Rhonda's Doings !

Review of  Trading Secrets by Melody Carlson Back in fifth grade, Micah Knight got an Amish pen pal, and over the years, they've exchanged many letters--and many secrets. At age seventeen, Micah finally has the chance to meet her pen pal face-to-face. The only problem is that because of confusion about her name when the pen pals were assigned, her pen pal was a boy, Zack Miller. And all this time, Micah's never told Zack that she's actually a girl! While she wants nothing more than to experience life on Zack's Amish farm, she's afraid he'll hate her for deceiving him all these years. But she makes up her mind to face the music--and that's where the fun really begins.  Bestselling author Melody Carlson brings young adults another fascinating tale of worlds colliding, secrets being revealed, and friendships forming. Teens will love this story of miscommunication and mishaps along the way to the truth. MY REVIEW:  This is a work of Young Adult Amis...

Giveaway for $5 Amazon Gift Card AND THE WINNER IS.....Sissie Prater who entered on my facebook page.  Congrats! and thanks to all who entered! To enter, tell me what you like best about autumn.  I love the changing colors here in Virginia.  you can enter here or at my facebook page:  https://www.facebook.com/rhondasdoings?ref=bookmarks Giveaway ends Sept. 30, 2014 at midnight.   Leave an email with your comment so I can contact you.  The giftcard will be delivered via email as well.   

Review of   A Love Undone: An Amish Novel of Shattered Dreams and God's Unfailing Grace by Cindy Woodsmall A husband and son abandoned to forge a path alone. A young woman who sacrificed her dreams. How will the God of grace and hope help them find their way?   At nineteen years old, Old Order Amish Jolene Keim was on the brink of happily-ever-after when everything changed, stealing the future she expected and burdening her with an unbearable decision. For the next ten years, Jolene throws herself into family life—and then she meets Andy Fisher. The horse trainer and father to a sweet nine year-old challenges her and holds up a mirror to issues Jolene has been unwilling to face. Andy is cautious about his deepening friendship with Jolene, but he believes she knows the truth about him – that he is a grass widower. As a man whose wife has abandoned him six years past, he is unable to divorce or remarry according to the Amish ways. Andy has wrestled with God conc...

Review of NIV Once a Day Bible for Women The NIV Once A Day Bible for Women combines helpful summary information before each reading with application questions after each reading to deliver the most satisfying daily reading plan ever. It includes the full text of the most read, most trusted NIV translation. The NIV Once A Day Bible - Understand and Apply Edition for Women is a must-have Bible for any woman committed to growing in her relationship with God through the spiritual discipline of daily Bible reading, reflection and application. MY REVIEW:  This is a lovely soft-bound Bible designed for women in a beautiful shade of pink for the cover.   It is composed in the NIV, New International Version.  The NIV is one of  my personal favorites to read as it makes the Bible clear and easily understandable.  Each day is clearly marked, one through 365 for reading the Bible through in one year.   Each day's reading contains some chapters from the Old Te...

Review of 940 Saturdays  by Harley Robart, M. D.  There are 940 Saturdays between a child’s birth and the day he or she turns 18.   That may sound like a lot when there are adventures to plan and hours to fill. But as your child learns to walk, ride a bicycle, and drive, the years pass quickly. This beautiful package includes both a removable booklet with a thousand ideas for family activities that you and your child will love at every age, and a keepsake journal for preserving what you saw and did, thought and felt, so you can savor these memories in the years to come. My Review:   This is a beautiful hardcover journal for parents to record 940 fun Saturday events with their child/children.  The book consists of blank pages marked with the day (as in Day One).  The pages are lined for easy recording.   There is a small pocket at the back which holds a small paperback book with ideas for activities to do for children birth thru teens...

Review of The Brickmaker's Bride by Judith Miller Yearning for a fresh start, Ewan McKay travels with his aunt and uncle from northern Scotland to West Virginia, promising to trade his skills in the clay business for financial assistance from his uncle Hugh. Hugh purchases a brickmaking operation from a Civil War widow and her daughter, but it's Ewan who gets the business up and running again. Ewan seeks help from Laura, the former owner's daughter, and he feels a connection with her, but she's being courted by another man--a lawyer with far more social clout and money than Ewan. Besides, Ewan has resolved he'll focus on making the brickmaking operation enough of a success that he can become a partner in the business  and be able to afford to bring his sisters  over from Scotland. But when Hugh signs a bad business deal, all Ewan's hard work may come to naught. As his plans begin to crumble, Laura reveals something surprising. She and her mother may hav...

Review of A February Bride by Betsy St. Amant  Happily ever after guaranteed. Allie left the love of her life at the altar—to save him from a lifetime of heartbreak. When a Valentine’s Day wedding brings them back together, she struggles against her family’s destructive history. Can Allie ever realize that a marriage is so much more than a wedding dress? History repeats itself when Allie Andrews escapes the church on her wedding day—in the same dress passed down for generations and worn by all the women in her family—women with a long history of failed marriages. Allie loves Marcus, but fears she’s destined to repeat her family’s mistakes. She can’t bear to hurt Marcus worse. Marcus Hall never stopped loving Allie and can only think of one reason she left him at the altar—him. When the two are thrown together for his sister’s Valentine’s Day wedding, he discovers the truth and realizes their story might be far from over. Can Allie shuck expectation and discover who she is ...