A Hope Springs Christmas by Patricia Davids

I always enjoy the Brides of Amish County series books from Love Inspired. This time, A Hope Springs Christmas, introduces us to Sarah Wyse. She is a widow who has lost her job during the Christmas Season. She seems to always have losses during the holiday season. She lost her husband, parents and sister. Sarah believes because she loved them they were taken from her and she refuses to marry again for that reason. Levi lives close to her and has ran her husband's carriage shop since his death. Levi promises her husband he would look after Sarah until she found a husband. Levi's daughter, Grace is Sarah's best friend. She runs to Sarah when she wants to marry her beau but she feels she can't leave Levi (her brother) and their twin brothers who they have cared for since the death of their parents. Sarah tells Grace to go to her grandmother’s house for a visit and she would take care of her brother's while she was gone. Grace asked Sarah to play matchmaker for Levi while she is gone so when she gets back she will be able to leave Levi and the twins so she can get married. Will spending more time help Levi and Sarah to overcome their fears and realize that they love each other? You'll have to read A Hope Springs Christmas to find out.
I really enjoyed this book. Two people getting over their fears to trust God enough to find true love. I also loved the twins in this story. They are quit a mischievous bunch of kids. There was a little bit of a mention of Christmas in the book, but I really did not feel Christmas when reading this book. It could have been anytime during the winter season, except for the fact that we know Sarah has lots of losses during the Christmas season. I also enjoyed briefly meeting old characters in the story. At the end of the book, Patricia Davids gives hints as to who she might write about next in the series. I will be waiting for that next book as her reads always uplift me.
I recieved a copy of this Galley through Net Galley and Harlequin and was not required to give a positve review.

The Little Amish Matchmaker Review

I've never read anything by this author, but thought I'd give this book, A Little Amish Matchmaker, a try since it is Amish and Christmas. This book is about a boy who goes to a one room Amish school.  This boy notices his brother's interest in his school teach, Teacher Catherine. The young boy tries to play matchmaker, but his brother will not let him.  We learn a lot about the young boy as he gets ready with his class for the Christmas program thoughout the book.  Will he ever be able to get his brother and Teacher Catherine together?  Read The Little Amish Matchmaker to find out.
The things I liked best about this book were that the book was short and moved fast. I enjoyed the Christmas theme and snow in the book, it made me feel like I was in the middle of a snow storm. I also thought the ending was really sweet.
There were several things I did not like about this book.  First, the first half of the book took me forever to get into.  I felt like the author kept skipping from one thought to the next and sometimes it was hard to see where she was going.  This might have had to happen since the book was so short. I also wondered what kind of Amish this book was referring to because I thought most Amish women wore dull colored dresses and did not wear red.  In this story we see Teacher Catherine wearing red for the Christmas program.  Maybe it was a dull red but this just stood out and made me wonder. 
I thought this book was okay.  The ending was sweet and it was a quick read.  I really just met the characters and the story was over. 
I was given this advance copy through Netgalley and was not required to give a positive review, only an honest one.

Almost Amish by Kathryn Cushman

Almost Amish is a book that takes family, in this case a cookbook writer and her sister-in-law and their teen aged children, and follows their experience on a reality show.  The reality show takes the faced paced family to a rural setting and sees how they can live almost like the Amish for a summer.  The kids seem to have a hard time dealing with the changes especially no cell phones, computers, etc.  The family seems to get used to it and each learns a little something new about themselves.  The character of Susan really seemed to get on my nerves.  Susan was the perfect mom and she killed herself trying to do it.  Her sister in law Julie seemed to be someone I could more identify with in the book.  Julie was trying to find her talent in life.  I love how the book tried to teach that everyone has a talent. 
Overall I really liked this book.  I also enjoyed the romances within the story. 

Zero Visibility by Sharon Dunn

This is my first book by Sharon Dunn and I must say I was really impressed!  This is also my second Love Inspired Suspense and I have to say both were wonderful!  I will definitely be on the lookout for more by this author and more Love Inspired Suspense. 

 

In Zero Visibility, Merci Carlson wants to go visit her aunt over her college spring break and decides to accept a ride with Lorelei, a girl she knew from a class she took.  Merci thought she was nice to offer her a ride home.  As they are on their way, they decide to take a short cut.  On the mountain a bad winter storm has made the roads icy.  The car goes off the road and they cannot start it.  Two men come to help them.  But Merci learns they are really robbing them.  Nathan has come back to take care of some things after his parents' deaths.  He is out on his snowmobile when he sees the girls in trouble.  He rescues them and takes them back to his parents’ cabin. The robbers come back and take Lorelei hostage.  Nathan and Merci decide to go after her.  They go out the old camp that Nathan’s parents ran.  They continue to fight the robbers and try to get off the mountain for help.  There are lots of twists and turns in the book and a lot happens in a couple of days.  Can you fall in love with someone that you have only known a couple of days?  Can you fall in love with someone that you have gone though a frightening event with?   Read to find out if Merci and Nathan can find love.

