Secretly Smitten

I've been looking forward to returning to Smitten, Vermont ever since I finished the first book in the series. Sometimes the second book's a disappointment but not when you have four talented writers who know their craft well. 

Once again I was transported to a town I'd jump at the chance to live in surrounded by characters I grew to love.  Tess, Clare and Zoe as well as their extended family are people I know I'd like to know. The only drawback is the book comes to an end (a very satisfy one at that) ... but I believe there's more in the works. When the next Smitten book is available you can bet I'll be one of the first to get a copy.  Thank you Colleen, Kristin, Diann and Denise for creating this continuing community of romance and faith.

 

Book Description

Summer, fall, winter, spring—Smitten, Vermont, is the place for love . . . and mystery!
There’s a secret in Grandma Rose’s attic—a forgotten set of dog tags belonging to her first love. But David Hutchins was killed in action and never returned to Smitten. How did the dog tags end up in the attic?
The mystery intrigues Rose’s three granddaughters—Tess, Clare, and Zoe—and they decide to investigate, though their mother, Anna, warns against meddling. But as the seasons turn and the mystery unravels, the three young women and their mother encounter some intriguing mystery men of their own. Has a sixty-year-old puzzle sparked something new for this close-knit family of women?
Join popular romance novelists—and real-life BFFs—Colleen Coble, Kristin Billerbeck, Diann Hunt, and Denise Hunter for four delightful intertwined tales of mystery and sweet intrigue.

An Angel by Her Side

 

To be honest I knew when I picked up this book I would like it. Ruth Reid is a very good writer. Her Heaven on Earth series is one of the best Amish series I've read. She adds a twist to a popular genre that keeps it fresh.

An Angel by Her Side hooked me in from the first sentence and did not let me go until the end.  I could not put this book down. I was so caught up in the story of Katie and Seth that I shed happy tears at the end. I love to read a book that's so well written the characters seem not only real but like people you would love to have in your life.

Book Description

Please note that this is Book 3 in the A Heaven on Earth series
Katie has lived through tragedy and heartache. But with the angel Elias by her side, the best years of her life are just ahead.
When Katie Bender’s fiancé died in a tragic accident, so did her hope of finding love. Though heartbroken, Katie is also practical. In the years since the accident she has discovered her gift for teaching. But when a tornado destroys her small Amish settlement, including the schoolhouse, Katie doesn’t know how she will provide for herself.
Seth Stutzman arrived in Hope Falls days before the storm. And when he helps usher Katie and the children to safety, sparks fly. But Seth is only in town to help his brother, Amos, get back on his feet following the death of his wife. He can’t afford to have feelings for Katie.
Rebuilding the community is a huge task, and soon, Katie and Seth are working side by side. As they privately wrestle with their feelings for each other, another silent—and ultimate—battle for their hearts rages unseen.
Sworn to protect what God has ordained, the mighty angel Elias appears to them as a mysterious visitor. And with his guidance, Katie and Seth find the courage to take the first small steps toward the life, and love, they were destined for.

 

 

In An Amish Kitchen three talented writers join together to give us three lovely stories of faith and love. The stories are well written and short but sweet. I highly recommend this book to those that share my fascination with the Amish.

  

Book Description

The Amish Kitchen is the Heart of the Home – and the Ideal Setting for Stories of Love and Hope.
Fall in Paradise, Pennsylvania, always brings a brisk change in the weather. This season also ushers in unexpected visitors, new love, and renewed hope for three women.
Fern has a green thumb for growing healing herbs, but longs for love to bloom in her life. Then the next-door neighbor’s oldest son, Abram, comes running into Fern’s kitchen seeking help for his little sister. The crisis soon leads to a promise of romance—until mistrust threatens to end the growing attraction.
Nearby, Hannah runs her parents’ bed and breakfast, Paradise Inn—but her life feels nothing like Paradise. She longs for a man of integrity to enter her life, but never expected him to knock on the front door looking for a room. Will she be able trust Stephen with her future once she discovers his mysterious past?
When a storm blows a tree onto Eve’s farmhouse, she has little choice but to temporarily move her family into her parents’ home. Outside of cooking together in the kitchen, Eve and her mother can’t agree on anything. But this may be just the recipe for hope in healing old wounds.
Three Amish stories—each celebrating love, family, and faith—all taking place in a tight-knit community where the kitchen truly is the heart of the home.
Also Includes Reading Group Guide and 45 Old Order Amish Recipes

 

 

 Recently I have become swept up by the Amish Fiction movement. Good thing too, since Amish stories are in great demand right now. Kelly Long's A Marriage of the Heart kept me turning the pages.  Three stories in one book is a bonus any time, but this one is outstanding!  I especially enjoyed the second book: Christmas Cradles. I did not put the book down once I started.  Up all night but worth every moment.

