Paradise Valley

Paradise Valley by Dale CramerPublished by Bethany House Publishers

This is the first book I've read by Dale Cramer, and I decided to buy it because of a recommendation on the front by Beverly Lewis. I am a huge fan of Beverly Lewis' books, so if she said he's a good Amish fiction author, I had give the book a try. I was not disappointed! I will definitely be buying all the books in this series!

Paradise Valley is the first in a new series called The Daughters of Caleb Bender. It is based on on a true story of an Amish community that moved to Mexico in order to escape religious persecution in Ohio.

As the story opens, we meet the family of Caleb Bender, who after a run in with the police who are convinced that the Amish children are being negatively affected by their "truancy" from school, decide on a whim to buy 5,000 acres in a remote, mountain oasis in Paradise Valley, Mexico.

Caleb's family is the original settling family there, hoping to be joined by others from their Ohio community in a year, after the Benders have gotten established. But the move is a hard one for the family, especially the girls. Rachel has fallen head over heals for Jacob, and cannot dream of living apart from him, possibly forever. And Emma, secretly engaged to Levi, mourns the fact that they, too, may be torn apart. Then there's Miriam, their older sister, who has never been courted, and who knows her chances of finding an Amish beau in Mexico are slim to none.

The trip is a long one by train, and then by horse and buggy the rest of the way into the mountains. The closest town of any size is a full day's ride away. But the land is so fertile, it seems worth the ride!

In stark contrast to the beauty and fertility of Paradise Valley is the danger posed by local bandits intent on taking what the Benders have worked so hard for. The Benders had been warned of this danger, but had decided the pros outweighed the cons.

As time moves on, and the Benders continue getting the settlement ready, will there still be a place for the new families to come to? Or will the bandits steal it all away? What will happen to the girls?

Read the book to find out. ;)

This is Your Brain in Love by Dr. Earl Henslin

This is Your Brain in Love  by Dr. Earl Henslin
Published by Thomas Nelson Publishers

This book was provided to me free of charge from Thomas Nelson Publishers in exchange for my review.  I am so thankful for that.
This is Your Brain in Love is a book that I could not finish.  It didn't seem applicable to me, since it's mostly based on brain scans and their results. These scans are supposed to show exactly what parts of the brain is damaged (if I understand it correctly) and the resulting emotions they affect.  I feel that the brain scan is a very expensive way to figure out how to stay in love with your mate. I have no idea what type of doctor to go to even if I wanted one of those scans. 
I hate giving bad reviews, because I love books so much, and am thankful for being allowed to review the books for free.  So I tried off and on for months to read it. I was too proud to say I couldn't get through it. I finally gave up.
Guess I won't be reading any more of his books.

The Chair by James Rubart

The Chair

By James Rubart

Published by Broadman and Holman Publishers

This is the second book of James Rubart's that I have read, and my favorite of the two.

The Chair is the story of Corin Roscoe, an antiques dealer with a business in trouble, who is given a special chair from a seemingly random woman one day. When she gives him the chair, she claims that it is a special chair made by the best carpenter in the world.

As Corin tries to find the true origin of the chair, he encounters miracles along the way. A young boy is healed of his asthma after sitting in it. Is this chair able to perform miracles?!

His research takes him to the depth of danger as he soon finds out that he is not the only one interested in the origin of the chair, and that he is not the only one who will do anything to possess it.

The story is one of faith and longing. Of love and betrayal. Of hope and longing. Of miracles seen and miracles denied.

The Chair is a book I would highly recommend. And the best part of the book is the end. :) Read it. You'll be glad you did.

Hiding My Bruises While Singing In the Choir

Hiding My Bruises While Singing in the Choir
By Jan Juliano Balzer

Have you ever had a book that you just couldn't put down? One that called your name when you weren't there, beckoning you back again?

Well, this book did just that for me.

As you may know, I'm really a Christian fiction kind of girl. Give me a good mystery, thriller, or Christian romance, and let it take me away from it all. It's my escape.

So for a non-fiction book to grab me, it has to be good. And I can name only a handful that have kept my attention all the way through.

Hiding My Bruises While Singing in the Choir is the true story of a lady who I am proud to call my friend. We met because of another friend's book.

It's the story of a little girl with big dreams that grows up to have those dreams shattered, and then put back together again through the grace of Almighty God.

