Bluebonnet Bride - A Book Review

Bluebonnet Bride by Colleen Coble is about Elli, a woman from Finland who leaves her home to come to American as a mail order bride.  When Elli's father died suspiciously she felt the need to escape to keep from her neighbor from stealing her inheritance.

Once in America Elli marries Nathan who has made it clear that he only wants a wife to help him raise his dead sister's little girl.  On the first night in American someone sneaks in Elli's window and tries to strangle her.  Nathan becomes determined to protect his new wife and in the meantime feelings that he did not expect begin to spark between them.

This is a
short story that is action packed, attention grabbing and a fast read.  I finished it in a short mount of time in one evening.  I love a well written short story and this one was right on.  As a short ebook the price is exceptional and I think it would be a great addition to your e-reader library!

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

The Pursuit of Tamsen Littlejohn - A Book Review

The Pursuit of Tamsen Littlejohn by Lori Benton is an intriguing story that takes place in 1787 in the lost state of Franklin, now known as Tennessee.  Before reading this book I had no idea that there was even a lost state of Franklin and reading about it during this time period was particularly interesting to me.  This book has so many twist and turns in it that you never know what to expect next.  It's the kind of book that leaves you wanting more and keeps you up at night because you just can't stop reading.

Tamsen Littlejohn is to be married.  A marriage arranged for her by her stepfather.  She is certain that no good will come of the marriage and she fears that she will end up like her mother.  She decides she must escape before it's too late.  Her first attempt of escaping fails and when tragedy strikes she knows that she must leave immediately before it is to late.  Jesse Bird, a man she barely knows quickly comes to her aid and helps her escape.  Tamsen's stepfather declares that she has been kidnapped and enlists the help of her would-be fiance and the pursuit begins!

Within the pages of the book you will find action and controversy, loyalty, love and faith.  There's Indian attacks, prejudices, slavery, conflict between states and a divided community. Each time I thought I knew what was going to happen next (because admit it, most books are predictable) there was a twist that kept me on the edge of my seat.  I would highly recommend this book to anyone who loves historical fiction.  It's a great love story rich in history that I am sure you will enjoy!!

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

An Amish Garden - A Book Review

An Amish Garden is a compilation of four Amish novellas.  Included is Rooted in Love by Beth Wiseman, Flowers for Rachel by Kathleen Fuller, Seeds of Love by Tricia Goyer and Where Healing Blooms by Vannetta Chapman.

Each novella revolves in some way around gardening.  When I first seen this book I thought for sure I would love it.  I like reading short stories, I love Amish fiction. I love gardening and I had read previous books from all the authors except for Vannetta Chapman and have really liked them.  To be honest though, I was not impressed with An Amish Garden.  The stories seemed very rushed, predictable and the story lines were just boring.

Out of the four stories I enjoyed Where the Healing Blooms by Vannetta Chapman the most.  I found the story line to be more intriguing than the others and it made me want to read more of her writings.  Instead of your normal "young girl finds boy and they fall in love story" this was about Emma, an older widow who's normal, quiet life gets interrupted when she finds a young teenage boy living in her barn.  After finding out about the boy's past she decides to let him stay on with the Bishop's approval.  The Bishop surprises her by asking if she will also open her home to a local woman and her two children that are in need.  When Mary Ann, Emma's mother-in-law reveals a secret a hidden secret in the garden Emma know's for sure that God is calling her to do a great work in helping those in need.  

***This book was provided to me through the booklook bloggers program in exchange for my honest review.

All Things Hidden - A Book Review

All Things Hidden by Tracie Peterson and Kimberly Woodhouse is a well written historical fiction book that takes place in Alaska.  In 1935 during the great depression 200 families chosen by the government are sent to Alaska as pioneers to start a new colony.  The conditions are rough and many of the colonists face sicknesses and trials that they never expected.  Even though the Indian people that are native to the area offer their help, there are a few people that do not trust them and try to stir up trouble.

