by admin | Nov 11, 2015 | Books, Contemporary Fiction, Mennonite, Romance, Suspense
MY REVIEW:
On the surface, the small Mennonite town of Sanctuary appears to be just what its name implies but there has already been a recent kidnapping and murder within its limits. There may be another murderer living among the unsuspecting townspeople and Sophie Wittenbauer is determined to find him in order to boost her journalism career. What does it matter if she has to tell a few lies in order to bring justice to the families of the men he killed?
In “Rising Darkness” readers will find a riveting suspense that will keep those pages turning while following Sophie’s efforts to find a killer before it is too late. Unexpected twists and surprises keep the suspense settings on high but in addition to that, I really liked the realistic character development that took place. In particular, Sophie had great difficulty even returning to a Mennonite town because of her unpleasant experiences in her own hometown. Her time in Sanctuary showed her that all Mennonites were not like her parents and her heart was softened by the very genuine love and protection offered her by some of Sanctuary’s residents. Although it was hard for Sophie to believe that she was worth loving, God had other plans in store for her.
I thoroughly enjoyed “Rising Darkness” and look forward to the author’s next offering. 
This book was provided for review by
Bethany House, a division of Baker Publishing Group.
ABOUT THE BOOK:
Sophie Wittenbauer left her strict Mennonite hometown under a cloud of shame and regret. Certain she’s left her past far behind her, she’s now focused on her job at a newspaper and is shocked when she stumbles upon the name of someone she knew in her old life. But when she learns the man–a prisoner–claims a suspect from a decades-old unsolved crime is hiding out in the small town of Sanctuary, Missouri, she can’t resist following the lead in hopes of furthering her career.
Almost immediately upon her arrival, Sophie’s confronted with a face from her past and fears her intention of using a false identity to investigate is doomed. But with the help of Sanctuary’s charismatic young pastor, Sophie knows she’s getting close. Will she be able to conceal the truth of her own past long enough to find the suspect before someone puts a stop–fatal or otherwise–to her investigation?
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Nancy Mehl is the author of twenty-one books, including the Road to Kingdom and Finding Sanctuary series. Nancy writes from her home in Missouri, where she lives with her husband, Norman, and their puggle, Watson. Visit www.nancymehl.com to learn more.
by admin | May 20, 2015 | Amish, Books, Contemporary Fiction, Mennonite
MY REVIEW:
“When Grace Sings” continues the story that began in “When Mercy Rains”, the first volume of Kim Vogel Sawyer’s Zimmerman Restoration Trilogy. Alexa has opened her bed and breakfast in her grandmother’s home and her very first long-term guest is big-city reporter Briley Forrester whose intentions are not what they seem. Anna-Grace and Steven are making plans for their upcoming wedding and are working hard making repairs on the family farm he has inherited. The only problem is that his dream is to be a teacher – NOT a farmer! To further complicate matters, Anna-Grace has been made aware that members of her birth family (she is adopted) live in Arborville although she does not know their identities. Alexa, who does know the truth, is uncomfortable around Anna-Grace due to her own insecurities about how she became a part of the family.
Needless to say, “When Grace Sings” contains a twisted thread of confusing relationships with a monkey wrench or two thrown into the mix for good measure. But the author is talented in taking puzzles and putting them together to form a beautiful picture. As the characters in this novel interact, each of them is changed as God’s grace becomes apparent to them. Even Briley, who is very difficult to like, charmer that he is, undergoes profound changes by the conclusion.
I thoroughly enjoyed “When Grace Sings” but I was happy that I had read “When Mercy Rains” first. It was so much easier to understand the whole story that way. I highly recommend this series as well as most anything by Kim Vogel Sawyer.
This book was provided for review by Waterbrook Multnomah and Blogging for Books.
ABOUT THE BOOK:
When trouble roars into quiet Arborville, Alexa and Anna-Grace find themselves the target for discord and exposed secrets. Can they continue to seek the God of all grace amidst the fog of confusion?
