Rhonda's Doings !

A Long Bridge Home  (Amish of Big Sky Country #2) by Kelly Irvin Book Description: After her community in the awe-inspiring Montana mountains is suddenly consumed by a raging wildfire, one young Amish woman finds herself in a new town where she’s introduced to the Native culture of the Kootenai people.   When the Mast family is forced to evacuate their home in the West Kootenai region of Montana, Christine chooses not to move with her family to her father’s childhood home in Kansas. Instead, she wants to stay closer to home and to her beau, Andy Lambright, who has yet to ask for her hand in marriage and who seems to be holding tightly to secrets from his past.  Now, living with her aunt and uncle in St. Ignatius, Christine is on her own for the first time in her life. While working in her uncle’s store Christine meets Raymond Old Fox, whom she befriends, and he introduces her to his rich native culture with strong ties to the earth and nature. Despite the warning...

The Forgiving Jar by Wanda E. Brunstetter (The Prayer Jars #2) What would happen if you found out someone has been impersonating you?   Sara Murray had never met her mother’s parents and was surprised to learn after her death that they were Amish living in Pennsylvania. When she is finally able to make the trip to meet them, she is shocked to learn someone else has been living with them and pretending to be Sara. Sara can’t understand how quickly her grandparents are willing to forgive the imposter.   Secrets and deceit seem to follow Sara, and she is so tired of it. Though soon she meets Brad Fuller who is visiting her grandparents during Christmas. She likes him a lot, but even he seems to pull away from her, not being totally honest.   Struggling, Sara finds an old canning jar hidden in the barn that is full of encouraging prayers. Can Sara find a way to forgive the past and move on to building new relationships? This is Book 2 in the brand-new series, The Prayer...

Review of Forgiving My Daughter's Killer: A True Story of Loss, Faith and Unexpected Grace by Kate Grosmaire with Nancy French Forgiveness has less to do with the person who harmed you than you think. On March 28, 2010, Kate and Andy Grosmaire received two pieces of news that would change their lives forever. The first was their worst nightmare: “Ann has been shot.” The second was the dumbfounding addendum: “Conor was the one who shot her.” Their nineteen-year-old daughter had been killed by her boyfriend, a young man who had lived with the family and had come to feel like part of it. In a beautiful, tragic testament to the liberating power of forgiveness, Kate Grosmaire finally tells the whole story of her daughter’s death at the hand of her boyfriend—and the stunning, deliberate forgiveness and help that Kate and her husband offered to the young man who shattered their world. That forgiveness meant not only telling him face-to-face that they forgave him but even working ...

Review of Promise Lodge by Charlotte Hubbard It's a better life, a fresh start--and a heaven-sent second chance. Founded by three Amish sisters determined to put misfortune behind them, Promise Lodge is a colony where faith's abiding promise can be fulfilled--and love can make all things new… Energetic widow, Mattie Bender Schwartz is working day and night to get Promise Lodge going. She's also hoping the change will help her son Noah's heart to heal after his broken engagement. But his former fiancée, Deborah, is looking for a fresh start too. Filled with regret, and cast out by her dat for a reason she can't yet reveal, Deborah can only pray Noah will forgive her foolishness.  Deborah is the last person Noah expected to show up at Promise Lodge. But with her cruel words still ringing in his head, he's reluctant to accept her apology--even if the Old Order ways demand he try. If only he could obey Christ's most important commandment: love one anoth...

Review of Forgiven by Terri Roberts with Jeanette Windle After a son does the unthinkable, how can a mother go on? On October 2, 2006, a gunman entered an Amish one-room schoolhouse, shooting ten girls, killing five, then finally taking his own life. This is his mother's story. Not only did she lose her precious son through suicide, but she also lost her understanding of him as an honorable man. It was a trauma that none should ever have to face. But the biggest headlines came when her Amish neighbors did the unimaginable, reaching out to the family of the shooter with comfort and forgiveness. Today Terri lives in harmony with the Amish and has built lasting relationships beyond what anyone could have thought possible. From the grace that the Amish showed Terri's family from day one, to the visits and ongoing care Terri has given to the victims and their families, no one could have foreseen the love and friendship that have been forged from the fires of tragedy. ...

Review of The Heart of the Amish:  Life Lessons on Peacemaking and the Power of Forgiveness by Suzanne Woods Fisher Everyone has been hurt. Everyone experiences conflict, great and small. Everyone has someone to forgive. But sometimes we just can't bring ourselves to forgive someone who has wronged us or we don't take the need to forgive seriously--not like the Amish do. Forgiving others in order to live at peace is woven into the very fabric of their faith. To the Amish way of thinking, "You can't love the stream without knowing the source. " We must forgive others, they believe, because God forgave us.  "The Heart of the Amish" invites readers into the world of a people renowned for their ability to forgive. Through true stories gathered from a variety of Amish communities, bestselling author Suzanne Woods Fisher illustrates how they are able to release their pain and desire for revenge, and live at peace with others. Her in-depth, personal re...

