The Gift -- A taste of Amish suspense

Shelley Shepard Gray's The Gift is another very enjoyable story in her Amish of Hart County series.

There is the expected Amish romance, with an nice dose of conflict, tension, and suspense in the story. There are lots of questions about who might be the "villain," questions that kept me guessing throughout most of the book. The characters were interesting and kept me engaged in the story.

I would recommend The Gift to Amish fiction fans.  The books in this series are not really tied together except by location, so reading them in order is not a necessity. The story is set around Christmas time, making it very appropriate to read at this time of year, or any time at all.

Thanks to Litfuse Publicity Group for providing a copy of The Gift.  I was happy to share my own thoughts for this review.

About the Book:

The Schwartz family is happy to be spending Christmas on their new farm in Hart County. But when Susanna Schwartz hears gunshots that causes her buggy to overturn, and then her little sister falls through a wooden bridge into the icy creek, it becomes clear from these dangerous "accidents" that someone wants them gone.

Neil Vance has been heartbroken ever since his parents lost their family farm. He knows it's not the Schwartz family's fault, but he can't help but be resentful. Until he meets Susanna. She is kind-hearted and bold, and Neil can't stop thinking about her pretty green eyes.

Neil thinks the accidents are just that, but Susanna's father is convinced the Vance family is responsible. Susanna refuses to believe Neil would do anything to harm her. She's fallen in love with him and knows he is a good man. But her family is ready to pack up and move, and time is running out to uncover the truth before someone gets hurt. . . or worse.

About the Author:

Shelley Shepard Gray is a New York Times and USA Today bestselling author, a finalist for the American Christian Fiction Writers prestigious Carol Award, and a two-time HOLT Medallion winner. She lives in southern Ohio, where she writes full-time, bakes too much, and can often be found walking her dachshunds on her town's bike trail.

An awesome story -- Chasing Secrets

Each book in Lynette Eason's Elite Guardian series has been awesome -- and Chasing Secrets is the best of all!

The women -- and man -- of the Elite Guardian agency are great at what they do, even when it is one of their own who needs their help.  The suspense and action move at just the right pace, and there is plenty of time for taking care of other folks . . . and a little romance on the side.

Chasing Secrets would be great as a stand-alone, but why not check out the whole series?  I think you will be glad you did!

About the Book:

Intensity. Skill. Tenacity.
The bodyguards of Elite Guardians Agency have it all.

When a photo leads investigators in West Ireland to open a twenty-five-year-old cold case, Elite Guardians bodyguard Haley Callaghan's life is suddenly in danger. Haley knows how to take care of herself; after all, she's made a career out of taking care of others. But after she has an uncomfortably close call, Detective Steven Rothwell takes it upon himself to stay with her--and the young client she has taken under her wing. A protector at heart, he's not about to let Haley fight this battle alone.

In a sweeping plot that takes them into long-buried memories--and the depths of the heart--Haley and Steven will have to solve the mystery of Haley's past while dodging bullets, bombs, and bad guys who just won't quit.

About the Author:

Lynette Eason is the bestselling author of the Women of Justice series, the Deadly Reunions series, and the Hidden Identity series, as well as Always Watching, Without Warning, Moving Target, and Chasing Secrets in the Elite Guardians series. She is the winner of two ACFW Carol Awards, the Selah Award, and the Inspirational Readers' Choice Award. She has a master's degree in education from Converse College and lives in South Carolina. Learn more at www.lynetteeason.com.

 

Finding faith and home -- Home All Along

Beth Wiseman's Home All Along finishes up her Amish Secrets series, stories filled with struggles and joys for a variety of characters -- both Amish and English.

Beth has filled her story with interesting characters, acting and interacting in many complex relationships.  Several events happen that keep the interest level high and the search for the resolution of questions engaging throughout much of the story.  Lessons of trust, love, and forgiveness play out as new issues come up and new characters come on the scene.  Making difficult choices requires evaluating what is important, what faith is all about, and how to find a place that can really be home.
 
Home All Along could probably be enjoyed on its own, but reading the entire series would make the details much more meaningful.  Charlotte's journey from her living a typical English life in Texas to her life in Amish Country is an important thread throughout all three books.  Her connection to her Amish friends, whom she learns to think of as family, is also much better understood after reading the entire series.

Thank you to BookLook Bloggers for providing a copy of the book.  I am happy to share my own thoughts in this review.

About the Book:

Charlotte, an Englisher, is living in Amish Country, and she has formed strong and lasting bonds with the people in her new community. She has even fallen in love with an Amish man. But just when she is considering a permanent conversion to the Amish way of life, her world crashes around her. An unexpected death and a mysterious visitor unsettle Charlotte, and she begins to question her faith and her choices.

Daniel loves Charlotte and wants to share his life with her, even it if means leaving the only world he’s ever known. But as he walks alongside of her through her struggles, his own world is turned upside down when a loved one receives a grim medical diagnosis and a prodigal relative returns home. Will Charlotte and Daniel’s relationship succumb to the many pressures around them, or will their faith and the strong community around them allow them to weather the storms of their own lives in order to build a life together?

About the Author:

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.