Ties that Bind Cindy Woodsmall- The Amish Summer Grove series #1

Description:
Ariana’s comfortable Old Order Amish world is about to unravel. Will holding tightly to the cords of family keep them together—or simply tear them apart?

Twenty-year-old Ariana Brenneman loves her family and the Old Ways. She has two aspirations: open a café in historic Summer Grove to help support her family’s ever-expanding brood and to keep any other Amish from being lured into the Englisch life by Quill Schlabach.

Five years ago Quill, along with her dear friend Frieda, ran off together, and Ariana still carries the wounds of that betrayal. When she unexpectedly encounters him, she soon realizes he has plans to help someone else she loves leave the Amish.
*
Despite how things look, Quill’s goal has always been to protect Ariana from anything that may hurt her, including the reasons he left. After returning to Summer Grove on another matter, he unearths secrets about Ariana and her family that she is unaware of. His love and loyalty to her beckons him to try to win her trust and help her find a way to buy the café—because when she learns the truth that connects her and a stranger named Skylar Nash, Quill knows it may upend her life forever.

Ties That Bind is the first novel in the Amish of Summer Grove series.


My thoughts on the book:
Ariana is faced with some news she would rather have not received and now she just has to find away to keep her family together. She also comes face to face with Quill and face she thought she would never see again. Can she see her dreams come true and help her family or will it all come to head with secrets that are being kept? Quill is back home to check on his mom when he runs into the one girl who has always held his heart and the one person he has never wanted to hurt. But when she finds out he has a bunch a secrets can he convince her he's only trying to help her not hurt her?

This book is really not about a love story I would say I would say this book is about finding out who you are and finding yourself and finding hope when it seems like there is none. I really loved how with this book while there was a little romance stirring the book, the book was more about the importance of family and how important it was to valve and to belong. I really enjoyed that the author did not try and sugarcoat anything, she didn't try and make anyone perfect, but she made each one you interacted with in the story have some sort of struggle. While Ariana and Quill seem to be the main characters in the story there are a few other characters but it was easy to follow who was who and what was going on. I think there was one small tiny part that I loved how over all the story flowed and I found the book completely hard to put down. I can't wait to find out what happens next. 

Where you can buy the book:
www.christianbook.com
www.amazon.com
www.barnesandnoble.com

Where you can connect with the author:
www.cindywoodsmall.com



While at amazon check out Cindy Woodsmall's other books, You will not be disappointed. Thanks for stopping by and feel free to leave your thoughts in the comments. 

Drawn to Life Elisabeth Wagner

What's the book about:

Mia Lang always thought she could brave any storm, until a frightening turn of fate caused her to lose everything she once held dear—her best friend, her boyfriend, her career, and even her desire to live.

Hoping to heal her scars and find the will to face the world again, Mia embarks on an adventure across Europe by train. But when she meets Samuel Winter—on the run from his own troubled past—her whole world is turned upside down again. Perhaps this time, though, the pieces will fall where they’re meant to. Armed with the sort of courage that only comes from having nothing to lose, Mia is about to find out, in this beautiful story of resilience and discovery.

My thoughts on the book:
Mia is on a journey to find life and find her self or at least thats what she keeps telling her self and her family and friends, only theres on problems and it keeps following her no matter where she goes.
Samuel(Sam) he's on a journey of his own his needs to find who he is but he's hiding secret and he himself need to find closure he just doesn't know how or when that will help.
Alright my first thoughts on the book were its very graphic and written more as a journal/diary then a story. However as you read the story the pages seem to draw you in and you really want to find out what happens. i am not a big fan of first person stories, however with this book I will say that it did not disappoint and it became a on the edge of your seat type of book. I can say there is not a whole lot of chemistry but as you read you understand why, but what there is does a good job of drawing you in to the story its self. Over all I was not really disappoint with the book or the storyline is worth the read. 

