

Christina Willems has been running the Brambleville Asylum for the Poor ever since her father died a year ago.  When tragedy strikes and a fire leaves the house uninhabitable, Christina has to find shelter for all the people in her care.  They are all like family to her and having them all scattered about town soon becomes the least of her worries.

When Christina approaches the towns people she has no problem fining places for those in her care to stay, all that is except for poor little Tommy, the eleven year old blind boy.  Christina only has one other option and she knows she must approach Levi, the reclusive mill owner.  Levi has lived as a hermit and has no desire to let anyone into his life.  He reluctantly agrees to take Tommy in on a temporary basis and soon forms a strong bond with the boy.

As the weeks go by it seems like one catastrophe after another takes place that hinder the rebuilding of the mission home.  Christina begins to wonder if she will ever be able to fulfill her desire to rebuild the mission and to resume the job that she has dedicated her whole life to.

There are so many things I love about this book.  I love the character of Christina.  She has a servants heart and she wants so much to help others and is trying to do things like her father would do.  Tommy's character pulled on my heart strings and it was at times heart wrenching to read how he deals with the rejection he has experienced due to his blindness.  Then there is Cora, a young lady that has made many mistakes and fears rejection herself if anyone finds out the secret she is hiding.  I can't forget Levi, he is so good with Tommy and gives him the independence that the boy has needed.  Although most of the book is about rebuilding the mission home there are glimpses of romance that melted my heart.  I love reading a book that I can feel uplifted from and this book did exactly that for me.  I was interested from the first page to the last.  I would definitely recommend the book to anyone who enjoys historical romance novels.  

***This book was provided to my by the publisher in exchange for my review.

Country Pumpkin

I want to share this super cute pumpkin my mom made.  She got the idea off pinterest and the original project was done with a real pumpkin. Mom used a fake pumpkin which I think was a great idea.  This way she can get lots of years of use out of it. 

All you need is a pumpkin, a doily, modge podge and ribbon.  Super easy and super cute.

An Untamed Heart - A Book Review

When I found out that Lauraine Snelling had written another book about Ingeborg Bjorkland (her last name isStrand in An Untamed Heart) I was super excited.   I have read all of the books about Blessing, North Dakota and have come to love the Bjorkland family.  An Untamed Heart is actually a prequel to the Red River of the North Series and tells how Ingeborg's journey to America begins and how her and Roald get together.

I was a little disappointed with the book.  It was rather slow and verging on boring at times.  After reading 16 (yes, 16,  that's not a typo) books about the Bjorkland family I have come to feel like I know the character of Ingeborg pretty well and in this book I felt as if I was reading about a stranger.  She did not seem true to character.  I also had a hard time with some of the names.  Many of the names were familiar from the previous books, but at times I was not sure if they were the same characters from earlier books or just common Norwegian names.

Had I read this book first I may have felt differently, but since that is not the case and probably isn't for a lot of the readers that are fans of Lauraine Snelling I cannot give a real good review.  I would however recommend The Red River of the North Series and all the series following about this family.  I would even recommend reading An Untamed Heart first.  If you are just starting out you won't already have an opinion of how the character of Ingeborg should be and you can read and watch her transform into the character that I love.

Here is a list of the books in the order they should be read:

An Untamed Heart

An Untamed Land  (Red River of the North series)
A New Day Rising  (Red River of the North series)
A Land to Call Home  (Red River of the North series)
The Reaper's Song  (Red River of the North series)
Tender Mercies  (Red River of the North series)
Blessing in Disguise  (Red River of the North series)

A Dream To Follow  (Return to Red River series)
Believing The Dream  (Return to Red River series)
More Than A Dream  (Return to Red River series)

A Promise for Ellie  (Daughters of Blessings series)
Sophies' Dilemma  (Daughters of Blessing series)
A Touch of Grace  (Daughter of Blessing series)
Rebecca's Reward  (Daughter of Blessing series)

A Measure of Mercy  (Home to Blessing series)
No Distance Too Far  (Home to Blessing series)
A Heart for Home  (Home to Blessing series)

***An Untamed Heart was provided to me by the publisher in exchange for my review.

A Christmas Gift for Rose - A Book Review

A Christmas Gift for Rose by Tricia Goyer is a charming little story that takes place at the end of World War II.  Rose is a young Amish girl who was engaged to Jonathan.  Jonathan shocked the Amish community when he enlisted.  He never fought in the war, but instead was a medic.  While Jonathan was gone Rose was left with the judgement of her Amish community where everyone urged her to forget about him.  Now that he's back it is time for her to face her true feelings.

