An Amish Love

An Amish Love is a collection of three Amish stories that are sure to become favorites with fans of Amish reading. Seems like I have been reading alot of Amish stories lately, and I must say this book is one of my favorite so far.Each of the stories is a unique story of Amish love. The stories are written by some of the best names in Amish fiction. Beth Wiseman writes Healing Hearts, Kelly Long contribution is A Marriage Of The Heart, and Kathleen Fuller writes What The Heart Sees, which was probably my favorite story out of the three. Ellie is in an accident that causes her to loose her sight, when her boyfriend leaves her she wonders if she will ever have love and a home of her own, because no one will want a blind wife. When a young man returns to the community and meets Ellie, she soon realizes that their may be a chance for her after all. A very touching story.
If you have never read these authors reading the short stories in this novel will give you a real glimpse of their writing style. I also enjoyed the Amish recipes, and the reading group guide included in this book.

Even though I was provided a copy of this book for review by Booksneeze it in no way alters my opinion of this book.

An Amish Christmas December In Lancaster County

An Amish Christmas a previously released title by Thomas Nelson, but the twist is they have included a bonus story in this printing. I found this book a quick easy read, that really packs alot in to each of the stories. The stories do move along at a quick pace because they are novellas, but I felt like each of the stories were satisfying, actually making me want to seek out these authors to see what else they have written.
Another thing that I liked about this book was the fact that while the stories intertwine with each other, they can easily be read as stand alone stories.There is a glossary in the front of the book to help with the Amish words used, there is also a reading group guide provided with this book. I think the recipes included in the back were really an added bonus. Because of the nice binding and the fact that it is a hard back I believe it would make a great Christmas gift.

Inspirational fiction stories that Amish readers will love, these stories will uplift you, and would a great read anytime of the year!

Even though I was provided a copy of this book for review from Thomas Nelson's Booksneeze program it doesn't alter my opinion of this book.

Start! The Bible For New Believers-review

I was anxious to review this Bible. I wondered what it could have that would make it special for new believers. Well what I found right off the bat at the beginning of the book was a section titled The Plan of Salvation, which even includes a prayer for people who are unsure that they are saved. The next section was called secrets to spiritual success which gives tips and pointers on how to become a successful christian.

One thing that stood out for me was the fact that at the opening of each book of the Bible we are given an introduction explaining what the chapter will be about, which I found enlightening.Additional features in this Bible are the titled grow ,know , live and learn messages peppered throughout this Bible, which helps you in your studies. I also found the topical index to articles and scriptures a handy way to navigate to issues that may be pertinent especially for a new christian that isn't really familiar with the Bible.

The only negative I have is the extremely small print that is used in this Bible. Otherwise I think this NKJV version edited by Greg Laurie would be a very handy tool for the person just starting their walk with Jesus.


Product Description from Amazon.com

A brand new life of faith begins when we place our trust in Jesus Christ. Start is the perfect Bible for new believers or believers who want to learn more about their faith. Ideal for introducing new believers to the Bible, Start focuses on basic discipleship with articles and devotions on subjects including prayer, Bible study, church involvement, sharing your faith, and discovering God's will. Core biblical themes are introduced at basic levels of theological sophistication and presented in very simple language.

Even though I was provided a review copy of this Bible from Booksneeze it in no way alters my opinion of this Bible.

A Suitor For Jenny by Margaret Brownley

A Suitor For Jenny is the second book in the Rocky Creek Historical Romance series written by Margaret Brownley.

This book takes place in Rocky Creek Texas, shortly after the civil war. Jenny made a promise to her dad on is deathbed that she would take care of her two younger sisters, Brenda and Mary Lou, and she thinks the best thing would be to find them husbands. So armed with The Complete Authoritative Manual for Attracting and Procuring a Husband she and her sisters set off for Rocky Creek to find two husbands, Jenny doesn't want a husband she feels that past mistakes make her unworthy of love. When the men she meets don't meet the requirements of the manual will she come to realize that she needs to let God lead her, instead of doing it on her own?

While on her quest to meet husbands for her sisters she meets Marshal Rhett Armstrong, a man who has past issues as well, but when she starts having feelings for him, perhaps he can change her mind, and she will open herself up for true love!

This was the first time reading anything by this author and I must say boy she can really make you laugh. while romance isn't normally my thing to read, I actually enjoyed this book. So if you enjoy historical romance and are looking for a book that might tickle your funny bone then give this one a try. I don't think you will be disappointed!

Even though I was provided a copy of this book for review from Booksneeze it in no way influenced my opinion of this book!

Transforming Church in Rural America by Shannon O'Dell

Transforming Church in Rural America is a book with an interesting concept on how to grow rural churches so that they will be more productive, draw in more people, and most of all be able to afford to run and maintain their church buildings. I can really see how some of the ideas in the book might be useful, but I was so bothered by a few of the flippant points that were made that it really put me off of this book. The one comment that stuck out in my mind was when Mr. O'dell was speaking of the little brass plaques on the pews that he wanted to take out of the church. When he made the comment about the seven dollar clock having a memorial plaque it really bothered me. Someones family had donated the clock in someones honor and here he was criticizing the cost of the clock, and truthfully he speaks of money quite often in the book. Whether he is speaking of a ministers small salary, or wanting to add a bathroom to the church, its money. I have always attended an out in the sticks rural church, and the one thing that these churches have that is often lost when a church grows into a mega church is that individual attention you receive and the wonderful feeling of attending a church where everybody knows each other.

Where Hearts Are Free by Golden Keyes Parsons

Where Hearts Are Free is a historical fiction novel set in Pennsylvania in 1681.
Philippe and his family, who were members of French Royalty have come to The New World from France to escape the problems going on in their home country. While coming by ship they lose their money and two of the boys Philippe and Charles are forced to become indentured servants to pay for the families passage.
Charles becomes an indentured servant for a man who isn't nice and who is also making and smuggling guns.
Philippe is a bit luckier and becomes indentured to the Barringtons, who own a plantation and have one daughter Bridget.
Bridget becomes very close to Philippe and soon falls in love with him, when she tells Phillipe he tells her their is no way they can be together because she is Catholic and he is Protestant, she tells her parents and they quickly decide to let Philippe out of his contract and send him home.
Bridget's heart is broken, but her parents soon find her a better suitor or so they believe, but the secrets that Edward Moorehead are hiding are very dangerous, and soon Bridget feels trapped and prays to God to help her out of the mess.
This book was the third in a series but I had no problem following the characters. The book starts out strong but then soon looses its momentum about mid way. By the last of the book the story gets really interesting and I enjoyed the conclusion.

I was provided a copy of this book by Booksneeze in return for an honest review.

Immanuel's Veins by Ted Dekker

Immanuel's Veins was a book that I couldn't put down. I wasn't sure what to expect when I first started reading the book, but boy was I pleasantly surprised by the depth of this novel. At first I couldn't imagine why Thomas Nelson had published a book about vampires, because that is where my mind went with this story, but once it was revealed the lineage of the people I presumed to be vampires then the whole thing really clicked for me.
This book has christian theme, but more than that its about the lengths one would go to for true love. Its also about the age old story of good versus evil. If your a fan of vampires you will probably enjoy this book.
I was provided a copy of this book from Booksneeze in exchange for an honest review.