Alexa Zimmerman wonders if the Old Order Mennonite community in Arborville, Kansas will ever fully accept her. Her family roots here aren’t what anyone thought when she first arrived, but she is hopeful that her culinary and hospitality skills will win the skeptics over. The bed-and-breakfast she’s operating needs to succeed so Alexa agrees to allow Briley Forrester, the hotshot reporter from Chicago, to stay as a long-term boarder not knowing his real motives for being amongst the Plain folk.
But when Alexa agrees to host her cousin Anna-Grace Braun, the presence of extended family brings out Alexa’s insecurities and sets Briley on the trail to uncovering a web of hidden truths.
Plans for a secure future and the sweetness of young romance hang in the balance when Alexa and Anna-Grace have to face that their secrets are interconnected, binding the two in ways they could not have imagined. They must trust in a loving, heavenly Father and His plan for their futures.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Kim Vogel Sawyer is a best-selling author highly acclaimed for her gentle stories of hope. More than one million copies of her books are currently in print and have garnered awards including the ACFW Carol Award, the Inspirational Readers Choice Award, and the Gayle Wilson Award of Excellence. Kim lives in central Kansas, with husband Don and their four feline companions. She enjoys spending time with her three daughters and ten grandchildren.
Connect with Kim Vogel Sawyer
by admin | Nov 26, 2014 | Books, Contemporary Fiction, Mennonite
MY REVIEW:
I have learned that when I open a novel by Kim Vogel Sawyer I can usually expect a story that delves into the depths of human emotions. It is also quite possible that it will cover at least one issue that many do not find especially comfortable to discuss. Kim always manages to depict her characters and their difficult situations in a tactful manner that also leaves the reader encouraged and hopeful. “When Mercy Rains” is definitely one that meets those criteria.
Suzanne Zimmerman made a poor decision as a teen and was sent away from her family because of it. During the following twenty years she earned a nursing degree and managed to make a good life for herself and her daughter. Summoned home to help care for her injured mother, Suzanne and her daughter Alexa reluctantly return, hoping to mend old wounds but in many ways receiving the reception she feared.
“When Mercy Rains” covers approximately two months in the lives of the Zimmerman family, complete with family tension, guilt, revealed secrets, forgiveness, and reconciliation. It is not always a pretty story but it is one of changed lives. Everything does not turn out exactly as the reader might expect but the end is probably that much more realistic for that very reason. Not only that, but its ending does leave things wide open for possibilities in the next book of this series, “When Grace Sings”.
I thoroughly enjoyed this book and highly recommend it. I look forward to “When Grace Sings” for more about the Zimmerman family.
This book was provided for review by Blogging for Books.
ABOUT THE BOOK:
She left, heavily weighted with secrets.
But God reveals all things, in His timing.
And He redeems them.
Suzanne Zimmerman was only seventeen and pregnant when her shamed mother quietly sent her away from their Old Order Mennonite community in Kansas. With her old home, family, and first love firmly behind her, Suzanne moved to Indiana, became a nurse, and raised a daughter, Alexa, on her own.Now, nearly twenty years later, an unexpected letter arrives from Kansas. Her brother asks her to bring her nursing abilities home and care for their ailing mother. His request requires that Suzanne face a family that may not have forgiven her and a strict faith community. It also means seeing Paul Aldrich, her first love.Paul, widowed with an eight-year-old son, is relieved to see Suzanne again, giving him the chance to beg her forgiveness for his past indiscretion. But when he meets Alexa, his guilt flickers in the glare of Suzanne’s prolonged secret—one that changes everything.Suzanne had let go of any expectation for forgiveness long ago. Does she dare hope in mercy–and how will her uncovered past affect the people she loves the most?
