Book: The Forgotten Recipe

I have finished the first book in the Amish Heirloom series called The Forgotten Recipe by Amy Clipston.

Veronica Fisher is grieving the loss of her fiance Seth who died in an accident at the shop where he worked. She finds a recipe made by her grandmother in an old chest in the attic; baking gives her something to occupy her mind.  She begins selling her pies at a bake stand.

Jason Huyard was a friend of Seth's and was with him when he lost his life.  Jason wants to offer his sympathy to Veronica; however, when he meets her he is left fumbling for words.  He continues to visit her bake stand each week for her delicious raspberry pies.  He can't seem to workup the courage to admit to Veronica that he knew Seth and blames himself for his death.  

The two begin spending more time together.  Will Jason ever be able to admit the truth to Veronica?  Will she accept him if he admits his secret?

I enjoyed reading this book and look forward to the next one in this series.  Veronica received a lot of help from her sisters and parents.  Jason was a likable character who clearly cared greatly for Veronica. I wanted to give him a push to just tell her the truth!  

This book was somewhat predictable with a twist at the end.  Check it out and find more information and other books at Amy Clipston's website.

This book was sent to me as part of the Bakery Bunch. Thank you.

Have a day of blessings!
 

Photo Challenge

I am a fan of Amy Clipston's books. She is having a contest right now to win one of her new books called The Forgotten Recipe.  (I've started this book myself and will review it in the coming weeks.)

Enter the contest or go vote on a picture that has been entered.  Go to Amy Clipston's site to see how to enter or to vote.

Have a day of blessings!
 

A Simple Prayer

I have another wonderful book by Amy Clipston to share with you today.  I finished this book a couple of weeks ago and really enjoyed this story.  A Simple Prayer is the 4th book in the Hearts of the Lancaster Grand Hotel series. (I reviewed A Hopeful Heart here previously.)

This book is mainly about Linda Zook and Aaron Ebersol.

Linda is a grown Amish woman who lives with her uncle because her parents were killed in a buggy accident when she was a child.  Her uncle is very bitter towards Linda even though she does everything to take care of him and the home.  She is very lonely in her situation and wonders if life will ever be different.  She begins working at the bed and breakfast and enjoys helping there and develops a friendship with the owner.

Aaron returns home after leaving 17 years before.  He finds out his mother is ill so he comes home.  He is unsure how his return will be received because he hasn't heard from his family during this time even though he tried to contact them through letters.  While some family members accept him, others do not.   Was it a mistake for Aaron to return?

Aaron stays at the bed and breakfast and chats with Linda about his return home and how his family treats him. Linda is surprised to receive any attention from him. Linda does not want to get close to him because he is not Amish and will be leaving soon.

This is a good book that people will be able to relate to because of the common problem of strained relationships between family members. I liked the way the characters tried to work through their problems. It is also a story of friendship and the value of having someone believe in you.

I enjoyed this story, and I hope you will check out this book as well as others by Amy Clipston.  Find out more at her website.

I received an advanced copy of this book as part of the Bakery Bunch.

Have a day of blessings!

An Amish Cradle

I wanted to share a book with  you that I finished a while back.  It is called An Amish Cradle and includes four novellas by four different authors.

About the book:

In the Father's Arms by Beth Wiseman Ruth Anne Zook is excited that she and her best friend are due with their children the same week. But when Ruth Anne's baby is born with Down Syndrome, she and her husband struggle to understand God's plan. 

A Son for Always by Amy Clipston
Carolyn and her husband Joshua are thrilled to be pregnant with their first child. A teenager when she had her son Benjamin, Carolyn still feels obligated to work to secure Ben's future, even though Josh adopted Ben. She struggles to realize that Josh will love and protect both of their children equally.

A Heart Full of Love by Kathleen Fuller
Ellie's mother loves to meddle in her personal life-especially now that Ellie's pregnant. Since Ellie is blind, her mother worries that she won't be able to handle the baby. When Ellie gives birth to twins, her mother insists on moving in. Just as everyone reaches the breaking point, a miracle draws them closer to each other and to God.

An Unexpected Blessing by Vannetta Chapman
At 42, Etta thought her time of having children was over, but she's pregnant again. She goes into labor during a blizzard, and complications with the delivery raise fear. Etta struggles to accept Gotte's wille for the baby and her son, David, who moved away two years earlier in search of what he would do with his life. 

My thoughts:
I enjoyed reading this book about babies and pregnancy during my own pregnancy. All four stories were touching in their own way.  I liked that they were short and easy to read, and I feel women of any age would enjoy reading this book.  I was able to use the lessons learned by the women in each story as related to my own pregnancy...trusting God, not worrying, waiting for God's timing.

I received an advance copy of this book as part of the Bakery Bunch.

Have a day of blessings!
 

Bakery Bunch!

I'm happy to be part of the Amy Clipston Bakery Bunch!  I have read and reviewed her books in the past and look forward to the new books. She writes Amish fiction and young adult books. You can find out more about Amy on her website.

Before Christmas I received a fun surprise in the mail.....a purple box filled with all sorts of goodies shown below (and also a pen that missed the picture!).  Purple is my favorite color so I liked seeing all the purple!   

I look forward to reading this new book Miles From Nowhere and sharing the review with you.

Here I am bundled up in my warm robe on New Year's Eve working on a jigsaw puzzle and enjoying a slush in my purple Bakery Bunch cup.

I took my purple Bakery Bunch reusable bag with me last week when I went to the bread store.  

My son helped me deliver some of the bookmarks to our local library.  The librarian was happy to get them.

We found a couple of Amy Clipston's books on the shelf. 

New luggage tag on our bag

Thank you for all the wonderful goodies. I am enjoying them.

If you are looking for a new author to read, add Amy Clipston to your list!

Have a day of blessings!