Christian faith

Bestselling author Shelley Shepard Gray brings inspirational romance to life in this sweet tale of love in the Amish community, Ray of Light, the second installment of her Days of Redemption series.

Promise, a young singer trying to make her mark on the world before succumbing to a terminal genetic disease, actively pursues her singing and modeling career – and isn’t sure how she continues to survive the freak accidents that suddenly follow her.  Porta, an aging sorceress hears about these accidents and decides that Promise holds the key to immortality for which she’s spent a lifetime searching.  Chase, an autistic artist, suddenly changes his routine and reaches out to strangers, bringing a new understanding of life and love to everyone who knows him.

I couldn’t decide at the beginning of this book who I wanted to cheer for.  Most stories have a clear hero and a clear villian, but several times these characters got a bit murky.  The reasons for some of their actions are unknown  at first, and I started to be a bit disappointed in this character or that one – until I realized that each one was only ‘human.’  The interrelationships between the cast of characters becomes more and more clear throughout the story, as do the themes of love and what eternal life really means.  This book is in no way preachy but shows simply how to live out one’s faith – how to internalize what you believe until it just oozes naturally out your pores.

The Christian faith is not based on sunshine and roses, and Healy shows that while we live in a dark and fallen world, and may even dive pretty deeply into the nasty parts of this world, we don’t have to stay there.  Redemption and love belong to everyone who chooses to accept them  – and I love the way that Healy shares this message through Chase and Promise.  If you’re looking for a story that will stretch your imagination and yet bring home a sound message, this is the book for you.

I received a free copy of this book from Thomas Nelson’s Booksneeze program in exchange for an unbiased review.

Award-winning author Janice Thompson, who also writes under the name Janice Hanna, has published nearly eighty books for the Christian market, crossing genre lines to write cozy mysteries, historicals, romances, nonfiction books, devotionals, children’s books and more.

Emmalyne Knox and Tavin MacLachlan were destined to be together . . . until the tragic deaths of Emmalyne’s youngest sisters. Family tradition mandates that the youngest daughter should remain single to care for her parents in their old age, and now that daughter is Emmalyne. Her father unyielding, Emmalyne surrenders to her duty, heartbroken. Tavin leaves town, equally devastated.

Years later, Emmalyne’s family moves, and she and Tavin meet again. Their feelings for each other are as strong as ever, but their painful past and Emmalyne’s father still stand between them. Soon both families are in the midst of the growing conflict rising between the workers at the granite quarry that Tavin’s father owns and operates. When a series of near-fatal accidents occur, Tavin must figure out who is behind the attacks before someone gets killed.

Bound by obligation, yet yearning for a future together, can Emmalyne and Tavin dare to dream that God could heal a decade-long wound and change the hearts of those who would stand in the way of true love?

The Quarryman’s Bride is a fascinating tale of love lost and faithful choices.  I must admit, I found it hard to identify with Emmalyne’s choice but loved her faithfulness and spirit.  That alone kept me turning page after page, hoping to find that Emmalyne’s choice was rewarded in some way.  I’m not sure that I could have remained so positive or cheerful if so many things had been taken away from me, and yet that was Emmalyne’s charm.

While Emmalyne had a tough choice to make in the beginning, it didn’t get any easier later, when her family returned to the quarry.  This time she purposely chose the hard road and tried to follow God’s wishes, not her own, and that upped the fascination factor for me.  

I really enjoyed The Quarryman’s Bride.  It’s a great story, full of faith, emotion, and taking up one’s cross – something that many of us don’t do enough.  With side plots of union troubles relating to the quarry and the stereotypes relating to the mentally ill, this book is not lacking action or intrigue, either.  It’s not just a great beach read – it’s a great anytime read.

To read other reviews in this blog hop, click here; or, click here to purchase your copy now.

With her heart – and her loyalty – on the line, can she let true love in her life?

Regina Beswick was born to be a princess.

