Pennsylvania Patchwork by Kate Lloyd

4 STARS

This is the book that follows Leaving Lancaster. I liked it more than Leaving Lancaster. Same characters mainly. In Leaving Lancaster Holly gets engaged to Zach a Vet. Her mother is planning to marry Nathan and join the Amish and be baptized.

Now Zach and Holly's plans to marry no one likes the idea much. Beth liked Holly till they got engaged. Holly's grandmother wants her to marry a Amish man and join the Amish. Her mother Esther think she is rushing it too. Esther and Beth are jealous of each other and really never got along.

Now Nathan's brother Armin shows up to help work the land that Nathan just bought. He is a good looking Amish man who has not joined yet. He flirts with Holly. Anna wants Holly to marry Armin and join the Amish.

Zach's past is coming in between Holly and him. Zach does not show up for lunch like he promised and does not seem to have time for Holly.

Larry a friend of Holly's from church in Seattle shows up and wants to marry her. He is a big help to her family.

Nathan's past is coming in between him and Esther. Their is a chance that they won't be able to be together.

Anna's health is still not very good. She falls and hurts herself and is forgets things a lot.

Esther's past with her husband comes into question when she receives a package from him that a fellow served with him in the war. He has been trying for decades to find her. The things he sends are not what a Amish man would send to his family.

This book is all about resolving issues with the past relationships before they can move on to better ones. It is full of drama and Amish life. It was a nice story. There is one more book in the series to come. I want to read it too.

I was given this ebook to read and asked to give honest review of it when I finished by Netgalley.
Pub Date: Jun 1 2013 David C Cook 384 pages ISBN:0781408733

Description below taken off of Goodreads.

ONE HEART. TWO LOVES. ONE CHOICE. Seattle native Holly Fisher is smitten by Lancaster County, its simplicity and her long lost relatives. In the sequel to bestselling Leaving Lancaster, Holly embraces the Amish culture, learning to slow down to see what - and who – really matters. 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.

Stealing the Preacher (Archer Brothers #2) by Karen Witemeyer

4 STARS

I really enjoyed reading Stealing the Preacher this Easter day. It was charming, funny, western romance all in one. I like the characters. The plot. The scriptures quoted fit right in.

I never really thought about old train robbers. The train is robbed and they don't want anyone money or things they just want the preacher. So they take him right off of the train. Crockett is going to preach at a new town that is looking for a preacher its between him and one other preacher. He is riding the train when its hold up. He wished he had brought his guns along with him, but he left them behind on his family's ranch.

Silas and his gang had stopped robbing trains and stagecoaches for sixteen years. He has his own ranch now. His wife has died over a year ago and his daughter is turning 21 in a few days. Silas's wife had always picked out her gifts. When he asked her what she wanted for her birthday she said a preacher.

Joanna can't believe it when her father shown back up at the ranch with a man tied in ropes. Joanna has been praying for a preacher to open up the local church again to help bring the gospel to her father. She never expected her father to kidnap a preacher. She walked with the preacher and explained what she really wanted and asked him for help to find a preacher. Than loaned him her horse to ride to the nearest town to make arrangements to go to the town where he was to tryout for the job.

Crockett lived what he believed. He tried his best. When he got to a town where he sent a message on ahead. He was wired back to stay their and tomorrow someone would meet him.

The Marshall asked a lot of questions about his kidnapping and Crockett would not lie to him but he did keep some facts away from him. Told him he was not pressing charges.

When Crockett found out that he was not chosen he decides to go back and preach at Joanna's little church if he could find a local job till the church could support him. Joanna decided that her father who hated preachers could hire him to work his ranch.

Jackson is a 12 year old living with his father who was drunk. Jackson was planning to marry Joanna when he got older. Jackson was so brave, proud and wanting attention so badly. I liked him.

I want to read about the other Archer brothers. They sound interesting. I would love to read more of Karen's books based on this one. It is a clean, uplifting story that kept my attention and interest in it with everything going on today.

