Marianna Sommer believes she knows where her life is headed. Nineteen years old and Amish, her plan is to get baptized into the church, marry Aaron Zook, and live in the only community she’s ever known.
When Marianna’s family moves from Indiana to Montana she discovers life and faith will never be the same. As she builds an easy friendship with local guy, Ben Stone, Ben not only draws her heart, he also gets her thinking about what loving God and living in community is all about.
As Marianna struggles to find “home”, she also encounters God in intimate ways.
Already a fan of Denise Hunter’s novels, I was happy to receive a review copy of A Cowboy’s Touch. As expected, it was a thoroughly enjoyable story that I didn’t want to put down until I came to its end.
The realistically portrayed characters, well described setting, and a believable plot kept it interesting. Wade was the perfect cowboy, a strong and rugged man with a sensitive and tender heart. His daughter Maddy was a charming but vulnerable little girl who added a special depth to the story. And workaholic Abigail’s heart was to do the right thing but her health issues and work related stress keep her emotionally conflicted.
Although both Abigail and Wade have excellent reasons to avoid a romantic relationship, they find themselves strongly attracted to each other. Maddy’s growing attachment to Abigail further complicates matters. When Abigail comes across information about Wade that could save her mother’s magazine, her decisions could cost her everything.
With a heavy emphasis on the importance of forgiveness, A Cowboy’s Touch has a strong spiritual message for its readers. I would definitely recommend A Cowboy’s Touch.
This book was provided for review by BookSneeze.
ABOUT THE BOOK:
Wade’s ranch home needs a woman’s touch. Abigail’s life needs a cowboy’s touch.
Four years ago, rodeo celebrity Wade Ryan gave up his identity to protect his daughter. Now, settled on a ranch in Big Sky Country, he lives in obscurity, his heart guarded by a high, thick fence.
Abigail Jones isn’t sure how she went from big-city columnist to small-town nanny, but her new charge is growing on her, to say nothing of her ruggedly handsome boss. Love blossoms between Abigail and Wade–despite her better judgment. Will the secrets she brought with her to Moose Creek, Montana separate her from the cowboy who finally captured her heart?
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Denise lives in Indiana with her husband Kevin and their three sons. In 1996, Denise began her first book, a Christian romance novel, writing while her children napped. Two years later it was published, and she’s been writing ever since. Her books often contain a strong romantic element, and her husband Kevin says he provides all her romantic material, but Denise insists a good imagination helps too!
Shelley Shepard Gray is the beloved author of the Sisters of the Heart series, including Hidden, Wanted, and Forgiven. Before writing, she was a teacher in both Texas and Colorado. She now writes full time and lives in southern Ohio with her husband and two children. When not writing, Shelley volunteers at church, reads, and enjoys walking her miniature dachshund on her town’s scenic bike trail.
ABOUT THE BOOK:
Two lives converge one stormy night on a train headed to Cleveland.
Lucy is traveling by herself via train to Jacob’s Crossing to help care for her cousin Mattie, recently diagnosed with breast cancer. Trying to overcome the sudden death of her husband, she’s glad to get away and focus on someone else for a while.
The only other Amish people on the train are Calvin Weaver and his little sister, Katie. When their train breaks down outside of Cleveland, Calvin and Lucy band together to face the outside world. But Calvin also carries the weight of past hurts. When an altercation brings both their wounds to light, they question whether they can trust each other.
Once in Jacob’s Crossing, Lucy is occupied with caring for Mattie, while Calvin does his best to run his family’s farm. But they can’t stop thinking about those special hours spent together. Will the bond they formed last? And will Lucy and Calvin be able to put away the pain in their pasts to recognize the happiness that is suddenly in their grasp?
If you would like to read the first chapter of The Caregiver, go HERE.
MY REVIEW:
The Caregiver is a testimony to the literary talent of Shelley Shepard Gray. Although the book is a shorter format than others I have read by this author, there is still a lot going on in it and I didn’t feel shortchanged by the plot nor character development. Lucy, Calvin, and Mattie were all portrayed in such a way that the reader can identify with them. Gray boldly covers issues such as domestic abuse and breast cancer in this story, subjects I have never run across in the many other Amish novels I have read. I thought she did an excellent job in conveying the thoughts and emotions experienced by both Lucy and Mattie.