Things from Rose's past start coming to light and she is shocked to find out she is not who she thought she was.  In light of everything she must come to terms with the way she passed judgement on Jonathan.  She is trying to discover who she really is and Jonathan is determined to regain her trust and love.

This story is faith filled, and focuses strongly on family bonds, belonging and love.  Even though the title makes you think it is going to be a holiday based story, it is not.  I would not even consider it a Christmas story
besides the fact that the time of year is during the holiday season.  It is a short story and a quick read that you are sure to love.  Perfect for a winter's day cuddled up on the couch!

***This book was provided to me by booksneeze in exchange for my review.

Fired Up - A Book Review

About the Book:

Glynna came west as a mail-order bride and ended up in a bad situation.  Now her husband, Flint is dead and she's determined to make a go of it on her own.  In a town full of men, Glynna decides she can support her two children by opening a diner, even though cooking is not one of her greatest talents.

Dare Riker is a doctor who saves lives, but someone seems determined to end his.  It may have something to do with the traitors he dealt with during the Civil War, or it might be related to the recent incident  with Flint Greer and the Ranch.  Whoever the culprit is, he or she seems really fired up, and Dare can't let his guard down for a moment - which is a challenge, since right now he's trying to win the heart of the recently widowed Glynna.

Though his doctoring business is booming due to Glynna's questionable cooking, Dare seems to encounter unexpected dangers wherever he goes.  There's the avalanche, and the fire, and then the shadowy figure with the knife. Can Dare survive it all long enough to convince Glynna to take another chance at love?

My Thoughts:

I first became acquainted with Mary Connealy's writing when I read the series "The Kincaid Brides" and I became an instant fan.  Now whenever a new book comes out I get really excited and can't wait to read it.  Fired Up is the second book in the Trouble in Texas series.  I admit that I struggled a little bit with Swept Away, the first book in this series, but Fired Up has redeemed the Author's spot on my favorite's list.

True to her writing style, Mary Connealy had me laughing out loud in several parts of the book.  I love both Dare and Glynna and thought there story is really good.  One thing I like about this book is that it is light-hearted and an easy read.    I'm really excited about Vince and am pretty sure that is who the next story is going to be about and I can't wait!!!

***This book was provided to me by Bethany House Publishing in exchange for my review.

Beloved by Robin Lee Hatcher - A Book Review

Diana Brennan  was adopted by a loving couple when she was a little girl.  When she turned 17 she fell head over heals in love for Tyson Applegate who is the son of a wealthy and hard to please mine owner.  Diana and Tyson quickly get married before she even meets his family.  Not long after their marriage she begins to find out that Tyson had ulterior motives for marrying her.  He needed to get married in order to get his hands on his inheritance before he turned 30.  He is very defiant towards his father and soon abandons Dianna and takes off to explore the world.  He ends up fighting with the Rough Riders in Cuba.  Years pass and Tyson is presumed dead.  Diana is ready to move past her broken heart and marry again, she just needs Tyson to be declared legally dead.  Just when she least expects it Tyson shows up and turns Diana's world upside down.

While Tyson was away, he became a changed man.  He gave his heart to the Lord and is ready to make restitution.  He is also running for the senate and asks Diana to live with him as his wife for 6 months during the election period and let him prove to her that he has changed.  If at the end of the six months she wants to leave he will provide her with a home for her and her mother and allowance for the rest of her life, but he will not divorce her.  Diana suspects the only reason he is doing this is for appearance sake, but agrees anyway.  She guards her heart, determined not to let him break it.

I absolutely loved this book.  Robin Lee Hatcher did a great job writing this novel and I was sorry for it to end.  I loved the whole restitution part as that seems to be a very important part of salvation that tends to get overlooked.  Diana is a character with a back bone and a streak of stubbornness that at a few times made me want to thump her in the head, but with her brokenness of the past years she has become very guarded and does not trust easily.  It is hard for her to understand that the people that hurt her so deeply in the past have now changed.  Tyson is determined to show his love and prove to her that he is a changed man and I love the romantic way that the author portrayed his character.  I would definitely recommend this book to anyone who loves historic fiction!

***This book was provided to me by booksneeze in exchange for my review.

Apple Picking Time

 A few weeks ago we went to Eckert's to pick apples.  We had a lot of fun and can't wait to do it again!  Here are a few of the pics I captured that day!

