Book: The Celebration

Today I'm sharing a book with you called The Celebration.  This is the 3rd book in the Amish Cooking Class series by Wanda E. Brunstetter.  I reviewed the first book The Seekers and the second book called The Blessing.  I enjoyed the other two books and was glad to read this third book.

About the book:
Lyle and Heidi Troyer have taken in a brother and sister, who were orphaned when their parents were killed in a car accident. Hoping to help the children adapt and make friends, Heidi decides to hold a series of cooking classes for kids. But kids are always accompanied by an adult—and that is where the trouble arises.

Miranda Cooper is living the life of a single mom to her two kids while separated from her husband, but Trent is trying to worm his way back into her heart.

Denise McGuire’s life as a wife, mom, and real estate broker is full and spilling over.

Darren Keller, single dad and firefighter, and Ellen Blackburn, single mom and nurse, find a few things in common.

Will hearts be healed over plates of Amish food?

My thoughts:
I liked the change of this book in having the cooking class for children instead of adults as was the case in the other two books in the series. It was interesting to read the interactions of the children in the class as well as how the parents interacted with one another.

Heidi is a wonderful main character who is easy to like.  She has lots of wisdom to share with her students and their parents and is never rude or pushy.  I appreciate that she includes a Bible verse with her recipes for her students to take home and to read how the verses bless the families.

Another thing I liked about this book is that the recipes are included at the end.

It is somewhat predictable I thought as I read but is a good story and my favorite in this series.

This book will be coming out soon at the beginning of February.

Watch this short trailer about the book too.

Visit the author's website here.

I received an Advanced Reader Copy of this book for my review.

Have a day of blessings!
   Bethany

New book in 2018

Do you have books coming out in 2018 that you look forward to reading?  Here is the video trailer to the next book in the Amish Cooking Class series by Wanda E. Brunstetter.  The book is #3 in this series, and I look forward to reading it. It releases in February (which we know will be here before we know it!)  It looks like it will be a good book. (And I like the purple on the cover.)




Have a day of blessings!
   Bethany

Free Christmas book

I found out that a Christmas book is free to download right now and wanted to share that with you.

It is called The Christmas Secret by Wanda E. Brunstetter.

Here is the link to get it at Barnes and Nobles. You can find it at other online retailers as well.  This special will end soon so check it out today!

Have a day of blessings!
   Bethany

Book: The Beloved Christmas Quilt

One Quilt Binds Three Generations of Amish Women
Enjoy the gift of a brand new romance from New York Times bestselling author Wanda E. Brunstetter, along with stories by her daughter-in-law, Jean and granddaughter, Richelle.

For thou art my rock and my fortress; therefore for thy name's sake lead me, and guide me.
Psalm 31:3

The scripture embroidered on the back of a beloved quilt brings hope to three generations of Pennsylvania Amish women at Christmastime.
 
Luella’s Promise
By Wanda E. Brunstetter
Luella Ebersol has been caregiver for a dying woman and her young son. When Dena Lapp gives Luella her favorite quilt, she makes Luella promise to pass it down to her daughter. But Luella isn’t sure she will ever marry if she can’t find someone with maturity and faith like Dena’s husband Atlee Zook.
 
Karen’s Gift
By Jean Brunstetter
Karen Allgyer and her husband moved to a slow-paced village to raise their children, but Karen longs for the closeness of family to help her through the challenges of managing three girls with one on the way. When life’s pressures rise, will Karen cave to her fears?
 
Roseanna’s Groom
By Richelle Lynn Brunstetter
When the unexpected happens on the day of her wedding, Roseanna Allgyer can’t help blaming herself, despite not understanding why. Then an old friend returns to town, and she battles feeling for him—afraid of being hurt again.

My thoughts:
I enjoyed these stories!  I liked that we had three short books together in one book that was about three generations.  The quilt is passed down through the generations. The three women face very different challenges in their lives, but the quilt and the verse on it is an encouragement to them all. 

Because the stories are shorter than a typical Brunstetter book, there is not a lot of depth as you may be used to.  The stories are told, but there is not a lot of "extra." 

It makes a nice book to read around the holidays if you are looking for something to read in the coming months. 

Here is a short video trailer you can watch for this book:


 Visit Wanda E. Brunstetter's site here.