I was given this ebook to read and asked to give a honest review in return by Netgalley.

06/01/2013 PUB. Bethany House Publishers 352 pages ISBN:0764209663


Discription below taken off of Goodreads.

On his way to interview for a position at a church in the Piney Woods of Texas, Crockett Archer can scarcely believe it when he's forced off the train by a retired outlaw and presented to the man's daughter as the minister she requested for her birthday. Worried this unfortunate detour will ruin his chances of finally serving a congregation of his own, Crockett is determined to escape. But when he finally gets away, he's haunted by the memory of the young woman he left behind--a woman whose dreams now hinge on him.

For months, Joanna Robbins prayed for a preacher. A man to breathe life back into the abandoned church at the heart of her community. A man to assist her in fulfilling a promise to her dying mother. A man to help her discover answers to the questions that have been on her heart for so long. But just when it seems God has answered her prayers, it turns out the parson is there against his will and has dreams of his own calling him elsewhere. Is there any way she can convince Crockett to stay in her little backwoods community? And does the attraction between them have any chance of blossoming when Joanna's outlaw father is dead set against his daughter courting a preacher?

In Plain View by Olivia Newport

4 Stars

I am so slow. It took me a little bit to realize I know these characters! It follows Accidentally Amish. Which I liked. In Plain View also jumps from what is happening now to 1776. Both stories have a lot of the same characters.

In 1776 The Amish did not want to fight for either side. Lots of men thought if your not with me your against me. The Amish did not believe in war. Talks a little about the war. Having to choose sides. It is interesting to think of what I do if I lived back then.

I liked best the modern time of the story. Annie is still trying to go without all the things in her life and live the simple life. She really likes Rufus but she needs to decide if she could live the plain life.
Annie's family is having a hard to accept that she might become Amish and they won't see her. Annie agrees to keep her cell phone for emergency. Also she agreed to call her mom every Saturday.

Annie has sold her company and put most of the money in a trust fund to help others. She only kept the money she got from selling her condo.
She now works in a store. It sells some Amish products but also stuff from estate sales. At work she still wears jeans. She has given up her computer, most of her clothes. Her house does not have electricity. Annie's car is at her parents house. She rides a bike or Rufus gives her rides in their horse & buggy.

Ruth chose not to be baptized Amish. She is going to school to become a nurse. She stills cares about the man she left behind. They can't be together unless he wants to be shunned. Ruth does not want to cause that to him.

Their is a new family that has moved into the neighborhood. They were Beiler's neighbors from back east. While they get their house in order they are staying with the Beilers. They have a few kids and the oldest daughter is ready to get married. She makes a play for Rufus. It seems like Rufus's parents want them to be together.

The Characters are good. I wanted to know what happens to them next. Will Annie be able to become Amish and leave her old life behind. The Amish have a way of forgiving and faith in God's plan for them.

It was distracting to go between the two different stories lines. This is a very clean book.
I was given this ebook to read and asked to give a honest review of it by Netgalley.

Paperback, 368 pages
Expected publication: June 1st 2013 by Barbour Books




Description below taken off of Netgalley.


After leaving her outwardly successful but unsatisfying life for Amish simplicity, Annie Friesen continues to dismantle her technology-dependent world. Despite her best intentions and her love for Rufus Beiler, one challenge after another falls across her path. In counterpart, Ruth, an Amish woman, wrestles with her reasons for leaving the community despite the pain it causes the people who love her. When the Amish and the English work together on a community project, an explosion hurls doubt in every direction. Determined to find proof of what happened, Annie learns lessons in trust, humility, and letting go.

Tempted into Danger by Melissa Cutler

4 STARS

ICE: Black Ops Defenders book one

Starts off with a lot of drama and action and keeps going till the end. The characters are interesting and you want to know more about them. plot was more like a action film with explosions, car chases and gunfights.

