Category: Uncategorized

Categories
Uncategorized

The Amish Bachelor’s Promise: An Uplifting Inspirational Romance 

208 pages Publisher Love Inspired Publication date May 27, 2025

ABOUT THE BOOK

From a lifelong friendship

To an unexpected courtship…

After years of overlooking his best friend, Amish farmer Freeman Yoder finally begins to see Evie Ebersol through new eyes. But Evie is convinced that she would be a rebound—and that her physical challenges would be a burden. Despite loving Freeman for most of her life and yearning for a family and home of her own, she refuses to hold Freeman to his decades-old promise to marry her. Now he’s determined to show Evie that she’s the only one he wants to build a future with.

From Love Inspired: Uplifting stories of faith, forgiveness and hope.

MY THOUGHTS

Friends since childhood a young Amish woman with insecurities doesn’t believe she can be all Amish farmer Freeman Yoder needs. When he begins seeing her in a new light, she’s still not convinced though her friends try to tell her otherwise. An uplifting and encouraging inspirational romance that will have you believing that kindness, patience and goodness still exist. Very enjoyable read.

I was given a complimentary copy of this book.
All opinions expressed are my own.

THE AUTHOR

Amy loves nothing more than a good book. Except for her family…and maybe homemade tacos…and nail polish. But reading and writing are definitely high on the list.

Born and bred in Mississippi, Amy is a transplanted Southern Belle who now lives in Oklahoma with her deputy husband, their genius son, two spoiled cats, and one very lazy beagle. Oh, and don’t forget the stray kitty that has taken up residence on her front porch. ^..^

When she’s not creating quirky characters and happy endings, she’s chauffeuring her prodigy to guitar lessons, orchestra concerts and baseball practice. She has a variety of hobbies, but her favorite is whatever gets her out of housework.

Amy also writes contemporary romances under the pen name Amie Louellen.

An award winning author, Amy is a member of RWA and ACFW. She loves to hear from readers. You can find her on Facebook, Instagram, Google+, Twitter, Goodreads, and Pinterest. For links to the various sites, check her website: http://www.amylillardbooks.com.

Have a super day. Thanks for stopping in.

Categories
Uncategorized

Land of Dreams (Home to Green Creek Book #1): (A Frontier Historical Fiction with Drama, Love and Faith) 

343 pages Bethany House Publishers April 1, 2025 publication date

ABOUT THE BOOK

During her voyage on a ship to America, Norwegian immigrant Amalia Gunderson makes a solemn promise to a dying mother to watch over her five-year-old daughter, Ruth. Together, Amalia and Ruth trek to Iowa to claim the farm and former boardinghouse that Ruth has inherited, despite opposition from a difficult cousin. Struggling with an empty house and scarce resources, Amalia resolves to return the boardinghouse to its former purpose, aided by the kindness of strangers and the resilient spirit of her young charge.

As Amalia and Ruth endeavor to make ends meet, tensions rise due to a trail of orphans showing up on their doorstep. Meanwhile, Absalom Karlsson–the magistrate’s son–offers legal assistance and helps them advocate for justice. With each challenge they face, Amalia and Ruth find hope in believing that with faith and determination they can overcome even the most daunting of trials.

In this heartwarming series starter, bestselling author Lauraine Snelling weaves together a delightful story of new beginnings.

MY THOUGHTS

I am always so excited to read a book by one of my favorite Christian fiction authors. I know some years ago I read a series by the author with Norwegian characters and the Norwegian culture and enjoyed it very much this has the same in it.

I read it awhile ago so I can’t remember if any of the characters from that series are in this book or not.
Making a new start is not easy but when the unexpected happens it’s doubly hard.


On a ship bound for America Norwegian immigrant, Amalia Gunderson becomes the guardian of a young girl who lost her mother on the voyage.
She and five year old, Ruth find themselves in a strange and new land with a house, Ruth will inherit when she is of age but it is not empty.

Despite being pushed and pulled in a lot of directions with opposition to what she is doing and some bad advice Amalia show her strength and perseverance. Doing what is right in this new land by taking care of the child and honoring God is her mission and though struggles are ever present she will not give up on herself or God.

With a boarding house being run there are other orphans that show up and through hard work and sacrifices all work towards a common good.
The author has a way of writing realistic fiction that I feel as though I am there experiencing it as well.


