Sunday, February 26, 2017

Music for your heart -- A Note Yet Unsung

Opening the cover of Tamera Alexander's A Note Yet Unsung is an experience that will bring music to your heart. You step immediately into 19th century Nashville, Tennessee, and are swept into the lives of Rebekah Carrington and Tate Whitcomb and the parts they play in the fledgling Nashville Philharmonic.

From the opulence of Adelicia Acklen Cheatham's Belmont Mansion to the sparseness of Chicory Hollow this story is a journey filled with tears, laughter, and almost every emotion in between -- with love and music as the threads that tie everything together. A Note Yet Unsung is one of those books where you can get so lost in the story that you aren't sure whether you want to see how it all comes together or you want it to never end. The hardest part of reading the book was when I looked at the clock at 1:30 a.m. and realized I had to put it away to get a few hours of sleep before finishing the story.

Tamera Alexander has an incredible way with words and uses her awesome skill of mixing facts and fiction to craft breathtaking stories filled with characters so alive that you expect them to speak directly to you. Although they are stand-alone novels, all three of her Belmont Mansion novels have some commonalities that make the entire series worth reading in order. I highly recommend them to any fan of great inspirational historical fiction.

Thanks to Bethany House Publishers for providing a copy of this book. I am delighted to share my personal thoughts for this review.

About the Book:

A master violinist trained in Vienna, Rebekah Carrington manages to wheedle her way into an audition with the maestro at the newly formed Nashville Philharmonic. But women are "far too fragile and frail" for the rigors of an orchestra, and Rebekah's hopes are swiftly dashed because the conductor--determined to leave his mark on the world of classical music--bows to public opinion. To make matters worse, Adelicia Acklen Cheatham, mistress of Belmont Mansion and Rebekah's new employer, agrees with him.

Nationally acclaimed conductor Nathaniel Tate Whitcomb is Nashville's new orchestra leader. And despite a reluctant muse--and a strange buzzing and recurring pain in his head--he must finish composing his symphony before the grand opening of the city's new opera hall. But far more pressing, he must finish it for the one who first inspired his love of music--his father, who is dying. As Tate's ailment worsens, he believes Rebekah can help him finish his symphony. But how do you win back a woman's trust when you've robbed her of her dream?

As music moves us to tears yet makes our hearts soar, A Note Yet Unsung captures the splendor of classical music at a time when women's hard-won strides in cultural issues changed not only world history--but the hearts of men.

About the Author:

Tamera Alexander is a bestselling novelist whose works have been awarded or nominated for numerous honors, including the Christy Award, the RITA Award, and the Carol Award. After seventeen years in Colorado, Tamera and her husband have returned to their native South and live in Tennessee, where they enjoy spending time with their two grown children.

Tamera invites you visit her website, her blog, on Twitter, or Facebook.

Saturday, February 25, 2017

A very enjoyable collection -- An Amish Home

An Amish Home is quite possibly the best collection of Amish novellas that I have read. I have read several of these 3-4 story anthologies, and there is usually one that just doesn't strike me as well as the others. But each of these four authors penned a story that was very enjoyable.

Three of the stories are centered around an Amish family facing some kind of difficulties in their lives. The fourth focuses on an English couple who find warmth and kindness at the hands of a generous Amish employer and his family. In each case, the means of accepting and overcoming the challenges comes from the strength of home and family.

Due to the natural limitations of length in this type of collection, there is not as much time to develop the characters as in full-length novels and series. In each novella, though, the characters and plots are presented so well that is easy to jump right in and feel like you know these people and care about their stories. The pace of each story is very enjoyable as well.

I would highly recommend An Amish Home to fans of good Amish fiction. If you are familiar with these authors, you should enjoy the contribution each one makes to the collection. And if any of the authors are new to you, this is a great way to sample their work.

Thanks to BookLook Bloggers for providing a copy of this book. I am happy to share my thoughts in this review.

About the Book:

A Cup Half Full by Beth Wiseman—Sarah Lantz always dreamed of the perfect home, the perfect husband, the perfect family. When she married Abram, she knew she was on her way to securing her perfect life. All of that changes in one moment when an accident leaves her unable to walk and confined to a wheelchair, dashing all of her dreams. As Abram starts to transform their home, Sarah begins a transformation in her spirit, and she begins, once again, to see her cup as half full.

