Courting Can Be Killer (An Amish Matchmaker Mystery #2) by Amanda Flower

                                                                            Book Synopsis

In the second Amish Matchmaker Mystery by USA Today bestselling author Amanda Flower, Millie Fisher has plenty to keep her busy through her golden years, whether it's minding a pair of rambunctious goats, meetings with her quilting circle, and matchmaking. But the witty widow always makes time to solve the odd murder...

Some Amish men don't know what's good for them. That's what Millie Fisher told herself when young Ben Baughman set his heart on marrying Tess Lieb. With Tess's father refusing to give his blessing and Tess's
ex-boyfriend being a wet blanket, the hapless couple was bound to butt heads more than Millie's Boer goats. But when Ben tragically dies in a mysterious fire, Millie wonders if someone in her hometown of Harvest, Ohio, wanted Ben out of the wedding picture altogether...

With the help of her quilting buddies, and her outspoken Englischer friend Lois, Millie is determined to patch together all the clues without even dropping a stitch. She only hopes it won't be the death of her...

My thoughts:

Amanda Flower pens the best cozy mysteries! This is the second book in this series, a crossover of her Amish Candy Shop series, but this can be read as a standalone, although you'll want to read as many of the books as you possibly can.

The two delightful main characters in this series made me chuckle and kept me turning pages to see what they would get would get involved in next.  Millie and Lois manage to keep busy with friends, their community and solving the occasional murder.  They are two of the most adorable sleuths, they are truly amusing and I cant get enough of these characters.  That is one or the many things I love about this author, she gives her characters so much personality, they come to life in her writing, they are warm, kind, caring and and very witty. 

I loved this novel and highly recommend it.  I received a complimentary copy of this book. All opinions are my own.y

Hers for the Summer by Jill Kemerer

 

                                                                              Book Description

Loving the twins wasn’t part of her plan…

A family for the summer…

Or the beginning of forever?

Eden Page reluctantly agrees to babysit Ryder Fanning’s five-year-old identical twin daughters—but only for the summer. After that, she’s taking charge of her own life, even if it means leaving behind her family ranch that Ryder now owns. But this cowboy, who’s determined never to marry again, could give her everything she wants…including the family and childhood home she loves.

My thoughts:

I love this series by Ms. Kemerer, her characters are family oriented, likeable and oh so sweet.  This is Eden and Ryder’s story and what a delightful story it is!

Eden is kind, loving, tenderhearted and relatable. Eden is a giver of her time, attention and patience, all the while putting others before herself.  Little did she know, she’d be asked once again to help someone in need when Ryder shows up with his five-year-old twins.  I liked how Ryder trusted and respected her with his little girls and how the twins immediately felt safe and secure with her. 

I loved everything about this book, well maybe not the twins’ mother, but even her character was interesting, but maddening. All the others were pretty perfect.

If you have read any of the other books in the series, you’ll be familiar with the backstory and characters, if not, this book can be read as a standalone.  If anyone is looking for a sweet, clean, well-written novel, do yourself a favor and pick up a copy of Hers for the Summer.

I received a complimentary copy of this book.  All opinions are my own.

God Made Us Just Right by Allia Zobel Nolan - Illustrated by Katy Hudson

 

                                                                           About the book

"How come puppies get to bark, but kittens can't? Why do elephants have such long trunks when other animals don't risk tripping over their noses? What's the point of all these differences? Through playful illustrations of animals and warmhearted words in rhyme, young children will see God as their loving creator. God Made Us Just Right helps them realize that God has a reason for creating us just the way we are. Kids who are always asking, "Why, Mom?" and "How come, Dad?" will easily relate to the back-and-forth question-and-answer format. It's a book the whole family will enjoy"

My thoughts:

I was surprised and delighted when I saw this book since it's been several years since I was a child.  The description is correct in stating it's a book the whole family will enjoy.

The illustrations are amazing and the animals are brought to life, in a cute, sweet way, I loved that the storyline makes both young and not so young celebrate how we are all unique, both animal and human.  I think it is a perfect gift for the children and parents in your lives.  I think it would make an extra special gift to tuck in with a baby shower gift, too.

This is truly a lovely book and would make a perfect gift.  I received a copy of this book from the publisher.  All opinions are my own.

When Twilight Breaks by Sarah Sundin

 

Book Synopsis

               Munich, 1938. Evelyn Brand is an American foreign correspondent as determined to prove her worth in a male-dominated profession as she is to expose the growing tyranny in Nazi Germany. To do so, she must walk a thin line. If she offends the government, she could be expelled from the country--or worse. If she fails to truthfully report on major stories, she'll never be able to give a voice to the oppressed--and wake up the folks back home.