I was given a complimentary copy of this book from Bethany House through Interviews & Reviews and NetGalley for my honest opinion.

MEET THE AUTHOR

Award-winning and best selling author Lauraine Snelling began living her dream to be a writer with her first published book for young adult readers, Tragedy on the Toutle, in 1982. She has since continued writing more horse books for young girls, adding historical and contemporary fiction and nonfiction for adults and young readers to her repertoire. All told, she has over eighty books published with more than 4 million copies in print.

Shown in her contemporary romances and women’s fiction, a hallmark of Lauraine’s style is writing about real issues of forgiveness, loss, domestic violence, and cancer within a compelling story. Her work has been translated into Norwegian, Danish, and German, and she has won the Romantic Times Career Achievement award for Inspirational Fiction, the Silver Angel Award for An Untamed Land and a Romance Writers of America Golden Heart for Song of Laughter.

As a sought after speaker, Lauraine encourages others to find their gifts and live their lives with humor and joy. Her readers clamor for more books more often, and Lauraine would like to comply … if only her paintbrushes and easel didn’t call quite so loudly.

Lauraine and her husband, Wayne, have two grown sons, and live in the Tehachapi Mountains with a watchdog Basset named Winston. They love to travel, most especially in their forty-foot motor coach, which they affectionately deem “a work in progress”.

Thank you for stopping in.

Categories
Uncategorized

The Peacemaker (A Mifflin County Mystery Book 2) 

361 pages Barbour Fiction Publication date March 1, 2025

ABOUT THE BOOK

An Unresolved Mystery Holds an Amish Community in Limbo

In book two of A Mifflin County Mystery series, Rosa Petersheim’s disappearance continues to cause suspicion and pain to swirl in the Big Valley.
 
Ada’s best friend, Rosa, disappeared a year ago and still has not been found. In their grief and confusion, Ada and Rosa’s boyfriend, Ephraim, have grown very close. But some in the community feel Ephraim is responsible for Rosa’s disappearance. Now Rosa’s younger sister is making accusations against Ephraim that can’t be true, and he pulls away from Ada, feeling betrayed. A fire set by an arsonist might finally be the thing to reveal secrets that have long been dividing this community of friends and family. But will it be too late for love between the peacemaker and the suspect?

MY THOUGHTS

This is the second book in the Mifflin County mystery series.
I’ve been reading Wanda’s books as long as she’s been writing them. I love how realistic they are.


This book picks up perfectly where the first book in the series ends.
We have the same characters as the last book, but it focuses more on a different family this time.


There is really a lot going on in this fast-paced book. Really things changed so quickly with the characters at times it was hard to keep up.
I experienced so many emotions while reading this and we really do see the Amish experience the same emotions we do including self-doubt at times.


Full of examples of faithful living and praying in this clean read that I really enjoyed. I had trouble putting this one down and greatly look forward to the conclusion of the series in the next book.

I was given a complimentary copy of this book.
All opinions expressed are my own.

THE AUTHOR

Wanda Brunstetter is an award-winning romance novelist who has led millions of readers to lose their heart in the Amish life. She is the author of over 100 books with more than 12 million copies sold. Many of her books have landed on the top bestseller lists, including the New York Times, USA Today, Publisher’s Weekly, CBA, ECPA, and CBD. Wanda is considered one of the founders of the Amish fiction genre, and her work has been covered by national publications, including Time Magazine and USA Today.

Wanda’s fascination with the Amish culture developed when she met her husband, Richard, who grew up in a Mennonite church, and whose family has a Pennsylvania Dutch heritage. Meeting her new Mennonite sister-in-laws caused Wanda to yearn for the simpler life. In their travels, she and her husband have become close friends with many Amish people across America. Wanda’s desire to explore their culture increased when she discovered that her great-great grandparents were part of the Anabaptist faith.

All of Wanda’s novels are based on personal research intended to accurately portray the Amish way of life. Many of her books are well-read and trusted by the Amish, who credit her for giving readers a deeper understanding of the people and their customs.

