Rhonda's Doings !

Review of Amish Promises by Leslie Gould When Joel and Shani Beck arrive at their new home on Juneberry Lane in Lancaster, PA, they’re looking for peace. Joel’s recently returned from Iraq and is recuperating, and Shani is just happy to have her family back together. They can’t imagine any trouble with their Amish neighbors, the Lehmans, but things get off to a rocky start when their son accidently hurts Simon, one of the Lehman boys. Timothy Lehman, a widower, is the family patriarch and demands the Beck boy work in Simon’s place. Tensions escalate, but Shani can’t help but be drawn to Eve Lehman, Timothy’s sister, who runs the household. The two begin to form a strong friendship forged on faith and family, and things seem like they’ve quieted down until Joel’s single and handsome army friend Charlie catches Eve’s eye. Suddenly, life for both families becomes more complicated than any of them could have ever imagined. MY REVIEW:  This is not your ordinary run-of-the-m...

Review of An Empty Cup by Sarah Price Amish woman Rosanna Zook lost her self-confidence within the confines of a loveless and abusive marriage. In the years spent quietly dealing with her burdens and dutifully caring for others, she forgot her sense of self and ability to feel. But after her first husband’s untimely death, she gets a second chance with Reuben Troyer, a godly man who welcomes Rosanna and her two children into his life. Despite the love and respect she finds in her new marriage, Rosanna soon learns that juggling the demands of her family and church community is more than she can handle. When Rosanna becomes ill, she is forced to confront a hard truth: one empty cup cannot fill another. For a woman who has spent her life giving, will Rosanna finally be able to let go and receive? MY REVIEW:   What an incredible book Sarah Price has written.   Some may think this book is depressing, and there are parts that are sad and downright depressing.  Sar...

Review of From the Start by Melissa Tagg Kate Walker used to believe in true love and happily ever after. While her own love life may have left her brokenhearted, it hasn't kept her from churning out made-for-TV romance movie screenplays...until a major career slump and a longing to do something meaningful send her running back to her hometown of Maple Valley.  Permanently sidelined by an injury, former NFL quarterback Colton Greene is temporarily hiding out in a friend's hometown to avoid the media and the reminders of all he's lost. Maple Valley seems like the perfect place to learn how to adjust to normal life. The only trouble is he's never really done normal before. While Kate plays things safe and Colton is all about big risks and grand gestures, they both get what it's like to desperately need direction in life. An unexpected project gives them both a chance to jumpstart their new lives, but old wounds and new dreams are hard to ignore. Starting over...

Review of Three Little Words by Melissa Tagg Ava Kingsley and Seth Walker might be the most unlikely friends ever. The only thing these two polar opposites have in common is a knack for wordsmithing. Back in college, they were known for their written sparring in the campus newspaper's popular "He Says/She Says" column.  At their ten-year college reunion, they pick up right where they left off. Except this time their squabbling leads to a surprising turn: friendship and a year-long exchange of emails. So when Ava approaches a crossroads in her athletics department career in Minnesota, Seth is quick to offer the open apartment above the restaurant he's been remodeling in Maple Valley, Iowa. Ava doesn't know where her career will lead her next, but she's starting to suspect she might see Seth as more than a pen pal. Which would be exciting...except for the fact that he only sees her as a friend. As Maple Valley grows on her, Ava wonders if there mi...

Review of The Drop Box by Brian Ivie Brian Ivie was filled with compassion as he read an  LA Times  article about Pastor Lee’s solution to unwanted newborns in South Korea—a baby drop box. Brian traveled halfway around the world to film the documentary  The Drop Box . But God had even bigger plans. For in the midst of filming the plight of these abandoned and forgotten children, Brian realized his own spiritual brokenness. At its heart, this is a story of spiritual orphans—young and old—discovering their true identity as children of God. MY REVIEW:  Can you imagine an actual box lined with blankets outside a home with a bell that alerts the inhabitants of the addition of a baby?  An actual live infant?   Such a thing actually does exist for a home in South Korea.  The drop box provides a safe place for people to place unwanted, deformed babies.  Pastor Lee and his wife provides a home and love for these babies.  Brian Ivie was ...

Review of The Prodigal's Path by Hope Kesler Paths of Hope:  Book Two For independent-minded Amish woman Birdie Troyer, moving with her husband Caleb to his home community of Twin Oaks is taking some getting used to.  Caleb has only told his parents, Hannah and John, part of the story about his new wife. They know she joined the church after leaving for rumpsringa, but Caleb has decided that they not be told that his wife joined under duress. To him it doesn't matter; he knows Birdie to be faithful. But would his conservative parents - especially is overbearing mother - understand.  Then a painful crisis for the couple coincides with another surprise - the unexpected homecoming of Caleb's brother, Benjamin, whose rejection of the faith had left him a shunned outsider.  Now Benjamin wants to come back, and as the community prepares to pave the way for his repentance, Caleb finds himself dealing with deep resentment towards a brother he does not believe is s...

Review of The Decision by Wanda Brunstetter Discover along with Jonah Miller how life can begin anew in the prairie state of Illinois. Moving from Pennsylvania, finding rewarding work, and leaving heartbreak behind is the best decision Jonah ever made. But is he ready to consider love again when he meets Elaine Schrock? Will his scarred heart mend when she chooses family loyalty over love? MY REVIEW:  Jonah Miller was featured in the Discovery Saga Collection and when his heart was broken then, he has moved to Illinois to the Amish community and this is where The Decision picks up.  Jonah has found love again with Elaine Schrock but when her grandmother develops diabetes and dementia, she makes a decision that will affect Jonah forever as well.   My own mother is dealing with dementia at this time and while it is not as quickly progressing as Edna's, it is very serious and often troubling.   Wanda handles the story of the illnesses with heart and truth. ...