Home Sweet Home by Amy Clipston—Down on their luck and desperate after they are evicted from their small apartment, Chace and Mia O’Conner reluctantly take Chace’s Amish boss up on his offer to rent them the daadihaus located on his property. They are certain they will never feel at home in the rustic cabin without any modern conveniences, and they start to blame each other for their seemingly hopeless situation. But with the help of their new Amish friends, Chace and Mia begin to enjoy their cozy cabin and realize that home really is where the heart is.

A Flicker of Hope by Ruth Reid—Fifteen years ago, Thomas and Noreen King were blissful newlyweds. Young, naive, and in love, life was rosy . . . for a while. Then trials and tribulations rocked their foundation, shattering them emotionally, and soon, their marriage was in shards. All hope for restoring their previously unshakable union seems lost. When fire destroys their home, Thomas and Noreen are left to sift through the rubble. As uncovered items from the remains of the house shake loose memories of the past, Thomas and Noreen begin to draw closer and a flicker of hope—and love—is re-ignited.

Building Faith by Kathleen Fuller—Faith Miller knows that carpentry is an unlikely hobby for a young Amish woman, but she loves the work and it keeps the memory of her grandfather alive. So when her cousin asks Faith to build the cabinets in her new home, Faith is only too happy to take on the job, even if it is the most ambitious project she has ever taken on. The only catch is that she has to work with her ex-fiance, Silas. As they work to build Martha’s kitchen, can they put the past behind them and start to build faith in one another again?

About the Authors:

Beth Wiseman is the award-winning and bestselling author of the Daughters of the Promise, Land of Canaan, and Amish Secrets series. While she is best known for her Amish novels, Beth has also written contemporary novels including Need You Now, The House that Love Built, and The Promise.

Amy Clipston is the award-winning and bestselling author of the Kauffman Amish Bakery series. Her novels have hit multiple bestseller lists including CBD, CBA, and ECPA. Amy holds a degree in communication from Virginia Wesleyan College and works full-time for the City of Charlotte, NC. Amy lives in North Carolina with her husband, two sons, and three spoiled rotten cats. Visit her online at amyclipston.com Facebook: AmyClipstonBooks Twitter: @AmyClipston

Ruth Reid is a CBA and ECPA bestselling author of the Heaven on Earth series. She’s a full-time pharmacist who lives in Florida with her husband and three children. When attending Ferris State University School of Pharmacy in Big Rapids, Michigan, she lived on the outskirts of an Amish community and had several occasions to visit the Amish farms. Her interest grew into love as she saw the beauty in living a simple life. Visit Ruth online at ruthreid.com Facebook: Author-Ruth-Reid Twitter: @authorruthreid

Kathleen Fuller is the author of several bestselling novels, including A Man of His Word and Treasuring Emma, as well as a middle-grade Amish series, the Mysteries of Middlefield. Visit her online at www.kathleenfuller.com, Twitter: @TheKatJam, and Facebook: Kathleen Fuller.

Sunday, February 12, 2017

Engaging series conclusion -- Amish Weddings (with a GIVEAWAY)

(Be sure to read to the end of the post for a chance to win your own copy of Amish Weddings.)

I thought Leslie Gould was taking on quite a challenge when she began her Neighbors of Lancaster County, mixing Amish and English neighbors with a military element. But she brings together those and other conflicting plots in a very skillful way, culminating with this engaging series conclusion, Amish Weddings.

Most of the characters in this book are familiar from the previous installments, but they continue to grow and develop as their stories and circumstances change. This is not a cookie-cutter Amish romance, and there are plenty of twists and turns to keep the interest level high to the very end of the story.

Fans of Amish fiction should really enjoy Amish Weddings. I would recommend that you read the first two books in the series before this one for a more enjoyable reading experience.

Thanks to Bethany House and the author for providing a copy of this book. I was pleased to share my thoughts in this review.

About the Book:

Will Love Be Enough to Fix What Tragedy Threatens?