Amish fiction is not my first choice of genres but I will always welcome any book by Shelley Shepard Gray. I look forward to the next volume in this series.
It took me a bit to get into A Trail of Ink but once my mind became acclimated to the customs and terminology unique to its medieval setting, the pace accelerated and I found it to be an enjoyable experience. This story had it all. The mystery contained plenty of puzzling twists and seemingly unrelated events to keep this reader guessing. The plot was infused with the perfect balance of action, drama, wit, and even a romantic rivalry. Complete with well rounded and interesting characters, both good and bad, this tale kept me intrigued until the end. I hope to continue the journey with Hugh in a future volume.
I was thankful for the glossary included at the beginning, especially when it came to food descriptions. I could not imagine eating egg leaches until I discovered it was probably much the same as an egg custard which I do enjoy. However, I still don’t think I’d like eels. I also liked the way Hugh expressed himself by wondering if God had arranged just the right circumstances for him to discover new clues. His faith was so naturally human.
Overall, I would definitely recommend A Trail of Ink as a delightfully different tale of mystery and intrigue. You can purchase your own copy of A Trail of Ink HERE.
This book was provided for review by LitFuse Publicity.
ABOUT THE BOOK:
An excellent medieval whodunit by the author of The Unquiet Bones and A Corpse at St Andrew’s Chapel
Some valuable books have been stolen from Master John Wyclif, the well known scholar and Bible translator. He calls upon his friend and former pupil, Hugh de Singleton, to investigate. Hugh’s investigation leads him to Oxford where he again encounters Kate, the only woman who has tempted him to leave bachelor life behind, but Kate has another serious suitor. As Hugh’s pursuit of Kate becomes more successful, mysterious accidents begin to occur. Are these accidents tied to the missing books, or to his pursuit of Kate?
One of the stolen books turns up alongside the drowned body of a poor Oxford scholar. Another accident? Hugh certainly doesn’t think so, but it will take all of his surgeon s skills to prove.
So begins another delightful and intriguing tale from the life of Hugh de Singleton, surgeon in the medieval village of Bampton. Masterfully researched by medieval scholar Mel Starr, the setting of the novel can be visited and recognized in modern-day England. Enjoy more of Hugh s dry wit, romantic interests, evolving faith, and dogged determination as he pursues his third case as bailiff of Bampton.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Mel Starr was born and grew up in Kalamazoo, Michigan. After graduating with a MA in history from Western Michigan University in 1970, he taught history in Michigan public schools for thirty-nine years, thirty-five of those in Portage, MI, where he retired in 2003 as chairman of the social studies department of Portage Northern High School. Mel and his wife, Susan, have two daughters and seven grandchildren. www.melstarr.org
It is time for a FIRST Wild Card Tour book review! If you wish to join the FIRST blog alliance, just click the button. We are a group of reviewers who tour Christian books. A Wild Card post includes a brief bio of the author and a full chapter from each book toured. The reason it is called a FIRST Wild Card Tour is that you never know if the book will be fiction, non~fiction, for young, or for old…or for somewhere in between! Enjoy your free peek into the book!
You never know when I might play a wild card on you!
***Special thanks to Arielle Roper of Bring It On! Communications for sending me a review copy.***
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Jeff Dixon was raised in Florida and has always been fascinated with the man Walt Disney and the theme park he created. Dixon feels that any guest who would take the time to look would discover a story that will never be completed. It is against this canvas that Dixon paints this mystery, adventure, and thriller.
Grayson Hawkes learns how imaginative and elaborate Walt Disney World is when he accepts an invitation from a trusted friend landing him in a world he never knew existed. Suddenly unraveling a perplexing puzzle and trying to solve a mysterious disappearance, Hawkes navigates through the kingdom where knowledge of seemingly unimportant Disney facts and some divine help are the only way he can discover the answers and get out. In this world Disney trivia is no game…And the ancient key is the only way out.
Soon the lines between right and wrong begin to blur, and telling the difference between real and unreal become nearly impossible. Loyalty to faith, family and friends are stretched to the extreme in the pulse quickening adventure through a magical place where dreams really do come true.
