Stealing the Preacher by Karen Witemeyer

Another fun book from Karen Witemeyer. Not too long ago I read her previous book, Short-Straw Bride. This book is about the younger brother of the "hero" in the previous book. This book, however, will stand alone. If this is the only one you read you will still have a great read! Joanna's father, a reformed outlaw, kidnaps a preacher for her off the train for her birthday because her dream is to fill the pulpit in their tiny church. The preacher in question is on the way to try out for a position in a neighboring town. His name is Crockett Archer. Not pleased with the turn of events, he eventually gets pulled in to Joanna's dreams anyway and pastors her church. There is the predictable marriage-hungry young lady and her mama to throw a monkey wrench into the works but Crockett and Joanna only have eyes for each other. Just a fun tale. I highly recommend it for some light reading.


I received a copy of this book from Bethany House for review. I did not receive any compensation for completing the review. All opinions are my own.

Sweet Mercy by Ann Tatlock

This book takes place in 1931, with a prologue and epilogue in 1981. The time frame of the book is during Prohibition and the time when all the big names in crime such as Al Capone were on the scene. Eve moves from a high crime area in St. Paul, MN to Mercy, OH where her uncle has a hotel/resort in what she views as a small town / safe area. As it all transpires, she finds out that bootlegging and illegal activity is widespread and not exclusively in the big city. She meets some interesting people and finds out some interesting things about herself as she works in Mercy.


This book was fascinating to me because it is the time frame in which my mother grew up and she would have been close to the same age as Eve. She grew up in rural Oklahoma, but I'm sure a lot of the headlines and news stories were the same.


I love the characters in this book and the way the story flows. I would not have normally chosen a book on this era to read but I found it fascinating and noteworthy and would recommend it to anyone who just enjoys a good story with some surprising twists and turns.


I received a copy of this book from Bethany House for review. I did not receive any compensation for completing the review. All opinions are my own.

The Outcast by Jolina Petersheim

This story takes place in an Old Order Mennonite community in Tennessee. The story is told in first person by Rachel, the main character in the story and by her old bishop Amos King, now deceased. This was an unusual way to tell a story and some questionable theology involved, but very effective nonetheless. The story was a page turner. I never put it down till I finished it.


This book purports to be a "modern retelling of The Scarlet Letter." Since I don't remember a whole lot about that classic that I had to read at some point in school I didn't have a whole lot to compare here except public attitude, which is, I believe, a big part of The Scarlet Letter.


The characters here are very believable and all have an issue or story of their own which make them very interesting to the reader.


It involves adultery, cancer, twins, young love, loss and a myriad of other situations but surprisingly it all weaves into a very compelling story and does not lead you to the conclusion that the author had an overactive imagination to come up with so much trouble for everybody. I had that experience with another book I read recently but this one did not have that feeling to it at all.


Since the blurb that Amazon offers on this book is very appropriate to the story, I will not give away any plot by embellishing on it. I will just say that this author is one you will want to watch in the future!


I received a copy of this book from Tyndale for review. I did not receive any compensation for completing the review. All opinions are my own.

A Noble Groom by Jody Hedlund

This was a fun book that I could not put down. I read right through it. It is about German immigrants that came to the U.S. around 1880 to escape oppression in their homeland. My own ancestors came here around that same time and settled in Ohio. These immigrants settled in Michigan.


The story is about Carl Richards, really the son of the noble family that ruled in the area the immigrants came from in Germany. His father was whose oppression they had escaped. When Carl is falsely accused of attempted murder in Germany, he flees to Michigan at the behest of his manservant whose brother is living in Michigan. The brother is awaiting a relative being sent to marry his widowed daughter and take over her farm. Carl arrives ahead of the prospective groom and helps on the farm while hiding from the law.


The characters were interesting and likable and the book was well researched. I learned a lot about that day and time that was very interesting to me. Even though my ancestors settled in a city rather than on farms, I felt I learned a lot about what their lives may have been like. But more than that, this was just a good story that left me wanting more.


I received a copy of this book from Bethany House for review. I did not receive any compensation for completing the review. All opinions are my own.

Road Trip to Redemption by Brad Mathias

This is a wonderful book and all parents should read it. Brad Mathias is a minister and he thought he had the parenting thing all figured out until something went wrong for his daughter and he had to rethink everything. Not only did he find out that his way wasn't working, he found out there weren't any cut and dried answers and that it takes a lot more work and dedication to be a parent. But the key thing, in my opinion, is that God spoke to him on more than one occasion and he chose to listen and follow. It wasn't the easiest course of action but it was the right one.


Part of Brad and his wife's journey through this rough patch included an actual road trip where parents and teens reconnected with each other and with God.


This book should be read by every parent who needs these insights to continue their own journey in parenting their precious children. Even I, as a grandmother, gained much insight into some of the things I have observed along the way.


I received a copy of this book from Tyndale for review. I did not receive any compensation for completing the review. All opinions are my own.

Meal Time Devotions by John Avery Whitaker

Everyone in our house loves Adventures in Odyssey and Whit's End. So when I got the opportunity to review this book I was excited! Family devotion time can be a snooze for some families especially when they have a wide range of ages in the family. Not so these devotions. Each devotion is one page long. It starts with a prayer and then moves on to the "Appetiser" which is a game or a demonstration of some sort that everyone can participate in. Then the main course is a short idea to get you thinking, followed by Table Talk which is a series of discussion points or questions. The last snippet is "vitamins and minerals" which is a scripture verse that ties it all together. This is a fun way to get everyone involved, even the teenagers.



If you love Adventures in Odyssey, you will enjoy this book of 90 family devotions (3 months worth)!


I received a copy of this book from Tyndale for review. I did not receive and compensation for completing the review. All opinions are my own

Swept Away by Mary Connealy

This is another great story by Mary Connealy! I have been gobbling up her books since the very first one and waiting with great anticipation for the next installment. I love her sense of humor! I hope I am still around ten years from now and Mary is still writing books because they just get better and better. This one is even better than all the previous ones. She has refined her art and this one just sings!


This book is the first in the Trouble in Texas series. Luke Stone is working with his war buddies to recover the ranch that was stolen from him. He finds Ruthy MacNeil along the way, half-drowned from being swept away by a flash flood. He takes her along with him for lack of a better plan and she proves to be as big an asset in the plan to recover the ranch as all the former soldiers. This books is a real page-turner and I am now waiting anxiously for book number 2 in this series. Also hoping this book comes out on Audio soon so my daughter can enjoy it too.