Book Review ~ What a Heart Sees by Kathleen Fuller

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Title:  What a Heart SeesAuthor:  Kathleen FullerPublisher:  Thomas NelsonPub Date:  3/8/2011

Excerpt

Together for the first time, three Amish romances from Kathleen Fuller.

"A Miracle for Miriam" from An Amish Christmas 

Miriam fell for Seth, but he broke her heart. Years later, after he’s nearly killed in an accident, Miriam sees him at a Christmas party and notices something is different about him—not just how he looks, but how he acts. When Seth pursues her, she must decide whether to guard her heart or accept his love. 

"A Place of His Own" from An Amish Gathering 

When Josiah left Paradise the first time, he didn't even say good-bye. Now he's back, ten years later, and he's changed. Why is he so distant and bitter? Where is the boy who used to be Amanda's best friend? Amanda is learning that there are things even a capable Amish girl can't fix. But can she stand there and watch him walk away...again? 

"What the Heart Sees" from An Amish Love 

A tragic accident rocks a peaceful Amish community, leaving Ellie Chupp blinded and Christopher Bender's future shattered. But they find love and forgiveness in a place they least expect.

My thoughts

"A Miracle for Miriam" ~ Miriam had been in love with Seth for as long as she could remember. Along with remembering how much she was in love with Seth she remembered how he crushed her heart in front of everyone when they were younger. Now that they are adults in the community and have came in contact with each other again she has to fight to keep those feelings for Seth down inside her because she is afraid that he will once again crush her heart. 

This is a great short story but I found myself wanting the story to continue so I could find out how their lives turned out.

"A Place of His Own" from An Amish Gathering ~ Amanda lost her best friend, Josiah, when she was growing up and had no idea why he had moved away. Then, one day he comes back into her life for her only to find out that he is leaving again. When they were growing up he was her best friend and she thought that she knew everything about him but boy was she surprised. Both Amanda and Josiah had a lot to deal with in this story but I found enjoyed it very much.

"What the Heart Sees" from An Amish Love ~  Ellie Chupp was in an accident with two other Amish friends and the result was that she had lost her sight. Luckily she was not the one to lose their life but there was so much for her to deal with since the accident. When she lost John she felt like she would never get married and have the family that she always dreamed of. 

Then their was Christopher Miller who left the Amish faith because of the accident because he could not bring it to himself to forgive the person who caused the accident which caused the death of his fiance, Caroline. He had dreamed that they would have such a great life full of children and that was taken away from him and because he could not forgive he was shunned by the community. After five long years he decided that he truly missed the Amish faith and his family but when he returned to his family he was thrown a few more surprises that made forgiveness even harder.

I would really like to read more about all three of these stories. This is my first Kathleen Fuller book and I am looking forward to reading more. 

You can purchase this book at:

Amazon.com for $10.19

ChristianBooks.com for $8.99

ThomasNelsom.com for $14.99

Images and excerpt are from NetGalley and ThomasNelsom.com.

I was not paid for this review, I did however receive a copy of the book for my Kindle from NetGalley. The opinions of this book are mine and mine alone.

Book Review ~ Lilly's Wedding Quilt by Kelly Long

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Title:  Lilly's Wedding Quilt

Sub Title:  A Patch of Heaven Series #2

Author:  Kelly Long

Publisher:  Thomas Nelson

Pub Date:  3/29/2011

Excerpt

Handsome, headstrong Jacob offers Lilly his hand in marriage, but his heart belongs to someone else. 

While Lilly Lapp has loved Jacob for years, she wouldn't compete with Sarah King, the woman Jacob was determined to marry. But when Sarah marries another, Jacob spontaneously agrees to wed Lilly.

Lilly divides her time between teaching the local Amish children and caring for her widowed mother who suffers from depression. Lilly's faith comforts her, but her heart still longs to be the sole object of Jacob's affection

As the days slip by, Lilly decides that hoping is too risky and vows to protect her heart. But God is subtly as work, and as winter turns to spring, their hearts awaken.

The furthest thing from Lilly's mind is her Amish wedding quilt, a traditional gift for new brides. And the person she'd least suspect is the one making it. Like stray pieces of fabric quilted into a new design, Jacob and Lilly's marriage begins to bind them together in ways neither expected

My thoughts

With Lilly Lapp being in love with Jacob, who has had his eyes and heart sat on Sarah King for as long as he can remember is hard for Lilly. But it is even harder for Jacob when it is time for Sarah to marry. This is when Jacob gets himself into some trouble and this is also the time when he and Lilly start their friendship.

Their quick words and not so smart thinking gets them into a bit of a bind as they unexpectedly announce their engagement to cover up Jacob's overnight disappearance. In order to keep every thing on the up and up they go through with the wedding even though Lilly knows in her heart that Jacob is still in love with Sarah.