List Price: $15.99
Paperback: 272 pages
Publisher: Deep River Books (December 1, 2010)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1935265245
ISBN-13: 978-1935265245
AND NOW…THE FIRST CHAPTER:
Day One
Night
Halogen headlamps pierced the darkness of the cool central Florida night. The GPS guided the Mustang surging toward the coastal community of Port Orange. Racing along Taylor Road, Dr. Grayson Hawkes approached an unknown destination. Questions swirled in the tornado of curiosity whipping through the preacher’s mind. The glow of the dashboard light illuminated the business card propped against the gearshift; “1819 Taylor Road, Port Orange” had been neatly printed in blue ink. Flipping the card he read the name on the other side.
Farren Rales
Imagineering Ambassador
Walt Disney Company
Reading the name of his dear friend brought a slight smile to his face. Rales had been hired by the late Walt Disney himself as an animator at the Walt Disney Studios on Rales’s thirtieth birthday. In the years that followed he had worked on animated features, been involved in projects at Disneyland, and eventually became a part of that exclusive group of creative Walt Disney Company designers known as Imagineers. Rales was part Disney historian, part Disney philosopher, and a modern day keeper of the dream that Walt himself had begun.
Farren Rales had given him the business card with an invitation to meet the old Imagineer at ten o’clock this evening. The GPS announced a turn seconds before an inconspicuous dirt road veered to the right. Hawk responded sluggishly and shot past it. He instantly banked his ride into a U-turn that corrected his course. Slowly navigating the heavily wooded, chassis-jarring dirt road, he watched for signage. The headlights threw a glow on a sign that read Gamble Place Parking with an arrow that pointed right. He turned the wheel. A gate immediately came into view, blocking forward progress. Hawk looked over the steering wheel trying to decide whether he had managed to bungle the directions and gotten hopelessly lost. With the car idling, he got out and walked to the gate. Grasping the chain that held the gate closed, he saw the lock had been secured to the chain, but the chain was not fastened. When he dropped the chain, the gate lazily swung open. Hawk slid back behind the wheel of the car and it crawled forward as the dirt became softer below the tires. The Mustang eased up to a parking barrier, above which the headlights shone on a yellow house trimmed in green.
Exiting the automobile, Hawk left the parking area and made his way toward the house. There was a display in front of the walkway to the house that probably explained where he was. The automatic timer for the headlamps clicked off, leaving him standing in darkness. Sensing his eyes would never adjust in the moonless night to read the display, he remembered a flashlight that was hopefully still in the trunk of the car. He retraced his steps. In addition to the soft sound of his shoe steps in the sand, Hawk thought he heard something else moving near him. He came to an abrupt halt. Rales? Listening closely, he now only heard the sounds of the outdoor evening. The trunk popped open, producing a blast of light that momentarily blinded him. He fumbled for the flashlight and flicked the switch. The beam shone strongly as he slammed the trunk shut. He again moved toward the house. Sweeping the beam around him, he saw a large historical marker looming in the dark, over his left shoulder. He refocused the attention of the light on this newly discovered sign.
Gamble Place
In 1898, James N. Gamble, of the Proctor and Gamble Company and a longtime winter resident of Daytona Beach, bought this land on Spruce Creek for use as a rural retreat. In 1907 he built a small cracker cottage with an open front porch and a breezeway connecting a separate kitchen and dining room . . . In 1938, Gamble’s son-in-law, Alfred K. Nippert, completed the “Snow White House,” a Black Forest style cottage inspired by the Disney animated film classic, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. The house is surrounded by a Witch’s Hut, the Dwarfs’ Mine Shaft, and an elaborate network of rock gardens. Collectively these buildings and grounds form a historic landscape now known as Gamble Place. This property was listed in the National Register of Historic Places in 1993.
Obviously Rales had asked Hawk here because of the Disney connection. It had been a Disney connection that had started the friendship between the two men. Hawk had been introduced to Rales and asked the Imagineer if he would meet with him and his church staff to teach them the art of storytelling. The first meeting had gone so well it turned into a standing appointment each month. However this evening the invitation was for Hawk alone. Sighing deeply in an attempt to relax, Hawk listened closely and his ears tuned in to the sound of water gently playing along an unseen shoreline. The unexpected snap of a branch unleashed a wave of adrenaline spinning him in the direction of the noise. He peered into the blackness of the trees, searching for the maker of the sound, but heard nothing.
