Amish Prayers by Beverly Lewis

Amish Prayers
by
Beverly Lewis

Beverly Lewis is one of my favorite authors for Amish fiction and in this case, non-fiction. In her book, Amish Prayers, she has compiled a wonderful collection of Amish prayers.

What I love about this book is that the prayers are categorized in different sections. So, if you feel you need encouragement with having gratitude, or if you need comfort, there are separate sections for those topics, as well as others.

The prayers are wonderfully encouraging and humble. I also love that there is a Bible verse correlating with every prayer so that you can also be looking at scripture for guidance.

The book has quaint Amish-life photos throughout. The book itself is smaller in size- perfect for a bedside table.

I really enjoyed this book and think it is a great encouragement to have.

I was kindly given a copy of this from Bethany House Publishers for my honest review.

To Win Her Heart by Karen Witemeyer

To Win Her Heart
by Karen Witemeyer

Levi Spencer is a new Christian who has a dark past. Eden Spencer is the privileged daughter of the town's owner.
Levi is new in town and acquired the position of blacksmith. He is tall, dark and mysterious. Eden is independent and has steered clear of men since her broken engagement.
Eden and Levi have the chance to get to know each other better as Levi frequently visits the library in which Eden looks after.
It's not long before Levi's dark past comes to light, thanks to a man who is jealous of the time he spends in the library with Eden.
Eden and Levi mus both choose to let go of their pasts and decide if they are meant to be.

I found this book to be a little predictable. The author did a good job of portraying Eden and Levi so that you are genuinely concerned for them and you will wonder if they make is in the end, or not. Even though I did enjoy the story I wished there were more twists and turns so that it was more predictable.


I was given a complimentary copy of this book from Bethany House Publishers for my honest review.

A Heart Most Worthy by Siri Mitchell

A Heart Most Worthy

by Siri Mitchell

(Photo from Bethany House Publishers)

A Heart Most Worthy is centered around three young Italian-American women during the early 1900's in Boston.
The first, Julietta, is a passionate young lady looking for love in all the wrong places.
The second, Annamaria, is shy and trusting but falls for a man whom her parents don't approve.
Finally, Luciana, who immigrated from Italy with her grandmother, is hiding because she fears the men that killed her father and mother in Italy are after her and her grandmother.

This book is full of many twists and turns and you are always wondering if they find the men they are supposed to in the end.
I did not enjoy this book as much as I hoped to. I did not like how the author randomly (in my opinion) used third person when talking about the women. It was distracting to the flow of the story.
It was interesting, however, that the women's stories in the book intertwined. I found Annamaria's story to be very good. The prejudice her family showed to the man she loved was ended when his family was the one to help Annamaria's family in a time of great need. Through sorrow, her family became forgiving and accepting.
This book is full of love, a little adventure, forgiveness, sorrow and in the end, joy.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from Bethany House Publishers in exchange for my honest review.

Another Dawn by Kathryn Cushman

Another Dawn

by
Kathryn Cushman

(Photo from Bethany House Publishers)

Grace Graham is a young single mom raising a four year old boy.
She made a new life for herself in California, after high school, leaving her dad and sister in Tennessee.
She hasn't had a healthy relationship with her dad since her mom passed away her senior year of high school, as she blames him for her mom's death.
Some might say that she "runs away" from her problems.
When she is needed back home in Tennessee and life isn't going as planned in California, she takes the two week trip home.
While there, however, tragedy strikes her family due to a personal decision she made for her son- not vaccinating him.

Will Grace learn to forgive and accept her father and face her problems?

I really enjoyed this book as I found Grace to be very interesting, especially in how she was raising her son and the decisions she was making concerning him.
This book brings up many thought provoking questions about forgiveness and the different paths in life we choose.

I was intrigued by the vaccination issue. I have struggled with this issue myself concerning my child and while we do choose to vaccinate it is definitely not without prayer asking God for protection. I really appreciated how the author graciously brought forth both sides of the issue.

I was given this book by Bethany House Publishers in exchange for my honest review.

Save The Date By Jenny B. Jones

Save The Date
by
Jenny B. Jones
This is a heartwarming book with little twists throughout.
Lucy Wiltshire came from an underprivileged background and had to work hard for everything she has accomplished.
She runs a home for girls that have aged out of the foster care system.
When funding has been cut drastically by a local company, Lucy tries to get some support from board members.
While she is pleading her case during an upscale party for the company, the son of the owner tries to stop her.
Alex Sinclair is a man she does not want to cross paths with as he was one of the tormentors from her school years.
They strike up an interesting relationship that will get them both what they want. Lucy needs money for her girls home and Alex needs a better image.
In the end will they learn to get along or continue on their separate ways.
This book was fun to read. The characters were described in such a way that you actually cared about them. Each main character had their own struggle and past that haunted them.
It may have been a little predictable but I thought it was a very cute and was encouraging to anyone who does not think they are worthy of love.

Disclosure of material connection: I received this book free from Thomas Nelson Publishers as part of their BookSneeze.com book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own.
I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 <http://www.access.gpo.gov/nara/cfr/waisidx_03/16cfr255_03.html> : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

The American Patriot's Almanac by William J. Bennett and John T.E. Cribb

The American Patriot's Almanac

by William J. Bennett
and
John T.E. Cribb

(photo taken from here.)

This is a wonderfully written resource giving us valuable facts about our country's past.

The core of this book has a page for every day of the year with interesting facts about that particular day in history.
Each day has a few paragraphs focusing on one particular year of that day and then at the bottom of the page there are 5-7 one-sentence facts from different years about that day.

Not only do you learn something new every day but there are some other gems inside this book.
For instance, at the beginning there is an essay about "The American Patriot" and what it means to be a Patriot.
The next section before the main part of the book is "Twelve Great Reasons To Love A Great Country." Some highlights of this are: "America really is the land of the free." and "This nation possesses an amazing capacity for self-renewal."

Then, at the back of the book there is a section on "State Flags, Facts, And Symbols."
I love these type of facts and think this section is great!

This book is perfect for anyone who is a history buff, is homeschooling their children, OR just wants to instill some valuable facts about our country into their children, or it's for anyone who loves our country and wants to learn more about where we came from and how we started.

Disclosure of material connection: I received this book free from Thomas Nelson Publishers as part of their BookSneeze.com book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own.
I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 <http://www.access.gpo.gov/nara/cfr/waisidx_03/16cfr255_03.html> : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

A Rush of Wings-A Novel by Kristen Heitzmann

A Rush of Wings

A Novel
by Kristen Heitzmann

(Bethany House book cover photo)

Noelle St. Claire is a lonely young woman fleeing from a seemingly dangerous past.
She ends up at a ranch in Colorado owned by Rick Spencer.
Rick rents out cabins on his ranch and a few rooms in the main lodge. He takes a chance on Noelle and allows her to rent out a room in the main lodge when all the cabins were booked up.
She tries to keep to herself but Rick's carefree brother Morgan is always trying to show her a good time.
She manages to keep her secret hidden until she ends up in a horse riding accident and Rick presses her about her past.
After the accident they realize they have feelings for each other but there are other factors in the way.
Was Rick meant for her, Morgan seemed to be in love with her as well and she thought she might have feelings for him. Also, there was her past and the broken relationship there.

This was a great story. If you love romances set in beautiful mountains with horses and a cowboy then you will love this book.
There was much suspense and I could hardly put the book down. The author made me care for Noelle and what she was going through. I even felt bad for the man she didn't end up with in the end. Great story telling! I highly recommend this book.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from Bethany House Publishers in return I am reviewing it here on my blog and also at Christianbook.com.