I love how their friendship blossoms and how their love kindles in this book. I have never read a book by Kelly Long before and I am hoping that their is another book in this series.

I definitely give this book 5 stars!!

You can buy this book at:

Amazon.com for $10.12

ChristianBooks.com for $8.99

ThomasNelsom.com for $14.99

Images and excerpt are from NetGalley and ThomasNelsom.com.

I was not paid for this review, I did however receive a copy of the book for my Kindle from NetGalley. The opinions of this book are mine and mine alone.

Calling for some blogger help!

My blogger friend from over at Mom Caboodle is trying to win a trip to Disney World for her family and can really use some bloggy help. She is in need of some daily votes to get on up there into 1st place and keep her there.

This is the picture that she has entered, isn't it quite creative? See Cha Cha down there? What a cute frog! And I hate frogs!! lol

 Cha Cha Down Under on a hunt for the fierce Red Tailed Shark

Voting is easy, click on the above picture and it will take you to the site where you can just click on the green vote now button. It's easy peasy!!

And don't forget to vote DAILY!!

Book Review ~ Vanish in Plain Sight by Marta Perry

Title:  Vanish in Plain Sight

Author:  Marta Perry

Publisher:  Harlequin

Pub Date:  5/31/2011

Excerpt

A young mother VANISHES in plain sight...

Since she was a little girl, Marisa Angelo has been haunted by the image of her mother walking away, suitcase in hand, to return to her Amish roots.

Marisa and her “Englischer” father never saw or heard from her again. Now Marisa has received a shocking call from police. Her mother’s bloodstained suitcase was found hidden inside the wall of an Amish farmhouse.

Desperate for answers, Marisa heads to Lancaster County. But no one—not the police or Marisa’s tight-lipped Amish relatives—can explain what happened to her mother.

Only one man is as determined as Marisa to unravel the mystery— Link Morgan, the handsome ex-military loner who found the suitcase in the house he inherited from his uncle. Because both Link’s and Marisa’s family members are implicated in the decades-old disappearance.

The secret lies somewhere in the quaint Amish settlements. But someone will do anything to ensure the truth remains hidden forever.

My thoughts

At first let me say that I was a little afraid to read this because it is published by Harlequin and when I was younger I used to read some books from Harlequin and it seemed they were all the same with different names and places. Well, I learned a great lesson from this book, Harlequin is not what it used to be.

Now, I love books about the Amish so that is what prompted me to get this book to review and I am glad that I did because I couldn't put it down. It wasn't as much about the Amish as I thought but it did have an Amish background but it really didn't matter because it was a great book anyway.

Marisa Angelo had quite a life growing up without her mother and having to deal with the fact that she believed that she left her and her father and that she did not want her. That is a lot for a child to deal with. I do have to admit that this story didn't really go where I expected it to go but that is good because then I don't think the book would have been quite as great!!

Make sure you visit Marta Perry's website here!

You can purchase this book from:

Amazon.com for $7.99

eHarlequin for $6.39

Images and excerpt are from NetGalley.

I was not paid for this review, I did however receive a copy of the book for my Kindle from NetGalley. The opinions of this book are mine and mine alone.

Win a FREE sofa at Fobango!!

Who wouldn't want to win this FREE sofa? I know I would love to have it.

Well, now here is your chance to win one. Over at Fobango (love the name) they are giving one away. Fobango is new and they are trying to build their community so they are doing so by giving this couch away. Hop over and check it out!

Click here to enter for your chance to win!

I did not receive anything to do this post. The picture is from Fobango.com

About KLOUT and FREE perks!

Are you a part of KLOUT?

What is KLOUT you ask?

Klout measures influence online

Our friendships and professional connections have moved online, making influence measurable for the first time in history. When you recommend, share, and create content you impact others. Your Klout Score measures that influence on a scale of 1 to 100.

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Sign up for KLOUT here!!

I was given a free product or sample because I'm a Klout influencer. I was under no obligation to receive the sample or talk about this company. I get no additional benefits for talking about the product or company. The above information about KLOUT is from KLOUT.comhttp://klout.com/corp/about

KINDLE Giveaway

I have a Kindle and absolutely love it. I am constantly reading books on it all the time and the great thing about a Kindle is that you can get FREE books everywhere so I very seldom have to buy one unless I am looking for a specific title or author.

So here is a great chance for you to win yourself a KINDLE. Author Suzanne Woods Fisher and her publisher Revell books have teamed up to giveaway one. And with the Kindle goes the book Amish Values for Your Family and signed Bill Coleman original. Bill Coleman is the photographer who takes the pictures for Suzanne's books.

Click the Suzanne's button below to go to Suzanne Woods Fisher's blog to enter the giveaway.

If you use Twitter, you can enter HERE!

Pictures are from Amazon.com and Suzanne Woods Fisher blog.