I received a copy of this book for my review as part of the Clippity Clop Club.  Thank you.

Have a day of blessings!
Bethany

Book: The Blessing

Today I want to share with you book #2 in the Amish Cooking Class Series.  It is called The Blessing.

About the book:Six new cooking class students.  New friendships form, a romance blossoms, and hearts receive healing nourishment. Will Heidi’s own hurting heart also be healed?

Despite stressful changes occurring in their lives, Lyle and Heidi once again open their Ohio home up to those seeking to learn about Amish cooking. This time a teenager helping her divorced dad cook for the family, a caterer needing new recipes, a food critic, a hunter looking to impress his buddies, a wife given the class as an unwanted gift, and a mailman lured in by the aroma of good cooking gather around Heidi’s table.

During each class, Heidi teaches culinary skills, but it is her words of wisdom that have a profound effect on her students—though, this time Heidi’s own hurting heart will need some healing nourishment.

My thoughts:
I enjoyed the main character Heidi in the first book and she continued to be one of my favorites in this book.  I like that the recipes she makes with her students are included in the back of the book because as I read about them they sound good and like things I'd like to make myself.  This group of students is diverse just like Heidi's first group. At the beginning I wasn't sure how well they were going to mesh with each other so it was interesting to read and see them develop relationships through the six classes.  I can tell you that they all learning something in their cooking classes and it isn't just about being better cooks.

This is a good book to read and I look forward to what happens with Heidi and her husband and their desire to have children.

I reviewed The Seekers,  which is book #1 in this series here.

Find out more about Wanda E. Brunstetter and her other books at her website.

I received this book from the publisher for my review as part of the Clippity Clop Club. Thank you.

Have a day of blessings!
  Bethany

The Farmers' Market Mishap

The Farmer's Market Mishap is the sequel to The Lopsided Christmas Cake by Wanda E. Brunstetter and Jean Brunstetter.

Elma is the main character in this book.  She is living alone after her twin Thelma marries. She lives across the street so the sisters see each other often, but Elma still misses their closeness.  Elma is happy for her sister but longs to find her own love.  Thelma things Elma and her husband's friend Delbert will make a good match.  When a man from out of town (Ben) begins to show interest in Elma after they meet at the farmer's market, Thelma is concerned her sister will move away.  She wants her sister nearby since she is expecting a baby and will need Elma's help.  Can Ben and Elma have a relationship even though they do not live in the same city?  

I did not read book one in this series yet but was able to follow along with these characters.

Read more and find other Wanda books at her site here.

I received this book from the author and publisher for my honest review.  Thank you.

Have a day of blessings!
   Bethany

Coming soon from Wanda E. Brunstetter

I previously shared with you book 1 called The Seekers in the new series by Wanda E. Brunstetter.

Now is the time to pre-order the next book in the series called The Blessing. I am looking forward to reading this story!  You can pre-order online and then get the free goodies.

Go to this link after you pre-order to receive the free extra goodies!

Have a day of blessings!
   Bethany

The Seekers

Wanda E. Brunstetter has a new series called The Amish Cooking Class.  I finished the first book called The Seekers.

Heidi decides to offer cooking classes to teach students how to make a few Amish dishes.  She has quite a mixture of personalities who sign up to take her class.  As the weeks pass the students begin to share their personal experiences and problems.  They all seem to gain something more than just learning to cook through these classes.

I enjoyed this book and the characters with their various ages and backgrounds.  The author has another series which I've read called The Half-Stitched Amish Quilting Club that is similar.  I liked the main character Heidi's gentle way with her students and how she wanted to help them in their lives, not just teach them a few lessons on cooking. Another thing I liked was that the recipes Heidi teaches her students are included at the back of the book!  I want to try Amish haystack for my family. I look forward to read what happens to these characters, especially Heidi with her longing for a child of her own.

Click here to view a trailer for the book.

A copy of this book was provided to me for my review by the author and publisher.  Thank you.

Have a day of blessings!
   Bethany

Do you like audio books?

Do you listen to audio books?  I love that our library has so many to choose from, both CDs and digital downloads. It has only been recently, probably last 5-6 years I guess, that I have listened to audio books.

