The Love Letters

I have read many books by Beverly Lewis and recently finished another one called The Love Letters.

Marlena is staying with her grandmother during the summer after the death of her grandfather.  She enjoys being with her grandmother but also looks forward to returning home to her family and beau Nat.  Marlena is asked to care for baby Angela Rose, the daughter of her sister Luella (who left the Amish faith) when Luella is in the hospital.  Marlena feels the baby will only be with them a short time.  They have a difficult start together, but Marlena quickly becomes attached to the baby girl.  What will happen to baby Angela Rose when Luella dies and her father is overseas in the war?

Marlena has a lot to deal with internally as she is at her grandmother's home.  She attends a Mennonite church which Marlena attends while she is there.  Her beau who is Old Order Amish, however, does not approve of this.  Marlena feels torn with the new things she is learning and the things she has been taught her entire life.

Another character of this book is a young man nicknamed Small Jay.  He lives near Marlena's grandmother. Small Jay befriends a man he finds living in an old mill. Their friendship is a big part of this book as well.

I enjoyed this book and recommend it to you.

This book was provided to me by Bethany House Publishers for my honest review. I am appreciative of the extra time they gave me for this review with the recent birth of my son.

Have a day of blessings!
 

The River

I have finished reading Beverly Lewis' book called The River.

My thoughts:
Sisters Tilly and Ruth left the Amish world years ago.  They are notified by a brother of an upcoming anniversary party for their parents and invited to come.  The sisters debate going and having to face their past.  They eventually decide to return together for the celebration.  Their Dad is having heart trouble so they find it a good opportunity to see him again.

Tilly enjoys her life in the modern world with her husband and twins.  She has always had a strained relationship with her father.  She has always felt distant from him and that she never measures up. She fears returning and wonders if the tension in their relationship will always be present.

Ruth is also settled into her life in the modern world with her home, job, and church. She does miss her former beau though and wonders if she will see him when she returns home. This creates mixed emotions for her.

Both sisters are grieved over the loss of their younger sister Anna years before.  The grief over this loss hangs over the entire family and is central to the book.

I enjoyed this book overall.  It seemed slow in some parts, but I thought the story line was enjoyable. I felt sorry for Tilly and her relationship with her Dad.  I never was sure if he understood how much his treatment had hurt her through the years. I appreciated the close sister relationship of Tilly and Ruth, and it seemed they grew closer by returning home together.  They both had to face some hard issues of their pasts, and the trip seems to bring healing.

Thank you to Bethany House Publishers for sending me this book for my honest review.

Have a day of blessings!
 

Child of Mine

I have finished Child of Mine by David and Beverly Lewis.  What a pretty cover to go with such a wonderful book!

About the book:
Flight instructor Jack Livingston has been raising his eight-year-old adopted niece, Natalie, since the accident that took her parents' lives. When he travels, Natalie is tenderly cared for by her Amish nanny, Laura Mast, who loves the little girl as her own.

Eight excruciating years ago, Kelly Maines's baby was kidnapped. Determined to find her child, Kelly has tirelessly pursued every lead to its bitter end. And now, with the clock ticking, one last clue from a private investigator ignites a tiny flame of hope: Just a few miles away lives a young girl who matches the profile.

Can this be, at long last, Kelly's beloved daughter?

My thoughts: 
I was excited to read this book written by Beverly Lewis with her husband David. It was different from other books by Beverly Lewis in that one of the characters was Amish but the other main chargers were not.

Laura is a shunned Amish woman who has been Natalie's nanny, and the two share a special bond. When Natalie's adoptive parents die, Laura continues to be her nanny while Jack (Natalie's uncle) takes guardianship. He adores Nattie and will do anything for her. (Sometimes it seems he takes this to an extreme.). Nattie desires to have a mother and even hints that Jack should marry Laura. Jack's sister San thinks Jack needs to begin dating and offers her suggestions as well.

Kelly Maines enters their lives with many secrets of her own. She quickly falls in love with little Nattie and Jack. She desires to have a family of her own. Can she have that with Jack and Nattie?

Where does this leave Laura?

This is a story if secrets, forgiveness, and healing. The characters are enjoyable. San and Jack have a strained sibling relationship at times. Jack wants to provide all he can for Nattie who has lost so much in her life. You can tell he really cares about her.

This story really had my interest, and I had a hard time putting it down!

Thank you to Bethany House for sending me this book for my review.

Have a day of blessings!

The Last Bride

I have read The Last Bride by Beverly Lewis which is the newest book of the Home to Hickory Hollow series.  I have read other books in this series and reviewed them for my blog as well.

Tessie is the main character of this book set in Hickory Hollow.   She is in love with Marcus King but her father is adamant that they not marry.  He will not tell Tessie why he feels this way though and it pains Tessie's heart.  She is sure Marcus is the right one for her and doesn't understand why her father won't approve of their marriage. 

Marcus and Tessie make a decision to secretly marry and decide to keep their secret from the rest of the Amish community.  A few weeks after their marriage a terrible tragedy happens.  Will Tessie be able to keep their secret while she grieves?  What will happen if her father finds out? 

Mandy is Tessie's sister.  She has a strained relationship with her husband and is hurting inside because she is yet to have any children of her own.  Mandy and Tessie have a strained relationship as well, not as close as they once had been which hurts both sisters. 