Click here to download chapter one of When Mercy Rains.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Kim Vogel Sawyer is a best-selling author highly acclaimed for her gentle stories of hope. More than one million copies of her books are currently in print and have garnered awards including the ACFW Carol Award, the Inspirational Readers Choice Award, and the Gayle Wilson Award of Excellence. Kim lives in central Kansas, with husband Don and their four feline companions. She enjoys spending time with her three daughters and ten grandchildren.
by admin | Sep 10, 2014 | Amish, Books, Contemporary Fiction, Mennonite, Romance
MY REVIEW:
I actually hesitated to accept “A Season of Change” for review. I may be one of the few readers of Christian fiction who has grown a bit weary of Amish fiction and sometimes wonder how long this trend can last. I was pleasantly surprised by a unique tale featuring an unlikely romance between an old order Amish widower and a young woman whose career in the circus has come to an end.
“A Season of Change” is a heart-warming story set in Pinecraft, an actual Amish/Mennonite community near Sarasota, Florida. It was interesting to read about the relaxed atmosphere of the community that is is such contrast to the Amish lifestyle I usually read about. The characters are well developed and the narrative held my interest quite well. I loved how Jacob’s children played an integral role. I also liked the fact that Jacob and Natalie were able to find a compromise for their differences. I usually find it difficult to believe when an Englisher converts to the Amish faith – even if it is for love.
A good story with a surprise or two, “A Season of Change” is sure to please those who enjoy Amish fiction and possibly even a few readers such as myself.
This book was provided for review by the Amazon Vine program.
ABOUT THE BOOK:
Amish widower Jacob Miller believes it was a mistake to visit the Amish village of Pinecraft for winter vacation, especially after his daughter is struck by a car. Stranded in Sarasota until his daughter recovers, Jacob grows increasingly wary of events that unfold in his unfamiliar surroundings—including the strange curiosity of Englischer Natalie Bennett.
Natalie never thought her circus career as an aerial silks artist would end with a blown-out knee at the age of 25. She also never knew her late mother had a secret—that she was once Amish.
When Natalie meets the Millers at the Sarasota hospital, she is attracted to their warm hospitality and simple ways—and soon wonders if they can help her find her mother’s family. As Jacob and Natalie fall in love, their worlds collide. Will their differences tear them apart? Or will their love be strong enough to blend their clashing cultures?
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Lynette Sowell is the award-winning author of over 15 titles for Barbour Publishing, Harlequin, and Abingdon Press. Lynette was born in Western Massachusetts in the shadow of the Berkshire Mountains, raised on the Eastern Shore of Maryland, but makes her home on the doorstep of the Texas hill country. She loves reading, cooking, watching movies, and is always up for a Texas road trip. When she’s not writing fiction, she works as a reporter for her city newspaper and has a weekly column called My Front Porch.
by admin | May 21, 2014 | Books, Contemporary Fiction, Mennonite, Romance, Suspense
This week, theChristian Fiction Blog Allianceis introducingGathering ShadowsBethany House Publishers (May 6, 2014)byNancy MehlABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Nancy Mehl lives in Wichita, Kansas with her husband Norman and their dog, Watson. She’s authored thirteen books and is currently at work on her newest series for Bethany House Publishing.
All of Nancy’s novels have an added touch – something for your spirit as well as your soul. “I welcome the opportunity to share my faith through my writing,” Nancy says. “It’s a part of me and of everything I think or do. God is number one in my life. I wouldn’t be writing at all if I didn’t believe that this is what He’s called me to do. I hope everyone who reads my books will walk away with the most important message I can give them: God is good, and He loves you more than you can imagine. He has a good plan especially for your life, and there is nothing you can’t overcome with His help.”
She and her husband attend Believer’s Tabernacle in Wichita.
ABOUT THE BOOK:
Wynter Evans is a promising young reporter for a television station in St. Louis, but even a bright future doesn’t take away her pain over the disappearance of her brother nine years ago. So when she stumbles across a photograph of a boy with an eerie resemblance to him, she can’t pass up the chance to track him down. With research for work as her cover, she sets out with one of the station’s photogs for the place where the picture was taken: the town of Sanctuary.
Almost as soon as she arrives, she meets the town’s handsome young mayor, Rueben King, and together they begin to uncover long held secrets that could tear the small town apart and change everything Wynter thought she knew about her life. As the truth of her family’s past hides in the shadows, it’s clear someone will stop at nothing to keep the answers she’s searching for hidden forever–even if the cost is Wynter’s very life.