Wanda’s primary attraction to the Amish is their desire to live a devout Christian life that strives to honor God, work hard, and maintain close family ties. Whenever she visits her Amish friends, Wanda finds herself drawn to their peaceful lifestyle, sincerity, and close family ties, which is in stark contrast to the chaos and busyness that plagues so many modern “Englishers.” Time and time again, Wanda loses her heart in the Amish life, and she hopes her readers will, too. For more information, visit: http://www.WandaBrunstetter.com

Hope your weekend has gone well. Thank you for stopping in.

Categories
Uncategorized

You Know the Drill-Publication Day Push

You Know the Drill

Welcome to my life.  The life of a reluctant dentist.  This book charts the course of a nervous student dealing with people from all walks of life, from exploding angry abscesses to exploding angry people, both in and out of the chair.

When I was a wet-behind-the-ears school sixth former, it seemed like a really good idea to go to university and study the teeth, gums and mouth.  I’m still trying to work out why I thought that was a good idea.

The definition of a dentist mentions competencies in biomedical knowledge, surgical dexterity, and critical thinking. What it fails to include is being an unpaid therapist, getting splattered in pus, coaxing nutters out from under the dental chair, having the police storm your surgery, and dealing with patients who think a crown is something you put on your head, then try and sue you when you say otherwise.

Written as a form of therapy – to offload on paper – this book gives a frank account of life both in and out of the surgery.  So, take a seat in the waiting room and I’ll see you shortly in Chapter One…

MY THOUGHTS

Unlike many people I don’t hate the thought of going to the dentist and I’m also not afraid of needles. Obviously, I’ve been going to the right dental practice here in the states. I’d much rather go to the dentist than the eye doctor.
This is a dentist’s thoughts on his experiences from dentistry school, practicing dentistry, his patients, coworkers, surgeries and everything dental related in-between.
Some instances made me laugh out loud and, in many cases, the dental hygienists were in on the joke too. You wonder how they could get through some of these cases without losing their composure. In some cases, the customers were rude or belittling and once again you wonder how they could keep their cool throughout it all.
From stinky breathed customers to those demanding emergency surgery now they really put up with a lot and not always in the most pleasant of environments either.
I really learned a lot from this book, and I’ve not read one quite like it. Dealing with the public you never quite know what you can expect.

I was given a complimentary copy of this book.
All opinions expressed are my own.

Purchase Links

Author Bio:

Dr Bill is a reluctant dentist who lives with his kind partner and a neurotic cat.  This is his first book.  There may be another.  This depends on whether Dr Bill’s patients are gracious sweethearts who give him nothing to write about, or cantankerous bastards who provide the fodder for written revenge!

I’m going to assume this is the dentist’s cat.

Thank you for stopping in today! Happy St. Patrick’s Day.

Categories
Uncategorized

The Garden and the Glen: A Fable about Character and the Courage to Be Different 

Version 1.0.0

6-12 years 108 pages Lenox Street Press March 30, 2020 publication date

ABOUT THE BOOK

NATIONAL INDIES EXCELLENCE AWARD 2020MOM’S CHOICE AWARD RECIPIENT 2020
FOREWORD INDIES BOOK OF THE YEAR FINALIST 2020
The Garden and the Glen is about the magic that finds us when we’re brave enough to be our unique selves.A tiny blue butterfly is chased out of a yellow garden because she does not blend in.
She flees to the nearby forest glen, where she encounters a colorful band of woodland creatures-all of them expelled from the garden for the same reason-being different. The glen provides safety, friendship, and acceptance. However, it’s the garden that holds the blue butterfly’s true destiny.
A Queen, a mystical potion, and the fate of their natural world hang in the balance. The blue butterfly, and what makes her different, holds the key.

Version 1.0.0

MY THOUGHTS

A tiny blue butterfly is chased out of a yellow garden. There are yellow leaves, flowers, animals and butterflies. In and of itself the yellow garden is beautiful but full of sameness.


The blue butterfly is sad and flits away visiting other animals and insects that have had the same experience, being chased out of the yellow garden. These animals are beautiful and come in a rainbow of colors.
In this magical and beautiful garden full of uniqueness he finds acceptance.

Back in the yellow garden the Yellow Queen needs a magical potion for healing and the blue butterfly holds the key to procuring it for her. After being snubbed in the yellow garden should he snub the queen, and the ones sent to bring him back for her magical cure?


