Rhonda's Doings !

FREE FALL  By NANCY MEHL Someone has been abducting women with long dark hair across Virginia. When the FBI is called in to help, Alex Donovan, a behavioral analyst, is tasked with putting together a profile. She's aided by her friend and colleague Logan Hart, but he has been acting strangely and won't say why. When the kidnapper demands that Alex meet him at an abandoned amusement park in exchange for the location of all his captives, she takes the bait. But the meeting proves to be a trap, and the building she's in explodes. Finding herself imprisoned with several other women, Alex works to think one step ahead of her captor. But the more Logan and the BAU learn about the kidnapper, the more they fear Alex may not make it out alive this time. MY THOUGHTS: 5 Stars: 5/5 Star Rating Well, every time I read one of Nancy Mehl's new books, I declare that it is my favorite book and NOW I have a new favorite book!  Free Fall is magnificient!  I honestly finished reading this ...

Threads of Hope  (Plain Patterns #3) by Leslie Gould Tally Smucker's quiet life of reading and quilting masks her sorrow over her mother's declining health and the lack of a fulfilling future for herself. When her entire world is shaken by her free-spirited neighbor Danielle, who grew up Plain but joined the Army at eighteen, Tally's instinct is to distance herself. Yet she finds she can't turn away when Danielle's brother, Kenan, specifically asks for her help. She invites Danielle to visit Plain Patterns quilt shop with her, where owner Jane Berger begins telling a story set during World War I. The plight of a soldier and the girl he left behind resonates with both Tally and Danielle, but for different reasons. When Tally's mother suffers a stroke at the same time Danielle's PTSD becomes unmanageable, it seems Tally's efforts to aid them only make things worse. Can Jane's story, along with the care of Kenan, help Tally accept the hope--for all of t...

The Patchwork Past by Leslie Gould Book Description: When wild child Sophie Deiner--the daughter of an Amish bishop--is forced to return to Nappanee, Indiana, quilt-shop owner Jane Berger is one of only a few who welcome her back. It's the last place she wants to be, but Sophie's recent illness requires that she recover for a while. As Sophie heals, she befriends a group of migrant workers and is appalled to learn of the wretched living conditions they're forced to endure. Sophie begins advocating on their behalf, but soon finds herself opposed by an ex-boyfriend who is the farm foreman. Jane begins relating the story of an Amish couple who rescued survivors of the Great Chicago Fire of 1871, many of whom were Irish immigrants. And Sophie is more convinced than ever that she needs to fight for the powerless. But when digging deeper makes conditions even worse, has she chosen a fight she can't win? MY BOOK REVIEW: 5 Stars: 5/5 Star Rating What a refreshing novel!  The il...

NIGHT FALL (The Quantico Files #1) by Nancy Mehl Book Description: For any little boy or girl who hears the Train Man speak, Who feels his rancid breath caress their pretty cheek, Must close their eyes, pretend to sleep, and very softly pray, Or else the evil Train Man may carry them away. Finally free of her troubled upbringing, Alex Donovan is able to live out her childhood dream of working for the FBI. But soon after she becomes a member of the FBI's elite Behavioral Analysis Unit, authorities in Missouri contact them about bodies found on freight trains--all killed in the same way. Alex never expected to be forced to confront her past in this new job, but she immediately recognizes the graffiti messages the killer is leaving on the train cars. When the BAU sends her to gather information about the messages from her aunt in Wichita, Kansas, Alex is haunted by the struggles she thought she'd left behind forever. In a race against time to solve the case and recover a deadly vi...

Dead End  (Kaely Quinn Profiler #3) by Nancy Mehl Book Description: When a body is discovered in a field in Iowa, the police uncover fourteen additional corpses ranging from 20 years old to recent. The remains point to a serial killer with an MO the authorities have seen before--Ed Oliphant, a man who has been in prison for over 20 years . . . and is Special Agent Kaely Quinn's father. After several failed interview attempts to discover if Ed has been training someone to be a copycat killer, the police turn to Kaely in St. Louis. Kaely promised herself she would never step foot in her hometown or set eyes on her father again. She's always refused to confront her past, but if she wants to prevent any more deaths, she must come face-to-face with the man she's hated for years. As more bodies are discovered, Kaely races against time and her own personal turmoil to uncover the killer. Will this most personal case yet cost Kaely her identity and perhaps even her life? MY...

Veiled in Smoke (The Windy City Saga #1) by Jocelyn Green Book Description: Meg and Sylvie Townsend manage the family bookshop and care for their father, Stephen, a veteran still suffering in mind and spirit from his time as a POW during the Civil War. But when the Great Fire sweeps through Chicago's business district, they lose much more than just their store. The sisters become separated from their father, and after Meg burns her hands in an attempt to save a family heirloom, they make a harrowing escape from the flames with the help of Chicago Tribune reporter Nate Pierce. Once the smoke clears away, they reunite with Stephen, only to learn soon after that their family friend not only died during the fire--he was murdered. Even more shocking, Stephen is charged with the crime and committed to the Cook County Insane Asylum. Though homeless, injured, and suddenly unemployed, Meg must not only gather the pieces of her shattered life, but prove her father's innocence befo...