Gregarious Rose Lehman, who's always the life of the Amish youth singings, is determined to marry the bishop's son, Reuben Byler--until the handsome Army buddy of her future brother-in-law shows up in Lancaster County. In comparison to Trevor, Reuben seems downright boring. Trevor shares Rose's sense of fun and adventure, and her easygoing disposition.

When her sister Lila is injured in a devastating accident, Rose finds herself with more freedom than she's ever experienced in her life. Only Reuben seems to notice, but he never voices his concerns. Part of her relishes the freedom she's found with Trevor, but the other part wishes Reuben would finally express his love and "fight" for her. Have her choices ruined her best chance at love, or is there another path to happiness she just hasn't seen yet?

About the Author:

Leslie Gould is the author of the bestselling Courtships of Lancaster County series and coauthor, with Mindy Starns Clark, of the #1 bestselling The Amish Midwife. She holds an MFA in creative writing from Portland State University and has taught fiction writing at Multnomah University as an adjunct professor. She resides with her family in Portland, Oregon.

Giveaway:

I have a second copy of Amish Weddings that I would be glad to share with another reader. For a chance to win, please comment below by midnight on Thursday, February 16. I will randomly select the name of one commenter after that time. Be sure to include your email address so I can contact you if you are the winner.

Saturday, February 11, 2017

Encounters with the Savior -- The Women of Easter

In The Women of Easter, Liz Curtis Higgs uses her awesome gift of Bible-based storytelling to take readers into encounters with the Savior through the eyes of three women named Mary. Based on scripture from the gospels, Liz focuses on the days leading up to and including Christ's crucifixion and resurrection from the perspectives of this trio who knew Him well.

The presentation of scripture provides an easy to follow flow of events that strongly engages readers. It can also encourage readers to dig deeper into the Bible for greater understanding. On her website, Liz offers a free leader's guide for anyone interested in using her book for a group Bible study. (You can find the guide here.)

I highly recommend The Women of Easter for anyone who wants to better feel and understand what it was like to personally share in the experience of these important events in the life of Christ.

Thanks to the Blogging for Books program for providing a copy of The Women of Easter. I was pleased to share my thoughts about the book.

About the Book:

This Season of Grace, Deepen Your Faith in God Who So Loved the World that He Gave Us His Son.

You’re about to meet three women named Mary, each of whom has a life-changing encounter with Jesus. Mary of Bethany prepares the way for the Lord’s burial when she anoints His feet and fills the air with her perfume. His mother, Mary of Nazareth, remains by His side from His first breath to His last, her loyalty unwavering. Mary Magdalene, delivered of seven demons, bravely supports her Teacher through His darkest hours, then proclaims the glorious news of His resurrection.

What a trio. What a Savior!

Your mind and emotions will be engaged and your faith strengthened as each scene unfolds, preparing your heart for a richer, deeper Easter experience. Liz Curtis Higgs, a seasoned Bible teacher and award-winning novelist, combines her storytelling skills with a thorough verse-by-verse study of Scripture as together you explore the remarkable lives of The Women of Easter.

About the Author:

Liz Curtis Higgs has one goal: to help women embrace the grace of God with joy and abandon. Liz is the author of more than thirty books, with more than 4.6 million copies in print. In her best-selling series of Bad Girls of the Bible books, workbooks, and videos, Liz breathes new life into ancient tales about the most infamous—and intriguing—women in scriptural history, from Jezebel to Mary Magdalene. Biblically sound and cutting-edge fresh, these popular titles have helped more than one million women around the world experience God’s grace anew. The Bad Girls books include Bad Girls of the Bible, Really Bad Girls of the Bible, Unveiling Mary Magdalene, Slightly Bad Girls of the Bible, Rise and Shine, and Embrace Grace.

Liz also offers a twenty-first century take on the Biblical book of Ruth in The Girl's Still Got It, dishing out meat and milk, substance and style, in a highly readable, always entertaining, and deeply personal journey with one of the Good Girls of the Bible. And you'll find a heartwarming Bible study wrapped inside a beautiful gift book with The Women of Christmas. Verse by verse, Liz unwraps the biblical stories of Elizabeth, Mary, and Anna, who each welcome the Christ child into the world in a marvelous and miraculous way.

