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adult Christian fiction Archives - Page 22 of 44 - A Nest in the Rocks

“Gather Around the Amish Table” by Lucy Leid

Straight from Amish kitchens to yours, this cookbook offers favorite family recipes and charming stories from Amish and Mennonite cooks.

Bake the pecan rolls that taste best after an ice-skating party, or try the hoagies that a community sold to help an Amish family with hospital bills. Discover the cocoa cupcakes with instructions to “stir by hand” that one young cook took literally, or whip up the whoopie pies that one Amish woman took to market in her horse and buggy.

These cherished recipes speak of comforting traditions, lively communities, and strong Christian faith. Gather your family around the table to sample the nourishing fare and trademark charm of the plain people. In the words of one cookbook contributor: “Bake someone happy!”

If you’ve ever wanted to know more about Amish cooking, Gather Around the Amish Table is your go-to source.  This collection of recipes is as varied as it is drool-worthy. 

That’s one of the best things about this book:  the variety of the recipes.  Leid, the woman who pulled this book together, didn’t write them all – instead, she polled family and friends to find the best of the best.  These recipes not only cover a wide range of food and styles, but they also vary in the amount that each makes.  A recipe that makes a few hundred doughnuts can be found right beside a recipe that serves four.  Anyone could find recipes to suit the size of their gathering from this book.

You’ll find versions of the most popular Amish and Mennonite recipes here, too.  Sure, there are whoopee pies and doughnuts, but you’ll find yummasetti and casseroles and salads, too.  There are simple ones and more difficult ones, but if there’s a recipe you’ve heard about Plain people eating, you’ll probably find a version of it in this book.

When it comes right down to it, the recipes sound delicious.  My Big Helper and I have picked out a bunch of them to make, and we can’t decide where to start.  It all looks good!

If you’re in need of a new cookbook, definitely check out Gather Around the Amish Table.

Click here to read other reviews on this bloggy hop or here to purchase your own copy now.

Lucy Leid is an Old Order Mennonite wife, mother, and cook in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania.

I received a free copy of Gather Around the Amish Table from LitFuse Publicity in exchange for an honest review.

“Counting on a Cowboy” by Debra Clopton

After losing everything she held dear, Abby never wants to love again. But a certain cowboy may just spur her to wonder if love might be worth the risk.

Running from a past that haunts her, Abby Knightly is drawn to the cozy town of Wishing Springs, Texas. Maybe this small town could offer hope and healing and a future for Abby . . . if she’s brave enough to reach out and take it by the reins.

Bo Monahan isn’t interested in the new romantic destination his little town has become—or the women who might be looking at him like he’s their next Mr. Right. Between taking care of his Pops and his growing stirrup business, he isn’t looking for serious romantic commitments. But when the infant son he never knew about shows up at his doorstep, his world is turned upside down.

This confirmed bachelor might not think he needs a wife, but he sure needs help. Even Abby can see that, and despite her best efforts to keep her distance, she can’t help but be drawn to this new father-son duo. As Abby throws herself into helping Bo navigate fatherhood, hope sparks between them, revealing that maybe, just maybe, they can navigate their dark pasts and emerge together into a future as bright as the Texas sun itself.

Debra Clopton’s newest book might just teach you to forgive and heal – and to trust your feelings to a cowboy.  I love the Four of Hearts Ranch series, but this book is much more serious than the first.  The topics are heavier, the spiritual journey is harsher, and Abby has very tough choices to make.  The very weight of her decisions is what makes the joy of her new romance stand out so brightly, however, and that contrast makes it all worthwhile.
 
 That’s why I enjoyed this story so much.  It contains the same zany residents of Wishing Springs as the first story, but this time there’s more on the line than a job or some solitude.  Instead, it’s all about healing and forgiveness, and those are things that we can all relate to.  Whether we have the type of tragedy in our pasts that Abby does or not, we all have something – and I appreciate Abby’s struggle to heal from it.
 
The Monahans continue to be an honorable family who would be fun to befriend.  Bo’s antics with his new son add lighthearted touches to the story, and the gossipy hairdressers infuse fun, too. 
 
