Miracle in a Dry Season by Sarah Loudin Thomas
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

 Sarah Loudin Thomas writes book #1 "Miracle in a Dry Season", series Appalachian Blessings.

Wise, West Va in the fifties..People in the community are wary of a young woman named Perla who has came to live with her aunt and uncle.  Perla has a little girl and has not been married, she doesn't want to lie and say she is a widow which would be so much easier.  Can everyone be blind to the goodness of a woman raising a little girl...
Casewell is a batchlor in the community and has been thinking he needs to settle down, when he meets Perla he likes her looks but he like the others Judges without thinking.
Do we all think we don't have anything in our lives to be ashamed of and we are too pure to see a mistake might be corrected and let the one that should, do the judging....can we not forgive more readily?
This little town has not seen rain in a long long time and lives are changing and not for the better.
Perla has a gift with her cooking that she has always considered a curse.  Whenever she cooks it seems to multiply like when Jesus fed the multitude with the fishes.  The town needs her yet they don't want to accept her cooking thinking she has the devil in her....more blindness and not seeing.
I loved reading this story and seeing how a community comes to terms with good and evil.  How a young man realizes HE should not be the one judging and comes to love this young woman and her child.
You must read this story if no others by this author.

I received this book from Bethany House Publishing to read and review, thanks.


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Love Comes Home by Ann H. Gabhart
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Love Comes Home by Ann Gabhart


The war is finally over and the men are coming back to Rosey Corner Ky and the Merritt sisters in particular are happily running around getting ready to meet their men again.  Papa Merritt tells them they wont be the same guys that left so be patient and give them a lot of love.  Love is something this family knows about so there will be no problem here.
Lorena was left on church steps long ago at the age of 5 and Kate found her and took her home and has loved her ever since..she became an honorary sister right then at the beginning.
Aunt Hattie is an old black woman that has done midwifery in the hills of Ky for many years and she is close to the Merritt family, an honorary aunt to the family...so much love in this family they pass it around.
Mike was a preacher before he left for the war but came back not wanting to jump back into the pulpit.  His faith was a bit shaken and it would take some time for him to heal but Evie who had loved him forever would help in that dept.
Jay was the husband of Kate and he fell in love with the whole Merritt family and Kate in particular, He knows Kate wants to start a family and he is not so sure he will make a good father, his father gave him away to an aunt that didn't really want him either and he needed the love that abounded in Rosey Corners and the Merritt family.
One of the sisters Victoria lost her husband while he was at war -Sammy didn't get to come home but they had married before he left and she had a little girl, Samantha to raise and she was so like her daddy.
Clay is a young man that farmed in the community and he had loved Victoria from afar because Sammy was his best friend.  Now he is hoping that "Tori" will look at him as more then a friend.  He has helped raise his sisters when his dad died early in life.  He loves children and knows he could help Tori raise Samantha and that little girl liked him too.
You will want to read the story of this little corner of the world in Ky and get to know this family and the community they live in.

I was given this book to read and review by The Bookclub Network and Revell Publishing...Thank you.


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Safe Haven by Anna Schmidt
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Anna Schmidt's series "The Peacemakers" book #3 Safe Haven

I enjoyed reading this author and her research has made this a great story to read.  The characters will tug at your heartstrings and you will want to help as they journey.  FDR has brought almost a thousand European refugees to our country from a war torn area to keep them safe, thus the name of the book "Safe Haven"

Suzanne Randolph is a writer that has been duped by another journalist and her reputation is in threads, when she hears of these people she wants to write their story thinking this will redeem her.  The man she had worked for believes in her and decides to help her as it will also help his paper to print this story.

Theo Bridgewater is a quaker and did not fight in the war but he has relatives in this bunch of refugees and his parents talk him into moving to Lake Ontario -Oswego,N.Y. to give them support.  It is here that he meets Suzanne and likes what she is trying to do but not always the way she does it.  They live in the same boarding house and seeing one another often helps them to become friends.  Maybe even more then friends as the months move along.

