An Amish Christmas Bakery by Amy Clipston, Beth Wiseman, Kathleen Fuller, Kelly Irvin

Book Synopsis

From bestselling authors in the Amish genre come four delicious stories perfect for celebrating love, joy, and the holiday season.

Cookies and Cheer  by Amy Clipston

Alyssa Byler wants to build a sugar cookie nativity scene for her bakery’s Christmas window display—all she needs is the right cookie cutters. She turns to handsome blacksmith Kyle Smoker. Using Kyle’s handmade cutters, Alyssa created a striking display that brings more customers than she can handle. She soon realizes she’s been too busy to focus on the true meaning of Christmas—and too distracted to explore her feelings for Kyle. Together, they put aside the holiday rush to celebrate the season that brought them together.

Loaves of Love  by Beth Wiseman

Katie Swartzentruber has been left in charge of her family’s bakery, but she soon finds herself overwhelmed with orders during the holiday season. She is tempted to move her Old Order family into the modern world by using propane ovens. Meanwhile, her childhood friend Henry Hershberger is trying to find the courage to tell Katie that he’s harbored a secret crush on Katie for years. As the demands at the bakery intensify, both Katie and Henry must find the courage to go after what’s important.

Melting Hearts  by Kathleen Fuller

When her aunt Carolyn begs for help during the busy Christmas rush, Mattie Shetler eagerly packs her bags and heads to Birch Creek. She doesn’t know her uncle has also asked for help with the bakery’s new expansion from Peter Kaufman, Mattie’s sworn enemy. As the two work together, Mattie discovers not all is as it seems. With Christmas just around the corner, Mattie and Peter open their hearts for the greatest gifts of the season: forgiveness and maybe even love.

Cakes and Kisses  by Kelly Irvin

Martha Ropp works hard at her family’s bakery, making cakes and pies for community celebrations. To help during the busy Christmas season, Martha’s mother hires Ambrose Hershberger to make deliveries. Martha remembers Ambrose as a gentle giant from her school days. But the more they work together, the more they want to spend time together outside of the bakery. When both are too timid to make the first move, the town matchmakers step in.From bestselling authors in the Amish genre come four delicious stories perfect for celebrating love, joy, and the holiday season. 

Cookies and Cheer  by Amy Clipston

Alyssa Byler wants to build a sugar cookie nativity scene for her bakery’s Christmas window display—all she needs is the right cookie cutters. She turns to handsome blacksmith Kyle Smoker. Using Kyle’s handmade cutters, Alyssa created a striking display that brings more customers than she can handle. She soon realizes she’s been too busy to focus on the true meaning of Christmas—and too distracted to explore her feelings for Kyle. Together, they put aside the holiday rush to celebrate the season that brought them together.

Loaves of Love  by Beth Wiseman

Katie Swartzentruber has been left in charge of her family’s bakery, but she soon finds herself overwhelmed with orders during the holiday season. She is tempted to move her Old Order family into the modern world by using propane ovens. Meanwhile, her childhood friend Henry Hershberger is trying to find the courage to tell Katie that he’s harbored a secret crush on Katie for years. As the demands at the bakery intensify, both Katie and Henry must find the courage to go after what’s important.

Melting Hearts  by Kathleen Fuller

When her aunt Carolyn begs for help during the busy Christmas rush, Mattie Shetler eagerly packs her bags and heads to Birch Creek. She doesn’t know her uncle has also asked for help with the bakery’s new expansion from Peter Kaufman, Mattie’s sworn enemy. As the two work together, Mattie discovers not all is as it seems. With Christmas just around the corner, Mattie and Peter open their hearts for the greatest gifts of the season: forgiveness and maybe even love.

Cakes and Kisses  by Kelly Irvin

Martha Ropp works hard at her family’s bakery, making cakes and pies for community celebrations. To help during the busy Christmas season, Martha’s mother hires Ambrose Hershberger to make deliveries. Martha remembers Ambrose as a gentle giant from her school days. But the more they work together, the more they want to spend time together outside of the bakery. When both are too timid to make the first move, the town matchmakers step in.

My thoughts:

I am a huge fan of the four authors in this collection and I am also a huge fans of bakeries so imagine my happiness when I had this book in my hands. Each of the authors penned sweet stories combining  endearing characters with a heartfelt storyline

I wanted a cup of hot chocolate while I read this collection of novellas, each one taking me to communities where I felt warm and relaxed but most importantly I could easily imagine the characters living their daily lives.  Lives filled with family, friends and faith.  I love that this book can be read by readers of all ages which is why I recommend it

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

Aiming for Love (Brides of Hope Mountain #1) by Mary Connealy

Book Description

Josephine Nordegren is one of three sisters who grew up nearly wild in southwestern Colorado. She has the archery skills of Robin Hood and the curiosity of the Little Mermaid, fascinated by but locked away from the forbidden outside world--a world she's been raised to believe killed her parents. When David Warden, a rancher, brings in a herd much too close to the girls' secret home, her older sister especially is frightened, but Jo is too interested to stay away.