Romances aren’t exactly unpredictable, but while you might be able to see the end of Abby’s story, nobody could predict the twists and turns she and Bo meet along the way.  It’s those unexpected events that make this such a memorable story and that prove Clopton’s skill as a writer.  I love the way that she wrapped up each thread.  The realistic way that she described Abby’s emotions as she healed from the loss of her husband made the story incredibly vivid.  While I cannot relate personally, Clopton made me ache alongside Abby and rejoice at her healing.  Counting on a Cowboy is an extremely well-written story and even better than the previous one; I can only expect greatness from the final book in the series.
 
 
 
Debra Clopton is a multi-award winning novelist and has written more than 22 novels. Along with writing, Debra helps her husband teach the youth at their local Cowboy Church. Debra’s goal is to shine a light toward God while she entertains readers with her words.
 
Find Debra online: website, Facebook, Twitter
 
I received a free copy of Counting on a Cowboy from LitFuse Publicity in exchange for an honest review.

“Irish Meadows” by Susan Anne Mason

 

Faced with an uncertain future, sometimes all you have left is the courage to dream.

Brianna and Colleen O’Leary know their Irish immigrant father expects them to marry well. Recently he’s put even more pressure on them, insinuating that the very future of their Long Island horse farm, Irish Meadows, rests in their ability to land prosperous husbands. Both girls, however, have different visions for their futures.

Brianna, a quiet girl with a quick mind, dreams of attending college. Vivacious Colleen, meanwhile, is happy to marry—as long as her father’s choice meets her exacting standards of the ideal groom. When former stable hand Gilbert Whelan returns from business school and distant relative Rylan Montgomery visits Long Island during his seminary training, the two men quickly complicate everyone’s plans. As the farm slips ever closer to ruin, James O’Leary grows more desperate. It will take every ounce of courage for both sisters to avoid being pawns in their father’s machinations and instead follow their hearts. And even if they do, will they inevitably find their dreams too distant to reach?  

 

 Susan Anne Mason has hit it out of the ballpark with her debut novel Irish MeadowsThe plot’s twists and turns will keep you guessing even as you fall in love with the O’Leary family, and though it’s labeled a historical romance, it’s so  much more than a love story.

Brianna wants a relationship with Gilbert even though her father has forbidden it, but that’s not all that she wants:  she wants to attend college, and that’s not a popular move among New York’s upper crust.  Colleen wants a relationship but isn’t ready to be serious about anything but herself, which is a problem for her father, because he’s all about putting the family first.  These complex relationships mix and collide and explode over and over again in the book, and Mason excels at pulling your heartstrings for each character in turn. 

Not only are the O’Leary’s wanting to find love, but their quest for happiness takes them on spiritual journeys, as well.  Although I expected Brianna and Gilbert to be the leading characters, in this realm Colleen shone brightly.  Her secret past and romantic troubles create a strong desire for spiritual peace, and Mason plays out this plot line in an unusual yet suspenseful way.

While I loved this Irish history and rich setting, my favorite element of this story was the cast of characters.  Because they shared the limelight and the strong plot lines, Mason’s characters shared in the drama and kept the emotional action high.  I enjoyed reading about this likeable family, except for one character, who made only rare appearances in this book.  That makes the sequel that  much more exciting since it will tell his story – and I can’t wait to read it.

Click here to read other reviews on this bloggy hop or here to purchase your own copy now.

 

Susan Anne Mason’s debut historical novel, Irish Meadows, won the Fiction from the Heartland contest from the Mid-American Romance Authors Chapter of RWA. A member of ACFW, as well, she lives outside of Toronto, Ontario, with her husband and two children. Find Susan online: website, Facebook, Twitter

 

I received a free copy of Irish Meadows from Litfuse Publicity in exchange for an honest review.

“Hope Harbor” by Irene Hannon

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Tracy Campbell never wanted to leave Hope Harbor, Oregon, or the idyllic three-generation cranberry farm where she grew up. But life–and love–altered her plans. Now she’s home again–with a floundering farm to run . . . a tragic secret . . . and a wounded heart. Romance is not on her agenda. Nor is it on Michael Hunter’s. The visitor from Chicago has daunting secrets and devastating regrets of his own. But when Tracy recruits him to help with a project that is close to her heart, winds of change begin to sweep through Hope Harbor, bringing healing, hope, and love to countless lives–including their own.