Vanessa developed a program that would help find drug money being laundered through the banks on her spare time. The U.S. wants to use it. Drug dealers want to destroy it if they can't get it. Vanessa is smart but has emotional issues of being left alone.

Diego an ICE agent was given the job of escorting Vanessa to a safe house. He feels his team of black ops were being wasted just driving her to safe house. He is thinking he might have to quit. Before he can get to Vanessa she is attacked and kidnapped from her apartment. Diego and his team go into action to rescue her.

Vanessa does not what is going on but does realize that Diego was protecting her and got her away from the bad guys. Before they can get to the safe house more and more things go wrong. Other things go right. Vanessa wants to use her program to help others so she is willing to go and help.

Diego is driven to use his black op skills to make the world a better place after his brother was killed in the towers on 9/11. He can't relax and take off time away from the job. Because he knows he can save lives and get the bad guys before they can hurt more people.

The story is set in Panama. Which makes me want to go see it. Loved the rain forest setting.

I enjoyed reading Tempted into Danger. I will read more books from Melissa in the future.

I was given this ebook to read and asked to give honest review of it by Netgalley.

06/04/2013 PUB Harlequin Imprint Harlequin Romantic Suspense 288 pages ISBN: 0373278284


Description below taken off of Netgalley

"Keep the asset safe or die trying."

When a simple mission to deliver the beautiful and brilliant Vanessa Crosby to a safe house goes horribly wrong, ICE agent Diego Santero’s life gets complicated. Keeping the anti-crime analyst safe from the notorious mercenaries after her program will put everything he’s worked for at risk.

Relentlessly hunted and not knowing whom to trust, Diego takes Vanessa on the run, deep into the heart of the deadly Panamanian rain forest. Vanessa reminds herself that she’s just another asset to the ruggedly handsome black ops agent…until their intense situation leads to a release of passion neither expected. But even if they make it out alive, how can they ever have a future together?

Guarding the Witness by Margaret Daley

5 STARS

Guarding the Witness is a Guardians, Inc. book.

I really enjoy this suspense novel. The tension remained tight through the book. Every time things calmed down something else happened. It is also a clean read. Their is a lot of praying and realizing that prayer works. Its not preachy just part of the story.

Their were so many heroes in this book. When you think of all the good cops, U.S. Marshalls and other law agencies that are risking their lives so we can be safe, thank you.

Arianna is a bodyguard protecting a women from her husband when she sees a murder by a crime boss. So now Arianna is under the U.S. Marshalls protection. The first safe house she was in had a security break so they moved her farther away in a forest ranger cabin in the woods.

The first team was getting ready for the second team to take over guarding her. Brody Callahan is with the second team. While it is his turn to sleep he is waken up by a silencer sound inside the cabin. He goes out into the hallway not sure if it was a dream or there was really a breach. Arianna heard the noise too. Arianna brought her own gun with her. She went to the hallway to. They both eased up to find that two gunmen were in the cabin. They each took one out. The U.S. Marshall inside the front room was dead.
Brody ran into the third guy outside and had to fight him before he could take him out. He could not find the third Marshall.

Arianna and Brody took what they could find and put in backpack and then started to hike out of the woods. Brody was afraid of a mole inside his office so he could not call for backup.

They have so many trials to overcome to get her to Anchorage so she can testify and put a crime boss away for murder but he has a lot on the line so he has offered a contract killing for her. She has to get over her fear of running water to cross a river to get to safety. They face a lot of bad guys dressed as good guys.

I have read two of the Guardian, Inc. books and I like would like to read the others.
I was given this ebook to read and asked to give honest review of it by Netgalley.com
06/04/2013 PUB Harlequin Imprint Harlequin Love Inspired 288 pages ISBN 9780373445417


Description below taken off of Netgalley.com

RUNNING OUT OF TIME...
After two months of protective custody, bodyguard Arianna Jackson is days away from testifying at a murder trial when the unthinkable happens. Her Alaska safe house is attacked, and Arianna is forced to go on the run with U.S. Marshal Brody Callahan. Arianna is used to issuing orders, not taking them, but now, out in the wild, with a bounty on her head and a killer on her heels, she has only one hope of making it to testify-the handsome protector at her side.

