Rhonda's Doings !

Review of Courting Cate 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 o...

Review of Christmas in Apple Ridge by Cindy Woodsmall Experience the holidays with the Plain folk of Apple Ridge, Pennsylvania, in these touching novellas centered around love, romance, heartache, and restoration from best-selling author   Cindy Woodsmall.  The Sound of Sleigh Bells   Beth Hertzler is unable to let go of a past tragedy, but when she discovers a large, intricately carved scene of Amish children playing in the snow, something deep inside Beth’s soul responds. Determined that her niece meet the gifted artist, her aunt tracks him down, but it’s not that simple – will Jonah be able to offer Beth the sleigh ride she’s always dreamed of and a second chance at real love?   The Christmas Singing   Mattie thought her childhood sweetheart adored her until he abruptly ended their engagement on Christmas Eve. Brokenhearted, Mattie moves away and pursues her longtime dream of becoming a cake decorator, and even finds a new beau. But when Mattie is for...

Review of A Quilt for Jenna by Patrick Craig Amish + Quilts = readers delight! And in this first book in Patrick Craig's Apple Creek Dreams series, readers will follow Jerusha Springer's journey out of tragic circumstances to a new life of hope. Jerusha has spent months making the most beautiful quilt anyone in Apple Creek, Ohio, has ever seen, and she knows it's going to take first prize at the Quilt Fair in Dalton. The prize will be her ticket out of the Amish way of life--away from the memories of her dead daughter and her tormented husband. But on the way to the Fair, she gets caught in the Storm of The Century and Jerusha's driver crashes their car. While the driver goes for help, Jerusha is led by someone, or something, to the side of a lost little girl. By the time the storm clears, Jerusha finds there is a greater prize to be won than money and blue ribbons. A beautiful story of loss....and redemption.    This is the first book I have read by Pa...

Review of My Amish Childhood  by Jerry Eicher Jerry Eicher's books are among some  of my favorite reads and I was really excited to find this one.  Jerry tells of his years growing up in an Amish settlement in Honduras.    He suffered with stuttering and this created much anxiety and depression for him.  He also confessed to many misdeeds and mischievous and even, devious acts for which he later repented and apologized to the offended.    Never having traveled to Honduras myself, Jerry's descriptions were so vivid that I could easily envision the mountains and scenery.   This is a wonderful historical account of one Amish group's experience.   It was very fascinating to me.   I think Jerry's father was a bit of a rebel and certainly pushed the envelope as much as he dared without envoking the wrath of the church leaders.   I highly recommend this book.      Bestselling fiction author Jerry S. Ei...

Review of Hope for an Aching Heart-- Uplifting Devotions for Widows by Margaret Nyman While I am not a widow, I have experienced loss of a spouse through divorce.  There are many similarities.   Margaret Nyman never planned to be writing her book of devotions for widows when she married Nate.  They lived their busy lives, raising six children, and then relocating to downsize only to be hit with a bombshell:  CANCER!!!   Nate was diagnosed and only lived 42 days after his diagnosis with pancreatic cancer.      Margaret has written beautiful, often painful, heart-wrenching devotions for widows and those grieving and those who are helping widows through their loss.   She uses scriptures and personal experiences to give comfort to those who are experiencing the loss of a beloved spouse.    She gives tips for how to adjust and shares things that were helpful to her and things that were not so helpful to her.   I think this ...

Review of Accidentally Amish (Valley of Choice, Book 1) by Olivia Newport This is  my first book of Olivia Newport's and I was not disappointed.    I have read many works of Amish fiction and  Accidentally Amish  is factual and highly engaging!   I was caught up from the first moment and quickly began rooting for  English  Annie and Amish Rufus to find a way to bridge the differences between them.   I will leave that for you to read and see if it happens. There are several conflicts in the plot which brings an element of suspense and mystery to the book.  There is Annie's business and Rick, the lawyer she formerly dated and her partner, Barrett, who are apparently attempting to steal the business from her. There is also the Amish family and the sister, Ruth, who has left the Amish world and the fact that her family won't speak of her.  There is also the contractor who is after Rufus and will stop at nothing to ruin him. ...