 

Book Description

Three Stories That Share the Adventures of First Love and Second Chances.
A Perfect Secret—Rose Bender’s betrothed, Luke Lantz, is safe and dependable, maybe a little too much so. Or so she thinks until she sees him in the woods one night and discovers a secret he’s been keeping. Now his secret haunts her. She wasn’t sure about marrying a man she knew too well. But should she marry a man she doesn’t understand at all?
Christmas Cradles—When Anna Stolis takes over for her aunt, the local midwife, Christmas night heats up with multiple deliveries, three strangers’ quilts, and unexpected help from the handsome and brooding Asa Lapp.
A Marriage of the Heart—Since her mother’s death, Abigail Kauffman has lived alone with her father. She longs to escape the emptiness of the farmhouse that has never felt like home. Joseph Lambert is a newcomer in their close-knit community. Only after suddenly marrying do they begin to understand the tender truths of life-long love.

Dead Wrong by Susan Sleeman

Dead Wrong is the second book in the Justice Agency series. Susan Sleeman does an excellent job of creating characters the reader can't help but care for.  I actually found myself forgetting these aren't real people. Susan's a gifted writer and has given us another book full of suspense that keeps the reader on the edge of their seat.

Kat Justice and Mitch Elliot both have painful experiences from their past they need to overcome to be able to have a happy relationship. With a killer hot on the their trail it isn't easy. I enjoyed  the fast pace and inspirational quality. Full of twist, I was completely surprised at the ending. Well Done!

Back of the Book
When her client and old college friend is murdered, P.I. Kat Justice knows the killer will come for her next. Her survival depends on finding her unknown enemy first…and working with homicide detective Mitch Elliot, her onetime crush. It'll take all her professional skills to ignore the sparks between them, but Kat can't allow the handsome cop to get close. She's seen too many people she loves die, so she vows just to do her job without getting emotionally involved. Yet keeping her distance may not be the best way to protect her heart—or their lives.

 

 

 

I have enjoyed the Land of Canaan series and looked forward to this newest addition. It's more than your typical Amish story. At first I questioned the idea of an Amish man being willing to leave his faith for an Englisher he isn't in love with. As the story unfolds I found it to be one of the best reads I've had in a long time. I read 4-5 books a week so that says a lot. I did not put the book down until I reached the last page. Beth Wiseman had me in the palm of her hand the entire time.

Book Description

An unplanned pregnancy. An absent father. Can love really endure all things?
Danielle Kent is anything but Amish. But as destiny would have it, she has fallen in love with an Amish man.
Now she’s 18, pregnant, and hopeful that the child’s Amish father—Matthew Lapp—will do the right thing and marry her. She knows Matthew plans to leave his Colorado settlement for a life in the Englisch world. But that plan never included a baby.
When Matthew walks away from her and their unborn child, she has nowhere to turn. Her unlikely friendship with Levi offers some comfort—yet they have so little in common. This wasn’t the plan she had for her life, and she has never felt so alone. She doesn’t want to be pregnant. Doesn’t want to be Amish. Doesn’t want to trust God.
And yet.
God has plans beyond what her mind can imagine . . . loving plans to show a lost young woman that His love never fails but endures forever.

Faithful to Laura, by Kathleen Fuller is the story of an Amish girl who has suffered physical and emotional trauma from the man she thought she loved. She struggles to forgive him as is the Amish way but she instead seeks revenge. She meets an Englisher who's been adopted by an Amish family as a teenager. Their painful pasts bring them together. I would recommend to anyone that enjoys reading Amish romances.

Book Description

Laura’s Amish faith requires her to forgive, but she can only think of revenge.
Laura Stutzman leaves her Kentucky community for Middlefield, Ohio, with one purpose: to find Mark King, the man who pledged his love to her, then left. She can’t move on with her life until he explains why.
Sawyer Thompson is a Yankee who spent his teen years in an Amish home. Now an adult, he has to make a decision—go back to the life he knew as a child or join the church. Having suffered loss at a young age, he understands Laura’s anger, but is determined to follow God’s will and forgive. As their friendship grows, Laura begins to let her guard down.
New information about Sawyer’s past threatens the couple’s budding relationship. Both Laura and Sawyer will need to release the anger they’re storing in their hearts and forgive the people who’ve harmed them. As Laura struggles to trust God, will Sawyer do whatever it takes to remain faithful to Laura?