Courting Cate

Courting Cate is the first book in the Courtships of Lancaster County by Leslie Gould.

When Amish farmer Pete Treger moves to Paradise Township, Pennsylvania, seeking a better life, he meets sisters Cate and Betsy Miller. Both are beautiful, but older sister Cate is known more for her sharp tongue and fiery temper than her striking appearance. Betsy, on the other hand, is sweet and flirty--and seems to have attracted most of the bachelors in Lancaster County!

However, the sisters' wealthy father has made one hard and fast rule: elder sister must marry first, before the younger can even start courting. Unfortunately for poor Betsy, and for the men who want to court her, her older sister, Cate, doesn't have any suitors--until Pete comes to town, that is.

Though he finds both sisters attractive, something about Cate's feisty demeanor appeals to him. Soon the other bachelors in the district convince Pete to court Cate. She hardly seems receptive to his overtures, though. Instead, she's immediately suspicious of his interest.

Is Pete courting Cate because of the other bachelors? Is he interested in her wealthy father's money? Is it possible he really is interested in Cate for herself?

I enjoyed this book. The thing with the "bonnet romances" is that you know where they're going to end up. The fun thing is how each individual author chooses to get to that ending. Cate and Pete faced some unusual challenges that I don't normally see in these kinds of books but I enjoyed the telling. I'm looking forward to reading the next book in the series.

Jody

My Kindle copy of this book was graciously provided by Bethany House publishers.

A Wreath Of Snow

Liz Curtis Higgs' Christmas novella is a wonderful way to get yourself into the Christmas spirit.

All Margaret Campbell wants for Christmas is a safe journey home. When her plans for a festive holiday with her family in Stirling crumble beneath the weight of her brother’s bitterness, the young schoolteacher wants nothing more than to return to the students she loves and the town house she calls home.

Then an unexpected detour places her in the path of Gordon Shaw, a handsome newspaperman from Glasgow, who struggles under a burden of remorse and shame.

When the secret of their shared history is revealed, will it leave them tangled in a knot of regret? Or might their past hold the threads that will bind their future together?

Follow Margaret and Gordon through the detour on the road to redemption and forgiveness. Can they find a place of peace and happiness at Christmas or will the past threaten their future?

Mrs. Higgs' is a wonderful author and this book certainly does not disappoint.

Highly recommend.

Jody

My Kindle copy was generously provided by Waterbrook Multnomah for my honest review.

A Marriage of the Heart

Three Stories That Share the Adventures of First Love and Second Chances.
A Perfect Secret—Rose Bender’s betrothed, Luke Lantz, is safe and dependable, maybe a little too much so. Or so she thinks until she sees him in the woods one night and discovers a secret he’s been keeping. Now his secret haunts her. She wasn’t sure about marrying a man she knew too well. But should she marry a man she doesn’t understand at all?
Christmas Cradles—When Anna Stolis takes over for her aunt, the local midwife, Christmas night heats up with multiple deliveries, three strangers’ quilts, and unexpected help from the handsome and brooding Asa Lapp.
A Marriage of the Heart—Since her mother’s death, Abigail Kauffman has lived alone with her father. She longs to escape the emptiness of the farmhouse that has never felt like home. Joseph Lambert is a newcomer in their close-knit community. Only after suddenly marrying do they begin to understand the tender truths of life-long love.

These three short stories are perfect for a snowy day cuddled up under a quilt - or just about any time.

It was wonderful to follow these three separate couples as they fell in love - or discovered something new about the one they already loved. 

Finishing off the book are a few recipes that sound absolutely delicious.

Highly recommended.

Jody

My Kindle copy of this book was provided free of charge for my honest opinion by the BookSneeze program.

A Season For Tending

Book One in Cindy Woodsmall's newest series,  Amish Vines and Orchards, is a book you won't want to put down until you have finished it.

In a community where conformity flourishes, seeds of Rhoda’s odd behavior were planted long ago. Can she cultivate her relationships with the same care and tenderness that she gives her beloved garden?

Old Order Amish Rhoda Byler’s unusual gift and her remarkable abilities to grow herbs and berries have caused many to think her odd. As rumors mount that Rhoda’s “gift” is a detriment to the community, she chooses isolation, spending her time in her fruit garden and on her thriving canning business. 

Miles away in Harvest Mills, Samuel King struggles to keep his family’s apple orchard profitable. As the eldest son, Samuel farms with his brothers, the irrepressible Jacob and brash Eli, while his longtime girlfriend Catherine remains hopeful that Samuel will marry her when he feels financially stable. 

