Rhonda's Doings !

Review of Adoring Addie The Courtships of Lancaster County, Book 2  by Leslie Gould  When Addie Cramer’s mutter and daed decide Phillip Eicher is the man for her to marry, they claim she must honor them by obeying their wishes. But then she falls in love with Jonathan Mosier–part of the family with whom the Cramers have a long-held grudge. With the help of others in her community who long to see the quarrel healed, Jonathan and Addie struggle to continue their relationship against both sets of parents’ wishes. But when one of Addie’s vengeful brothers harms a member of the Mosier family, Jonathan intervenes and is banished from Lancaster County. A distraught Addie determines to find the true reason for the grudge between the two families, hoping to tear down the animosity of the past. Can their love for each other bridge the divide between their families? Or are they destined to remain apart forever? My Review: This is a wonderful Amish rendition of Shakespeare's Rome...

Review of Today (Book 3) by Amanda Tru Hannah was supposed to get married. She was supposed to live happily ever after. And she was definitely NOT supposed to ever time travel again.  But when Hannah’s fairy tale turns into a nightmare, she discovers seemingly random events in the past have a deadly reality for the man she loves. She now must use what she learned to protect him from pursing a path that would cost him his life. But certain secrets may cause irreparable damage.  When tragedy strikes, will Hannah be able to face today with no happily ever after in sight? My Review: I took a trip in time last night with Hannah as she left "today" and returned to "yesterday".   I have been eagerly anticipating this third book in Amanda Tru's Christian Romantic Suspense time travel series.   I will tell you that I did not expect the ending.  I definitely did not see it coming!    Hannah questions God and His actions in this book.  Have yo...

Review of The Face of Heaven by Murray Pura Following on the heels of The Wings of Morning, the first book in Murray Pura's Snapshots in History series, comes this compelling saga of the Civil War. In April 1861, Lyndel Keim discovers two runaway slaves in her family's barn. When the men are captured and returned to their plantation, Lyndel and her young Amish beau, Nathaniel King, find themselves at odds with their pacifist Amish colony Nathaniel enlists in what will become the famous Iron Brigade of the Union Army. Lyndel enters the fray as a Brigade nurse on the battlefield, sticking close to Nathaniel as they both witness the horrors of war--including the battles at Chancellorsville, Fredericksburg, and Antietam. Despite the pair's heroic sacrifices, the Amish only see that Lyndel and Nathaniel have become part of the war effort, and both are banished. And a severe battle wound at Gettysburg threatens Nathaniel's life. Lyndel must call upon her faith in God ...

Review of  Return to Shirley Plantation Murray Pura's Cry of Freedom Volume 1 by Carrie Fancett Pagels 50 years ago the history of America changed forever. Live 1863 through the stories of some of our finest writers – the passion, the romance, the tragedy, and the triumph. Carrie Fancett Pagels. Kathleen Maher. Joy Ross Davis. Sarah Price. Karen Anna Vogel. Patrick E. Craig. Willard Carpenter. Big Daddy Abel. Murray Pura. David Stearman. And many more. The plantations. The Underground Railroad. Chancellorsville. Vicksburg. Gettysburg. Little Round Top. Chickamauga. Chattanooga. Missionary Ridge. The soldiers in the field. The families at home. The nurses in the hospitals. The speeches at Richmond and Washington. The prayers in churches North and South. It’s all here in one of the most dramatic series ever produced. A new story by a different author released every two weeks between April and November. Join us for one of the most exciting events in American inspirational pub...

