Book Review: A Love Undone by Cindy Woodsmall

Book Review: A Love Undone by Cindy Woodsmall

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

BOOK Review: A husband and son abandoned to forge a path alone. A young woman who sacrificed her dreams. How will the God of grace and hope help them find their way?

At the age of nineteen, Old Order Amish Jolene Keim was on the brink of happily-ever-after when everything changed, stealing her future she expected and burdening her with an unbearable decision. For the next ten years, Jolene threw herself into family life--and then she meets Andy Fisher. The horse trainer and father to a sweet nine year old challenges her and holds up a mirror to issues Jolene has been unwilling to face.

Andy is cautious about his deepening friendship with Jolene, but he believes she knows the truth about him--that he is a grass widower. As a man whose wife abandoned him six years ago, he is unable to divorce or remarry according to the Amish ways. Andy wrestled with God concerning his reality and he had found peace with the solitary future facing him...until he met Jolene.

As Andy and Jolene find themselves confronted by difficult choices, will they trust in  God's guidance--or will the allure of their deepening friendship only lead to further temptation?

My Review: Being a Cindy Woodsmall fan, I was very happy to see another of her books ready to review! It couldn't have come at a better time either! Requested in the fall and arriving with a cover of Jolene pictured on a gorgeous cover of autumn colors; yellow, gold, red...breathtaking! The cover should always draw you in :) This is actually a branch of another book that has to do with this family that I once read about. What young Amish woman could bear a tragedy as big as this and be able to go on with her everyday life? This is Jolene's dilemma and puts her on the fence with a huge lifelong decision. Once she has chosen her life, everything she has known changes, but could it be for the better? Leading her in the direction of Andy Fisher, one that she does not realize is a grass widower, and can never divorce or remarry, she begins to develop very deep feelings. Andy feels he cannot return the feelings and keeps his distance, but can it be done? As the two become very close friends while working together, and become even closer...will they be able to continue on this path? A forbidden one? Anxious to find out? Buy this book!

Book Review: Best Party Book Ever!

BOOK Review: Best Party Book Ever

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

Book Review: Let's Celebrate! Whether you're throwing you BFF a surprise party or hosting a last-minute sleepover with your friends, we have everything you need to pull off the perfect party.

From the editors of Faithgirlz! and Girls' Life magazine, this book shows you how to throw 14 amazing get-togethers from start to finish, including an adorable Easter brunch for your family, a just-because garden soiree for your girls and a Christmas cookie bake-off that's extra sweet. 

The best part? We'll spill the secrets on how to have fun as a hostess--from the moment you begin crafting those cute invitations to when you hug your buds goodbye. Our darling decor DIYs and tasty recipes are easy to whip up, and they give your parties a pretty, personal feel. 

You're on your way to planning the ultimate party and making memories with your best friends that will last long after they've polished off the cupcake

My Review: Fun!!! I was so excited to receive this book just based off of the cover alone! From Hostess Hints to Anytime Parties to Birthday Parties and everything in between...there are lots of great ideas for every party you could possibly want to throw. There are craft ideas, recipes, etc... Have a pet? There are party ideas for them too! Holidays? Covered! Everything is written up on a checklist so the book does it all for you! Have no time, but need some great ideas all down in front of you...get this book! 

Book Review: Treat Yourself by Jennifer Steinhauer

Book Review: Treat Yourself..70 Classic Snacks you loved as a kid (and still love today). If you grew up on corner-store treats, memory lane is paved with Ho Hos, Yodels, Oreos and Ring Dings. And while your taste buds may have grown up a bit, chances are you still crave these classic flavors. Now you can re-create lunch-box delights that made you the envy of other kids, with all-natural home versions. 

After much obsessing and experimentation, Jennifer Steinhauer has cracked the code for 70 iconic treats to re-create in your own kitchen. There are cookies with a perfect crunchy base for cream filling, snack cakes with frosting so thick you can peel it off all at once, candies dipped in chocolate and dusted with sugar and ice cream pops so juicy that they drip down your arm. A self-taught baker, Jennifer had no interest in complicated techniques or chemical gunk, just easy hacks that break down and remaster these throwback snacks. So go ahead--treat yourself to your own homemade version of these favorites: 

Samoas, Pecan Sandies, Chips Ahoy! and other classic cookies.

Nutter Butters, Mint Milanos, Oatmeal Creme Pies, and other sweet sandwich cookies. 