In her book The Women of Easter, Liz Curtis Higgs shines a spotlight on three Marys who play vital roles in the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus. 31 Verses to Write on Your Heart explores the favorite verses chosen by more than a thousand women. It's Good to Be Queen encourages readers to become as bold, gracious, and wise as the queen of Sheba, who journeyed across the desert to test the mind and heart of King Solomon.

This Season of Grace, Deepen Your Faith in a God Who So Loved the World that He Gave Us His Son.
You’re about to meet three women named Mary, each of whom has a life-changing encounter with Jesus. Mary of Bethany prepares the way for the Lord’s burial when she anoints His feet and fills the air with her perfume. His mother, Mary of Nazareth, remains by His side from His first breath to His last, her loyalty unwavering. Mary Magdalene, delivered of seven demons, bravely supports her Teacher through His darkest hours, then proclaims the glorious news of His resurrection.
What a trio. What a Savior!
Your mind and emotions will be engaged and your faith strengthened as each scene unfolds, preparing your heart for a richer, deeper Easter experience. Liz Curtis Higgs, a seasoned Bible teacher and award-winning novelist, combines her storytelling skills with a thorough verse-by-verse study of Scripture as together you explore the remarkable lives of The Women of Easter.
- See more at: http://www.lizcurtishiggs.com/books/the-women-of-easter/#sthash.Kio8KeZO.dpuf

More Amish History -- The Newcomer (with a GIVEAWAY)

(Be sure and read to the end of this post to find a chance for a great GIVEAWAY.)

A couple of years ago, Suzanne Woods Fisher penned Anna's Crossing, an awesome story based on some of the earliest days of Amish settlers in the United States. In response to her readers' thirst for more, she has continued the story of Anna, Bairn, and others in their early days in their new world. In The Newcomer, Suzanne weaves together some actual historical events and characters with details from her research and characters of her own imagination for a continuing look at early Amish life in Pennsylvania.

As always, Suzanne brings characters to life with the joys, difficulties, and challenges of their lives. Not every person and every situation has a "happy-ever-after" ending, but they all have their fair share of adventure. From devout church members to risk-taking searchers, the characters struggle to find their places and deal with right and wrong in making life-changing decisions.

In addition to the Amish history, Suzanne also brings in some history of another religious group from 18th-century Pennsylvania.

Because of the time and setting of the book, this is quite different from most Amish fiction. For readers interested in the history behind the fiction, The Newcomer is a fascinating read that I highly recommend.

Thanks to Celebrate Lit for providing a copy of this book and allowing me to participate in this tour. I was happy to share my thoughts about the story.

About the Book:

In 1737, Anna Konig and her fellow church members stagger off a small wooden ship after ten weeks at sea, eager to start a new life in the vibrant but raw Pennsylvania frontier. On the docks of Port Philadelphia waits bishop Jacob Bauer, founder of the settlement and father to ship carpenter Bairn. It’s a time of new beginnings for the reunited Bauer family, and for Anna and Bairn’s shipboard romance to blossom.

But this perfect moment cannot last. As Bairn grasps the reality of what it means to be Amish in the New World–isolated, rigid with expectations, under the thumb of his domineering father–his enthusiasm evaporates. When a sea captain offers the chance to cross the ocean one more time, Bairn grabs it. Just one more crossing, he promises Anna. But will she wait for him?

When Henrik Newman joins the church just as it makes its way to the frontier, Anna is torn. He seems to be everything Bairn is not–bold, devoted, and delighted to vie for her heart. And the most dramatic difference? He is here; Bairn is not.

Far from the frontier, an unexpected turn of events weaves together the lives of Bairn, Anna, and Henrik. When a secret is revealed, which true love will emerge?

About the Author:

Suzanne Woods Fisher is an award-winning, bestselling author of more than a dozen novels, including Anna’s Crossing, The Bishop’s Family series, and The Inn at Eagle Hill series, as well as nonfiction books about the Amish, including Amish Peace and The Heart of the Amish. She lives in California. Learn more at www.suzannewoodsfisher.com and follow Suzanne on Twitter @suzannewfisher.