David's parents follow soon on his heels, escaping bandits at their ranch. David's father is wounded and needs shelter. Josephine and her sisters have the only cabin on the mountain. Do they risk stepping into the world to help those in need? Or do they remain separated but safe in the peaks of Hope Mountain?

My thoughts:

Aiming for Love is the first book in the Brides of Hope Mountain series by Mary Connealy and it is terrific.  I find it nearly impossible to put down a book penned by this author and this book certainly was the same for me.  

The Nordegren sisters are a bit unusual, having a fear of the outside world instilled in them by their grandmother. So, imagine their surprise and curiosity when Jo meets David Warden and his family who have made their way from the lowlands to Hope Mountain.  The girls are certainly self-sufficient but Jo is curious about the family but more than that, she finds herself wanting to spend time with them much to her sister's chagrin.  Of course things are soon changed when the patriarch of the Warden family is wounded and is in need of medicine and shelter and the sisters are faced with the decision of keeping to themselves or opening up their home to David and his parents.

I absolutely adored how naïve the sisters are, it was refreshing to meet women who are truly innocent and unaffected by the trappings of the outside world.  At the same time, I admired their inner strength and the fact that they took care of each other.  Not only is this novel filled with endearing characters but as usual it's infused with humor which this authors books always are.

I look forward to reading the next book in the series to see what happens next.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher.  All opinions expressed are my own.

Memories of Glass by Melanie Dobson

About the book

Reminiscent of Diane Ackerman’s The Zookeeper’s Wife, this stunning novel draws from true accounts to shine a light on a period of Holland’s darkest history and bravest heroes.

1942. As war rips through the heart of Holland, childhood friends Josie van Rees and Eliese Linden partner with a few daring citizens to rescue Eliese’s son and hundreds of other Jewish children who await deportation in a converted theater in Amsterdam. But amid their resistance work, Josie and Eliese’s dangerous secrets could derail their friendship and their entire mission. When the enemy finds these women, only one will escape.

Seventy-five years later, Ava Drake begins to suspect that her great-grandfather William Kingston was not the World War II hero he claimed to be. Her work as director of the prestigious Kingston Family Foundation leads her to Landon West’s Ugandan coffee plantation, and Ava and Landon soon discover a connection between their families. As Landon’s great-grandmother shares the broken pieces of her story, Ava must confront the greatest loss in her own life―and powerful members of the Kingston family who will do anything to keep the truth buried.

Illuminating the story and strength of these women, award-winning author Melanie Dobson transports readers through time and place, from World War II Holland to contemporary Uganda, in this rich and inspiring novel.

My thoughts:

It has been awhile since I have read a novel penned by Ms. Dobson, but I was immediately drawn to this cover and when I saw it was a time-slip novel, I thought it would be fantastic.  I was so right in my thinking because this book is utterly amazing.

From the first page until the very last page, I was completely caught up in this beautifully crafted story.

Josie von Rees and Elise Linden who were once childhood friends are reunited in painful and turbulent tines in 1942 as they work together with other citizens to save hundreds of  Jewish children from further horror than what they were already experiencing. The bravery these women had was  incredible and I cheered for them as they continued their commitment to saving so many lives .It was uplifting to see people filled with love when so many were filled with hatred. 

This book kept me reading long into the night but I simply had to know what would happen and how it would all be tied to Ava Drake and her family. The characters have stayed with me since I have finished this book and I know that they will for quite some time. 

Memories of Glass is a thoroughly researched and impeccably written novel which is why I recommend it. 

I received a copy of this book form the publisher through Netgalley and was under no obligation to write a review.  All opinions are my own.

  

A Christmas Haven: An Amish Christmas Romance by Cindy Woodsmall & Erin Woodsmall

Book Description

For fans of holiday romances and Amish life comes a new Christmas tale of surprising expectations and discovering miracles.

Old Order Amish Ivy Zook is wrestling with her need to shed her community's ways so she can grow the business of her dreams: planning parties. As long as she's stuck living without modernization, she can barely get her business on its feet. But if she leaves too soon, she'd cause trouble for her sister, Holly, who is planning her wedding to Joshua Smucker. All of their plans become twice as complicated when an old car crashes into the storefront of Greene's Pharmacy, carrying a Swartzentruber (ultra-conservative sect) Amish man, Arlan, and his very ill sister.