Twinkies, Drake's Coffee Cakes, Devil Dogs and other snack cakes. 

Fig Newtons, Lemon Mini-Pies, Strawberry Pop-Tarts and other fruity, filled treats. 

Soft Pretzels, Pizza Pockets, Funyuns, and other salty, savory snacks.

Cracker Jacks, Goo Goo Clusters, Candy Dots and other candy favorites.

Orange Creamsicles, Strawberry Shortcake Ice Cream Pops, Nutty Buddies and other frozen treats. 

My Review: From the second I requested this book, I new I would be in heaven...and hungry!!! There is nothing more exciting than trying to recreate those favorite snacks..and then getting to eat them afterward! The idea of being able to make my own Oreos just set me off on a baking spree to make as many yummy snacks as I possibly can. Twinkies you say? Don't mind if I do remake the spongy goodness oozing with creamy centers! Jennifer has definitely grabbed my eye with the cover and back cover of this book and all the photos in between. Anything that can make a person this hungry just by looking at a few pictures is definitely on the right track. There will not be even one section that does not cover one of your favorite childhood snacks. Although the finished product is not completely identical, you can bet that they will be as close as it comes to tastiness! What a fantastic idea!!

Book Review: How to Pick Up a Stripper ...and Other Acts of Kindness by Todd and Erin Stevens

Book Review: How to Pick Up a Stripper ...and Other Acts of Kindness by Todd and Erin Stevens

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

Book Review: The starting and ending points for all outreach have to be love. The most effective way to reach people for Jesus is through servant evangelism--showing God's love in practical ways. This type of outreach is what Jesus modeled and invites people to take the next step from where they are.

Friendship Community Church, led by Pastor Todd Stevens, has experienced tremendous growth through acts of kindness. The church's most radical project is Nashville Strip Church, founded by Erin Stevens. Erin's life changed when God told her to "go feed the strippers." With home-cooked meals and gift bags in hand, Erin shows dancers that God loves them. How to Pick Up a Stripper and Other Acts of Kindness includes the story of a dancer who has come to know Christ, left the strip club industry through Erin's ministry, and is now serving with Erin to reach other strippers.

From feeding the homeless to Easter egg hunts for children with disabilities to ministering in a strip club, How to Pick to Pick Up a Stripper and Other Acts of Kindness provides exciting ideas for showing God's love in practical ways.

My Review: A very interesting title to a very different book. Todd Stevens definitely has a way with words and it shows in this book that begins with really funny jokes. I was very interested to hear how this couple, had many ways that they helped others in their volunteer work. I was a little disappointed as I got into the book to see that the volunteer projects that are noted on the back of the book are the only services that are in the book....it didn't seem to extend past those and I thought the book would be filled with ideas. Todd began to loose me around the 5th chapter as the writing began to bore me. Although Todd does very well here and there with his words, the writing does drag. I could not get back into the book so I did not finish. Sorry Todd and Erin...

Book Review: Road Food by Jane & Michael Stern

Book Review: Road Food...The Coast-to-Coast Guide to 900 of the Best Barbecue Joints, Lobster Shacks, Ice Cream Parlors, Highway Diners, and Much, Much More by Jane & Michael Stern

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

Book Review: For road warriors and armchair epicures, the updated ninth edition of Roadfood is your indispensable guide to more than 900 of America's best local eateries--now with more than 200 completely new listings. 

Explore the affordable, enjoyable, one-of-a-kind dining destinations along America's roadways with this essential guide. In this fully revised edition, Jane and Michael Stern introduce the Roadfood Honor Roll--a tip sheet to the 100 must-visit stops--just in time for your next road trip, no matter what state you're driving through. With up-to-date information on restaurants' hours of operation, phone numbers, and websites, you will never go hungry on the road or get lost finding the best off-the-highway gems.

My Review: I was so excited to find this book available when I went for a new review copy! I am always looking for those hidden places where you can get the very best of something...especially food! When the book arrived, the cover alone made me want to go out and grab some ribs! As I began reading the book, my mouth was watering just thinking of the future places I would be hitting during road trips with our kids. Now in it's 9th edition, I was very excited to see places in our area that are listed and in my hometown where my parents still live. I may just let them in on my new found "secrets" of the best places to dine on the simplest (and complex) of great food! From Barbecue to Lobster, to Ice Cream and even chef fixed formal meals, this book has it all!!! I can't wait to dive in......oh, the book is finished, I mean the food!

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!