Hannon hooked me from the very first glimpse at Hope Harbor.  There’s not really one main character, but instead three who share the lead and all have mysteries in their pasts, and that’s how Hannon keeps you turning page after page:  you are completely and unabashedly curious about their pasts, and you’ll keep sticking your nose into their stories into you find out everything.

Michael needs to find a way out from under his grief, and it’s obviously fresh and all-consuming.  Tracy is desperate for a way to keep her family home, and Anna is aching with loneliness.  As a reader, you can see that each person has the potential to be a really great friend, and yet their pasts are keeping them shuttered off from the world.  Hannon writes a meandering, yet purposeful path to wholeness through a unique set of circumstances that will keep you guessing at every turn. 

Hope Harbor reads like a breath of fresh air.  Although the story contains past pain, it’s main focus is the redemption and forgiveness of that hurt – and so it’s mostly peaceful.  The action is the romantic and spiritual kind, with no major crimes or heart-stopping action sequences.  While I love crime novels, the sweet nature of Hope Harbor is refreshing to read.

I think only one thing is seriously lacking from this book:  Charlie’s recipe for fish tacos.  As one of my most-favorite foods, after reading description after description of them throughout the book, I really want to go make some of my own – or, rather, Charlie’s.

Maybe that could be included in the next Hope Harbor story?

I received a free copy of Hope Harbor in exchange for an honest review.

 

Reading List: Cozy Reading Spot

“Silent Night Standoff” by Susan Sleeman

Disclosure Pic When armed robbers strike her bank, hostage negotiator Skyler Brennan’s life is on the line. Rescue comes from the last person she thought she could count on—the ex-boyfriend who chose his job over their relationship. FBI agent Logan Hunter knows how much is resting on this case. The promotion of his dreams…and the safety of the woman he’s never been able to forget. But when an unexpected twist in the case pulls Logan in two separate directions, he’ll have to make an impossible choice. Will he manage to have it all by Christmas—a career and love—or will he lose them both?   

Silent Night Standoff (First Responders)‘>  rings all the right bells as a holiday romance.  With strings of lights and charity events woven throughout the story, love is the bedrock of the plot on many levels.  Forgiveness is just as important to the romantic element of the story as the action that flies in the face of the danger that each person faces.    Silent Night Standoff isn’t a fluffy romance.  It’s a hardcore crime story with two people sharing great future potential.  Their feelings collide every time danger approaches, which it does with amazing frequency.  Between car bombs, road rage, hostage situations, and explosions, the action is high on every page, making it the perfect book for both die-hard romantics and crime fanatics alike.

One of my favorite aspects of this story was the character of Skyler.  She’s not your typical heroine –  while she’s brave and smart, she isn’t described as drop-dead gorgeous, as so many leading ladies are, and yet her inner beauty shines through.  Skyler seems like the girl next door – a bit quirky with ingrained habits and pig-tailed cuteness.  She has strong bonds with her coworkers and has worked hard to overcome personal difficulties.  She’s admirable and obviously makes a good friend – which makes her extremely likeable in my book.

Susan Sleeman’s books are new to me, but I’m looking forward to reading many more.  I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

   

“Among the Fair Magnolias”

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In the most turbulent decade of our nation’s history, four Southern women–destinies forged by birth, hearts steeled by war–face near impossible choices on their journeys in life . . . and in love. 

In Among the Fair Magnolias, it’s all about the Southern sweetness.  Each of these four stories take place in the years surrounding the Civil War and highlight the political and social unrest that swept our country.  Despite the turbulent times and vivid setting, the characters all find love.

Each of these stories are very well written.  They’re smooth and fluid, with likeable characters and happy endings.  The tension is real and the problems large, which makes the found happiness even brighter.  These stories aren’t exactly fluffy beach reads, but they are a tribute to the determination of the American way.

One of my favorite things about these stories are their connections to other books that these authors have written.  Two characters found in these stories appear in other works, and I liked the opportunity to glimpse other moments in their lives.

The book includes recipes to accompany each story. I enjoyed reading the recipes and might have to try a few of them.

If historical fiction is your genre of choice, Among the Fair Magnolias is a great one to grab.