The Zooks take in Arlan and Madga, tending to the woman's illness and Arlan begins helping around the family farm. Ivy and Arlan are on different tracks, one wanting to leave her community and the other to return to his. But both young people are trying to discover what God has in store for their futures and what miracles might lie around the corner this Christmas season.For fans of holiday romances and Amish life comes a new Christmas tale of surprising expectations and discovering miracles.

Old Order Amish Ivy Zook is wrestling with her need to shed her community's ways so she can grow the business of her dreams: planning parties. As long as she's stuck living without modernization, she can barely get her business on its feet. But if she leaves too soon, she'd cause trouble for her sister, Holly, who is planning her wedding to Joshua Smucker. All of their plans become twice as complicated when an old car crashes into the storefront of Greene's Pharmacy, carrying a Swartzentruber (ultra-conservative sect) Amish man, Arlan, and his very ill sister.

The Zooks take in Arlan and Madga, tending to the woman's illness and Arlan begins helping around the family farm. Ivy and Arlan are on different tracks, one wanting to leave her community and the other to return to his. But both young people are trying to discover what God has in store for their futures and what miracles might lie around the corner this Christmas season.

My thoughts:

This is the second book in the Amish Christmas Romance series penned by Cindy Woodsmall and Erin Woodsmall and I absolutely loved it.  In the first book, The Christmas Remedy we met the Zook family who are Old Order Amish and this follows up with the family, friends and their community.

I loved reconnecting with characters from the first book and meeting new ones in this book.

As much as I enjoyed the first book, I found this one so heartrending which I loved.  I adored Arlan and Magda and that's due to the way the characters are so lovingly written by the authors.  It's unimaginable to me how unbending their parents could be, although certainly understandable given their beliefs and their strict community. 

The emphasis on family is one of the many things I loved about this book, a family who is willing to help another family when they most need it and discovering that where you are sometimes is  really where you are meant to be.

If anyone is looking for a well written novel with endearing characters this is the one you need to read.  A Christmas Haven is a wonderful read ,suitable for all ages and would make a perfect gift for the readers on your shopping list.

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

One More River to Cross by Jane Kirkpatrick

Book Desription

In 1844, two years before the Donner Party, the Stevens-Murphy company left Missouri to be the first wagons into California through the Sierra Nevada Mountains. Mostly Irish Catholics, the party sought religious freedom and education in the mission-dominated land and enjoyed a safe journey--until October, when a heavy snowstorm forced difficult decisions. The first of many for young Mary Sullivan, newlywed Sarah Montgomery, the widow Ellen Murphy, and her pregnant sister-in-law Maolisa.

When the party separates in three directions, each risks losing those they loved and faces the prospect of learning that adversity can destroy or redefine. Two women and four men go overland around Lake Tahoe, three men stay to guard the heaviest wagons--and the rest of the party, including eight women and seventeen children, huddle in a makeshift cabin at the headwaters of the Yuba River waiting for rescue . . . or their deaths.

Award-winning author Jane Kirkpatrick plunges you deep into a landscape of challenge where fear and courage go hand in hand for a story of friendship, family, and hope that will remind you of what truly matters in times of trial.In 1844, two years before the Donner Party, the Stevens-Murphy company left Missouri to be the first wagons into California through the Sierra Nevada Mountains. Mostly Irish Catholics, the party sought religious freedom and education in the mission-dominated land and enjoyed a safe journey--until October, when a heavy snowstorm forced difficult decisions. The first of many for young Mary Sullivan, newlywed Sarah Montgomery, the widow Ellen Murphy, and her pregnant sister-in-law Maolisa.

When the party separates in three directions, each risks losing those they loved and faces the prospect of learning that adversity can destroy or redefine. Two women and four men go overland around Lake Tahoe, three men stay to guard the heaviest wagons--and the rest of the party, including eight women and seventeen children, huddle in a makeshift cabin at the headwaters of the Yuba River waiting for rescue . . . or their deaths.

Award-winning author Jane Kirkpatrick plunges you deep into a landscape of challenge where fear and courage go hand in hand for a story of friendship, family, and hope that will remind you of what truly matters in times of trial.

My thoughts:

I have loved every book that I have read by Jane Kirkpatrick and this one is just as well written as her other novels.  It was also well researched as I discovered in the authors notes at the end of the book.

