Healing Hearts

This collection of three novellas by Beth Wiseman is a sampling of wonderful Amish romances.

"A Choice to Forgive" Lydia has loved two men in her life. Daniel, who disappeared one Christmas Eve long ago, leaving only a note saying he wanted to live in the Englisch world. And Elam, Daniel's brother, to whom she had been happily married for 15 years. When Elam dies, Lydia gives up on ever loving again. But she is shocked when Daniel wants to return to the Order and her life.

"A Change of Heart" Leah is a writer in a community that does not encourage such fruitless endeavors. She lacks the skills necessary to be a good Amish fraa. Aaron knows these things about Leah, but his heart is captured by this spirited young woman.

"Healing Hearts" Levina Lapp and her husband Naaman are alone for the first time in 30 years. When Naaman left to visit cousins in Ohio, Levina wasn't expecting him to be gone a year. Now that he's back, will they be able to move beyond this estrangement and fall in love again?

These stories are wonderful if you want to sample Beth's writing before diving into a full length book or if you want a quick read that you can finish in a short period of time.

But have no fear, these are full, detail rich stories with great character development.

Highly recommended.

Jody

My ebook copy was provided by Book Sneeze for my honest review.

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!

Today's Wild Card author is:

Lisa Tawn Bergren

and the book:

God Gave Us You (Board Book)

WaterBrook Press; 1st edition (September 19, 2000

***Special thanks to Laura Tucker, WaterBrook Multnomah Publicity, for sending me a review copy.***

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Lisa Tawn Bergren is the best-selling author of eight novels, three novellas, and two gift books, with more than a half-million books in print. God Gave Us You is her first children’s book. As an editor during the week and a writer on weekends, she makes her very-messy-but-cozy home in Colorado with her husband, Tim, and their daughters, Olivia and Emma.

Visit the author's website.

ABOUT THE ILLUSTRATOR:

Laura J. Bryant attended the Maryland Institute of Art, where she received a strong foundation in drawing, painting, and print-making. Illustrating children’s books has provided her with both a rewarding and creative career. Laura’s clients have included Simon & Schuster, McGraw Hill, and Stech-Vaughn publishers, among others. She currently lives among the tidal rivers on the eastern shore of Maryland with her loving husband and curiously cantankerous cat!

Visit the author's website.

SHORT BOOK DESCRIPTION:

Filled with playful, winsome illustrations by an artist who specializes in polar bear images, this four-color, read-to-me picture book will build children’s self-esteem through the tale of a mama bear who reassuringly explains where her cub came from and affirms Mama and Papa’s great love for her.



Product Details:

List Price: $10.99
Reading level: Baby-Preschool
Hardcover: 40 pages
Publisher: WaterBrook Press; 1st edition (September 19, 2000)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1578563232
ASIN: B002PJ4LHM

AND NOW...THE FIRST CHAPTER:

To Liv, Emma, and Jack—
Words cannot express how glad
we are that God gave us you.
—L.T.B.



To Ron and Shirley—
Who have an endless supply of love and generosity.
—L.J.B.

“Good night, sweet child,” Mama said as she tucked Little Cub in.

But Little Cub wasn’t quite ready to go to sleep.

“Mama, where did I come from?” she asked.



“From God,” her mother answered. “Your papa and I were alone, and we wanted
a baby.”

“And you got me?” Little Cub asked, her voice muffled by the covers.

“Yes, my special child. God gave us you.”

Adorable book with vibrant pictures and great text.

Jody

Too Rich For A Bride

Mona Hodgson's follow up book to Two Brides Too Many is a very good book, however, not only having read the first book, but not realizing there was a first book, I did find the beginning of the book to be rather frustrating. There are many "veiled" references to the things that happened in the first book and I found myself, more than once, thinking "did I miss something".

But as I got further into the book I thoroughly enjoyed it.

With a head more suited to bookkeeping than a bridal veil, Ida’s dreams include big business- not beaus.

Ida Sinclair has joined her sisters, Kat and Nell, in the untamed mining town of Cripple Creek, Colorado for one reason: to work for the infamous but undeniably successful businesswoman, Mollie O’Bryan. Ida’s sisters may be interested in making a match for their determined older sister, but Ida only wants to build her career.

Under Mollie's tutelage, Ida learns how to play the stock market and revels in her promising accomplishments. Fighting for respect in a man's world, her ambition leaves little room for distractions. She ignores her family's reservations about Mollie O'Bryan's business practices, but no matter how she tries, she can't ignore the two men pursuing her affections—Colin Wagner, the dashing lawyer, and Tucker Raines, the traveling preacher.

Ida wants a career more than anything else, so she shrugs off the suitors and pointed “suggestions” that young ladies don’t belong in business. Will it take unexpected love—or unexpected danger—for Ida to realize where her priorities truly lie?

Along her journey, Ida learns what is truly important in her life - but is it what she thought it would be? Can she be a success and live with herself?

Beautiful descriptions and compassionate characters make you wish you could travel to Cripple Creek and meet Ida and her family and friends.

Recommended.

Jody

My copy of Too Rich For A Bride was provided by Waterbrook Multnomah.

Treasuring Emma

Treasuring Emma by Kathleen Fuller is a Middlefield Family series novel.

Emma is a 25 year old Amish woman who has spent her life taking care of others. As the story opens, she is mourning the death of her mother, who she nursed through her battle with cancer. Now Emma and her grandmother are left to take care of the family home. Emma's sister Carla and her husband Peter and their children live close but are struggling and unable to help Emma. In fact, the entire family is in need of a steady income.

Emma's heart was broken when her next door neighbor, the man she loved, decided that the Amish life was not for him and moved away. But now Adam is back, but why did he come back?

Peter's cousin Mark is visiting and expresses interest in Emma. But what exactly is his interest?

While Emma struggles with her grief of losing her mother and her confusion about Adam and Mark, she also must struggle with her confusion about Carla's desire to turn their grandfather's old workshop into a fabric store so both families can earn a living.

A beautiful start to a series. Most issues are resolved at the end of the story but enough things are left open to spark an interest in the next book.

Jody

My copy of Treasuring Emma was graciously provided by Book Sneeze for my honest review.