Book Review: The Bridge Tender by MaryBeth Whalen

Book Review: The Bridge Tender by MaryBeth Whalen

"I received this book for free from BookLook Bloggers for this review”.

Book Review: A surprise gift from her late husband will give a young widow the chance to do the hardest thing in the world...move on.

On their honeymoon, the new Mr. & Mrs. Ryan Shaw made a pact: No matter the sacrifices along the way, one day they would return to Sunset Beach, NC--this time to buy their own home.

But that dream was not to be. Seven years into a beautiful marriage, Emily is left a widow, heartbroken, and way past caring about anything.

Until a man approaches her, claiming to have something left to her from Ryan. Something Secret.

Unsure if she can ever embrace a new life without her husband, but even less sure about continuing to stay where she is, Emily heads to the coast to keep her end of the promise she once made.

Without delay, she becomes immersed in the lives of the locals, including the reclusive bridge tender with an unexpected past. As the community debates over building a new bridge, Emily must decide whether she will build a bridge of her own, one that will take her out of a painful past and into the new life--and new love--that her lost love made possible. 

My Review: Romance and more romance....this book was a great one!! When the book arrived, I was immediately drawn in to the gorgeous photo of a sunset and 2 lovers walking across the bridge which led to the quaint little cottage. Simply breathtaking! The story begins by taking you to Sunset Beach where Emily Shaw and her husband Ryan are enjoying their honeymoon. Hanging on the beach, enjoying the local life and dreaming about one day owning their own place right at the beach. Sadly, the story takes an unknown turn and you realize that life for the Shaw's will no longer be that wonderful honeymoon. Little did Emily know that Ryan had a huge secret kept from her that could lead her life in a completely different, even wonderful direction. Within this secret lies a new start, a new place...a new life. Will she choose to keep her promise that she made to Ryan so many years ago...without him? Take a look and be swept away in this story of everything new and proof that happiness can be made, even from heaven :)

Book Review: Seasons of Tomorrow by Cindy Woodsmall

Book Review: Seasons of Tomorrow...Amish Vines and Orchards, Book 4 by Cindy Woodsmall

"I received this book for free from Blogging for Books for this review”.

Book Review: As love restores Rhoda, a sudden tragedy is the test of faith she never saw coming.

More settled in her heart than ever before, Rhoda Byler feels a newfound confidence living in the Old Order Amish settlement she helped establish in Orchard Bend, Maine. Time has helped to head the wounds of Rhoda's recent severed relationship, and she finds that even her unusual gift of profound intuition is less of a burden as she continues to seek God's wisdom for her future. She is happy to be working alongside the King family and the love of her life as they tend and nurture the settlement's orchard.

Yet when Leah King's involvement with Englischer Landon Olson becomes known outside of the Maine community, her disregard of the Ordnung could threaten all the Orchard Bend Amish are building. In the midst of addressing the discord, a shocking tragedy challenges the young settlement as never before, threatening to uproot Rhoda's peace. 

When several members of the Orchard Bend Farms are displaced, the estranged King brother is called upon to return. Can those who founded the new Amish community in Maine unite? Or will the lingering pain of past hurts and present struggles result in the end of their dreams? 

My Review: Rhoda and Jacob...Rhoda and Samuel...The King Brothers who are different in their own ways. Rhoda falls for one and then the other. Jacob leaves the area to deal with his loss of Rhoda and soon meets a woman very different from anyone he has ever been near. Could she become a friend he needs during this difficult family time or could she be even more? Rhoda wants a life with Samuel that the King father threatens on an everyday basis due to Rhoda's intuition that he believes to be witchcraft. Leah King, the sister of the King boys, falls for Landon, a worker in the Orchard who is an Englischer. When her father finds out, he asks Landon to not have any contact with her for one year. Will Leah and Landon's love survive a year apart?  The cover shows a beautiful blue eyed Amish beauty that gives you a visual of what Rhoda looks like. I like when the author does this as it gives you at least one person that you feel as though you know already when the story begins. Flowers in the background shows the beauty of what you will make out to be the orchard. A wonderful love story and a new favorite author for me. 2 thumbs up!