Review of The Last Waltz Murray Pura's American Civil War Series - Cry Of Freedom - Volume 2 by Murray Pura 150 years ago the history of America changed forever. Live 1863 through the stories of some of our finest writers – the passion, the romance, the tragedy, and the triumph. Carrie Fancett Pagels. Kathleen Maher. Joy Ross Davis. Sarah Price. Karen Anna Vogel. Patrick E. Craig. Willard Carpenter. Big Daddy Abel. Murray Pura. David Stearman. And many more. The plantations. The Underground Railroad. Chancellorsville. Vicksburg. Gettysburg. Little Round Top. Chickamauga. Chattanooga. Missionary Ridge. The soldiers in the field. The families at home. The nurses in the hospitals. The speeches at Richmond and Washington. The prayers in churches North and South. It’s all here in one of the most dramatic series ever produced. A new story by a different author released every two weeks between April and November. Join us for one of the most exciting events in American inspir...

Review of The Guardian by Beverly Lewis Come home to Hickory Hollow, Pennsylvania--the beloved setting where Beverly Lewis's celebrated Amish novels began--with new characters and new stories of drama, romance, and the ties that draw people together. When Jodi Winfield comes to Lancaster to house-sit, the last thing she expects to find is a disheveled little girl alone on the side of the road. The young teacher is mystified when she learns there have been no reports of a missing child, and the girl herself is no help, since she can't  speak   English. It's as if the child appeared out of nowhere. Then Jodi turns her attention to Hickory Hollow--and the cloistered world of the Old Order Amish--in search of answers. MY REVIEW: Beverly Lewis is a fixture among Amish fiction authors and I was thrilled to have the chance to read The Guardian.   Little Sarah and her siblings view the Englischer, Jodi Winfield, as a guardian angel who saved her.    T...

Review of A Wedding for Julia by Vannetta Chapman A Wedding for Julia, the third book in a romantic series from popular author Vannetta Chapman, takes a last look at the Amish community of Pebble Creek and the kind, caring people there. As they face challenges from the English world, they come together to reach out to their non-Amish neighbors while still preserving their cherished Plain ways. Julia Beechy is so stunned, she can hardly breathe. Her mother's announcement that she must either marry or move from the family home upon her mother's imminent death catches Julia by surprise. How can she leave the only home she has ever known? What about her dream of opening her own Plain cafe? When Caleb Zook offers support, comfort, and a solution, Julia is afraid to accept it. Can she marry someone she barely knows? Is it the right thing to do? Is this God's plan for her future? Caleb thought his time for marrying was long past, but he feels a stirring in his heart h...

Review of A New Home for Lily  by Suzanne Woods Fisher & Mary Ann Kinsinger Lily Lapp is moving with her family to Pennsylvania to join a new Amish community. In this small town where changes--and newcomers--are greeted with suspicion, Lily must adjust to a new school, new friends, and Aaron Yoder, an annoying boy who teases her relentlessly. Still, there are exciting new developments, including an attic full of adventure and a new baby brother. But why, Lily wonders, can't God bring her just one sister? The second novel in the charming Adventures of Lily Lapp series, A New Home for Lily gives children ages 8-12 a fascinating glimpse into the life of the Amish--and lots of fun and laughter along the way. It combines the real-life stories of growing up Amish from Mary Ann Kinsinger and the bestselling writing of Amish fiction and nonfiction author Suzanne Woods Fisher. With line illustrations throughout, this series is sure to capture the hearts of readers young and o...

  Join us in celebrating the launch and release of June Foster's book, Deliver Us, Book Three in the Bellewood Series. Releasing April 1 st  from  Desert Breeze Publishing About the book: The young fraternity man who coaxed Jillian Coleman upstairs that night is only a blur in her memory. Now she lives with the unrelenting guilt that she aborted her baby. God might forgive her, but she can't forgive herself. As Bellewood's premier gynecologist, she hopes to open the Jeremiah House to offer teen girls an abortion alternative. Though the handsome and successful Dr. Jett Camp wants to marry Jillian, he believes her plan is a waste of her skills. Riley Mathis spent ten years in jail for dealing drugs. Now as a Christian, he's trying to put his life back together. Working as a janitor at night, he attends college by day. When he meets Dr. Coleman, he recognizes her from the sapphire necklace she wore the night he stole something precious from her. When she con...