Guardians, Inc.:Born to protect, bound to fall in love

Escaping Darkness by Theresa McClinton blog tour and Review

4 STARS

My Review of Escaping Darkness

I am doing things backwards again I just finished reading Escaping Darkness and now I want to read the first book of the series The Stone Guardian. Right now I am just guessing it is better to read The Stone Guardian first than Escaping Darkness.

I did like Escaping Darkness but I feel left out that I do not know the different characters that they briefly mentioned. It does stand alone though.

Tara is dealing with a lot of thoughts of unworthy of love and marriage. She is also dealing with nightmares of abuse she suffered when she was younger. Tara can't hold food down, is waking up nightly and it's making her more depressed. She is in a bad cycle where everything is just making other problems worse.

Tara right now is fighting shame and low self esteem. She wants to hide her secrets. Even though she has not done anything wrong. It is not her shame but the men who hurt her over and over. Tara is offered drugs free of charge.

You can see how it would be tempted to try drugs and alcohol to escape your problems for awhile. When really they just cause more problems down the road.

I like the characters. How her friends don't turn away from her but want to help her. How Tara wants to help others get free so they won't have to suffer like she did and still does. I look forward to getting to know them better in the Stone Guardian.

This is a quick read a novella that is worth your time to read.

Escaping Darkness book description below taken off of I am a reader not a writer blog post

She may have spent years in an asylum, but that didn’t make her crazy–just fearless.

Dropped in Moscow with her friends on an impossible mission against underworld forces, Tara is left to her feelings of overwhelming inadequacy. Her boyfriend is a healer, her best friend is “the Guardian,” and everyone else is a powerhouse of awesome strengths. The only thing she has been able to contribute are her memories, which has left her with nightmares of her time spent at the mercy of the evil Sarian–who everyone has gone to fight.

Alone with her emotions, Tara finds herself falling into a city of depravity and corruption. And amidst all this evil is a young man with an agenda of his own, who leads her down a road that will either prove she is a hero at heart, or drag her into a world she’s always feared.

He wants revenge, she wants redemption. And in an underground rings of missing girls and bloody sacrifices, only the fearless can survive…

Author Theresa McClinton

A long time enthusiast of things that go bump in the night, Theresa started her writing career as a journalism intern—possibly the least creative writing field out there. After her first semester at a local newspaper, she washed her hands of press releases and features articles to delve into the whimsical world of young adult paranormal romance.

Since then, Theresa has gotten married, had three terrific kids, moved to central Ohio, and was repeatedly guilt tripped into adopting a menagerie of animals that are now members of the family. But don’t be fooled by her domesticated appearance. Her greatest love is travel. Having stepped foot on the soil of over a dozen countries, traveled to sixteen U.S. states—including an extended seven-year stay in Kodiak, Alaska—she is anything but settled down. But wherever life brings her, she will continue to weave tales of adventure and love with the hope her stories will bring joy and inspiration to her readers.





The Stone Guardian

When myth becomes reality, reality becomes a nightmare.
Like any other teenager in America, Ashley just wants a normal life. But growing up in an orphanage for the insane is anything but normal. After endless therapy and increasing medication, her nightmares have only gotten worse.

Probably because they’re not nightmares.

When Ashley’s mysteriously abducted, she finds a reality even less normal than the orphanage. And she discovers something else—she’s no ordinary orphan. Faced with enemies thought to only exist in fairy tales, Ashley discovers she possesses a powerful Maya bloodline. She’s the daughter of an ancient Maya Guardian, whose duty is to protect the Stone of Muuk’ich, an enchanted relic blessed by the gods. But first she must get it back from Sarian, a power-hungry demigod who slaughtered the last guardian—Ashley’s mother. Without the stone, all will be lost.