Gwyn Hillerman and her doctor father have lived and loved the Alaskan territory for years.  Gwyn's mom and sister abandoned them years earlier for Chicago and high society.  Gwyn also works along side her father as a nurse and she loves to serve others.  Even though Gwyn has a strong bond with her father she is constantly worrying and has a fear of being abandoned again.  She does not accept change well and the thought of her beloved Alaska becoming civilized brings on a whole new set of fears and worries.

Jeremiah is a young dedicated doctor living in Chicago.  When he loses a patient and his medical license is stripped from him, he finds his life turned upside down.  The beautiful Sophia whom he is engaged to quickly calls off their engagement when she learns of the loss of his medical license because she does not want it to reflect badly on her.  On top of that Jeremiah's parents turn their back on him as well.  When he hears that Dr. Hillerman is in need of a doctor to help him in Alaska Jeremiah decides to go.  He also decides to keep the fact that his license was suspended a secret.  On top of that he decides not to mention that his former fiance was Gwyn's sister.

Then there is the terrible bank robber that also heads to Alaska to hide out and soon sets his sites on Gwyn.  There is lots of suspense including murders, natural disasters, prejudices and so much more.  The story is a mixture of romance, action
and historical facts that all together make for an excellent book.  I loved that the authors included true historical facts at the end of the book and I found it quite interesting to learn about a piece of history that I had no prior knowledge of before reading this book.

I'd love to read more about Gwyn and Jeremiah and hope this book will be the beginning of a series.

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

Echoes of Mercy - A Book Review

Kim Vogel Sawyer has officially become my favorite author.  I have never read a book of hers that I didn't like and lately I have absolutely loved every one.  She never disappoints me and she has a style of writing the speaks straight to my heart.    I love the way she combines history, romance, action and faith.

Echoes of Mercy is my favorite book of hers yet.  At least for now anyway.  I'm sure that I'll say the same thing about her next book because each one seems to get better and better.

Caroline is an undercover agent who works to stop child labor in factories.  After a previous agent turns up dead while on assignment Caroline takes his place at the Dinsmore Chocolate Factory.  Her job is to investigate the death to see if there was foul play and finish the job that he started.  She quickly finds out the the factory manager is a rotten scoundrel who likes to bully the workers, especially the women.

Ollie Moore is also a new worker at the factory.  Even though he is just a janitor he is very friendly and seems well educated.  He becomes a quick ally to Caroline (who goes by Carri while undercover).  He joins forces with her and helps her investigate the death of the "previous worker".  There are sparks igniting between the two of them, but it seems as if they both of them have secret identities.  When they find out the truth about each other will they be able to pursue their relationship or will their differences be to much to overcome?

There is so much more to this story line than what I can write about in a short review.  Believe me when I say this is an excellent book that is so well written.

Even though it is a historical fiction story it is rooted in true events from history.  I love it when an author takes true events and writes a well written story that could easily of fit into that time period.

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

An Amish Miracle - A Book Review

An Amish Miracle is a book compiled of three Amish Novellas by three different Authors.  Included is Always In My Heart by Mary Ellis, Always His Providence by Ruth Reid and Always Beautiful by Beth Wisemen.  It was not until I began the second story that I realized that all three Novellas take place in the same Amish community and all the character's intertwine.  I absolutely loved that the authors worked together to do this and it added to the enjoyment of the stories.  Once I started reading these beautifully written stories it was hard to stop.  I love fiction books that portray a faith in God that is encouraging to read and deals with things that I can relate with and each one of these stories did exactly that.

Another thing that each short story has in common is that each main character needs and is praying for a miracle of some sort.  God provides for each of them in ways that was beyond (and better) than their thinking.