“Farren, is that you?” Hawk spoke with a bit more edge than he anticipated.
Silence confirmed Rales was not the source of the sound. “So when did you get so scared of the dark?” he muttered to himself. “And when did you start talking to yourself?”
Out of the corner of his vision he noticed a glimmer of light across the wooded darkness. With a bit of reservation he moved toward it. His shoes cracked sticks and crushed leaves, creating a symphony of sound that shattered the haunting noises of nature that had moments ago surrounded him. His flashlight began to dim. Shaking it violently he resurrected the brilliance of the beam, only to watch it fade into a momentary glow, and then disappear completely.
“Tremendous,” he said in frustration at the malfunctioning light. “Still talking to . . . and answering yourself.”
The point of light he had been moving toward disappeared as well. Pressing onward, he drew nearer to where it had been. Once again it appeared and this time looked brighter and stronger. Hawk’s trudging through the undergrowth yielded to softer ground as he heard a familiar voice cut quietly through the night.
“I began to think you weren’t going to make it.”
“I was starting to think you were playing a practical joke on me,” Hawk whispered back.
“Now, would I do that to you?” Rales laughed softly.
Hawk could now see much better as he approached the place where Rales stood. Farren had brought a lantern that illuminated the place he was standing and cast long shadows in multiple directions. Hawk descended the steps to join Rales on what appeared to be a recently created platform. The sound of the creek was closer and Hawk assumed they were now on the edge of the river. Rales was dressed in a pair of black slacks with a lightweight black windbreaker. Hawk did not miss the stealth attire and was getting ready to comment on it when Rales again spoke in a hushed tone.
“Any trouble finding the place?”
“I suppose not, since it’s out in the middle of nowhere!” Hawk decided to satisfy his curiosity. “And could you tell me why we’re whispering?”
“Didn’t you read the sign? We’re in a state park. It closed at dusk. We could get arrested for being here.”
“Then why didn’t we come here in the daylight?”
“Now, that wouldn’t be as much fun, would it?”
“Farren, we should clarify our definitions of fun.”
“Breaking into a state park is a story you’ll be able to tell for years!”
“I didn’t break in, the gate was unlocked.”
“So you opened it and drove on in.”
“You invited me.”
“Shhh,” Rales interrupted.
Hawk grew quiet and strained to hear sounds coming out of the darkness. He studied Rales’s tense features, trying to decide whether the old man was toying with him or was actually concerned that they might be caught after hours in the park. Rales’s face softened and he turned away from Hawk, letting his lantern shine toward a nearby wooden cottage that looked as if it had been plucked off of an animation cell from an antique piece of film. Hawk’s mouth opened slightly. Rales moved forward and panned the light across the front of this cottage that did not belong in this time or any other. It was recognizable as the cottage in the Black Forest of the classic cartoon Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. Hawk’s eyes followed the movement of the lantern to the carved lintel and a stone trough. Rales moved toward the front door, fumbled with the handle, and then opened it. Looking back to Hawk, he motioned for him to follow him inside. Hawk entered, feeling like he was stepping into a fairy tale as Rales silently closed the door behind them.
The Key to the Kingdom: Unlocking Walt Disney’s Magic Kingdom
All rights reserved. This book or any portion thereof may not be reproduced or used in any manner whatsoever without the express written permission of the publisher except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.
MY REVIEW:
The Key to the Kingdom is a uniquely different story that takes place primarily within the confines of Disney World. The author uses his intimate knowledge of the park and its history to concoct a page-turning mystery filled with fun facts, many in the form of clues leading Grayson Hawkes on a quest to solve the puzzle left by his missing friend. As his time grows short, Hawkes finds it more and more difficult to separate friends from foes.
I found The Key to the Kingdom to be an entertaining and interesting read and even began to interpret some of the clues before the book ended. The story is suitable for most ages and contains no graphic violence or objectionable language. Other than the fact that the primary character is a pastor with the expected morals, there is little spiritual content. If you are looking for a bit of a change in your usual reading fare, this might be the book for you.
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Marianna Sommer believes she knows where her life is headed. Nineteen years old and Amish, her plan is to get baptized into the church, marry Aaron Zook, and live in the only community she’s ever known.