Where you can but the book:

www.amazon.com

The Wedding Cake Tree Melanie Hudson

What's the book about:

Can a mother's secret past provide the answers for a daughter's future? Celebrity photographer Grace Buchanan has always known that, one day, she'd swap her manic day job for the peace and quiet of her beloved childhood cottage, St Christopher's - she just didn't expect it to be so soon. At the reading of her mother's will, she's shocked to learn that she hardly knew Rosamund at all, and that inheriting St Christopher's hangs on one big - and very inconvenient - condition: Grace must drop everything for two weeks and travel the country with a mysterious stranger - war-weary Royal Marine, Alasdair Finn. Caught in a brief but perfect moment in time, Grace and Alasdair walk in Rosamund's footsteps and read her letters at each breathtaking new place. As Grace slowly uncovers the truth about her mother's incredible life story, Alasdair and Grace can't help but question their own futures. Will Rosamund's madcap scheme go to plan or will events take an unexpected turn? An emotional, fun-filled and adventurous journey of a lifetime.

My thoughts on the book:
While Grace is ready to receive her inheritance, she is face with going on a journey one she did not want to go on let alone with someone she didn't know. Alasdair is so caught up in his life an guilt that when he is asked to go on a journey he said yes and now he is wondering if that was the best choice. 
I found the book quite predictable some times and I was ready to just roll my eyes and wanted to book done, but my view to that changed quickly. I really really liked this book. There where a few twisted an turns which kept you wanting to change the pages, so I have to say the book is a page turner and worth the read. I also have to say that the language is not to strong but I would say it would be better for either a older teenager. The author did a good job giving chemistry between the characters even though it was only from a one persons view. You really can not go wrong with this book its worth the read for sure. 

Where you can but the book:

www.amazon.com
www.choc-lit.com/productcat/melanie-hudson

Where you can connect with the author:
www.melanie-hudson.co.uk

you can also catch up and get more info on twitter @choclituk

Grace Unplugged Melody Carlson

What's the book about:
Grace Trey is an eighteen-year-old singer as passionate about her Christian faith as she is her phenomenal, God-given musical talent. Both traits come from her father, one-hit wonder Johnny Tray who found Jesus after losing his chart success two decades ago. 

When Grace encounters her own music break of a lifetime, the sudden dive into the "real world" puts her deeper beliefs to the test. Pop superstardom is just within reach but appears to require some spiritual compromise. Will Grace reject her faith, or will she own it? 

Grace Unplugged is based on the motion picture of the same name starring AJ Michalka (Super 8) and Kevin Pollak (A Few Good Men).

My thoughts on the book:

Let me say this book is good for anyone, but would be perfect for any teenager. Grace is 18 and has the whole world in front of her. Her dad use to be famous and she has it in her mind she needs to be famous and will stop at nothing to get there including, being selfish and acting like she knows everything. She has no problem hurting people even the one she loves, or does she? As most teenagers they think they know it all and Grace is no different. This book has so much more then I talked about and will really gets to the heart of the matter all why you sit by and try to understand where Grace's at and her family and friends if you want to know more I say grab this book you will not be disappointed and I highly recommend this book for anyone who had a dream or who has a dream, because you never know where that dream might take you and Grace is the same way.

Where you can but the book:
www.cbd.com
www.amazon.com
www.barnesandnoble.com

Where you can connect with the author:
http://www.melodycarlson.com

Intensive Care Nicki Edwards

What's the book about:
On the surface it looks like busy intensive care nurse Kate Kennedy has it all: a long-term relationship, a great career and a sleek inner city apartment. But appearances are deceiving, and in one fell swoop everything comes crashing down around her. In a moment of spontaneity, Kate leaves her city life and takes a new role as Nurse Unit Manager at Birrangulla Base Hospital, but her dream move proves harder than expected.

Local café owner Joel O'Connor finds himself increasingly drawn to the gorgeous new nurse, but like Kate, he's been scarred by love and isn't looking to jump into anything. Yet their chemistry is hard to deny and after a near fatal incident, Joel and Kate find themselves opening up to one another.


Just when Kate thinks she's found love again, their fragile relationship is thwarted by their pasts. Can they both let go of their guilt and grief to move on to a bright new future?

My thoughts on the book:

This book is based in Australia it really make you want to visit and see the beauty that is described in the book. In the book Kate seems to have everything going for her, she is a nurse and she loves her job she has great family and friends and a boyfriend who she is madly in love with.  When she gets a shock of her life her first thing to do is run. She runs for anything and everything that seems not familiar. She meets Joel and becomes friends with him he is hide a secret and he to in his heart and mind is running from something, but doesn’t seem to realize it until Kate falls into his world.

