Rhonda's Doings !

Review of The Amish Blacksmith by Mindy Starns Clark and Susan Meissner New from bestselling authors Mindy Starns Clark and Susan Meissner,  The Amish Blacksmith  (Book 2 in The Men of Lancaster County series) explores the men of an Amish community in Lancaster County, how their Amish beliefs play out in their unique roles, and the women who change their lives. Apprenticed blacksmith Jake Miller is skeptical of Priscilla Kinsinger's innate ability to soothe troubled horses, especially when he has own ideas on how to calm them. Six years earlier, Priscilla's mother died in an awful accident at home, and Priscilla's grief over losing her mother was so intense that she was sent to live with relatives in Ohio. She has just returned to Lancaster County.  Not that her homecoming matters to Jake, who is interested in courting lighthearted Amanda Shetler. But Jake's boss is Priscilla's uncle, and when the man asks Jake to help his niece reconnect with community l...

Review of The Healing Quilt Return of the Half-Stitched Amish Quilting Club, #3 by Wanda E. Brunstetter  Join retired Amish newlyweds Emma and Lamar Miller in Florida for the winter as they lead another quilting class with a new group of unlikely students: Jennifer, a pregnant new mom; Mike, a charter boat owner; Erika, a wheelchair bound teen; Kim, a waitress; Noreen, a newly-retired widow, and BJ, an artist facing illness. When old friends visit from Indiana, will romance also become a subject of class discussions? MY REVIEW:   "Perhaps I should speak to her father when he comes to pick Erika up after class, thought Emma.   If I'm unable to find a way to make Erika enjoy the class, maybe she shouldn't be here.  But it's not my decision to make.  Her father paid for the class, and he obviously thinks this is something his daughter needs, so I'll do my best to teach her."          Erika isn't the only slightly reluctant ...

Review of Tomorrow  Yesterday - Christian Romantic Suspense, Time Travel Romance Book 5 by Amanda Tru Trapped in the wrong tomorrow, can Hannah find her way back to yesterday?  Hannah wanted to save someone she loved, so she used her time traveling ability and made the choice to change history. But she hadn’t known it would cost her everything. Now she is caught in the wrong tomorrow—one that she created. It is a tomorrow without Seth and everyone else she loves. Having turned her back on God, Hannah is now completely alone, without family and friends, and hunted by her enemies and the public who sees her as the villain.  With so much at stake, can Hannah travel back in time again and rewrite history?  If all hope fails, will she return to the One who truly holds Tomorrow? MY REVIEW:   This is not a tomorrow one would love to be a part of.....this is a nightmare for poor Hannah.   She is having a difficult time figuring out how to get...

Review of Forever Amish Legacy of Lancaster trilogy, Book 3 by Kate Lloyd Sally Bingham needs some time away to sort through the changes in her life and to rethink her upcoming marriage.  Despite her ailing father's hesitations, she drives to Lancaster County for a  weekend away.  But her best-laid plans leave her in a near collision with a bishop's buggy and in the home of a mysterious Amish woman named Lizzie.  Lizzie introduces her to a different perspective on life, a charming farmhand named Armin---and opens a Pandora's box that will forever change Sally's life. The last book in the Legacy of Lancaster trilogy, Forever Amish  introduces us to a young woman about to uncover a shocking secret and find an invitation to a new way of living.   This is a story of forgiveness, legacies, and the ties that bind through generations.   MY REVIEW:   Kate Lloyd has outdone herself with this final book of the Legacy of Lancaster trilogy....

Review of The Amish Baking Cookbook Plainly Delicious Recipes from Oven to Table by Georgia Varozza and Kathleen Kerr Building on the success of The Homestyle Amish Kitchen (more than 58,000 copies sold), Georgia Varozza partners with experienced baker Kathleen Kerr to give you a cookbook filled with the foods most associated with the Plain and simple life: baked goods. This delicious collection of more than three hundred classic baking recipes for cookies, cakes, pies, bars, and breads inspires you who love Amish fiction and are drawn to the Plain lifestyle to roll up your sleeves and start baking! Whether you consider yourself a novice or a veteran in the kitchen, Georgia and Kathleen make it easy to make delicious baking recipes such as Amish Nut Balls and Brown Sugar Pie. Find the perfect recipe to prepare for that large weekend potluck, tonight's intimate family dinner, or a fun activity with the kids. MY REVIEW:   5 Stars!  *****  I love to ba...