When she meets Arwan, a hot Belizean time bender, his delicious olive skin and dark eyes make her feel a little less alone. But his gentle whispers and reassuring touch might not be all they seem. How can she balance love and duty when it’s up to her to prevent the rising of the underworld? Especially when the guy she loves might be its crown prince…


a Rafflecopter giveaway

Close Ups and Close Encounters - Book Tour

My Review

5 stars

I was surprised at how much I enjoyed the stories behind the photographs. I need to enjoy nature more and learn about it.
The photos were beautiful, playful and some were really close up. Some were scary.

S.J. Brown talks about how she started filming in her backyard and learning about the cameras, speed & lens by experimenting and trying. She would get down on the ground, on top of her roof and on cars to try and get eye level with the animals and birds. She explored her area, local zoos than branching out to go to different areas and different habitats
to get her photos.

She tells how much her husband would spot the animals for her and watch her back while she had the camera up to her face.
S.J. laughs at some of her mistakes and shares some mistakes she made. It makes the photos more of everything because you find out what she was doing or how she got the shot. I guess what I mean is more personal.

I would love to hang some of her photos on my walls or get the book for the coffee table.(then I would have to get a coffee table. The pictures in the ebook are good but I think this is one book I would prefer hardback copy. You can always flip through and look at the different animals and birds better.

Some of the photos are in so much find details and close. Like the butterfly I think its the second photo. I would like to look at the animals again and again.

I was given this ebook to read as part of Close Ups and Close Encounters book tour. The opinions are all mine they just asked me to post the review on a date of the tour.




Description below taken off of Celestial Book Promotions.
A Crazy Idea Becomes a Passion

On a whim, S. J. Brown decided to embark on a career in wildlife photography. Armed with an inexpensive 35mm camera and a love for the natural world, her adventure began. Accompanied by her spotter and husband, she ventured to a variety of locations.
The couple soon learned that there was more to this than just camera settings, lighting, and getting the right angle. Not all wildlife is agreeable to having their picture taken, and many are not easily accessible.

Camera in hand, S. J. Brown encountered delicate butterflies, bears, birds, deer, wild horses, and more. Along the way, there are successes and failures, cooperative critters, curious subjects, and some close calls.

As a wildlife photographer S. J. Brown took her cues from her subjects. Their body language let her know when to step in for a closer shot and when to back away. When she was out in the field, she strove to observe and record not to interfere. The exception to this rule is when people pose a threat to wildlife; then she will take time to relocate a road dwelling critter to its location. Brown has saved snapper turtles from soup and other creatures from the taunts and teases of unwise humans, but she will not interfere with Mother Nature’s food chain unless it involves a domestic animal pursuing a wild creature. With this in mind, she has sent many a cat away from a bird feeder and saved many a squirrel from a curious canine.

S. J. Brown’s book Close Ups & Close Encounters features over fifty of her wildlife photographs as well as the stories behind getting those images. S. J. Brown's photographs and written words are her way of sharing her experiences. Introducing others, such as her granddaughter, to the field is one of her primary goals and loves. She hopes her work will give others an appreciation for the natural world.

Available through: CreateSpace, Ingram, Baker & Taylor,
Barnesandnoble.com, Amazon.com, and Everywhere Fine Books are Sold

About the Author
Over the years, S. J. Brown has played with a number of artistic venues. Her love of the written word began in high school English class and continues on today, but it is not her only artistic endeavor. Prior to becoming an author, Brown has experimented with sketching, stained glass, and even ran ceramic business for several years.

Her love of wildlife photography began on a whim with an inexpensive 35mm camera, a few rolls of film, and a passion for nature. Quickly, her everyday life and wildlife photography became entwined. Somehow, even with a husband, a job, and household responsibilities, photographing found a place in the mix.

ISBN: 0985726784 • ISBN-13: 9780985726782 Pub. Date: April 1, 2013 • Trade Paperback/Kindle