In another part of the city, American graduate student Peter Lang is working on his PhD in German. Disillusioned with the chaos in the world due to the Great Depression, he is impressed with the prosperity and order of German society. But when the brutality of the regime hits close, he discovers a far better way to use his contacts within the Nazi party--to feed information to the shrewd reporter he can't get off his mind.

This electric standalone novel from fan-favorite Sarah Sundin puts you right at the intersection of pulse-pounding suspense and heart-stopping romance.    

My thoughts:

I had heard so many wonderful things about this book, so I decided to find out for myself how good it is.  Oh my, am I glad that I did.  This is another fantastic novel by Ms. Sundin.  It’s been quite awhile since I picked up a book penned by her and I could kick myself for waiting so long, but this was well worth the time spent with the incredibly well-crafted characters.

I quickly got caught up in the story of Evelyn Brand, Peter Lang and the people in their lives.  There is a lot of sadness in the book, as you can well imagine, given the time period.  There are also some nail-biting scenes that are blended with hardships and faith.  When Twilight Breaks, is a must-read book, which is why I highly recommend it to historical fiction fans and those that love a well written, interesting read.

I received a complimentary copy from the publisher.  All opinions are completely my own.

                                                      

A Future for His Twins by Susanne Dietze

Book Synopsis

Will these children get their greatest wish?

A battle over a building

could lead to a mother for his twins.

Tomás Santos and Faith Latham both want to rent the same building in town, and neither is willing to give up the fight. But Tomás’s young twins want a new mom—and they’re sure Faith’s the perfect fit. Can these little matchmakers inspire Tomás and Faith to put their differences aside and become a family?

From Harlequin Love Inspired: Uplifting stories of faith, forgiveness and hope.

Widow’s Peak Creek 

My thoughts:

This is one of those books that have stayed with me long after I finished reading it.  The author crafted the perfect characters, placed them in the perfect setting and made me love everything about this novel,  I can spend hours looking at antiques, I'm more of an indoors person, but still found Tom's desire for his store interesting.  The twins are so adorable and I am glad they were at the age where they could talk because they added so much to the story.

Overall, this is a delightful book and one I highly recommend.

 

A Perfect Amish Romance (Berlin Bookmobile 1)by Shelley Shepard Gray

 

Book Synopsis

rom New York Times bestselling author Shelley Shepard Gray comes a new series that follows a bookmobile driver-turned-matchmaker who learns that her Amish patrons need a whole lot more than just new books to read.

Aaron Coblentz has a secret: he’s been studying to take the GED to get promoted at work. But he can’t let his Amish family know, not when his older brother already left the faith just a year after getting baptized, practically crippling the family. When Aaron asks bookmobile librarian Sarah Anne Miller for some additional study guides, she does one better. She arranges for Kayla Kaufman to be his tutor.

Kayla has a secret, too. Her life has been turned upside down in a matter of months—her mother’s death propelled her father into a constant state of depression, and unable to deal with his erratic behavior, her longtime boyfriend has broken things off. But despite losing those she holds most dear, she hasn’t completely given up on love. Only now she seeks to find it in the sweet romance novels she secretly checks out from Sarah Anne’s bookmobile.

As Aaron and Kayla’s study sessions start to feel less like work and more like pleasure, they soon realize that happily ever afters don’t only happen in fiction; sometimes they happen when you least expect it.

My thoughts:

When I saw that one of my favorite authors was writing a new series and that new series happened involved a bookmobile, I was beyond excited.  It brought back so many memories of when I used to wait for the bookmobile to come to my neighborhood.

I loved the visitors to the bookmobile, Sara Anne Miller, the sweet, caring driver of the bookmobile and the wonderful characters we meet along the way.  Some we get to know in depth while others, I believe we’ll get to know better in the next book in the series.   The Coblentz family are a fun, loving family, which is the complete opposite of Kayla Kaufman and her family.  I liked Aaron and Kayla so much, they are both capable, kind people but they don’t always see that in themselves.

One of my favorite things is how the author begins each chapter with the rules about the bookmobile from Sara Anne.  They are quite amusing and clever. 

Overall, I thought this book is worthy of a 5-star review because it’s truly a terrific read.  I look forward to the next book in the series.  Add this one to your TBR.

I received a copy through Netgalley and have given my honest opinion.