In the first story Always In My Heart, Hope Bowman believes that she is being punished by God for giving up her son for adoption when she was 16 years old.  She has kept a terrible secret from everyone including her husband.  She finally realizes she must make peace with herself, God and her family.  She tells her husband the truth of her past.  Her husband has desperately wanted a son, even though God has blessed them with 4 daughters.  He has a hard time dealing with it at first, but soon realizes that Hope was not to blame and was following her own fathers orders.  Hope has always prayed for the son she gave up, but she is also praying that God would bless her and her husband with a boy of their own.  Much to her surprise God answers her prayer when a 15 year old boy shows up on their doorstep...the son she gave up for adoption.  This is a story of faith, of forgiveness and of healing.  I enjoyed reading this novella so much and thought it was beautifully written.  The only complaint I have is that it was too short.  I felt that the end of the story was a little rushed and would of loved to have more details at the end.

Always His Providence is about Rosa Hostetler who is a widow.  Her husband died while saving his best friend Adam from a burning barn.  Before he died he asked Adam to take care of Rosa.  Rosa's late husband also left her in bad financial shape and she has one month to pay her delinquent taxes or she will lose her farm.  She is very proud and refuses to ask for help from the community or from Adam.  She depends on her income from selling eggs, but when an Englisher neighbor's dog begins to kill her chickens everything is put to the test.  The miracle that God provides for Rosa is so completely unexpected.  Such a great story about healing, learning to trust in God and not yourself or others and excepting love again.

Always Beautiful is about Becky Byler who is eighteen and overweight.  Her insecurities and low self esteem has brought her to the side of a fast flowing creek.  Becky is unable to swim and is considering taking her own life.  She prays and asks God for a miracle...to make her thin.  In just a few short months Becky loses the weight and the temptation that food had over her.  She no longer compares herself to the other girls and feels she is as good as they are, she is even dating Matt, the most handsome boy in the community.  Even though she is finally pleased with the way she looks she begins to realize that she does not like the person she has become.  Through it all she has even lost her best friend Elam, who has always been the one person who always stood by her side and truly loved her for who she was.  Is it too late for Becky to make things right?  This a great story about self-image, pride and the realization that sometimes we have to learn lessons the hard way, but God's way is always the best and if we stay true to Him he works everything out for our good.

If I could give this book more than 5 stars I would.  I truly enjoyed it and would recommend it to anyone who enjoys reading Amish fiction!

***This ebook was provided to me by the publisher through the booksneeze blogging for books program.

The Headmistress of Rosemere - A Book Review

I have been anxiously waiting for The Headmistress of Rosemere to be released ever since I finished Book One in the Whispers on Moors series.  I absolutely loved the first book and The Headmistress of Rosemere was equally as good.  The author Sarah E. Ladd is an amazing writer and has a way of writing the gives the reader such a clear picture of the story.  I feel as if I am transported to another time within the pages of her books.  There is a great combination of romance, suspense and a little bit of action.  I never considered myself a fan of the regency era, but these regency novels are the best!  I am already counting down the days till the 3'rd book in this series comes out and if it is anything like the other two I know I will love it as well!

You don't necessarily have to read these books in order.  It will not effect the story at all.  They are both so good though, that I do recommend reading both.  Just be prepared for lack of sleep, because you will not want to stop reading!

About The Headmistress of Rosemere:

Patience Creighton is the headmistress of Rosemere.  At the age of 25 she already considers herself a spinster and is content with running the all girls school that her father started.  Since her father's death a lot has changed for Patience.  Her mother  has withdrawn into a deep depression and spends her days in bed.  Her brother, Rowden disappeared after their father's funeral and they have not heard from him in months.  Despite the difficulties within her family, Patience runs the school with ease.

William Sterling owns Rosemere and is a man who has made poor choices throughout his life.  He has gotten himself into serious financial trouble and his creditors want their money now.  One night he is assaulted by those he is in debt to and he ends up on the doorsteps of his tenant, The Rosemere School for Young Ladies.  Patience tends to his wounds and thus begins a romantic interest between the two.  Patience is very hesitant of William because of the rumors she has heard, but his kindness and charm speaks louder.