Review of Casa de Naomi ( The House of Blessing) by Paula Rose Michelson Fifteen-year-old Naomi wants to practice her faith in public, find her uncle, and help him raise enough money to bring their family to America. To accomplish this she agrees to companion a blind, old woman whose family plans to tour Europe and settle in the United States. Her plans are thwarted when the woman passes away aboard ship, and Naomi is handed over to immigration. While she awaits her interview, an old Ti­a comes to Naomi's rescue and offers to take her in. With nowhere to go and no one to turn to, Naomi agrees and unwittingly enters the country illegally. This is Naomi's journey from adolescence to womanhood, from frightened isolation and captivity to the noble status of heiress with a mission and responsibility many would shirk placed upon her shoulders. Along the way, she contends with piercing memories, hurtful loss, jealous opponents, a devious lawyer, and a curious priest. Throug...

Review of His Love Endures Forever  (Land of Canaan book #3) by Beth Wiseman An unplanned pregnancy. An absent father. Can love really endure all things? Danielle Kent is anything but Amish. Just her luck to fall in love with an Amish guy. Now she’s 18, pregnant, and hopeful that the child’s Amish father—Matthew Lapp—will do the right thing and marry her. She knows Matthew plans to leave his Colorado settlement for a life in the Englisch world. But that plan never included a baby. When Matthew walks away from her and their unborn child, she has nowhere to turn. Her unlikely friendship with Levi offers some comfort—yet they have so little in common. This wasn't the plan she had for her life, and she's never felt so alone. She doesn’t want to be pregnant. Doesn’t want to be Amish. Doesn’t want to trust God. And yet. God has plans beyond what her mind can imagine . . . loving plans to show a lost young woman that His love never goes away but endures forever. ...

Review of Raider's Vendetta Karen Arnpriester Charley knew what God wanted from her. She was willing to trust and obey as she protected the others in the bank. Then He would save her from her captor. There was no way she could have anticipated the rage that would be unleashed in response to her prayers and her faith in God. Raider was desperate, hardened, and his past had set the stage for an insane game of survival and spiritual warfare. The vendetta was in motion and Charley discovered that she needed her God to provide extraordinary miracles to keep her alive. ********************************************************************************************* My review of Raider's Vendetta:             Karen Arnpriester is making me think of Stephen King in some of her amazing writing in this book!!!    This book is full of suspense, action, forgiveness, God's provision, and miracles.    In fact, miracles abound for Charley and ...

Review of An Autumn Wind in Walnut Creek by Sicily Yoder Martha Yoder was chased away from her close-knit Amish community because of a hasty judgment handed down by the quilting group. Guilt of her misbehavior during one night of Rumspringa, in which she conceived her daughter, Alice, makes her let the kid rule her house.  However, when one of the judges at the quilting group passes on, she wills Martha her apple orchard, but there is a catch: she has to deliver a basket of secrets to women in her former Amish community, some of which were those that judged her over eight years ago.  While Martha struggles to deliver the notes, she must make friends with the tenant farmer, Ray Miller, at the apple orchard, and he has a secret of his own...one that can change her and Alice's life forever. My review of An Autumn Wind in Walnut Creek: ohhh, wow, you will love this story !!! Martha was judged by the Amish Quilting Bee ladies and forced to leave her faith, family and com...

Review of Unglued:  Making Wise Choices in the Midst of Raw Emotions by Lysa TerKeurst Raw emotions are those feelings we hide from others but take out on those we love most. We may exhibit patience and kindness when talking with the grocery clerk, a co-worker, even the difficult person at the returns counter; but, at home, sometimes the smallest, most trivial things set women off, sparking an angry word, cruel comment behind someone's back, or a flood of tears. All women experience these 'unglued feelings' at times, often when they least expect it. These emotions are not wrong, in fact they are God-given. However, our emotions should be indicators not dictators. Each experience is an opportunity to either fall back into patterns that make us wallow in guilt or chose more wisely and make progress. TerKeurst equips women with spiritual strategies to help them manage their reactions. It's one thing to tell a woman to control her feelings but a whole new kind of...

Review of Second Chance by Eileen Hinkle Rife Mave Robertson, a recent empty nester, wants the fire back in her marriage, but her husband, Jerry, remains aloof. Is he having an affair? A midlife crisis? When a neighbor suggests she “get a life,” Mave accepts the challenge and volunteers at an inner-city teen ministry where she's thrown into a culture of drugs, gangs, and unwed teen moms. She soon discovers someone she can help, but might he also be the cure for both her stale marriage and her crumbling relationship with her father? ~~ Dareece Jackson, a teen from the projects, wants something in Mave’s purse…and he’ll stop at nothing to get it. My Review of Second Chance: God certainly has a plan in what He has me read.  I am 50 years old and feeling very lonesome, sad, and useless in my "empty nest".   This book arrived a good while ago and it got pushed far underneath a piece of furniture and I discovered it last week.    As I began reading, I though...