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Wishing on Willows by Katie Ganshert- a book review

Wishing on Willows by Katie Ganshert 

 Wishing on Willows is apparently a continuation of one of the author’s previous books.  This one centers around Robin Price, her little son, and Ian McKay.  Robin is a widow, who is trying to live out her late husband’s dream of running a cafe.  It is more of a ministry for her rather than a source of income.  She is very determined to keep it going in memory of her husband.

 Ian is developer who has been hired by the local government to build a condominium complex. Unfortunately, the plan calls for replacing the cafe and surrounding buildings with the new construction.

While the other property owners agree to sell, Robin is steadfast in her refusal.

This book started really slow for me. The chapters are short and it took me until chapter 10 to really get into the story. Once I did, I couldn’t put it down.  I think if I had read the previous book, I would have had an easier time getting into this one.  I would have like to have known more about Robin’s husband, Micah, and their lives before he died.

While you know this is a Christian romance, unlike other romance books where you’re pretty sure the characters are going to fall in love and live happily ever after, I was never really sure Ian and Robin were going to end up together.  They are both stubborn and determined, and Robin can’t seem to let go of her past and Ian has issues he’s dealing with as well.

There is one really touching portion that, while a bit unbelievable, is very romantic.  Robin gets angry at herself, Micah, and God, for Micah’s death.  She throws her wedding ring, which also happens to be her deceased mother’s, into a pond.  Ian miraculously finds it and gives it back to her.  I know, a bit unlikely that he would find it, like a needle in a haystack, but still a very romantic gesture.

This is the first book I’ve read by this author.  I hope to read more from her.

Read an exerpt below:

Wishing on Willows by Katie Ganshert (Sneak Peek) by WaterBrook Multnomah

I received an Advanced Reader’s Copy from WaterBrook Press through their book review program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions expressed above are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”
 

A Home in Drayton Valley by Kim Vogel Sawyer - a book review

From the Bethany House publisher’s website: 

“A dream of a better life...
A tragedy aboard a wagon train...
A tentative agreement...
Will it lead to love for two seeking hearts?

Hoping to escape the poor conditions of 1880 New York, Tarsie Raines and her friends Joss and Mary Brubacher and their two children set off for Kansas aboard an unusual wagon train. But when tragedy strikes on the trip across the prairie, Tarsie is thrown into a partnership with Joss that leaves them both questioning God and their plans for the future.

As their funds dwindle and nothing goes as planned, will they give up and go their separate ways? Or will God use their time in Drayton Valley in a way they never expected?”

I’ve said it before....I love Kim Vogel Sawyer’s books and I wasn’t disappointed by this one.  Having said that, I have to say, I would have liked to have had more background for the friendship between Mary and Tarsie.  I didn’t quite get why Tarsie would give her life’s savings to someone she didn’t really seem very close to. Once I got past that, I was able to enjoy the story.  Mary is such a sweet example of a submissive, hope filled wife, always believing that her husband, Joss, will find his way to God.  Joss comes across as a bitter, hate filled man.  I spent most of the first part of the book really disliking him, but there were hints of sensitivity and caring towards Mary, that suggested hope for his character.  Sawyer takes him on an emotional and spiritual journey that at times leaves the reader wondering where he will end up.  Tarsie is a spunky, corageous and moral young woman whose main desire in life is to follow God’s leading.

I love how Sawyer describes the conditions of the time period, from the dirty, crowded tenements of the city to rugged wagon train trail.

This book deals with struggles of that time period and many of the same issues we still deal with today, including predudice, alcoholism, and debt.  Sawyer shows us that God’s love can turn a life around and bring hope to a seemingly hopeless situation.

This is an exciting, emotional, and clean story of romance, forgiveness and redemption. 

You can read an excerpt on the publisher’s website,  http://bakerpublishinggroup.com/books/a-home-in-drayton-valley/323570.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from Bethany House  through their book review program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions expressed above are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

A Change of Fortune by Jen Turano - a book review

A Change of Fortune by Jen Turano

I love a book that makes me chuckle as I’m reading it.  This one is full of “I love Lucy” type moments that kept me wondering what Eliza was going to do next.  I did, however, feel as if she were two different characters at times.  When she wasn’t finding herself in comical predicaments, she was very down to earth. 
 

From the publisher's website:

  “Lady Eliza Sumner is on a mission. After losing her family, her fiancé, and her faith, the disappearance of her fortune is the last straw. Now, masquerading as Miss Eliza Sumner, governess-at-large, she's determined to find the man who ran off with her fortune, reclaim the money, and head straight back to London.

 

Much to Mr. Hamilton Beckett's chagrin, all the eyes of New York society--all the female ones, at least--are on him. Unfortunately for all the matchmaking mothers and eligible daughters, he has no plans to marry again, especially with his hands full keeping his business afloat and raising his two children alone.

When Eliza's hapless attempts to regain her fortune put her right in Hamilton's path, sparks instantly begin to fly. The discovery of a common nemesis causes them to join forces, but with all their plans falling by the wayside and their enemies getting the better of them, it will take a riot of complications for Hamilton and Eliza to realize that God just might have had a better plan in mind all along."

While this book is publicized as Christian romance, I didn’t find it at all preachy.  I think even readers who don’t normally read Christian fiction but still enjoy a good clean novel, would like this book.   There’s mystery, danger, humor, and love all combined to make this a very enjoyable reading experience.  It is not a deep philosophical, intellectual book that makes the reader have to think too much.  I’m not that kind of reader.  I simply like to be entertained and feel good when the story is over.

 

I look forward to reading more from this author.