The creditors soon target the school for girls and danger ensues.  On top of that a secret from William Sterling's past comes to light, a secret that William himself didn't even know about.  And if that is not enough Rowden, her brother returns out of the blue with a new wife and is taking charge of everything.
Patience finally turns to God for guidance and everything begins to fall into place.  Will William be able to get his life straightened out and be the man that Patience deserves or will he fall back into his drinking and gambling ways?

***This book was provided to me by the publisher through booksneeze.

Carolina Gold - A Book Review

Carolina Gold by Dorothy Love takes place right after the Civil War, but for Charlotte Fraser the battles are just beginning.  After her dad dies Charlotte returns to Fairhaven and is determined to save her families rice plantation.  She meets many obstacles along the way.  Lack of money, finding workers and supplies, not to mention, most people do not think that a woman should be doing the kind of work that she is doing, but Charlotte stays focused and determined to do whatever it takes to persevere.

To earn a little extra money Charlotte agrees to tutor the two young daughters of her neighbor, Nicholas Betancourt.  Nicholas is a widow and has his own problems of trying to save his plantation.  When Charlotte learns that Nicholas may have a claim on her land she becomes very distraught.  Being the time in history that it is, the correct paperwork has been misplaced so the proof she needs is no where to be found.  Once again, Charlotte becomes determined to uncover the facts that she needs to stay on her beloved plantation.

I love the determination of Charlotte and how she perseveres no matter what obstacles
come her way.  I did find the book a little slow and hard to muddle through at times, but it was worth it towards the end when everything started to come together.

I also really loved the fact that the author was inspired to write this novel by a real live historical figure Elizabeth Waties Allston Pringle who lived from 1845-1921.  I love when a historical fiction romance novel intertwines real life historical events within its pages and the author did a lovely job of this!

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

Christmas Party Games

Every year my family and my sister's family comes together to decorate my mom's Christmas tree.  This has been a tradition of ours since the first year I moved away from home.  When our kids were little they loved it, but as they have gotten older their enthusiasm in it is not as great as it once was.  Last year we started a new tradition and turned the whole "Christmas Tree Trimming" night into a fun Christmas party and everyone loves it!!! We still have our usual party foods and decorate mam maw's tree, but now we have added fun Christmas games and end the night with Dirty Santa.  If you are not familiar with what Dirty Santa is, don't worry, it is nothing dirty.  Just a fun way to exchange Christmas gifts.  This does not take the place of the regular gifts we give to each other for Christmas, it's just an early fun gift giving game! 

Here are the games (and their descriptions) we played this year.

HUMDINGER

I love this game!  If you have ever played Cranium you know how much fun and laughter this game can bring.  A person hums and everyone else has to guess the song.  Of course for a Christmas party you need Christmas songs.  Here are the one's we used.  You can use your favorite holiday songs and make your own list!

Angels We Have Heard on High

Frosty the Snowman

Joy to the World

Grandma Got Ran Over by a Reindeer

Baby It's Cold Outside

Deck the Halls

Go Tell It on the Mountain

I'll be Home for Christmas

Silent Night

Carol of the Bells

Jingle Bell Rock

Winter Wonderland

The First Noel

O Come all ye Faithful

We Wish you a Merry Christmas

Feliz Navidad

Hark the Harold Angels Sing

Away in the Manger

The 12 Days of Christmas

I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus

O Little Town of Bethlehem

Here Comes Santa Claus

Mary Did You Know

Do You Hear What I Hear

CHRISTMAS CATCHPHRASE

If you are familiar with Heads Up, the super fun tablet app, then you will know how to play this game.  A person has a phrase and has to try to get the players to guess the phrase by either acting it out or giving clues.  For example, if your phrase is Three Wise Men your clue could be:  "more than two really smart dudes".  Here is the list of phrases that we used.