Microwave & two $30 gift cards #Giveaway (Rafflecopter)

M2Cmart is having Round 2 of their Microwave giveaway and it's going on now. Do you remember me talking about M2Cmart? This is where I won my microwave from, which I love!

They are giving away a Galanz 0.9 cu.ft. 900W Countertop Microwave Oven with Digital LED Display and two $30 gift cards and guess what?? It's a rafflecopter giveaway!  :)

CLICK HERE TO ENTER

over at M2Cmart.com's Official blog.

Now what has me ticked off! (Monday Mayhem)

Today they are asking us to share what we are ticked off about. What a great way to vent! 

 

 

 

1. What made ticked off the most yesterday?  Nothing comes to mind. 

 

2. What ticks you off about your local mail service? They won't bring it to my door. lol

3. What ticks you off about the opposite sex?  They think women are dumb.

4. What ticks you off about eating out?  It costs to much money.

5. What ticks you off about the internet? It's too slow sometimes!

6. What famous person really ticks you off?  I am drawing a blank.

7. What ticks you off about people on the road?  Idiot drivers who pull out in front of you then drive 10 mph under the speed limit or drive 500 ft then turn.

8. Name something about politicians that ticks you off. They all lie.

9. Tell us about a story you have recently heard that really ticked you off.  Drawing another blank!

10. Are you feeling less ticked off now?  No, not at all. 

You can play along too over at Monday Mayhem by clicking here!!

I've got a winner!!

The winner of the OUT! One Handed Poop Scoop is:

25. 409cope said...

Out pet care carries Moisture Lock Training Pads. cardshark42(at)xxxxxxxxxxxxxx

August 11, 2011 10:27 AM        

I have emailed you and you have 48 hours to respond to that email before I have to draw a new winner.

A GIVEAWAY you don't want to miss!!!

You can win $500 towards a Bounce House of your choice from Bounce Houses Now over at Two of a Kind Working on a Full House.

Here are a couple Bounce Houses I would have a hard time choosing between if I were to win.

CLICK HERE TO ENTER NOW

GIVEAWAY ENDS AUGUST 15TH AT 11:59 EST.

River's Song & River's Call (The Inn At Shining Waters) by Melody Carlson ~ Book Reviews

Title:  River's Song

SubTitle:  The Inn At Shining Waters

Author:  Melody Carlson

Publisher:  Abingdon Press

Publish Date: 8-1-2011

About the book

Following her mother’s funeral, and on the verge of her own midlife crisis, widow Anna Larson returns to the home of her youth to sort out her parents’ belongings, as well as her own turbulent life. Her relationship with her daughter is in shambles, and the tension between Anna and her vicious mother-in-law escalates daily.

Anna's unique family home sits on a picturesque coastal tributary and is filled with years of memories. For the first time since childhood, Anna embraces her native heritage and river roots. But Anna soon learns that more than just her past resides along the banks of the Siuslaw River.

By transforming her old family home into The Inn at Shining Waters, Anna hopes to create a place of healing—a place where guests experience peace, grace, and new beginnings.

Starting with her own family . .

What I thought about the book

Melody Carlson is an excellent writer. This book takes place back in the 1960's and is a very informative book. Anna has been given a lot to deal with in the death of her mother and been given the old store that her parents used to run years ago but is now all run down. She has lots of love for the home that she grew up in and she has decided to give it lots of love in return and make it her home once again despite her daughter and mother-in-law's approval.

This was such a wonderful book. It pulled me right into the story. I felt so heart broken for Anna for the treatment that she received from her Mother-in-law. Anna is a very strong woman to overcome everything that has been thrown at her. This is a great love story and I am so looking forward to reading the next book in this series.

Title:  River's Call

SubTitle:  The Inn At Shining Waters

Author:  Melody Carlson

Publisher:  Abingdon Press

Publish Date: 2-1-2012

About the book

Anna Larson's daughter, Lauren, is confused, brokenhearted, and misguided. It's the turbulent 1960s and, feeling alienated from her mother, Lauren chooses to stay with her paternal grandmother. However, repelled by the woman's manipulative and spiteful ways, Lauren returns to her mother, the river, and the Inn at Shining Waters.

But as time passes, Lauren, now a mother to her own defiant teenager, faces a new crisis, one that puts the entire family at risk.  

My thoughts about the book

This is another great book by Melody Carlson. River's Call takes a few twists and turns that I didn't expect to happen. Anna has her hands full running the Inn and handling Lauren and then just when she thinks that things with her granddaughter are going wonderfully and just as she is becoming older and things begin to change for her. Just as Lauren starts to grow up things start to fall apart for her. I am keeping my fingers crossed for another book in this series.

Images and product description are from at NetGalley and MelodyCarlson.com.

I was not paid for this review, I did however receive a copy of the book for my Kindle from NetGalley. The opinions of this book are mine and mine alone.