If you’d like to read the first chapter of Gathering Shadows, go HERE.
MY REVIEW:
Sanctuary is an isolated town in rural Missouri that is populated primarily by old school Mennonites – and those who like the seclusion and privacy the town offers. When Wynter Evans decides to feature Sanctuary in a travel series for her television station, she also has some personal reasons to spend time there. Odd events, threats, and even a death convince Wynter that she may be closer than she thought to finding her long lost brother.
Gathering Shadows is definitely a page-turner. Its pages are filled with secrets, suspense, and several surprises. The obligatory romance was secondary to the real meat of the story as far as I was concerned although I did like the character of Rueben King. Renewed faith and restored relationships were of prime importance.
As with all Nanch Mehl’s previous novels set in Sanctuary, I thoroughly enjoyed Gathering Shadows.
by admin | Sep 9, 2013 | Books, Mennonite, Romance, Suspense
This week, theChristian Fiction Blog Allianceis introducingUnforeseeable Bethany House Publishers (September 1, 2013)byNancy MehlABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Nancy Mehl lives in Wichita, Kansas with her husband Norman and their dog, Watson. She’s authored thirteen books and is currently at work on her newest series for Bethany House Publishing.
All of Nancy’s novels have an added touch – something for your spirit as well as your soul. “I welcome the opportunity to share my faith through my writing,” Nancy says. “It’s a part of me and of everything I think or do. God is number one in my life. I wouldn’t be writing at all if I didn’t believe that this is what He’s called me to do. I hope everyone who reads my books will walk away with the most important message I can give them: God is good, and He loves you more than you can imagine. He has a good plan especially for your life, and there is nothing you can’t overcome with His help.”
She and her husband attend Believer’s Tabernacle in Wichita.
Learn more about Nancy and her books on her Website.
ABOUT THE BOOK:
Mystery, Romance, and Suspense Seamlessly Combined in a Mennonite Small-Town Setting
Callie Hoffman knows she has a good life in Kingdom, Kansas. She’s thrilled to be engaged to Levi Housler, the new pastor of Kingdom Mennonite Church, and she spends her days working with her friend and soon-to-be sister-in-law, Lizzie Housler, at Cora’s Cafe.
However, Callie’s idyllic life is interrupted when a body is discovered on the road outside Kingdom and the deceased turns out to be a victim of a serial killer. As Washington County’s new sheriff begins questioning Kingdom residents, Callie and the rest of the town are appalled at the prospect of a killer among them. The very reason Kingdom exists is to protect the people from the temptations and dangers of the outside world, but all the town founders’ attempts to plan ahead couldn’t prevent a threat like this.
Unsettled at this unforeseen danger, Callie is concerned when it appears Levi knows more than he’s telling. Desperate to find answers for herself, Callie never expected that she’d have to face some of her own past’s skeletons.
As Callie and the residents of Kingdom fear this danger for which they never planned, they must learn anew that only God knows the future and their trust must always lie in Him.
If you would like to read the first chapter of Unforeseeable, go HERE.
MY REVIEW:
Callie and Levi are featured in Unforeseeable, the third novel in the Road to Kingdom series. Trouble has returned to Kingdom once again as bodies are discovered near the road into town. Emotions run rampant as Kingdom’s residents speculate about the identity of the killer and wonder if it could be someone they know.
Unforeseeable has a well crafted plot with several fascinating twists and a couple of major surprises. Callie and Levi hit some snags in their relationship and Callie is forced to deal with buried memories before she can move on with her life. In the midst of danger, winter storms, and personal issues, both Callie and Levi learn the importance of following God’s plan for their lives rather than the choices made for them by others.
I have enjoyed the entire Road to Kingdom series with its character driven plots and suspense filled pages. If you are a fan of Amish fiction but would like a change of pace, Unforeseeable features a Mennonite community with similar values and a fresh storyline.
