Book Review: Murder...Simply Brewed, An Amish Village Mystery by Vannetta Chapman

 

Book Review: Murder...Simply Brewed, An Amish Village Mystery by Vannetta Chapman

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

Book Review: When the coffee shop manager is murdered in Middlebury's Amish Artisan Village, two women from different walks of life must join forces to solve the mystery.

Spring has arrived in Middlebury, Indiana, and Amber Wright is optimistic about the growing profit from her collection of Amish shops--until she receives a call that Ethan Gray is dead. Hurrying over to A Simple Blend, she finds a solitary hole in the front window and the store manager lying next to the espresso machine, dead from an apparent heart attack. All the money is still in his register.

When Amber hires a young Amish woman, Hannah Troyer, to take over the shop's duties, the two women become fast friends--as well as amateur sleuths. The police believe Gray's death is a by-product of vandalism, but Amber and Hannah aren't convinced. 

Clues that don't add up, a neighbor who is pulled into the midst of the investigation, a town with secrets to hide, and a blossoming romance--all will combine to push Amber and Hannah into unfamiliar roles in order to reveal answers to the mysteries around them.

My Review: Intrigue, Romance, Murder....this book has it! Just spotting the front cover of the book made me went to curl up with my own cup of coffee and dive in! Amber Wright is owner of a village filled to the rim with everything Amish; Quilt shop, homemade coffee, bakery, etc...a fine idea indeed. Yet when she receives a phone call that something has happened at the Amish coffee house and finds Ethan dead next to the register, the idea has turned horrid! As time goes by, other strange things begin happening on the property and within other shops. Was someone against the idea of the Amish Artisan Village? Amber moves Hannah from the quilt shop to the coffee shop in hopes of returning the business back to its original splendor, but dealing with nasty delivery men and others could scare her from the establishment and back to the quilt shop where all is quiet. Once the funeral comes about, there are many strange reactions by some within Ethan's family....his wife, sister, friends...were any of them tied into this or was it just a bunch of unruly teenagers up for a good laugh? While trying to make her way through the mystery, Amber befriends a man who lives on the other end of the property and sparks begin to fly. Hannah and Amber also become friends while trying to decipher what could be happening to cause all of the commotion in the village. Will everything become seen once the the coffee steam clears?

Book Review: A Still of Chimes...A Novel by Meg Moseley

Book Review: A Stillness of Chimes...a novel by Meg Moseley

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

Book Review: What if the echoes of past heartaches uncovered an unknown sacrifice that changes everything? 

When teacher Laura Gantt comes home to Prospect, Georgia, to settle the household of her recently deceased mother, the last thing she expects to encounter is a swirl of rumors about the father she lost to the lake twelve years ago--that he has reportedly been seen around town. Elliott Gantt's body was never found and he was presumed dead.

Reeling from the sharp loss of a parent, Laura must now grapple with painful memories surrounding her father's disappearance and the sense of abandonment she experienced after his report death. Life-long friend and former beau Sean Halloran wants nothing more than to protect Laura from the far-fetched stories of Elliott's resurrection and to care for her, but he has his own reasons, troubling echoes from his childhood, to put Elliot's disappearance to rest. 

Working together, Laura and Sean begin to uncover the truth, one mired in the wooded peaks and deep waters of the Blue Ridge Mountains surrounding Prospect. Can they fathom how many secrets the steep hills hold? With surprising facts revealed, will Laura be able to understand the sacrificial choices made that forever changed her life? And can love and a peace with God be rekindled in her heart after so much time has passed?

My Review: Berries...is that juice or blood?! When this novel arrived and I had a look at the cover, it intrigued me. Is this an innocent story that involves lovely juicy berries or is the juice of those berries a metaphor of murder?

Laura Gantt arrives home just after her mother passes away to take care of the family home and get things in order when she begins to hear rumors that her father, that years back was lost in a drowning accident, was seen by many around town and is, in fact...alive. Does she want to relive the bad memories surrounding his death as being either an accidental drowning or a possible murder and dwell into the past that is now present to find her father? Now feeling abandonment since she believes that is alive, what are the answers behind his reasons? Her life-long friend and former love, Sean Halloran tries to keep her away from the rumors to avoid the pain and hurt that she may endure if the rumors turn out to be true, but once he begins to believe the rumors as well, the only thing to do is join the love of his life in a search that could bring her closure....and that much closer to the happiness she wants. Will she find her father and true love? 

My take on things...

Just yesterday, I was reading a blog that someone had written and a few friends shared on Facebook. It had to do with when is "enough enough" when it comes to the Elf on a Shelf, Leprechaun, etc... Those friends agreed that, yes, they had enough. I was kind of perplexed as to the attitudes when it came to this subject. 

In our house, yes, we have an elf, although ours was sent from the North Pole and has a different look than the ones you see in stores...Pixy is an "original." 

We also do a "Countdown to Christmas" that involves filling little stockings during the 12 Days of Christmas.

Mommy, Daddy or the kids are able to slip something into the other's stocking just to let them know they are thinking about them....a note, piece of candy, etc...

In February, we did a "Countdown to Valentine's Day" by baking a different dessert everyday up until hearts day! Check out our Valentine Skewers! Just use 2 different kinds of jelly candies in a heart shape (one sugared, one not), some mini marshmallows and wooden skewers...voila!