Review of A Plain Man by Mary Ellis Bestselling author Mary Ellis offers an engaging new standalone Amish romance about a prodigal seeking to find his way home. Though Caleb Beachy lived in the Englisch world for some years, he is a Plain man at heart. When he decides to return to the Amish lifestyle, he moves back home and goes to work for his father. Soon these two strong-willed men find themselves at odds. Caleb discovers there's more to embracing his faith and reconnecting with the community than merely driving a horse and buggy and giving up Levis. Josie Yoder was just a girl when he left. All grown up now, she gives Caleb hope for the future. She soothes his frayed temper and is determined to remind him that while his faith may have wavered, God never left his side. Caleb is tempted to return Josie's feelings, but the choices he made while away are a heavy burden on his conscience. Will past mistakes end up destroying their fledgling romance? Or will she be a...

Review of Out of a Dream by Rosemary Hines Michelle Baron should be reveling in her new life in Sandy Cove, Oregon. From the outside, it all looks idyllic. A newlywed settling into a quaint coastal town, her husband establishing himself as a junior partner in a law firm-what more could she want?But a series of disturbing nightmares haunts Michelle. Her quest to understand these dreams leads her to the New World bookstore, where she begins a spiritual journey that will challenge her Christian heritage as well as her marriage. My Review: Out of a Dream was a delightful surprise!  I was constantly anxious to read further just to see what was coming next.   The characters were dealing with many temptations and issues and so I really could not figure out their next move.  This book was filled with suspense, love, forgiveness,and depression/suicidal thoughts.   I will not reveal the ending or the actions of the characters as that would SPOIL it for you, the reader,...

Review of Buried Treasures by Mary Manners When Caroline flees Chicago following the brutal murder of her husband, the last thing she expects-or wants-is to fall for Matt Carlson, a builder with strong roots in the small town of Mountainview, Tennessee. She needs to focus on raising her six-year-old daughter and protecting both their hearts from ever being shattered again. Matt is struggling with issues of his own...guilt over the death of his wife and the responsibility of raising a cynical teenaged nephew who is dropped on his doorstep, abandoned by Matt's alcoholic sister. He doesn't have time to fall in love, yet he can't help being drawn to the woman who is ready to defend her home-and her daughter-with nothing more than a feisty attitude and a broom handle. Can Matt's help and friendship convince Caroline to trust again...and when Caroline's daughter goes missing, will Matt be able to find the girl before it's too late and he loses everything he lov...

Review of The River                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                       ...

Review of A Quilt for Jenna by Patrick Craig Amish + Quilts = readers delight! And in this first book in Patrick Craig's Apple Creek Dreams series, readers will follow Jerusha Springer's journey out of tragic circumstances to a new life of hope. Jerusha has spent months making the most beautiful quilt anyone in Apple Creek, Ohio, has ever seen, and she knows it's going to take first prize at the Quilt Fair in Dalton. The prize will be her ticket out of the Amish way of life--away from the memories of her dead daughter and her tormented husband. But on the way to the Fair, she gets caught in the Storm of The Century and Jerusha's driver crashes their car. While the driver goes for help, Jerusha is led by someone, or something, to the side of a lost little girl. By the time the storm clears, Jerusha finds there is a greater prize to be won than money and blue ribbons. A beautiful story of loss....and redemption.    This is the first book I have read by Pa...

Review of Casa de Naomi ( The House of Blessing) by Paula Rose Michelson Fifteen-year-old Naomi wants to practice her faith in public, find her uncle, and help him raise enough money to bring their family to America. To accomplish this she agrees to companion a blind, old woman whose family plans to tour Europe and settle in the United States. Her plans are thwarted when the woman passes away aboard ship, and Naomi is handed over to immigration. While she awaits her interview, an old Ti­a comes to Naomi's rescue and offers to take her in. With nowhere to go and no one to turn to, Naomi agrees and unwittingly enters the country illegally. This is Naomi's journey from adolescence to womanhood, from frightened isolation and captivity to the noble status of heiress with a mission and responsibility many would shirk placed upon her shoulders. Along the way, she contends with piercing memories, hurtful loss, jealous opponents, a devious lawyer, and a curious priest. Throug...

Review of His Love Endures Forever  (Land of Canaan book #3) by Beth Wiseman An unplanned pregnancy. An absent father. Can love really endure all things? Danielle Kent is anything but Amish. Just her luck to fall in love with an Amish guy. Now she’s 18, pregnant, and hopeful that the child’s Amish father—Matthew Lapp—will do the right thing and marry her. She knows Matthew plans to leave his Colorado settlement for a life in the Englisch world. But that plan never included a baby. When Matthew walks away from her and their unborn child, she has nowhere to turn. Her unlikely friendship with Levi offers some comfort—yet they have so little in common. This wasn't the plan she had for her life, and she's never felt so alone. She doesn’t want to be pregnant. Doesn’t want to be Amish. Doesn’t want to trust God. And yet. God has plans beyond what her mind can imagine . . . loving plans to show a lost young woman that His love never goes away but endures forever. ...

Review of Raider's Vendetta Karen Arnpriester Charley knew what God wanted from her. She was willing to trust and obey as she protected the others in the bank. Then He would save her from her captor. There was no way she could have anticipated the rage that would be unleashed in response to her prayers and her faith in God. Raider was desperate, hardened, and his past had set the stage for an insane game of survival and spiritual warfare. The vendetta was in motion and Charley discovered that she needed her God to provide extraordinary miracles to keep her alive. ********************************************************************************************* My review of Raider's Vendetta:             Karen Arnpriester is making me think of Stephen King in some of her amazing writing in this book!!!    This book is full of suspense, action, forgiveness, God's provision, and miracles.    In fact, miracles abound for Charley and ...