Set in 1844 a group of families leave Missouri and travel into California where they encounter bad weather forcing them to make difficult decisions regarding their journey. This was an interesting storyline as they split up into 3 different groups, each facing hardships along the way.   I am always in awe of those pioneers and their bravery.  Traveling by wagons, facing uncertainty, running low on food and sheltering in place wherever they were.

I always love a story about strong women and the author certainly delivered in this one, making it impossible for me to choose just one.  I read One More River to Cross at a slower pace than I normally read but that's because I wanted to take in every detail described within the pages and imagine each character in each situation.  I thoroughly enjoyed this novel and think it will appeal to all who like historical fiction.  

I received a copy of this book from the publisher.  All opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

Cover Reveal- Carry Me Away

    Synopsis:

When the Black Swallow sinks off the Australian coast in 1877, Australian midshipman Tom Darley rescues English passenger Ada Carmichael from the disaster that claims her entire family. News of the only two survivors enchants the world, but Ada needs to hide before secrets and old foes find her. Tom is chasing big dreams of a crumbling house he will convert into a small hotel ~ but the promising start he’s acquired now sits at the bottom of the sea.

Inexplicably entangled, Ada and Tom lean upon each other to make sense of the tragedy that’s displaced them. But when scheming journalists observe their affection they drag Tom into life-altering riches and a news-worthy romance he cannot resist. So he arranges for Ada’s protection where only he might find her ~ the quiet Phillip Island farm of his friends Shadrach and Finella Jones.

And that’s where real trouble finds them. When heroic promises fail to shelter, and love refuses to be silenced, only surrender will pluck Ada and Tom from where life has wrecked them.

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See What Others Are Saying

Riveting and masterfully written, Carry Me Away will do just that, immersing you in a devastating storm, a historic shipwreck, and the idyllic hideaway of Phillip Island in Australia. These flesh and blood characters are so finely crafted they feel more like friends, each winning your heart in unique, soul-stretching ways. A poignant, oft suspenseful, and thoroughly romantic journey through the valleys of loss and grief to the heights of healing and hope. –Laura Frantz, Christy Award-winning author of The Lacemaker

A gorgeously written and skillfully rendered tale of rescue, redemption, and the courage required to love. –Siri Mitchell, Author of Chateau of Echoes

Gorgeous and gripping, Carry Me Away is a novel you won’t forget. Ada and Tom’s deep attraction and clashing needs create a poignant love story, and Dorothy Adamek writes about grief and love in a way that is palpable and heartfelt. But the ending—oh, the ending! So sweet and triumphant and affirming that I want to tell everyone—except I want you to discover it for yourself. Let the lovely writing carry you away to picturesque Phillip Island, and be swept away by Tom and Ada’s tale.
–Sarah Sundin, Award-winning and bestselling author of The Sea Before Us and The Sky Above Us

Carry Me Away is another beautiful tale from the imagination and heart of Dorothy Adamek. This Australian-born storyteller had me at the first line and secured her hold on me with a hero worth rooting for. Based on true events of a late 19th-century shipwreck off the coast near Melbourne, this lyrical, heartfelt journey of two battered souls finding healing, redemption, and love will keep the pages turning—as will lush descriptions sure to make readers long to take a trip Down Under. –Tamara Leigh, USA Today bestselling author of the Age of Faith and Age of Conquest series

A Season of Grace (Under Northern Skies, #3) by Larraine Snelling

Book Description

In 1910 Minnesota, Nilda Carlson's dreams are coming true. Though her first few months in America were difficult, her life now resembles the images that filled her daydreams in Norway. She and her younger brother Ivar live in their own house, just a short distance from her older brother and his family. Together they work the farm and fell trees for lumber. They plan to grow a dairy herd, weave rugs out of their own wool, and make skis to sell. Everything is going right.

The only thing missing from Nilda's life is love. But though she has two suitors—a quiet schoolteacher and a handsome lumberjack—Nilda feels hesitant. A terrifying experience in Norway has made her cautious where men are concerned. When she thinks she sees the man in question, all her fears come flooding back. Is it possible the danger has followed her across the Atlantic? If Dreng Nygaard is truly in Minnesota, all of her dreams for the future could come crashing down around her.

My thoughts:

I loved the first two books in the series and had been looking forward to the third book.  I was anticipating the arrival of Nilda and Ivar wanted them to have a wonderful life reuniting with their family in Minnesota.  

It was nice reconnecting with the characters and meeting new ones but unfortunately this storyline didn't hold my interest as much as the other ones did.  As much as I dislike saying it, this story fell flat for me and it may have been my high expectations since I loved the first two so much.  It isn't a bad book by any means, it just isn't one where I felt a connection to the new characters in the storyline. 

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