 

At first I thought the title had something to do with the weather, but after reading, I so learned that it had a deeper meaning.  I think it meant more about how we see other people.  Sometimes our impressions of someone are so different than who they are.  I really think that you have to rely on the spirit to help you know how people really are.  There were several instances in the book where characters got the feeling this person or that was so different than they thought.  Sometimes the characters listened to the spirit but a lot of times they did not. 

This is a fast paced story.  A lot happens in a couple of days and you really get drawn into the story.  I thought at times that the author made you feel like you were right there and you could really image where the characters were.  The setting for the story was really interesting too. 

I really think this book would have been a fun read on a snow day.  It is interesting to me that it comes out in July when it is so hot.  Really enjoyed this book!

 

This book was provided by Netgalley and Harlequin.  I was given a galley of the book for review but was not required to give a positive review.

Wooing the Schoolmarm by Dorothy Clark

This is my first book by Dorothy Clark and I really enjoyed it. This book caught my eye because I love historical fiction about schoolmarms. This book is about Willa a woman whose father left her and her mother to fend for themselves. Willa has experienced heartbreak as days before her fiancé runs off. Willa decides that she will be single and teach and then help her mom with the laundry she does so they can stay in the cabin they live in. A new preacher comes to town with his brother's children that he is raising. Willa meets him as he brings the kids to school and you can tell from the beginning they really like each other. Willa's best friend decides she is going to marry him and tells Willa she is her intended. Willa's ex-fiancé also comes back and that also causes some trouble. Will Willa and the preacher find love? Read to find out.

I enjoyed this book and plan to read more in the series. I really enjoyed the town and the characters. There were a couple of things I would have liked better. First I love reading schoolmarm books but not much took place in the schoolhouse and that is what I like so much about those types of books. I also felt like the book dragged a few places and I got so annoyed at the characters for not seeing the truth and Willa and the preacher getting together. Other than that I still really liked the book.

I received a galley from Netgalley and Harlequin in return for this review. I was not required to give a positive review.

Missing

Lynette Easton writes the books I love.  Fast paced, action pact, who done it kind of book! This is the second book I have read by her and can not wait to read more!  When Lacey finds her daughter missing, she goes to the one person who she knows will help find her. The only problem is she has a secret that she has kept from him.  Will he still help her after learning this secret and will she ever be able to prove to him that she did not betray him?  The story goes through lots of twist and turns and finally the person I thought for sure had done it, did not! 
Wonderful story.  I have found that I really like this author!  Read this book for a Christian Fiction read through the Amish Fiction group on Goodreads.  Don't "miss" Missing for a great read.

The Wonder of Your Love by Beth Wiseman

The Wonder of Your Love is the second book in Beth Wiseman’s Land of Canaan Series. I fell in love with Beth’s first series that a lot of the characters come from.  I really liked Katie Ann in the first book of this series and felt sorry for her.  Her husband left her for an English woman.  Katie Ann discovers she is pregnant in the first book and now she has a son.  Her husband is killed and Katie Ann knows he was her true love and believes no one else will ever be for her.  An older English lady in the community has sort of adopted Katie Ann and spends a lot of time with her and helps Katie Ann out. 

Eli Detweiler comes to Canaan to attend his nieces wedding.  He lives in Ohio with his kids.  He raised them after his wife died and they are all older now and married.  So he is ready to experience life doing what he wants.  So when he meets Katie Ann he was never thinking about looking for anyone, but Katie Ann’s elderly friend plays matchmaker.  Katie Ann’s friend wants Katie Ann to din someone to take care of her and her son because her elderly friend knows that she will not be around forever.  The couple seem to like each other, but could they make it work?  Could Katie Ann let someone else in her life after all her first husband did to her?  Would Eli be able to leave his family in Ohio to be with Katie Ann?  So many things come into play in this book.  Read it to find out. 

I really enjoyed this book.  I have wanted to learn more of Katie Ann’s story since I last left Canaan.  I also enjoyed learning more about Katie Ann’s husband’s English woman who he left Katie Ann to be with. I loved learning how Katie Ann had to learn to forgive this woman, Lucy.  There was just so much love in this book.  You left it with a warm loving feeling!   I can’t wait for the next in the series!

I was given an advanced copy of this book through NetGalley and Thomas Nelson.  I was not required to give a positive review only an honest one.