 

You can go to the publisher’s webpage and read an excerpt from the first chapter.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from Bethany House through their book review program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions expressed above are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

 

 

His Love Endures Forever by Beth Wiseman - a book review

Beth Wisemen's 'His Love Endures Forever' is a story about two young people, one Amish, one an englisher , and how their lives and cultures collide.  Most stories about interaction between the two cultures involve an Amish girl falling for an englisher boy.  Leave it to Beth Wisemen to turn that around.  She brings us a story of a young girl who falls in love with a young Amish man.  The girl, Danielle, has suffered abuse at the hand of her mother and is taken in by an older couple, Martha and Arnold.  I loved these two characters!  Martha is a quirky, odd but loveable woman and Arnold is her tender and sensitive husband.
Danielle discovers that she is pregnant, but her Amish beau, Matthew, wants nothing to do with fatherhood.  In fact, he plans to leave the Amish and doesn't want to be tied down.  Danielle is prepared to raise her baby on her own but her best friend, another Amish young man named Levi, has his own suggestion. 
This story is about forgiveness, mercy, grace, faith, decisions, consequences and love.  As with most of Wisemen's books, once I started it I didn't want to put it down.  I love the way she draws you into the emotions of the characters.

From the publisher's website:
"An unplanned pregnancy. An absent father. Can love really endure all things?
Danielle Kent is anything but Amish. But as destiny would have it, she has fallen in love with an Amish man.
Now she’s 18, pregnant, and hopeful that the child’s Amish father—Matthew Lapp—will do the right thing and marry her. She knows Matthew plans to leave his Colorado settlement for a life in the Englisch world. But that plan never included a baby.
When Matthew walks away from her and their unborn child, she has nowhere to turn. Her unlikely friendship with Levi offers some comfort—yet they have so little in common. This wasn’t the plan she had for her life, and she has never felt so alone. She doesn’t want to be pregnant. Doesn’t want to be Amish. Doesn’t want to trust God.
And yet.
God has plans beyond what her mind can imagine . . . loving plans to show a lost young woman that His love never fails but endures forever."

This is the third book of the Land of Canaan series and I was glad to become reaquainted with some of the characters for the first and second books.

To learn more about BethWiseman and her books, go to her website.


I received a complimentary copy of this book from BookSneeze and Thomas Nelson through their book review program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions expressed above are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

Be Still my Soul by Joanne Bischof - a book review

This book is about a young couple who have been forced into a marriage neither one wants.   The bride, Lonnie, is looking forward to the day when she is old enough to leave her abusive father's household.  The groom, Gideon, has no desire to get married and enjoys playing the field.  He is forced by their father's to marry Lonnie but is not at all pleased about it.  There are times during the book, that I found myself really disliking this young man.  He decides that in order to make a living he must move to a different town. It is a grueling trip and along the way Lonnie realizes that she is pregnant.  They are taken in by a loving , older Christian couple who tend to Lonnie.  The man makes it his mission to teach Gideon how to be a man worthy of Lonnie, much to Gideon's dislike.  This is a story about submisson, devotion, forgiveness, dedication and faith.

From the publisher's website:

"Night’s chill tickled her skin. Lonnie pressed her hands together and glanced up. He was even more handsome up close. Having grown up the shy, awkward daughter of Joel Sawyer, she’d hardly spoken to any boy, let alone the one who had mothers whispering warnings in their daughter’s ears and fathers loading shotguns.

Pretty Lonnie Sawyer is shy and innocent, used to fading into the background within her family, and among the creeks and hollows of the Appalachian hills. Though her family is poor and her father abusive, she clings to a quiet faith. But when handsome ladies’ man and bluegrass musician Gideon O’Riley steals a kiss, that one action seals her fate.

Her father forces her into a hasty marriage with Gideon—a man she barely knows and does not love. Equally frustrated and confused by his new responsibilities, Gideon yearns for a fresh start, forcing Lonnie on an arduous journey away from her home in Rocky Knob.

Her distant groom can’t seem to surrender his rage at the injustice of the forced matrimony or give Lonnie any claim in his life. What will it take for Gideon to give up his past, embrace Lonnie’s God, and discover a hope that can heal their two fractured hearts?

Gideon only ever cared about himself. Now that Lonnie is his wife, will he ever be worthy of her heart?"

I really enjoyed this book.  I especially liked reading about the some of the mountain towns we see on our travels. Mount Airy and Fancy Gap have always intrigued me.

Read more about the author on her website HERE.

And take a sneek peek at the first chapter HERE....





I received a complimentary copy of this book from Blogging for Books and WaterBrook Multnomah through their book review program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions expressed above are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

When Hope Blossoms by Kim Vogel Sawyer - a book review

This book is about a young Mennonite family who has recently lost their father.  Amy, the mom, decides it would be better for her three children to make a fresh start in a new place.  The house they settle in is next door to an apple orchard owned by a former Mennonite.  He does not like to be reminded of his upbringing and is not pleased to have them next door.  The author draws us into the characters showing us the good traits and the not so good ones.  I especially liked the way she captured the teenaged daughter's attitude.  As the story progresses, we learn that Amy and her family are not the only ones who have suffered loss and heartache, and we are shown how each person deals with it differently.  I found this story a little slow moving but still a tender and touching one. 

From the publisher's website:

"Amy Knackstedt hopes a new start in Weaverly, Kansas, will help heal the pain of losing her husband and provide a better future for her three children. But her new neighbor, Tim Roper, is not pleased to have an Old Order Mennonite family living next to his apple orchard. Tim left the Mennonite faith years ago and doesn't want any reminders of his former life.
Yet when circumstances throw Amy and Tim together, they form a friendship that surprises them both. Will past hurts always be a barrier between them, or will this tentative relationship blossom into something more?"

I received a complimentary copy of this book from BethanyHouse through their book review program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions expressed above are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”