The war rages on for a long time and the refugees must learn a new way of life as guest of the president in a new country where they are behind a fence and only able to travel close by during the daytime.  Lives are changed and new relationships formed from this togetherness and it becomes almost like a little city behind the fence.  There are deaths and births among the little group.  They signed a paper when then come agreeing to return to their country after the war ended, many want to stay now and their is much controversy among the politicians.
The president that brought them died and another taking over doesn't want to make the decision to move them back.  what is to become of almost a thousand souls ready to be freed as the war ends?

I enjoyed reading this story given to me for a review by The Bookclub Network and Shiolh Run Press.  thank you


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The Revealing by Suzanne Woods Fisher
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Series The Inn at Eagle Hill-book #3"The Revealing" by Suzanne Woods Fisher

In this final book to the series Suzanne Woods Fisher has written a fast paced tale of deception,revalation and romance.
Secrets and living a life no one knows about is taking its toll on Naomi King.  Tobe Schrock was serving time at FCI Schuykill in Minersville for witholding evidence about his late fathers investment firm. Naomi knew the distance to her corner of the world in Stoney Ridge well.
No one knew she traveled there or why...
Rose's husband had worked at the investment firm and he had drowned leaving her a widow to manage alone.  Galen was a close friend to Rose's husband and was a comfort to her as time passed, helping when he could and the two became close, though he is younger then Rose.
at first beginning to read the story seemed confusing as there were so many characters to keep up with but once you get them straight and it switches back and forth you understand their part of the story and it all comes together quite well.
A young woman who is good at copying art gets in trouble and comes to the inn to reinvent herself.  a teenager Mim writes a column for the newspaper that no one knows she is the author of, Mrs Miracle who gives advise to the community. Jesse  moves to their community with his family and soon finds he likes this girl Mim and teases her a lot.
Before Tobe returns home, a young woman by the name of Paisley who is very much with child, comes and says she is Tobe girlfriend and the baby is his.  Rose feels obligated to help her while she searches for the truth of the matter.
As you can see a lot is happening in this little community and once you get all the characters sorted out, the story is really good.

I received this book from The Bookclub Network and Revell Publishing to read and review, thanks for the opportunity to read this author.


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Forever Amish: A Novel by Kate Lloyd
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Forever Amish: A Novel (Legacy of Lancaster Trilogy)
by Kate Lloyd (Goodreads Author)

I have wanted to read this author for awhile now and finally have,  she has not disappointed me...this is a wonderful story about the amish, when one leaves the community, can they ever come back?

Sally Bingham has lived her life as the daughter of "Big Ed" who has a car lot called "Honest Ed's cars".  Her mother left when she was just a babe and she has always wanted to know more about her but Pops is not talking.
This story starts with Sally receiving some strange emails from a woman in Lancaster county and she decides to follow up with a short trip to that area to find out what is going on....
Lizzie is an amish girl that she meets quite by accident and then finds out that she is the girl that wrote the emails when she rents a room in their home.
Sally is about to find out more then she ever thought she would about her mother and father.  come read this wonderful amish story and see the lives of this father-daughter change completely.

I received this book from The Bookclub Network and publisher David Cook, thank you for the opportunity to read this author and give my review.


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Unexpected Love by Andrea Boeshaar
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Seasons of Redemption series book #3"Unexpected Love"
by Andrea Boeshaar


Great story with the character Lorenna Fields who is a nurse that meets a patient who is blind and has amnesia,she calls him Mr Blackeyes and takes special care of him.
Renna as her dad calls her works long hours and many menial task in her wards.  Her superiors think she waste too much time with patients and gets emotionally involved.  She has a heart that won't let her do otherwise.
Captain Brian Sinclair was lost at sea when his yacht sank from an explosion and his mother-finance and friend lost their lives.  He was lucky to be seen by a ship nearby and picked up and brought for medical care.  It was sometime before he knew who he was and his memory returned in bits and pieces.  Renna was his caregiver and friend and when he was well enough physically her family offered him a place to stay while he continued to heal and get his memory back.
Brian and Renna spent much time together and he soon found himself liking this young woman a lot.
This story has a mystery,murder and mayhem along with romance and adventures you don't want to miss.  I look forward to the next book.


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