Rhonda's Doings !

Twice Blessed (Two Amish Christmas Novellas) by Barbara Cameron BOOK DESCRIPTION:  Two Amish fiction novellas:   Her Sister’s Shadow Katie and Rosie Stoltzfus work part-time in an Amish store and part-time in Two Peas in a Pod, their own business raising vegetables and fruits and canning them for sale. Although they are identical twins, their personalities are very different: while Katie has always been more outgoing and attractive to boys, Rosie has always felt in her sister’s shadow. It will take an unexpected business opportunity and one very special man to help Rosie see that she’s a unique woman of her own.  His Brother’s Keeper Ever since they were boys, Ben Fisher has trailed after his brother, Mark. Ben has always envied Mark because he’s always been more adventurous, but he's even more jealous now that Mark is engaged to Rachel, a woman they both love. When a terrible accident on Christmas Eve results in their mistaken identity, Ben suddenly has ...

The Barbour Bible Study Companion: Easy-to-Understand Study Notes for Genesis–Revelation Book Review by Christopher D. Hudson Do Bible commentaries seem huge and daunting? They don’t have to be! The Barbour Bible Study Companion addresses key passages of scripture in a simple, easy-to-use (and understand!) format. With nearly 6,500 notes, covering verses and passages from Genesis through Revelation, this commentary is concise and accessible—perfect for the non-scholar. Introductions to each of the Bible’s 66 books provide additional background and insight. Ideal for personal Bible study or for Sunday school or small group preparation, The Barbour Bible Study Companion is usable with any Bible translation. MY REVIEW:  This is the perfect study guide for those who are not scholars of the Bible.  I had been looking for a Bible Commentary and this one is perfect for me.  It is easy to understand and contains vocabulary appropriate to those with a high-school edu...

A Plain Leaving  ( The Sisters of Lancaster County #1) by Leslie Gould Book Description:  Gould Offers a New Amish Series in Idyllic Lancaster County At age twenty, Jessica Bachman left her two beloved sisters and her Amish community after clashing with the new bishop about her role in the family and the future of their farm. She tried to convince Silas Kemp, who'd been courting her for two years, to join her, but when he said no, she fled anyway. Three years later, she returns home for the first time since leaving Lancaster to attend her father's funeral. Her arrival back revives all sorts of emotions--yearnings and sorrows alike. Jessica knows things will never return to how they were. But in seeing Silas again, she can't help but wonder what might have been. Struggling to decide where her next step should take her, she learns the story of a Revolutionary War-era ancestor that echoes her own choices. Will Jessica leave her family and community forever, or is t...

Shameless Surrender Book Review (Surrender #1) by Cheyenne McCray (Writing as Jaymie Holland) Book Description:  Chessie burns for Nick, but locks the flames in her heart. She’s not a stunning beauty like the women he dates—but when she finds an envelope waiting for her on her desk…dare she open it and accept the invitation into the unknown? Chessie Lane burns for Nick Tarantino, but circumstance has forced her to keep the flames locked deep in her heart. Drop-dead-gorgeous bosses only fall in love with their administrative assistants in the movies. Besides, she’s plain and naïve about his world, nothing like the flawless cultured females he knows. Still, no other man has existed for Chessie since she met Nick. All her erotic fantasies revolve around this powerful man and his sexy, commanding voice. When Nick sells Tarantino Investments, Chessie is heartbroken and sure her fantasies will never come true. But when she receives a mysterious invitation, her life changes...

Gladden the Heart Book Review   (Amish Turns of Time #5) by O livia Newport  Book Description: “When you have experienced the Holy Ghost as I have, you would see that it is difficult to turn back.” When the lively fervor of nineteenth century revivalism endangers the staid customs of the Amish community in the lush but rugged Kishacoquillas Valley of central Pennsylvania in 1847, the Amish church must deal with a divisive question: What is a genuine spiritual experience? The question turns personal when Susanna’s beloved cousin Noah begins preaching while under trances and even though he is not a minister he gives long sermons that attract increasing attention. Curious, she helps to keep Noah safe during his trances. At the same time Adam, Susanna's intended, feels pressure from the bishop to speak out against the ways of revivalism. Susanna and Adam are pushed to opposite sides of a controversy that threatens their traditional Amish faith..  Now they ...

The CEB Student Bible About this Bible: Inviting young people into deeper forms of holiness, The CEB Student Bible helps them make connections between the world of the Bible and their own. Reading the Bible will change your heart and life. Living the Bible will change the world.  The   CEB Student Bible  will help you to read and live by asking challenging questions, connecting the Bible’s words and today’s world, and showing you how to participate in the story of God’s people. The CEB Student Bible is a Bible by and for young people that invites them into deeper forms of both personal holiness and social holiness, helps them make connections between the world of the Bible and their own world, offers resources for engaging the text in personal and group study, and embodies a commitment to taking young people seriously as Christian leaders now, not just in the future. It is a resource that helps young disciples of Jesus Christ as...

The Beloved Hope Chest  (Amish Heirloom #4) by Amy Clipston Book Description:  In the final installment of the Amish Heirloom series, the Fisher sisters learn the mystery behind their parents’ marriage—and about the sibling who has never been spoken of. Mattie Fisher’s three daughters know that she’s been keeping a secret from them. With each item pulled from the beloved family hope chest, they’ve discovered a new clue about their mother’s past. But there’s a reason Mattie has been keeping her history hidden, and she’s not sure she’s ready to reopen old wounds. Will dredging up the past change the way her children view her? Or her marriage to their father? And can she handle the pain of revisiting the memories that preceded the last few happy decades? Mattie’s story is one of grief and learning to love again. But like the best things preserved in a hope chest, it's a story of love and redemption born out of heartache—and it's past time to share it. MY BOOK REV...