Review of Caroline's Secret Some Secrets, Book #1 by Amy Lillard In Amy Lillard's poignant introduction to Wells Landing, a small Amish community is home to two brave souls hoping to forget their painful pasts and rebuild their faith in the future. . .Caroline Hostetler arrived in Oklahoma determined to forge a new life for herself and her daughter, Emma. As a single mother, she values the warmth and safety she's found in close-knit Wells Landing. She's even caught the eye of a handsome newcomer--a man who just may be the partner she longs for and the father Emma deserves. But the arrival of an Englisher threatens to lay bare the secrets she's worked so hard to leave behind. . . After losing his life-long sweetheart, Andrew Fitch moved to Wells Landing to work in his uncle's furniture business and nurse his broken heart. Finding love again seems all but impossible--until he meets Caroline and Emma. But his plans to join their lives together may be sha...

Review of The Bible Promise Book:  Too Blessed to Be Stressed edition compiled by Debora M. Coty Where do you turn when you need God’s thoughts on life?  The   Bible Promise Book,  now in a brand-new  Too Blessed to Be Stressed  edition. Barbour’s Bible Promise Books are perennial bestsellers, with millions of copies in print, and this unique edition features inspiring themes from the popular women’s title by Debora M. Coty. With Bible promises arranged into more than a dozen topics—including Faith, Gratitude, Laughter, Mercy, Peace, Trust, and Relationships—each scripture will speak directly to your heart, drawing you ever closer to your heavenly Father. MY REVIEW:   I love the Bible verses with the promises of God in them.  They are unique for a variety of topics:  faith, gratitude, laughter, mercy, peace, trust, etc. They were compiled by Debora M. Coty and also feature very short paragraphs for each topic which begin with "gi...

Review of Safe Haven Peacemakers, Book 3 by Anna Schmidt When journalist Suzanne Randolph hears about FDR’s plan to bring a boatload of displaced WWII refugees to America, she knows it may be her last chance to redeem her flagging career. Suzanne follows the story to Oswego, New York, where she meets Theo Bridgewater, a Quaker dairy farmer from Wisconsin who has come to reunite with his uncle and aunt and cousin. Theo’s fight to spare his relatives the return to Germany becomes Suzanne’s fight as she does everything that the "power of the pen” can muster to help win public sympathy for the cause. MY REVIEW:    Anna Schmidt has written lovable, believable characters in the third book of the Peacemakers' series.  Suzanne is a very determined young woman who has been injured so much that she has lost the ability to trust men.  Then she meets Theo Bridgewater and things begin to change.  The research that went into this historical romance was vast and...

Review of Thank You, Billy Graham A Tribute to the Life and Ministry of Billy Graham Compiled by Billy Graham's Grandchildren:   Jerushah Armfield ,  Aram Tchividjian ,  Boz Tchividjian You know his name, his faith, his ministry—now enjoy the inspiring, heartwarming, personal stories of his legacy in  Thank You, Billy Graham. This brand-new book contains scores of thank-you notes collected on the website ThankYouBilly.com, sharing moving stories of God’s grace, love, and power in the lives of real people. Compiled by three of Billy Graham’s grandchildren,  Thank You, Billy Graham  will encourage and inspire you with a beautiful picture of a life well lived—a life lived in faithfulness to the God who made you, loves you, and offers you salvation through His son, Jesus Christ. MY REVIEW:   I have long been a fan of Rev. Billy Graham as he exemplifies the life of a true Christian evangelist and family man.   I have heard many of his televise...