A so-so Amish story -- Minding Molly

Minding Molly is the third of Leslie Gould's The Courtships of Lancaster County series.  As a fan of Shakespeare, Leslie is connecting each of these stories on one of his plays.  This one is based on A Midsummer Night's Dream.

Avid fans of Amish fiction (like me) will find some good elements in Minding Molly.  One of the things I enjoyed was a little different setting for the family farm than most of the other stories I've read.  Their living was made from growing and selling a variety of flowers and other plants, and the author provides a lot of good description of the different plants.  It is always fun in a series to revisit characters from earlier stories, and some old friends showed up in this book.

This was a hard book for me to get through, though, because it seemed to lack depth and flow and just got rather tedious at times.  There was was much more description of characters' conflicts and difficult attitudes than any real movement in the plot.  And some of the resolutions at the end of the story seemed to come rather abruptly and not so naturally.

All in all, this was not a bad story, just not a great one.  And I definitely will give Leslie Gould -- and even future books in this series -- another chance.

Thanks to Bethany House Publishers for providing a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

About the Book

Molly Zook Has Everything Planned Just Right.  Or So She Thinks!

 Molly Zook's always liked being in control, so she's struggling with her mother's wish that, to save the family farm, she marry Mervin Mosier. Especially after Molly meets Leon Fisher. He's from Montana but is now training horses at a nearby ranch. He's tall and muscular and confident--Molly has never met anyone like him and she's sure he feels the same about her.

Determined to let nothing get between them, Molly tries to coax Mervin into falling back in love with Molly's best friend, Hannah. A weekend camping trip in the Poconos could be just the place...but things quickly go awry, and it seems Leon and Hannah might be falling for each other instead! Will Molly keep struggling to control everyone and everything around her? Or will she learn to let God handle the twists and turns of her life?

 About the Author
Leslie Gould is the coauthor, with Mindy Starns Clark, of the #1 CBA bestseller The Amish Midwife, a 2012 Christy Award winner; ECPA bestseller Courting Cate, first in the Courtships of Lancaster County series; and Beyond the Blue, winner of the Romantic Times Reviewers' Choice for Best Inspirational Novel, 2006. She holds an MFA in creative writing from Portland State University and has taught fiction writing at Multnomah University as an adjunct professor. She and her husband and four children live in Portland, Oregon.  Learn more about Leslie at www.lesliegould.com.

A fun scavenger hunt -- A Beauty So Rare

Here's a scavenger hunt with a chance to win a copy of Tamera Alexander's awesome book, A Beauty So Rare.   Have fun and good luck!

 Join me for a Pinterest Scavenger Hunt and win 1 of 7 copies of USA Today bestselling author Tamera Alexander’s newest novel, A Beauty So Rare, the second standalone novel in the Belmont Mansion series. 

The questions are posted below and the giveaway runs through Sunday night, April 27. The answers to the questions can be found on Tamera's Pinterest page. Not on Pinterest? Doesn’t matter. You can still participate and find the answers by using this link. 

Your answers must be submitted to TameraAlexander@ymail.com (numbered 1 - 6) by Sunday, April 27, midnight Central to be entered into a drawing to win one of seven copies of A Beauty So Rare, the second standalone novel in the Belmont Mansion series. 

Questions for the Pinterest Scavenger Hunt

    1.     On the A Beauty So Rare board, find the pin that shares the seamstress who sewed the dress on the cover of A Beauty So Rare (featuring the heroine, Eleanor Braddock) and *click the pin* to discover what the seamstress’s most challenging part of making the pink dress was. 

    2.    On the A Lasting Impression board, find the pin where Tamera shares about the desert seasons in her life––those times that helped her write about a certain relationship in her novel, A Beauty So Rare. *Click the pin* to learn what specific relationship Tamera mentions in that blog. It’s the relationship between which two people?

    3.    On the My Novels board, find the pin where Tamera shares about the inspiration behind A Beauty So Rare. *Click it* and watch the video to learn the true history that ties the Belmont Mansion (the setting of A Lasting Impression and A Beauty So Rare) to the real Insane Asylum that existed in Nashville in the 19th century.

    4.    On the Recipes from my novels board, what's the recipe from A Beauty So Rare that’s posted about most often on that board (doesn't necessarily have the most re-pins)? It's also a favorite of Eleanor's.

    5.    On the My Loves board, find the pin that references Easter weekend then *click it* to learn what kind of fish Tamera caught this past weekend.

    6.    On the My Novels board, find the pin for the book trailer for A Beauty So Rare, then *click it* to watch the video. What is it that Aunt Adelicia is determined to find for Eleanor?

7. BONUS: LIKE Tamera's Facebook Page for an extra chance to win.

In your email, remember to number your answers from 1 to 6, like this:

1. Answer 

2. Answer

3. Answer

4. Answer

5. Answer

6. Answer

Hope you have fun with it!

Note: Pinterest is not sponsoring this promotion nor are they formally affiliated with it. 

A transparent story of love and perseverence -- The Gift of Love

In The Gift of Love Amy Clipston shares a very open, transparent look at the joys and struggles she and her family endured in a life-and-death journey toward healing for her husband.

The 200-plus pages of this book make for a very quick read.  The story is written in such a way that leaves you feeling like you've just sat down and had a long conversation with a friend.  Amy comes across as very honest about the details -- big and small -- and her feelings -- good and bad.  The story shows real people, with real problems and real questions, persevering with real faith.  Their journey is an inspiration for others to press on while waiting for God to work things out in His timing.

The Gift of Love is a touching story sure to be enjoyed by fans of Amy's Amish fiction and by anyone affected by severe illness or organ donation.

Thanks to the BookLook Bloggers program for providing this book free of charge in exchange for my honest review.

About the Book:

Bestselling author Amy Clipston overcame hardship and tragedy early in her marriage, but nothing could have prepared her for the trials she would face when her husband was diagnosed with kidney disease shortly before the birth of their first son. With nearly 100,000 people needing kidney transplants, Joe was on a long list of recipients waiting for a match.

After watching her husband suffer through transplants, a rejected kidney, and interminable dialysis, Amy took the ultimate risk in the hopes of saving her husband’s life and the life of a woman she didn’t even know. Through the John Hopkins paired donor program, Amy donated her kidney so that Joe would receive one from a matching donor.

Amy’s story is one of strength, courage, and patient endurance in the face of an uncertain future. Readers will be inspired by her resilience, encouraged by her faith, and humbled by the realization that they too are ultimately helpless without the power of God.

The Gift of Love will appeal to readers who are fans of Amy’s fiction and those who are facing health challenges of their own.

About the Author:

Amy Clipston is the award-winning and best-selling author of the Kauffman Amish Bakery series. Her novels have hit multiple best-seller 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 four spoiled rotten cats. Visit her online at www.amyclipston.com. Facebook: AmyClipstonBooks Twitter: @AmyClipston