Three Wise Men

Rudolph the Red Nose Reindeer

The Grinch

Elf

Wrapping Presents

Caroling

Snow Angels

Mary and Joseph

Sleigh

Christmas Lights

Jingle Bells

Christmas Shopping

Little Drummer Boy

It's a Wonderful Life

Christmas with the Kranks

Frosty the Snowman

Ornaments

Partridge in a Pear Tree

Silver Bells

White Christmas

Gold, Myrrh and Frankincense

String Popcorn

CHRISTMAS ARTIST

See who is the most artistic in your family by giving them this fun drawing challenge.  I gave each person a sturdy piece of cardboard and a pen.  Each person then put the cardboard on top of their head and followed my directions.  

1.   Draw a line for the floor

2.  Draw a Christmas tree

3.  Add decorations

4.  Draw a star on top of the tree

5.  Draw a fireplace with a mantel next to the tree

6.  Draw a stocking hanging from the mantel

7.  Draw a present below the tree

Then we graded them

2 points if tree touches the floor

2 points if stocking is touching the mantel

1 point if star touches the tree

1 point if the star is above the tree

1 point for every ornament on the tree

1 point if your fireplace does not touch the tree because that would be a fire hazard. ;)

2 points if present is under the tree

There are several variations of this game as well and last year we played it a little differently.  We closed our eyes and did not do it on top of our head and we drew snowmen instead.  Just use your imagination!

HUMAN CHRISTMAS TREE

We got a lot of laughs out of this game.  We split up into two groups and each group was given a roll of green crepe paper, a package of red garland, candy canes, various colors of constructions paper, scissors and tape.  Each team had to choose one team member to be "the tree" and the other team members trimmed the tree!  Check out the pictures below to see how this turned out!

STOCKING SUPRISE

All you need for this one is a stocking and stocking stuffers.  After I put the objects in the stocking I pinned it closed and each person had to feel and try to guess what was in the stocking.  Here are the items I used, but you can use anything you have around the house.

ornament

coaster

pinecone

candy cane

jingle bell

pencil sharpener

spool of thread

yo-yo

Christmas bow

snowman figurine

bag of marbles

DIRTY SANTA

There are several variations of this game, but for our family we set a $5.00 price limit.  We all purchase and wrap our gift, but we do not include a name tag.  Then we put the gifts in the middle of the room and each person draws a number.  The first person picks a gift from the pile, the person with the second number can either pick a gift from the pile or take person #1's gift, and that goes on until every number has gone and we keep stealing until the last gift is finally chosen.   After that we go back to the person with number 1 and they open their gift and the person who purchased it lets them know it is from them....so forth and so on.  The only rules we have is that you cannot choose your own gift and you cannot have a tug of war with a gift. example - same two people taking back and forth from each other, you can however get the same gift back, but you can't take it back immediately.   I know some people choose to open the gifts and then steal them, but for our family we decided to wait until the end to open.  I have played it both ways and it is equally as fun!  

Here are a few pictures from our night of Christmas fun!

The Governess of Highland Hall - A Book Review

The Governess of Highland Hall by Carrie Turansky takes place in London, England in the early 1900's and is about Missionary Julia Foster.  Julia has worked along side her parents as a missionary in India for years, but when her father gets sick they are forced to return to England.  Julia gets a job as a governess at Highland Hall to help her family financially.  Julia has been hurt deeply in the past by a former fiance and has no intention of falling for someone again.

William is the Baronet of Highland Hall and is a widow left with two young children.  His wife, though now has passed on, was not faithful to him and he is very leery of women.  He is now consumed with saving his deceased cousin's home (Highland Hall) and raising his own children and the two ill-behaved teenage girls of his deceased cousin's.

Even though both of them are guarding their hearts they both are determined to help their families and join forces and become fast friends and confidants.  William is very strict on following the rules of society and will not allow anyone in his home to court below their station, so what will he do when he has to make a choice between Julia and Highland Hall.

I love Julia's character and as her strong faith and gentle spirit begins to rub off on those around her was an encouragement to me as a reader.  I did have a little bit of a hard time getting into the book at the beginning, but after I the first couple chapters I could hardly put it down.   If you love Regency type stories then you will be sure to love this book.

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

BE SURE TO CHECK OUT THIS VIDEO TO LEARN MORE ABOUT THE BOOK!