Guest Post from Suzanne Woods Fisher:

Pennsylvania of 1737, the setting for The Newcomer, is like a foreign country. Parts of it might seem familiar—the same hills and creeks and blue sky, but we’d hardly recognize the settlers. People like Anna, or Bairn, or the mysterious Newcomer. We wouldn’t be able to understand their language, their customs and traditions. Their world was that different from our modern one.

The first group of Amish immigrants (first written about in Anna’s Crossing and followed up in The Newcomer) settled northwest of Philadelphia, then a vast wilderness, and relied on each other for safety, security, building projects, and church. In nearby Germantown, settlers were tradesmen, so they clustered houses together in small knots. The Amish farmers took out land warrants for sizeable properties and lived considerable distances from each other.

In The Newcomer, Anna cooked food in a cauldron over a large hearth. One-pot meals can trace their beginnings to open-hearth cooking when ingredients for a meal went into a large kettle suspended over the fire. Traditional dishes—ham and beans, pork and sauerkraut—used sturdy, available, and simple ingredients that improved with long, slow cooking. The dishes could be easily expanded when the need arose to set a few more places at the table. And it did, often. Large families and unannounced company inspired Amish cooks to find ways to “stretch the stew.”

Noodles (including dumplings and rivvels) could be tossed into a simmering broth to make a meal stretch. Most farms had a flock of chickens, so eggs were easily at hand. Today, homemade noodles are still a favorite dish.

Another “stew stretcher” was cornmeal mush, originally eaten as a bread substitute. Early German settlers who made their home in eastern Pennsylvania roasted the yellow field corn in a bake oven before it was shelled and ground at the mill. The roasting process gave a nutty rich flavor to the cornmeal. Mush is still part of the diet the Old Order Amish—cooked and fried, baked, added into scrapple, smothered in ketchup. Dress it up and you’ve got polenta.

Now here’s one thing we do have in common with 1737 Pennsylvania immigrants…a love of good food and a shortage of time! Here’s one of my favorite one-pot recipes—probably not the kind of stew Anna might have made for ship carpenter Bairn or the mysterious Newcomer (ah, which man one stole her heart?)…but definitely delicious. Enjoy!

Lentil Chili

Here’s one of my favorite “stew stretchers.” You can expand it even more by serving over rice.

Ingredients:
1 onion, diced
1 clove garlic, minced
10 c. water
1 lb. dry lentils
1 tsp. cumin
1 tsp. chili powder
1 tsp. salt (season to your taste)
½ tsp. pepper
2 c. salsa (your favorite variety)
29 oz. canned tomatoes, crushed

Click here to purchase your copy of The Newcomer.

Check out other reviews at the following Blog Stops on the tour.

February 7: cherylbbookblog

February 7: Moments Dipped in Ink

February 7: inklings and notions

February 8: Just Commonly

February 8: D’S QUILTS & BOOKS

February 8: Ashley’s Bookshelf

February 9: A Reader’s Brain

February 9: Genesis 5020

February 9: A Simple Life, really?!

February 10: Lane Hill House

February 10: Blogging With Carol

February 10: Eat, Read, Teach, Blog

February 11: Quiet Quilter

February 11: Daysong Reflections

February 11: Southern Gal Loves to Read

February 12: Christian Bookaholic

February 12: Jeanette’s Thoughts

February 12: Debbie’s Dusty Deliberations

February 13: Karen Sue Hadley

February 13: Just the Write Escape

February 14: Rhonda’s Doings

February 14: Bigreadersite

February 14: Book Bites, Bee Stings, & Butterfly Kisses

February 15: Blossoms and Blessings

February 15: Connie’s History Classroom

February 16: Bibliophile Reviews

February 16: Book by Book

February 17: Pause for Tales

February 17: A Holland Reads

February 18: A Greater Yes

February 18: The Power of Words

February 19: Lighthouse Academy

February 19: A Baker’s Perspective

February 20: By The Book

February 20: Giveaway Lady

Giveaway

To celebrate her tour, Suzanne is giving away a Kindle! Click below to enter. Be sure to comment on this post before you enter to claim 9 extra entries!

https://promosimple.com/ps/b0d1