I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

“Crazy Little Thing Called Love” by Beth K. Vogt

   Paramedic Vanessa Hollister has put her adolescence behind her, including the unwanted label of being the new kid in town over and over again, thanks to her father’s military career. She’s overcome what her mother called “the biggest mistake of her life” and is planning an elegant destination wedding in Destin, Florida with her new fiancé. But will the reappearance of her first husband from her what-were-you-thinking teenage elopement disrupt her dream of an idyllic beach wedding?

As a professional storm chaser, Logan Hollister is used to taking risks. However, a reckless decision during the last tornado season has him questioning the future of his team, the Stormmeisters. Coming face to face with his ex-wife eight years after their divorce compels him to confront his greatest regret: losing Vanessa. Does their past give him the right to interfere with her future?

A fast-moving, powerful hurricane throws Vanessa and Logan together as they evacuate to a storm shelter along with other residents of the Florida Gulf Coast. Forced to spend time together, the pair battles unexpected renewed feelings for each other.

Vanessa and Logan are faced with a choice: Should they accept, once and for all, their teenage marital mistake? Or is God offering them a second chance at happily ever after?

 Vogt takes a romantic mistake and turns it into marital bliss in Crazy Little Thing Called Love, her newest book and first in the ‘Destination Wedding’ series.  Vogt drives home the idea that forgiveness and redemption are possible, no matter the circumstances – and I love how she uses the idea of a youthful marriage to do it. 

Throughout the story, Vogt’s characters talk about going life alone versus being in relationships, whether friendships or of the romantic variety.  They’re tempted in different directions based on the circumstances of their lives, and that’s exactly how Vogt teaches the lesson that commitment is not about circumstances.  It’s deeper than that.  It’s a valuable lesson that both Vanessa and Logan had to learn, and it’s an important one for readers to hear, too.  Superficially, the story is fun, full of action and drama, but there’s a much deeper side to it.  Those deep spiritual lessons are what makes Crazy Little Thing Called Love stand out from other romantic novels.

Love stories are a dime a dozen these days – literally.  You’ll find them everywhere, and their pages are full of the whirlwind emotions that make people want to be together.  Rare, however, is a story that shows the importance and the way to stay together.  To stick it out when times are hard.  To forgive when mistakes are made.  To apologize when in the wrong.  To always, always try again.  That’s what Crazy Little Thing Called Love is, though – rare.  It teaches all these lessons with in an entertaining and fun way.

I can’t wait for Vogt’s next ‘Destination Wedding.’

Click here to read other reviews or here to purchase your own copy now.

 

Beth K. Vogt believes God’s best often waits behind the doors marked “Never.” A 2015 RITA® Finalist and a 2014 Carol Award finalist, Beth is a contemporary romance novelist with Howard Books. Her 2014 novel, Somebody Like You, was one of Publisher’s Weekly’s Best Books of 2014. In 2015 she introduced her destination wedding series with both an e-novella, Can’t Buy Me Love, (May) and a novel, Crazy Little Thing Called Love (June).
 
Visit Beth online:  websiteFacebookTwitter
 
I received a free copy of Crazy Little Thing Called Love by LitFuse Publicity in exchange for an honest review.

“A Bride at Last” by Melissa Jagears

"A Bride at Last" @ A Nest in the Rocks

Abandoned by his mail-order bride, Silas Jonesey has fought an uphill battle to recover from a pattern of poor choices. Now his prayers for reconciliation have finally come true and his estranged wife has contacted him with her whereabouts.

Kate Dawson was supposed to be a mail-order bride, but upon realizing she’d been deceived about her intended groom, she’s now settled into life as a schoolteacher. When the mother of a student passes away, Kate assumes she’ll take on care of nine-year-old Anthony-until two men suddenly show up in town, claiming to be the boy’s father.

Silas can see Anthony loves Kate, so he enlists her help in reaching out to the boy and attempting to prove his paternity to the court. When a common interest in Anthony leads to an interest in each other and Silas and Kate begin to think they can overcome their rocky start, neither is prepared for the secrets and past hurts that have yet to come to light. Can Silas, Kate, and Anthony’s wounded souls bind them together or will all that stands between them leave them lonely forever?