As in the other books in this series, the Wise Woman Ella Mae is included in this story to share her insight and wisdom with Tessie. 

This is a story of reconciliation and the comfort that can come from God during times of grief and uncertainty. 

I always enjoy reading books by Beverly Lewis and look forward to her next release.      

I received this book as part of the reviewer program for Bethany House Publishers.  Thank you for the book. 

Have a day of blessings!

The Secret Keeper

I have finished reading The Secret Keeper by Beverly Lewis.  This is part of the Home to Hickory Hollow Series.  I reviewed another book in the series called The Bridesmaid here.

About the book:Jennifer Burns shocks her family and friends when she bids farewell to her modern life in favor of the Old Order Amish world, settling in with Samuel and Rebecca Lapp.

The people of Hickory Hollow are curious about the beautiful young seeker among them--one handsome Amishman in particular--and Jenny faces many challenges in the Proving time the brethren set for her...challenges of the heart, as well as the spirit.

My thoughts: I enjoyed this story as I do all the books I read by Beverly Lewis.  I truly cannot imagine what it would be like to go from the English ‘fancy’ world to living Amish!  This book gives a little insight into the struggle that would be for someone. Many of the things that Jenny faced I had not considered, like all the things one would have to learn to do like hitching up a buggy or baking a loaf of bread.   I liked the characters in this story and continuing to see the Wise Woman as she is lovingly called, who has been in previous books.  I appreciated seeing the struggles Jenny faced as she worked to become Amish because it seemed authentic of what someone might really feel in this situation. 

This book was provided by Bethany House Publishers for my honest review.     

Have a day of blessings!

The Bridesmaid by Beverly Lewis

The Bridesmaid is the second book in the Home to Hickory Hollow Series.  I reviewed the first book The Fiddler here. 

Joanna Kurtz has been a bridesmaid several times and some people, like her sister Cora Jane, are wondering if she will ever be a bride herself.  Joanna is optimistic though that she will one day marry.  Her heart is taken with Eben Troyer.  They have a long distance courtship because he lives in Indiana.  Will Eben be able to leave Indiana to move to Hickory Hollow to properly court Joanna?  Should Joanna wait for him or move on?   

I liked reading Joanna's story. I appreciated her faith and her dedication.  She had a strained relationship with Cora Jane which caused problems through the book.  She also had a tough time because of her love for writing stories and her hidden desire to have her work published. 

This was an enjoyable book, and I have enjoyed it as I've enjoyed others by Beverly Lewis.  

This book was provided by Bethany House Publishers for my review. 

Have a day of blessings!

The Fiddler by Beverly Lewis

I have finished The Fiddler by Beverly Lewis.  This is the first book in the "Home to Hickory Hollow" series. 

Englisher Amelia Devries finds herself lost in a rain storm when she is heading home after being one of the opening acts at a concert. She is a violinist but secretly plays the fiddle on the side.   She ends up at a cabin in the woods where Michael Hostetler is staying.  Michael offers shelter to Amelia.  The two become friends as they talk over a game of chess, and Michael invites her to visit Amish country with him once the storm clears.  Amelia enjoys her weekend staying in Amish country, makes new friends, and leaves with a changed perspective.   

Even though they live very different lives, they both are trying to live to meet the expectations of others.  Michael feels the pressure to join the Amish church while Amelia lives with what her parents expect her to do with her life and her music.  They both feel trapped and unhappy.

I always enjoy the books written by Beverly Lewis.  I enjoyed the encouragement shared by one of the characters Ella Mae and how Amelia used this in her life when she went back home.  This book makes me look forward to book #2 in this series. 

Thank you to Bethany House Publishers for providing this book for my review. 

Have a day of blessings!

Review: The Mercy

I was happy to be able to review The Mercy by Beverly Lewis.  I've been reading books by this author for many years!  This is the third book in The Rose Trilogy.  I have read all three books, I don't believe I posted reviews here though. 

In this book we have several story lines.  The main character, Rose, who is starting to feel she will be single all her life until she meets a boy from another district. 

Rose's sister, Hen, is living back at home along with her Englisher husband and their daughter.  They were separated because of differences they had encountered in their lives when Hen missed her Amish lifestyle, and then he came to live with Hen after he was in a car accident and lost his vision.

Another storyline of the book is Mamm and her impending surgery for her pain she's lived with for many years. 

I enjoyed this book as I did the others in this series.  However, I did feel it had an abrupt ending.  Some of the story seemed to be so drawn out and then it just seemed to end too quickly. 

I received this book from Bethany House Publishers for my honest review. 

Have a day of blessings!

2010 Book #18: "The Telling" by Beverly Lewis

I have finished listening to the audio version of The Telling by Beverly Lewis provided by christianaudio Reviewers Program . This is the third book in the Seasons of Grace series.

Grace Byler is accompanied by her new English friend, Heather Nelson, on a search for Grace's mother, Lettie. Grace and her family don't know why Lettie suddenly left them; however, she is in search of her daughter she gave up for adoption, a daughter that has been Lettie's secret for 24 years. Will Lettie return home? Will she find her daughter?

I love every Beverly Lewis' book I've ever read, and this is no exception. The narrator of this book, Aimee Lilly, did an excellent job. I loved her voice choices for each character, and I felt her voice was pleasant to hear.

Thank you to christianaudio Reviewers Program for providing a copy of this book for my review.

Have a day of blessings!