The above picture shows a sampling of the audio books by Wanda E. Brunstetter at one of the local library branches (our neighboring town has three different locations around the city).

I have listened to most of these I believe.  The set at the end with the picture of the lady on the spine are from a series called The Discovery---A Lancaster County Saga. I really enjoyed that whole series.

Check out all of Wanda E. Brunstetter's books at her fun website.

Have a day of blessings!  
Bethany

Do you enjoy Amish fiction?

I have read many fiction books about the Amish.  I don't know why I enjoy them so much, but I have read so many good ones.  One Amish author I have enjoyed for years is Wanda E. Brunstetter. I've read many of her books.

I wanted to share with you her site where you can sign up to receive her newsletter.  Go to her site and enter your email address. (Turn  your speakers up and you will hear the clip clop of horses' hooves as you browse her site.)  You will receive updates on her newest books by subscribing to her newsletter.  Another fun thing is that you will get a free ebook of Amish recipes just for subscribing.

I am reading her book The Seekers now and will be posting a review on it soon.  She has several other new books coming out in the coming months.

Have a day of blessings!
  Bethany

The Hawaiian Quilt

I realized I had never posted my review of this book so I wanted to do that.  I've read many books by Wanda E Brunstetter as well as various other authors who write stories about the Amish.  This one is very different because four friends who are Amish take a trip on a cruise ship to Hawaii.  That makes for an unusual setting for this book.   It was interesting the things that took place in the story (without giving away too much) that led Mandy to end up being longer in Hawaii than she originally planned.
I do look forward to more about the characters.  I was surprised by how the main character Mandy acted at times.  

This book had a different feel from other Amish books I've read and took me a while to "get into it." Overall, it was an okay book.

I received a copy of this book from the author for my honest review.  Thank  you.

Have a day of blessings!
    Bethany

Amish Friends Harvest Cookbook

I have always enjoyed looking at cookbooks.  I was pleased to receive this book for my review and couldn't begin browsing through the pages.  The pictures are so pretty and add to the enjoyment of this book.

The book begins with some practical tips and advice for gardening.  I found these very interesting to read and felt it gave me a glimpse into the Amish lifestyle.  Following this is the recipes which are divided into categories.  There is such a wide variety of recipes here that I have never heard of or tried.  Many of them look rather easy to complete. I saw some I will be able to try out for my family and the local fair.

It made me smile to see the recipe for fried flower blossoms.  We had these when we visited family in Iowa one summer.

This book came out in August and would be a nice gift for someone in your life who enjoys cooking.

Thank you to the author and publisher for sending me a copy of this for my honest review.

Have a day of blessings!
  Bethany

The Restoration

The Restoration by Wanda E. Brunstetter is the third book in The Prairie State Friends series.  I have read the other two so I was familiar with these characters.

In this book the main character Priscilla is courted by a young man named Elam.  An Englisher David comes to the area to visit his grandparents.  He has visited in the past so he's already friends with Priscilla and Elam.  He decides he wants to become Amish.  Priscilla also eventually realizes that David is interested in her as more than a friend.  She has to figure out how she feels about Elam and David.

Also in this book you will find out more about the other characters from this series and their families. I wasn't sure how it was going to end but let's just say I was pleased with the ending.

Visit the author's site here.

This book was sent to me by the publisher and author for my honest review. Thank you.

Have a day of blessings!
 

The Amish Millionaire Series

I have completed the first in a series of six books in a new series called The Amish Millionaire by Wanda E. Brunstetter and Jean Brunstetter.  Book #1 is called The English Son.  

In this book readers are introduced to Joel and his girlfriend Kristi.  Joel has left his Amish family for the modern world.  He works in the construction business.  It does not take long to realize Joel has a problem with spending more than he has.  He is trying to solve his problem but does not share what he has done with Kristi.

Kristi cares for Joel but wonders why he never talks about his family or childhood.  She begins to feel Joel is keeping something from her.  Is he stressed because of his work or is it something else?  

Joel visits his family and they all suspect he comes just because he wants something.  Will his father listen to him or turn him away?
 
This is a short little book and a great read!  I recommend this book to you if you enjoy Amish fiction.  I can't wait to read #2 which is called The Stubborn Father.

I received this book from the publisher for my honest review.  Thank you.

Have a day of blessings!