AN AMISH CHRISTMAS KITCHEN Three Novellas Celebrating the Warmth of the Season by Leslie Gould, Jan Drexler, & Kate Lloyd Book Description: As the weather grows cold and the nights grow long, the cheer and warmth of the Christmas season is one thing all readers can find comfort in. This collection from bestselling Amish fiction novelists Leslie Gould, Jan Drexler, and Kate Lloyd finds the beating heart at the center of the holiday and offers three novellas that celebrate family, faith, and especially the sights and smells of a bustling holiday kitchen. Leslie Gould tells the story of how, in the wake of a heartbreaking loss, a young Amish woman finds unexpected comfort and hope in a yearly baking tradition surrounding the local Lancaster Christmas market. Jan Drexler offers a sweet tale of a shy Amish woman who decides to use her gift for sweets to woo a local Amish boy with her beloved Christmas cookies. And Kate Lloyd offers a heartwarming tale of a woman's unexpected ...

Fire Storm  (Kaely Quinn Profiler #2) by Nancy Mehl Book Description: FBI Profiler Kaely Quinn visits Nebraska to care for her ailing mother. She can't help but notice suspicious connections among a series of local fires, so she calls on her partner, Noah Hunter, to help find the arsonist. Together they unwittingly embark on a twisted path to a mad man who is determined his last heinous act will be Kaely's death. MY REVIEW:     5 Stars:  5/5 Stars Well, I didn't think it was possible for Nancy Mehl's second book in the Kaely Quinn Profiler series to be better than Mind Games, book #1, but it is!    I was on the edge of my seat as I read and very anxious to discover the identity of the arsonist and stop him !!! I love Kaely Quinn.  I think she and I could be friends if she actually existed outside the pages of this delightful book. Is book #3 ready yet???   I received a copy of this book from netgalley and Bethany House Publishers ...

A Faithful Gathering  (The Sisters of Lancaster County #3) by Leslie Gould Book Description: Leisel Bachmann left her Amish roots and beloved sisters to pursue a career in medicine without a second thought. She has an Englisch boyfriend, Nick Jordan, and dreams of a new life--but those dreams come crashing down when her sister Marie is diagnosed with cancer. Soon nothing is going as she planned--not her state boards, not her first nursing job, and certainly not her relationship with Nick. As she becomes increasingly discouraged, her aunt shares the story of Leisel's grandfather during World War II and the struggle he faced between returning to Lancaster or being with the woman he loved. Peace and a vision for the future are difficult to find, and when Nick leaves Pennsylvania for a completely new life, Leisel is faced with impossible choices. Will she stay in Lancaster, close to her family and the traditions of her past? Or learn from her grandfather's story and embrac...

Mind Games (Kaely Quinn Profiler #1) by Nancy Mehl This book is a MUST-READ!!!!! Book Description: Kaely Quinn's talents as an FBI behavior analyst are impossible to ignore, no matter how unorthodox her methods. But when a reporter outs her as the daughter of an infamous serial killer, she's demoted to field agent and transferred to St. Louis. When the same reporter who ruined her career claims to have received an anonymous poem predicting a string of murders, ending with Kaely's, the reporter's ulterior motives bring his claim into question. But when a body is found that fits the poem's predictions, the threat is undeniable, and the FBI sends Special Agent Noah Hunter to St. Louis. Initially resentful of the assignment, Noah is surprised at how quickly his respect for Kaely grows, despite her oddities. But with a brazen serial killer who breaks all the normal patterns on the loose, Noah and Kaely are tested to their limits to catch the murderer befo...

A Simple Singing  (The Sisters of Lancaster County #2) by Leslie Gould Book Description:  For years Marie Bachmann thought of herself as the "good" daughter. She was the most loving to their mother, the most dedicated to their Amish way of life. But when a Mennonite farmhand, Gordon Martin, shows interest in her she can't help but be flattered--until her mother sends her off to Florida. While there, Marie begins spending time with bad-boy Eli Jacob, the bishop's son from back home. When Gordon shows up in Florida to volunteer in a homeless shelter, her life becomes even more complicated. At the same time her aunt begins telling her of a Civil War-era ancestor and the woman's uncommon bravery . . . a story that begins to work at Marie's heart. Marie hopes returning home may simplify life, but Eli soon follows. As Marie grapples with whether she should court Eli or leave the church for Gordon, the story of Annie Bachmann shines a light...

Blind Betrayal (Defenders of Justice #3) by Nancy Mehl Book Description: U.S. Marshal Casey Quinn is tasked with escorting a reporter to testify before a grand jury regarding a missing environmentalist. At first, the assignment seems routine. But when it becomes dangerously clear that there's more to the story than anyone knows, Casey and two other marshals--one a man from her past--will have to do whatever it takes to survive. My Book Review:  Wow!!!  This may well be Nancy Mehl's best work of suspense yet.  There is intrigue, romance between old flames, terrorism and the fight against it, FBI involvement, and more.  US Marshals, Casey and E.J. are professional and highly trained as well as the couple you root for.   The romance does not play a heavy part in the story, as the marshals and the people entrusted to their protection are the focus of the book, but it certainly makes the relationship more exciting.         ...

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...

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...