I will stay this I wish the book had to prospective from it not just one (back and forth between what the guy was thinking to what the girl was thinking). At the beginning I felt like it seem a little all over the place, however that quickly changed. The book keeps you guessing and you really do find yourself drawn in and wanting to know what’s going to happen and what’s happening. I love how the book had a lot of heart and that the storyline over all was really good and well written. This book will not disappoint at some point I thought the book was winding down only to have a curve ball thrown in. If you are looking for a really cute love story with a little bit of action this is the one for you, you won’t regret it. I hope there are more to come this is one author I want to read more from. 

Where you can but the book:
www.amazon.com

Where you can connect with the author:
http://nickiedwards.net/

The Tumble Inn William Loizeaux

What's the book about:
Tired of their high school teaching jobs and discouraged by their failed attempts at conceiving a child, Mark and Fran Finley decide they need a change in their lives. Abruptly, they leave their friends and family in suburban New Jersey to begin anew as innkeepers on a secluded lake in the Adirondack Mountains. There they muddle through their first season at the inn, serving barely edible dinners to guests, stranding themselves in chest-deep snowdrifts, and somehow, miraculously, amid swarms of ravenous black flies, conceiving a child, a girl they name Nat. Years later, when Mark and Fran are nearing middle age and Nat is a troubled teenager, Mark's life is ripped apart, forever changed, and he must choose between returning to his old home in New Jersey or trying to rebuild what is left of his life and family in the place of his greatest joy anddeepest sorrow. The Tumble Inn is a moving drama about home and about the fragility and resilience of love.
 

My thoughts on the book:
Ok where do I begin with the book, have to say not my favorite book. The storyline was ok, I felt instead of reading a fiction book, I felt like I was reading a poorly written diary or journal, with so much detail it seemed to me a book on details more then a story. I kept waiting for a part to say "and then" "and than". The book did deal with tough things like them having a hard time getting pregnant, a job they don't like, telling a fib to try to get another job. But over all it just felt that it was a journal being written.


I was given a copy of this book for my honest review from netgalley

Where you can but the book:
www.amazon.com
www.barnesandnoble.com

 

Where you can connect with the author:
https://www.facebook.com/WilliamLoizeaux

Christmas in July Debbie Mason

What's the book about:

Grace Flaherty had given up hope of ever seeing her husband again. After all, it'd been over a year since he went missing in combat. So when he strides through the door of her bakery in downtown Christmas one sunny afternoon, she can hardly believe her eyes. But her happily-ever-after is going to take some effort - because Jack has no memory of his family.

All Jack Flaherty remembers about Christmas is that he couldn't wait to leave town. Now he's a local hero with a wife and son he doesn't know. Even as he struggles to rekindle the romance with his wife, he knows in his heart what he wants: a second chance at love.

 

 

 

My Thoughts on the book:

The book starts off really good and stays that way till the end I don't think there is a dull moment in this book, it keeps you wanting more. Right as I thought the book was ending the author would through another curve ball. Over all the story line was well written and very cute. She does a tribute to out men and women who serve and as an American who comes from a military family that means a lot to me. I think that only thing that is different about this book is it seemed like after one crisis was down another happened but if you think about that's how life works its not all fairy tales and everything is perfect, but for some readers you are so use to having everything be so "put together" in a book and in this case I love how the author did not do that, so over all the book was amazing and I cannot wait to read more from this author.

 

I got a free copy of this book from Netgalley for my honest option.

 

Where to find the book:

www.amazon.com

www.barnesandnoble.com

www.booksamillion.com

 

Where to catch up with the author:

http://www.authordebbiemason.com/

 

There are also links to her Facebook, Twitter on her website

 

 

And as always Enjoy Reading!!!!



A Woman of Fortune Kellie Coates Gilbert

What is the book about:

Texas socialite Claire Massey is living the dream. Her world is filled with designer clothes, luxury cars, and stunning homes. But her Neiman-Marcus lifestyle comes crashing down when her charming cattle broker husband is arrested for fraud. Suddenly, she finds herself facing attorneys, a media frenzy, and a trail of broken hearts. Betrayed and humiliated, Claire must start over against incredible odds to save her family--and discover a life worth living.