How far would you go for love?  Kate Dawson has to decide that when her student’s mother passes.  That decision, on the part of Kate, Silas, and Anthony, makes for a great story.  Overcoming a troubled past is not easy, and I love the way that Jagears wrote this spiritual journey.

The book isn’t all serious, though.  Kate’s position as a teacher is threatened by the strict rules of the school board, and her search for the missing Anthony sets the town to gossiping.  My great-grandmother had a few similar stories of defying school board rules, and while these had serious consequences for Kate, time and distance makes them funny.  Jagears did a fantastic job of writing these scenes in a very realistic way.  The mild humor and vivid descriptions made the book come alive for me.

I must admit, A Bride at Last is not exactly suspenseful.  The final outcome is obvious from the very beginning, but there are many twists and turns written into the story, and these, when combined with the important spiritual lessons, make a sweet story.  It’s a perfect summer read.

Click here to read other reviews in this blog hop or here to purchase your own copy now.

 

Melissa Jagears, an ESL teacher by trade and the author of A Bride for Keeps and A Bride in Store, is a stay-at-home mother on a tiny Kansas farm with a fixer-upper house. She’s a member of ACFW and CROWN fiction marketing, and her passion is to help Christian believers mature in their faith and judge rightly.

Find Melissa online: website, Facebook

I received a free copy of A Bride at Last from LitFuse Publicity in exchange for an honest review.

“The Curiosity Keeper” by Sarah E. Ladd

"The Curiosity Keeper" @  A Nest in the Rocks

“It is not just a ruby, as you say. It is large as a quail’s egg, still untouched and unpolished. And it is rumored to either bless or curse whoever possesses it.”

Camille Iverness can take care of herself. She’s done so since the day her mother abandoned the family and left Camille to run their shabby curiosity shop. But when a violent betrayal leaves her injured with no place to hide, Camille must allow a mysterious stranger to come to her aid.

Jonathan Gilchrist never wanted to inherit Kettering Hall. As a second son, he was content to work as the village apothecary. But when his brother’s death made him heir just as his father’s foolish decisions put the estate at risk, only the sale of a priceless possession—a ruby called the Bevoy—can save the family from ruin. But the gem has disappeared. And all trails lead to Iverness Curiosity Shop—and the beautiful shop girl who may be the answer to his many questions.

Caught at the intersection of blessings and curses, greed and deceit, these two determined souls must unite to protect what they hold dear. But when a passion that shines far brighter than any gem is ignited, they will have to decide how much they are willing to risk for their future, love, and happiness.

The Curiosity Keeper will thrust you deep into history and keep you there until the very last page has been turned.  I love the way that Ladd depicts not only the elegance of the highest social classes in this book, but she also shows how they interact and the imperfections that lie within this system.  It’s easy to romanticize it, and I’m sure that it worked beautifully for those at the very top of the social ladder, but Ladd shows the good that can be found in other classes, too.

Camille makes for a great lead character.  She’s kind and determined but surprisingly naive.  The frustrating thing about her is that you want so much for good things to happen for her, and yet she gets knocked down over and over again.  One of the good things that comes from this, however, is that it gives Jonathan a true chance to shine – and for his kindness to break through. 

The mystery of the Bevoy has high stakes for all involved.  While some aspects of it were not unexpected, it served as a great vehicle for moving along the romance and the spiritual lessons that many characters needed to learn.

My only issue with the book was a statement made on the very last page: that two people may be able to complete each other.  While I think that we can certainly make each other very happy, we were never intended to be everything to another – God is.  In that regard, I think that the lesson fell a little flat, but as it’s a romance, it is understandable. 

Ladd’s writing is smooth and descriptive.  She builds the suspense and tension slowly just as she keeps you reading as fast as possible.  I couldn’t wait to find out how it ended – and you won’t be able to, either.

Read other reviews of this book here, or purchase your own copy now.

 

Sarah E. Ladd received the 2011 Genesis Award in historical romance for The Heiress of Winterwood. She is a graduate of Ball State University and has more than ten years of marketing experience. Sarah lives in Indiana with her amazing husband, sweet daughter, and spunky Golden Retriever.
 
Visit Sarah online:  websiteFacebookTwitter
 
I received a free copy of The Curiosity Keeper from LitFuse Publicity in exchange for an honest review.
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