Rhonda's Doings !

Review of Covered Bridge Charm by Dianne Christner Carly Blosser may not match the typical description of a conservative Mennonite woman—unmarried at 27, living alone, and careening around her Oregon neighborhood on a pink bicycle—but she has a soft heart for the elderly Mennonite residents at Sweet Life Assisted Living Facility, where she works as a caregiver. When Carly’s plans for a new volunteer program go awry, she shifts her focus to one lonely resident named Martha. Adam Lapp, a wood shop instructor at Sweet Life, joins with Carly to reunite Martha with an old flame before her 85th birthday. Carly and Adam’s hunt involves carved initials on covered bridges, digging up the past, and the appearance of a newcomer, who hinders the budding romance between the two. Soon, new clues sweep them all in a harried race to the finish line where love is sure to be the ultimate prize. MY REVIEW:   This is such a fun story.....so many of the characters are so lovable and amusin...

Review of Mennonite on the Edge: An Unlikely Romance by Cynthia Yoder She's a newlywed...twenty-four...and desperate to know why she's so unhappy.  Though a country-girl at heart, MaryJo wants to ditch her identity as a Mennonite in marrying Adam and living a life of adventure in Manhattan. But news from home kicks up memories she’d tried to forget. While she begins to question her choices, Adam lands a high-profile job, making a move seem impossible. MaryJo must make peace with her past and her current situation so that she can live the life of her dreams with Adam. But can she reconcile her craving for serenity in the City that Never Sleeps?  MY REVIEW:   This is not your average Amish/Mennonite fiction.  In fact, MaryJo wants to leave behind her Mennonite roots and discover adventure.  While she does discover quite a bit of adventure, she is not happy.             This book was well-written but it just di...

Review of Deadly Echoes by Nancy Mehl After a youth filled with tragedy and upheaval, Sarah Miller's life is finally settled with all echoes of the past silent at last.  She happily calls Sanctuary her home and spends her days teaching at the local school.          Sarah's joy at her recent reunion with her sister, Hannah, and meeting the niece she didn't know she had is too soon interrupted when Deputy Sheriff Paul Gleason informs Sarah her sister has been killed.          As she learns more about Hannah's death, the circumstances are eerily similar to their parents' murder.  Sarah enlists Paul's help in digging deeper into the murders the police are dismissing as burglaries gone wrong.  Paul's concern encourages Sarah's growing feelings for him, but as their investigation peels back the layers of lies almost twenty years old, they get close to uncovering the truth one person will do anything to hide--even ...

Giveaway of Unforeseeable  by Nancy Mehl and the winner is.....Angie!   email has been sent to you, Angie!!  Congrats and thanks to all who entered!!!   Mystery, Romance, and Suspense Seamlessly Combined in a Mennonite Small-Town Setting  Callie Hoffman knows she has a good life in Kingdom, Kansas. She's thrilled to be engaged to Levi Housler, the new pastor of Kingdom Mennonite Church, and she spends her days working with her friend and soon-to-be sister-in-law, Lizzie Housler, at Cora's Cafe.  However, Callie's idyllic life is interrupted when a body is discovered on the road outside Kingdom and the deceased turns out to be a victim of a serial killer. As Washington County's new sheriff begins questioning Kingdom residents, Callie and the rest of the town are appalled at the prospect of a killer among them. The very reason Kingdom exists is to protect the people from the temptations and dangers of the outside world, but all the town found...

Review of Unforeseeable by Nancy Mehl Mystery, Romance, and Suspense Seamlessly Combined in a Mennonite Small-Town Setting  Callie Hoffman knows she has a good life in Kingdom, Kansas. She's thrilled to be engaged to Levi Housler, the new pastor of Kingdom Mennonite Church, and she spends her days working with her friend and soon-to-be sister-in-law, Lizzie Housler, at Cora's Cafe.  However, Callie's idyllic life is interrupted when a body is discovered on the road outside Kingdom and the deceased turns out to be a victim of a serial killer. As Washington County's new sheriff begins questioning Kingdom residents, Callie and the rest of the town are appalled at the prospect of a killer among them. The very reason Kingdom exists is to protect the people from the temptations and dangers of the outside world, but all the town founders' attempts to plan ahead couldn't prevent a threat like this.  Unsettled at this unforeseen danger, Callie is concerned when ...

Review of Unbreakable by Nancy Mehl Gentle and unassuming, Hope Kauffman has never been one to question the traditions of her Mennonite upbringing.  She quietly helps her father run Kingdom Quilts and has agreed to the betrothal he arranged for her with the devout but shy Ebbie Miller. Despite the attempts of Hope and other Kingdom residents to maintain the status quo, changes have already begun to stir in the small Mennonite town.   The handsome and charismatic Jonathan Weise is the leader of the move to reform, while Ebbie insists Kingdom must remain true to its foundation.  When Hope's safety is threatened by a mysterious outsider, she can't help but question what she's always been taught about the Mennonite tradition of nonviolence.  With tensions high and their lives endangered by an unknown enemy, will Hope and the people of Kingdom allow fear and division to break them or will they draw on the strength of the God they serve? MY REVIEW: I was...

Review of Inescapable by Nancy Mehl, book one in Road to Kingdom series Page-Turning Romantic Suspense Set Against the Backdrop of a Small Mennonite Town Lizzie Engel is used to running away. At eighteen, she left her Mennonite hometown, her family, and her faith with plans never to return. Five years later, Lizzie finds she'll have to run again. False accusations at her job, a stalker, and a string of anonymous threatening letters have left her with no other options. This time, however, her escape is back to Kingdom, her hometown. As Lizzie becomes reacquainted with Kingdom, she realizes she may not have left her Mennonite roots and her faith as firmly in the past as she thought. She draws on the support of Noah Housler, an old friend, as she hides out and attempts to plan her next steps. When it becomes painfully clear that the danger has followed Lizzie to Kingdom, suspicions and tensions run high, and she no longer knows who to trust. With her life and the li...