 

 

 

My thoughts on the book:

I would have to say on a a-f rating I would rate this a B. I did not dislike the book but I have to say it wasn't one of my favorites either. I felt the book draws you in and then it goes down and up and down till you get till about the middle of the book and then its stays really steady. I do like how the book talks about unconditional love in the hard times. There is a lot of how not all rich people but so rich people act high then thou attitudes and to me it seems a little extreme at times. Since this book is based on a rich family who goes through something and then as a family they are tested greatly, and everything they know has been thrown upside down. At some points I was wondering if I was reading a christian book faith is not a big thing in the book but it is underlined.
I have to say my favorite characters in the whole book were Max and Jana Rae and it was because they seemed like the most down to earth and realistic people. They truly show what God's Love is and I think that was what the author may have been going for. The biggest factor in this book is forgiveness, and how we need to forgive and don't let the past dictate the future. I read this book in 2 days only cause I had to work other wise it is a fairly quick read. On the 2nd morning I woke up and the first verse that came to mind is John 15:13 I looked it up and this is what it reads: Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.
When I started reading this again the 2nd day this verse came to mind again and I really feel that that sums this book up perfectly. Over all I would say read the book give it a shot you may feel different about it then I do. But in the end I would have to say this is probably not a book I would keep on my shelf.

I was given a free copy of this book by netgalley for my honest option.

 

 

Where you can find the book:

www.cbd.com

www.amazon.com

www.barnesandnoble.com

 

 

Where you can catch up with the author:

http://kelliecoatesgilbert.com/

you can also find links to her on Facebook, Twitter and Pinterest on her website

 

 

Enjoy your reading!!!

 



Second Chances by Rachel R. Vaughn

What its about:

Kate Strickland Ross is small-town attorney seeking election to a local judicial position, who has just discovered that her son Trey has been arrested for armed robbery and attempted murder in a neighboring college town. Although she is highly respected in the small town where she practices law, Kate has an ugly secret that, until now, she has successfully hidden for more than twenty years. Her son’s legal troubles and the sudden exposure of her dark past now threaten to ruin her chances of winning the election and to destroy relationships with the people she loves. Thanks to Wade Anders, a long-time friend to Kate and mentor to her son, she soon discovers that she is the target of an angry young man bent on revenge for misdeeds he believes Kate committed long ago against his deceased mother. It turns out that the vengeance-seeker, Andy, has been insinuating himself into the lives of the Ross family for years as part of a twisted plot to destroy Kate personally and professionally. Andy’s discovery of Kate’s secret gives him an advantage in his attempt to harm her reputation and, in his mind, insanely justifies the criminal rampage he has carried out thus far.

Kate is forced to face her past, along with the consequences it brings, and in doing so she has to unearth the enormous guilt that she has suppressed for decades. In the mean time, Wade, who is in love with Kate, desperately seeks evidence to clear her son’s name, and in the process, discovers that most of the people who have wronged Andy have wound up dead. Alarmed and convinced that Kate’s and Trey’s lives are in danger, Wade soon shockingly finds himself at Andy’s mercy, and he is compelled to reveal a long-held dark secret of his own which could devastate his own relationships with Kate and Trey

My thoughts on the book:

I could easily hands down give this book a four and a half stars out of five. From My understanding this is the authors first book and I think she did not pull out any stops for this book. I can not wait to read more from her. I can tell you this my only disappointment was I wish it was longer. The book keeps you on the edge of your seat from the first few pages. Its a complete page turner and you will be sad when it ends.

As Kate and Wade are both haunted from their past and you find the story being followed by a few people it does not get distracting at all it flows well. When they are forced to face the past there are so many involved it wont be easy to handle it. All the while Andy and Trey are brought together by school or so it seems, Andy has something to hide and it "appears" Trey does too, or does he?

Rachael Vaughn takes each character and gives them real life circumstances and flaws, she does a good job showing that God's grace is for everyone, not just who we think are perfect. A true book about second Chances. I really think that if you are looking for a quick read (should only take a few hours) and a page turn this here is your book. You can not go wrong!!

 

 

 

Where to get the book:

www.amazon.com
 

 

Where to meet the author:

 

www.rachaelrvaughn.com 

 

And as always if you read it please let me know your thoughts