Despite his being wrongly treated he is not bitter and happily accepts the queens request for help.
A beautiful story for children showing that just because someone is different that it doesn’t make them bad or strange and to embrace uniqueness and learn from it.

I was given a complimentary copy of this book.
All opinions expressed are my own.

MEET THE AUTHOR

This book began many years ago as a short bedtime story. Elizabeth Moseley’s then-young daughters loved hearing stories at the end of the day. Elizabeth was happy reading their favorite books, but found her greatest joy in creating original fiction. A lifelong fan of Aesop and mythology, her tales often featured some magic, and always a happy ending. At the urging of her now-grown daughters, she has finally written one down. Elizabeth holds an M.A. in English Literature from Georgetown University.

Version 1.0.0
Categories
Uncategorized

Last thing I’ve learned – Daily prompt

What is the last thing you learned?

Life is a journey and the learning never ends. Of which I am glad because I find it fascinating to learn new things every day.

The latest thing I’ve learned though is my cats really don’t know how to tell time.  If I get up at 3 a.m. to use the bathroom they’ll meow at me for food but if I sleep in til 5 or 7 a.m. they’re still meowing at me for breakfast. They’d have you convinced I’m starving them. 🤣🐾😹😍

Iris didn’t want the grilled cheese but she sure enjoys sniffing all my food.
And I’m sure you’re convinced this boy misses a lot of meals.
Hmmm, I’m not too sure this is comfortable for me.
Will this bring my dinner any faster?

Categories
Uncategorized

My February no sugar month in review.

I decided to challenge myself to a full month, the month of February with no takeout, no added sugar and no sugary drinks. I am already a vegetarian so this added to my restrictions food wise. My usual is to get a caramel iced coffee five days a week from McDonald’s, I don’t make iced coffee at home and have Pizza Hut two times a month and take out Chinese one or two times a month. I cook at home for myself the rest of the month. I am limited on what I can eat takeout wise as I don’t eat meat. The first week I will admit as I detoxed I felt weak and tired a lot but stuck with my healthy homemade meals. Second week I still craved my iced coffee, almost daily habits are hard to break. Third week I feel more mental clarity and inflammation is gone. Sometimes my arms and legs would hurt because sugar causes inflammation in our bodies. Fourth week I feel amazing without sugar or caffeine and I’m able to get out of bed not achy and full of pep. I’ve been walking every day and when you feel good and energetic it goes without saying your mood improves and your mental capabilities are stronger as well which allows you to problem solve better as well. My only complaint is going through menopause messes with your hormones sometimes and because of it I didn’t lose as much weight as I would have liked last month on my whole Feb no sugar diet. I lost five pounds and my husband lost 10. Why can they seem to lose weight faster than we do. Today I had a cheat day and will go back to my no sugar diet tomorrow again for the rest of the month. I am 54 and this was taken today.

Categories
Uncategorized

Daily prompt -Monday

What is the biggest challenge you will face in the next six months?

Getting home repairs done.

Categories
Uncategorized

We Also Served: Amazing True Stories of Brave Military Animals-Children’s book

40 pages 4-8 years Sourcebooks Explore publisher July 4, 2023 publication date

ABOUT THE BOOK

Discover the true feats of hero dogs, horses, birds and more with this animal book for kids ages 6-8

History is full of incredible untold tales of courageous animals. We Also Served tells the inspiring stories of the amazing bravery and loyalty displayed by animals throughout history and their vital contributions to military success. Each true story gives readers a lesson in history and a lesson in the importance of these animals’ contribution. The perfect gift for animal lovers and military families! 

MY THOUGHTS

Each animal is featured with how they came to serve, which war they served in what heroic acts they did. There are pigeons, birds, dogs, horses and more. Fascinating and wonderful to see these animals get the recognition they deserve. Many of the animals received many medals.

Full color pages that children will appreciate.
These animals have faithfully and heroically served.

I was given a complimentary copy of this book.
All opinions expressed are my own.

Thank you for stopping in.

Categories
Uncategorized

Favorite shoes? Today’s daily prompt

Tell us about your favorite pair of shoes, and where they’ve taken you.

My favorite shoes are still my Converse . I have many pairs in many colors, low tops and high tops and even a pair of wine colored velvet high top ones. They’ve taken me to casual places , for walks, to appointments, the library and everywhere in between.