Carley Marek’s world shatters when she survives a horrifying accident, and she doesn’t know how to pick up the pieces. Trying to rejuvenate her career, she takes a trip to Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, to stay with a friend in an Old Order Amish home and write an article about the Amish culture. Although she expected to ask questions and be an impartial observer, she finds herself becoming a part of the community as she helps a sick child’s family and begins to fall for Dr. Noah, a man shunned from the very family she’s visiting. With all of these new pieces to the puzzle of her life, where can Carley go from here?

Beth Wiseman has written the best Amish novel I’ve read in years. True to the Amish culture of central Pennsylvania, this book does not romanticize their lives, nor does it make their culture seem foreign or strange. She creatively uses the characters and the plot to keep the reader in suspense while introducing real-to-life drama. Carley’s turmoil and questions regarding her past experiences and her faith are real and are not resolved in a paragraph. She struggles to understand the mystery surrounding the events of Noah’s shunning and the difficult ramifications his family faces because of that years later.

Plain Pursuit will challenge any reader to seek out forgiveness and to understand how they, too, can be a “child of promise.” If you’ve ever been interested in Amish culture or have questions about how God relates to His children, this is a book for you.

For more information about Plain Pursuit by Beth Wiseman, go here.
For more information about Thomas Nelson products, go here.

** Thomas Nelson has provided me with a complimentary copy of this book for reviewing purposes.

Meeting the family that her mother had kept hidden from her, Holly comes face to face with her real life and blood legacy. She also falls for the charming Zach, a handsome Mennonite veterinarian who is everything she’s ever wanted in a husband: confident, kind, successful, and authentic. And Zach proposes marriage. Is this too soon? Is this the right choice? Mother and Amish grandmother think she’s rushing into too much of a lifestyle change. Holly is in love with Zach and that precludes everything. Until she meets an attractive Amish man. And an old suitor shows up.

Pennyslvania Patchwork is the moving, richly told story of one woman’s heart, her faith and trust, and the choices she makes. Never easy, but one choice can change your destiny.

Pennsylvania Patchwork is about the choices that we make and how they affect our lives.  A dramatic saga about three women, this book picks up right in the middle of conflict.  A prologue catches the reader up to speed with what happened in the first book of the series, and soon that reader will be hurtling through Lancaster County faster than a runaway horse and buggy.  

Pennsylvania Patchwork is a tangled web of emotions, mistakes, grace, and forgiveness.  It’s a story full of wisdom and seeking to live God’s way, no matter how you might dress to do so.

I really enjoyed this story.  Although it did take me a few chapters to figure out the full backstory for each character as I haven’t read the first in the series, I got up to speed quickly and fell in love with their situation.  I could relate to each character, despite all being from different backgrounds and generations.  I want my children to be faithful adults like Mommy Anna.  Like Esther, I don’t want to hold grudges from past hurts and want to make right past issues.  Like Holly, it’s sometimes confusing to be faced with multiple options for a dream – what is the best way to choose?  Because each person felt so realistic, I felt as if I had a vested interest in the choices that they made.  Near the end, a few of those choices felt as if they’d been made very quickly. This high-action part of the plot kept me at the edge of my seat, however, as my eyes flew over the pages.

Having been in Lancaster County just a few short weeks ago, it was fun to read about a group of Amish where the lifestyle and location is so familiar to me.  I definitely will be watching for Kate Lloyd’s next book.  This is one of the best Lancaster County Amish stories I’ve read in a long time!

Author Kate Lloyd is a passionate observer of human relationships. A native of Baltimore, Kate spends time with family and friends in Lancaster County, PA, the inspiration for her novels. She is a member of the Lancaster County Mennonite Historical Society. Kate and her husband live in the Pacific Northwest. Kate studied painting and sculpture in college. She’s worked a variety of jobs, including car salesman and restaurateur.

Learn more about Kate at http://www.katelloyd.net

I received a free copy of Pennsylvania Patchwork from LitFuse Publicity in exchange for an honest review.