Meanwhile, Samuel’s younger sister Leah is testing all the boundaries during her rumschpringe, and finds herself far from home in Rhoda’s garden after a night of partying gone badly. But Leah’s poor choices serve as a bridge between Rhoda and the King family when a tragic mistake in the orchard leaves Samuel searching for solutions.
Rhoda’s expertise in canning could be the answer, but she struggles with guilt over the tragic death of her sister and doesn’t trust herself outside her garden walls. As the lines between business, love, and family begin to blur, can Rhoda finally open up to a new life? And what effect will this odd, amazing woman have on the entire King family? 

Ms. Woodsmall has found a wonderful way to bring two families together to help each other and just maybe find some love.

I loved the characters, I learned so much about apple orchards, and I completely lost myself in this book. My only complaint - I have to wait until next Spring for the next book!

Highly recommended.

Jody

My copy of this book was graciously provided by WaterBrook MultNomah for my honest review.

Band Of Sisters

Maureen O’Reilly and her younger sister flee Ireland in hope of claiming the life promised to their father over twenty years before. After surviving the rigors of Ellis Island, Maureen learns that their benefactor, Colonel Wakefield, has died. His family, refusing to own his Civil War debt, casts her out. Alone, impoverished, and in danger of deportation, Maureen connives to obtain employment in a prominent department store. But she soon discovers that the elegant facade hides a secret that threatens every vulnerable woman in the city.

Despite her family’s disapproval, Olivia Wakefield determines to honor her father’s debt but can’t find Maureen. Unexpected help comes from a local businessman, whom Olivia begins to see as more than an ally, even as she fears the secrets he’s hiding. As women begin disappearing from the store, Olivia rallies influential ladies in her circle to help Maureen take a stand against injustice and fight for the lives of their growing band of sisters. But can either woman open her heart to divine leading or the love it might bring?

Cathy Gohlke has written a fascinating story about life for an immigrant in the United States and the pitfalls women faced alone in a new country. A thought provoking, page turner that will keep your light on well into the night. Highly recommended.

Please visit the author's website at http://authorcathygohlke.com/.

Jody

My copy of Band of Sisters was provided by Tyndale House Publishers for my honest review.

Over The Edge

The third book in Mary Connealy's Kincaid Brides series is just as enchanting as the first two books.

This book centers on Seth, the third Kincaid brother.

Seth Kincaid survived a fire in a cave, but he's never been the same. He was always a reckless youth, but now he's gone over the edge. He ran off to the Civil War and came back crazier than ever.

After the war, nearly dead from his injuries, it appears Seth got married. Oh, he's got a lot of excuses, but his wife isn't happy to find out Seth doesn't remember her. Callie has searched, prayed, and worried. Now she's come to the Kincaid family's ranch in Colorado to find her lost husband.

Callie isn't a long-suffering woman. Once she knows her husband is alive, she wants to kill him. She's not even close to forgiving him for abandoning her.

Then more trouble shows up in the form of a secret Seth's pa kept for years. The Kincaid brothers might lose their ranch if they can't sort things out. It's enough to drive a man insane--but somehow it's all making Seth see things more clearly. And now that he knows what he wants, no one better stand in his way.

Revisit with Rafe and Julia, Ethan and Audra and get to know Seth and Callie and a few other new characters. And maybe we'll even find out what happened to the fortune Julia's father is supposed to have hidden before he died.

Highly recommended - but be sure to read the series in order as they do build on each other.

Jody

My copy of this book was graciously provided by Bethany House Publishers for my honest review.

The Bride Wore Blue

The Bride Wore Blue by Mona Hodgson continues the story of The Sinclair Sisters of Cripple Creek. Headed toward a fresh start but tethered by her past, Vivian longs to break free, to find forgiveness and love. At last, the sisters are reunited! The youngest Sinclair, the family“ baby”, is moving from Maine to Cripple Creek, Colorado and joining Kat, Nell, and Ida. But Vivian is a young woman with a will of her own, and made some decisions back in Portland that have begun to haunt her. Will she be able to live up to the expectations of her three perfect and now happily-settled sisters? The sisters warmly welcome Vivian to the mountain west, but the wild-and-woolly mining town isn’t ripe with opportunities for a respectable young woman. The youngest Sinclair sister is determined to make her own way, so when she’s off ered a job as a hostess in a sporting house, she takes it, thinking the position is appropriate for a tainted, unlovable woman like herself. Although she’s convinced she’ll never be asked to entertain privately, Vivian keeps her employment a secret from her sisters, knowing they’d be mortified—as will Carter Alwyn, the kind and godly sheriff ’s deputy who’s sweet on her. Vivian is descending into a life of secrets, lying to the very people who love her and could help her heal from her mistakes. Will an outpouring of grace remind her that she is still God’s beloved and that her past can be washed as clean as Rocky Mountain snow? This is a great follow up to the two previous books. While this book does center on Vivian, we do get a glimpse into the lives of her older sisters and updates on what has been happening with them. And Vivian has an interesting story of her own to tell also. Jody My copy of this book was graciously provided by Waterbrook/Multnomah for my honest review.