The Farmer's Market Mishap  A Sequel to The Lopsided Christmas Cake by Wanda Brunstetter & Jean Brunstetter Book Description: Return to Amish Country in Topeka, Indiana, and the Hochstetler twin sisters who are pulled apart by life's changes. Elma is living alone for the first time in her life after Thelma married. Elma has dated some, but she wonders if she is just too picky to find love. Will she remain alone while Thelma moves on to build a family?  Find out in this brand new romance from  New York Times  bestselling author Wanda E. Brunstetter, writing with her daughter-in-law Jean Brunstetter. MY REVIEW:  Twins are fascinating characters to read about and Elma and Thelma Hochstetler are two very interesting characters, for sure and certain. Thelma has married Joseph and they're now expecting their first boppli.  Elma has now living alone in the big house they twins had shared.  It is a lonely house as well.   Thelma and Jo...

Abiding Mercy by Ruth Reid (Amish Mercies #1) Book Description: When doing the right thing will only lead to more heartache, how do you know what you are supposed to do?  Sixteen-year-old Faith has worked full time in her parents' Amish restaurant since she finished eighth grade. She loves her Amish community--and the recent romantic attentions of her longtime friend, Gideon. When her sister seems to be getting too friendly with  Englischers,  and her parents are in a buggy accident, Faith only wants to escape into her dream of joining the church and getting married. But then a local newspaper runs a story about a child named Adriana who was kidnapped fifteen years earlier, and everything Faith has held true comes into question. Suddenly the community Faith has known her whole life seems unreal. Can she even trust her own family? And how will she ever find home again if she no longer belongs in the world she knows best?   MY REVIEW:   Hebrews ...

In Your Embrace By Amy Miles Book Description:   Life has not been kind to Timothy Lewis these past few years. With the sudden loss of his first love and a construction business barely staying afloat during the recession, Timothy will be the first to admit that faith isn’t exactly at the top of his priority list. When a direct hit from a hurricane rocks the Outer Banks, Timothy is forced to face not only the demons of his past but also a potential of a future that leaves him terrified. Hannah Green has a big heart and that tends to get her in trouble far more than she’d like to admit. After her aunt and uncle offer her free room and board for the summer at their fixer upper bed and breakfast on the beach, Hannah finds herself caught in the mother of all storms. The devastation left in the wake of the hurricane rocks her world, leaving her faith and health in the balance. Draven Young hates coming back home. There are too many bad memories, too little to do and far to...

The Knight's Bride Chivalry Lives in Six Stories from the Middle Ages by Tracie Peterson, Dianne Christner, Pamela Griffin, Yvonne Lehman, & Jill Stengl Book Description: Where Angels Camp - by Dianne Christner  A Legend of Mercy - by Pamela Griffin  The Stranger’s Kiss - by Yvonne Lehman  A Kingdom Divided - by Tracie Peterson  Alas, My Love - by Tracie Peterson  A Child of Promise by Jill Stengl Take six romantic adventures back in time to the Middle Ages along with five authors including Tracie Peterson, who tell the stories of couples challenged by the injustices of their times. Some couples are pulled apart by wars and feuds, while others have their futures determined by their oppressors. Can a faith be found to keep hope alive and give joy in all circumstances? MY REVIEW:  Take a step back in time....way back in time....with these six romantic novellas.   The five authors: Tracie Peterson (she writes two of the novellas whi...

Sisters One, Two, Three                                  by Nancy Star Book Description:  After a tragic accident on Martha’s Vineyard, keeping secrets becomes a way o f life for the Tangle family. With memories locked away, the sisters take divergent paths. Callie disappears, Mimi keeps so busy she has no time to think, and Ginger develops a lifelong aversion to risk that threatens the relationships she holds most dear. When a whispered comment overheard by her rebellious teenage daughter forces Ginger to reveal a long-held family secret, the Tangles’ carefully constructed web of lies begins to unravel. Upon the death of Glory, the family’s colorful matriarch, and the return of long-estranged Callie, Ginger resolves to return to Martha’s Vineyard and piece together what really happened on that calamitous day when a shadow fell over four sun-kissed siblings playing at the shore. Along ...

Where the Heart Is Romance Collection Love Is a Journey in Nine Historical Novellas by  Andrea Boeshaar, Carol Cox, Rhonda Gibson, Sally Laity, Jane LaMunyon, Claire Sanders, Pamela Kaye Tracy, & Erica Vetsch BOOK DESCRIPTION:  Journey along with nine women who find themselves on the move out of their comfortable lives and into the unknown as they set up new homes, take on new jobs, seek out loved ones, and encounter romance. Will their faith endure the hardships, and will love form when life is in transition? Written by nine inspirational romance authors who have a passion for American history and faith. Novella's included in collection: Where the Heart Is by Sally Laity--Pennsylvania, 1860 The Midwife's Apprentice by Rhonda Gibson--Summer, 1860, Oregon Trail Murder or Matrimony by Pamela Kaye Tracey--Oregon Trail Bride in the Valley by Andrea Boeshaar--Oregon Trail New Garden's Inspiration by Claire Sanders--Wayne County, Indiana, August 1861 ...