Jan's book had me gasping, holding my breath, and then breathing a sigh of relief. The tragedies played out in this book are turned into life lessons that we can all learn from.

The book had me thinking, and praying, and considering what God is doing in my life that will someday help someone else.

A highly recommended book for anyone who needs to be encouraged in rough times.

Thanks, Jan, for sharing your story, and for allowing me the privilege of reviewing it!

The Mercy

The Mercy - By Beverly Lewis
Published by Bethany House Publishers

The Mercy was provided to me free of charge by Bethany House Publishers in exchange for my posted review.

The Mercy is the third book in The Rose Trilogy, written by Beverly Lewis.

The Rose Trilogy follows the life of Rose Ann, an Amish young lady, youngest in a family of 9 I believe.

The Mercy finds both Rose and her sister, Hen, (a nickname for the name Hannah), both longing for change. As Hen takes care of her injured husband, Rose gets another chance at love.

Rose has recently released her beau (and fiance) from their engagement, after finding out he was pining for a friend of hers. As she deals with this loss, her brother and sister -in-law decide to play matchmaker. Will the young man they set her up with be the man of her dreams after the heartache she's endured?

And if so, why does her mind keep reminding her of her former best friend, Nick? He's been shunned after all, and has brought shame on his family in the process.

Read the series to find out what happens to sweet Rose, and her beloved sister, Hen.

Falls Like Lightning

Falls Like Lightning  - By Shawn Grady
Published by Bethany House Publishers

Falls Like Lightning  was provided to me free of charge from Bethany House Publishers in exchange for my review.

Silas Kent is a smoke jumper - a man who jumps out of a plane, and then fights fires from the ground  - WITHOUT water. 

He never expected to meet Elle again, but when she is assigned to pilot the plane Silas and his team are jumping from, Silas begins to regret the mistake he made with her years ago.  Elle, on the other hand, has her hands full being a single mother with a high risk job. She's been hurt enough, and wants no part of Silas anymore. 

Before they can start to at least rebuild their friendship, Silas is assigned to fight a huge forest fire in the same forest that Elle has flown over inch by inch following a horrible tragedy with her father.  So naturally, Elle is assigned to pilot the plane yet again. 

When a freak accident leaves Silas on the ground, barely escaping with his life,  and Elle possibly dead from the plane crash, Silas sets out to find the downed plane even while fighting the fire with a new crew. 

As he searches, he realizes he has much more to fear than the raging fire itself. 

Falls Like Lightning was a good read.  Not a favorite book of mine, but good for contemporary Christian Fiction/Suspense. I learned a bit about Fire Jumping and the sacrifices men and women make for our communities every day.  And for that I am extremely thankful. 

An Unlikely Suitor

An Unlikely Suitor by Nancy Moser
Published by Bethany House Publishers

This book was provided to me free of charge by Bethany House Publishers in exchange for my review.

Life is tough for Lucy Scarpelli and her family. After moving to the United Stages from Italy to pursue a better life for their family, the Scarpelli family is crammed into a 2 room tenement apartment with no private bathroom and no hot water.

To make matters worse, the tenement they've lived in for years is scheduled to be destroyed in a matter of days.

With her father gone and her uncle and aunt moving out West to be with their son, the burden of finding a mew place to live falls on Lucy's shoulders.

After a quick prayer for guidance, Lucy sets out to find such a place. Little does she know that finding a place for her family to live will change their lives forever.

For Lucy not only finds a place for her mother, sister and herself to live, she also finds new jobs for all of them at a dress botique - Madame Moreau's Fashion Emporium.

There Lucy forms a special bond with Rowena, a girl with a disability that Lucy is able to help hide with her abilities as a seamstress.

Their blossoming friendship prompts Rowena to invite Lucy along to her family's summer retreat in Newport, Rhode Island. Lucy jumps at the idea, never having the opportunity to visit such a place.

While there, much to Lucy's surprise, she meets a dashing young man, and love begins to take bloom. But Lucy resists this love, wondering why a man of his station would fall for a poor dressmaker like her.

Meanwhile, Rowena faces an arranged marriage to a young man she is not in love with. But can she hope for anything else, being crippled as she is?

And finally, Lucy's younger sister, Sophia, begins to fall for a man above her station, too.

Will the 3 girls find love in the end, or will all their hearts be broken.

An enjoyable historical fiction book with just enough twists to keep you guessing til the end.