We have a leprechaun who visits 1 week before St. Patrick's Day and causes all kinds of mischief! 

We try, but have yet to catch him before he leaves our house for the year. Mommy is also a baking creator this same week. Leprechaun food anyone? Simply green grapes tossed with lime gelatin powder and frozen!

Don't get me started on the fact that I do still make homemade Halloween costumes (give me a box and some spray paint and I can make just about anything) and Valentine Boxes. 

Everyone is entitled to their own opinions...that is what freedom of speech is all about :)

In the meantime, we will continue our world of fun in the King House. Do our kids expect it? No. Is it something we have continued to do because it adds that extra little smile to their already smiling faces? Absolutely!!

 Hmm....which holiday is next?!! ;)

The Towel Test

So, as everyone knows, I lost 50 lb in 2012 on Weight Watchers (193 lb to 143 lb)...go me!!! I absolutely loved having all of that excess weight gone...goodbye!! My clothes fit better, I had more energy to run around with my kids, etc...but what was the best thing in the world? Are you ready for this?!! My towel actually went all the way around me when I got out of the shower!

I know that to most people, this means nothing, but it was one of those "take for granted" things that meant the world to me!

We have decent sized bath towels, not pool towels, but not puny bath towels. Anytime I would ever get out of the shower, I would pull the towel from front to back and tuck it in right at my chest area to keep it on while I did my facial routine. I had major issues with the fact that it would tuck well on top, but when I would look downward towards my hip area, I could see that the towel was not fully shut in the front. Shut to where I was covered, but not evenly measured shut from the top of the towel down. Once my weight came off, it was completely even all the way. Aaah!!!! Like a breath of fresh air!

After getting pregnant with my 7th child and wanting to enjoy the pregnancy (and I did ;), I put back on that 50 lb (+1). I have since lost 25 lb of it and am working to get off the other 26 still hanging around like a house guest that overstays his welcome....get out!!

I am now using "The Towel Test" as my inspiration to get it all back off again. I am back on Weight Watchers, have made another goal chart and am doing 15 minute cleanings along with Just Dance to get it all off once again and am as determined as always! Starting at 25 lb lighter this time around, I have found that the towel is once again open, but not nearly as much as a few years back. Pressing forward and awaiting the day that the towel will be fully closed once again :)

Wordless Wednesday....Focused.

Oh man...do I have a lot of kids!!

Could it be possible to not even realize how many kids you actually have until clean out season comes and you begin to see it. Right it front of you. Stuff. Boom!

After taking down the Christmas decorations this year, once again I decided to continue with my new found tradition of an early "Spring Cleaning." I can't believe how much junk I have found in drawers, cabinets, closets, toy boxes, etc... Has all of this stuff been here all along and I never noticed or am I walking down a different road, one always looked down, but never truly walked....Purge Blvd. Yes, my house is usually very clean and yes, I clean out often, but still maybe not often enough? I am a huge yard sale seller, but also a buyer which sometimes totally cancel each other out. Do they really need a toy that they are lucky to pick up twice in one year? Do they need to keep every single art project complete with toilet paper roll display? Just how many tissue box banjo's can we have in one house?

At this point in my life, I am so ready to just sell it, donate it, burn it.....whichever mood I am in first that day! I cannot believe how in the midst of giving my kids everything, I have packed in quite a bit and it is finally starting to hit me that there are, in fact, seven children (and their stuff) living in this house.

Do you think I could get away with boxing it all up and shipping it off on the first random truck I see and them be none the wiser or would I have a fight on my hands by seven "I always use that" little hoarders?!!

Book Review: A Miracle of Hope by Ruth Reid

Book Review: A Miracle of Hope...An Amish Wonders Novel by Ruth Reid

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

Book Review: She's heard about forgiveness all her life, but how far does God's mercy truly reach? 

Lindie Wyse thinks an arranged marriage is the only way to preserve a future for herself and her unborn child. Josiah Plank is certain he''ll never be in love again, but he needs someone to care for his deaf eight-year-old daughter, Hannah. The two take on their arrangement tentatively at first but soon realize they are each in for more than they imagined. After a short time, Lindie experiences a breakthrough with Hannah when she recognizes the child's special gifts, but a risky pregnancy and serious health issues threaten to demolish the foundation Josiah and Lindie are building--and the love that is growing between them. Will their marriage survive their struggles, or will their hearts become as cold as the northern winter?

My Review: Like most Amish novels, the cover of this book shows a beautiful young Amish woman, this one, red haired and with the skin of a porcelain doll....already you are in for a wonderful story before the book is even cracked. The author had one heck of a mind of thoughts when she came up with this one. I love the way that she created a story around a girl who had done wrong, or so it seems and spun it into a completely intriguing story! I could not put this book down!! Though both characters in this story were very cold to each other in the beginning, it was amazing how they warmed up...especially him in a small amount of time. The father-in-law in this book was a great example of explaining how the Amish wives are supposed to be when it comes to their husbands. What a breath of fresh air Josiah brought to this story being nothing of the sort! Seeing him wait on Lindie, putting her on a pedestal, even when his feelings did not go the way a marriage should. It gave you that feeling that you wanted to have through every inch of this book...that Lindie would come out of her shell, Josiah would have a change of heart and they would fall madly in love! Want to find out just exactly what happens....read this book :)