My Hope Is Found - A Book Review

My Hope Is Found by Joanne Bischof is the 3'rd book in The Cadence of Grace series.

I have loved each of the books in this series and could hardly wait for each book to be released.  I was thrilled to have the opportunity to get an advance reading copy for review for the last book in the series.

Lonnie and Gideon's relationship has been rocky to say the least.  When it finally seemed as if they had found love and happiness together a women from Gideon's past comes forward and tears apart everything that Lonnie and Gideon had built together.  Cassie is Gideon's legal wife so he has no choice but to stay with her.  Lonnie is determined to move forward and adjust to life without Gideon.  It is easier said then done, but when the handsome Scottish minister comes calling, it's not long before Lonnie begins to have hope for a better future.

In the meantime, Cassie decides to let Gideon go back to Lonnie for she know's that he will never love her like he love's Lonnie.  They decide to get an annulment and Gideon heads back to Lonnie.

Right when Lonnie was beginning to accept her life without Gideon, he shows up again and now she must make a choice...a choice between Toby and Gideon.  Who will she choose?

I love the character of Lonnie but I must admit I am not a fan of Gideon.  Although he has changed a lot through this series he just seems so selfish and hot tempered.  I was glad to see redemption and forgiveness written into the story, but I was not real happy with the turn out.  Even with that said, I love the way Joanne Bischof writes and once again I found it hard to put the book down.  All in all it was a great series that I would recommend!

***This book was provided to me by the publisher in exchange for my review.

Rebellious Heart - A Book Review

Rebellious Heart is the second book I have read by Author Jody Hedlund and she is quickly becoming my favorite author!!  She has an amazing way of telling a story.  As I read Rebellious Heart it felt as if I was transported right to 1763 where I was watching the story unfold right before my eyes.

This book had me chuckling several times, page turning suspense at others and the romance is enough to make a grown women "swoon". ;)  I also loved the historical accuracy on what life was like in the 1700's!

If you have not read any of Jody Hedlund's books I highly recommend her and Rebellious Heart would be a great place to start!

About the Book:

In 1763 Massachusetts, Susanna Smith has grown up with everything she's ever wanted, except one thing: an education. Because she's a female, higher learning has been closed to her, but her quick mind and quicker tongue never back down from a challenge. She's determined to put her status to good use, reaching out to the poor and deprived. And she knows when she marries well, she will be able to continue her work with the less fortunate. 

Ben Ross grew up a farmer's son and has nothing to his name but his Harvard education. A poor country lawyer, he doesn't see how he'll be able to fulfill his promise to make his father proud of him. When family friends introduce him to the Smith family, he's drawn to quick-witted Susanna but knows her family expects her to marry well. When Susanna's decision to help an innocent woman no matter the cost crosses with Ben's growing disillusionment with their British rulers, the two find themselves bound together in what quickly becomes a very dangerous fight for justice.


***This book was provided to me by the publisher in exchange for my review.

Tattler's Branch - Book Review

Lilly Corbett Still has grown to love her life as the small-town doctor of Skip Rock, a tiny coal community in the Kentucky mountains. Though her husband, Tern, is away for a few months at a mining job, Lilly has her hands full with her patients and her younger sister visiting for the summer.

Lilly turns to her good friend and neighbor, Armina, to help keep things in order—until a mysterious chain of events leaves Armina bedridden and an abandoned baby on her doorstep. Lilly works to uncover the truth, unaware of what a mess she’s found herself in until a break-in at her clinic puts her on high alert. As she struggles between what is right and what is safe, Lilly must discover the strength of her resilient country neighbors, her God, and herself.

I did not realize this book was part of a series until I was finished with it, so even if you don't want to read the series this book works fine as a stand alone book. I was in no way "lost" about the events or the characters. I did however find it slow paced.

The first chapter I was captivated. I thought it was going to be a great "can't wait to turn the page" book, but after the first chapter the story line took a different turn. It became very slow paced, very detailed with too many details about doctor procedures that in my opinion were irrelevant to the story line. It was not until the last third of the book that the story started to pick up and really grabbed my attention again.

I really did enjoy the last part of the book and it even made me want to read the first book in the series to see how Lilly and Tern's love story began. I'll give it a try and sure hope it's not as slow as this one.

***This book was provided to me by Tyndale Publishing in exchange for my review.