Inescapable by Nancy Mehl

I am not a huge fan of mysteries, but I thought I would try something new. This book was hard to get into and took me most of the book to get interested. I really only finished it because I thought I knew “who did it” and I wanted to see if I was right. The book is about a girl named Lizzie who grew up Mennonite. She made a mistake as a young girl and fled to the city. Life in the city wasn’t easy for her and she had someone stalking her. Circumstances got worse, so she decided to go back to her home town. The town she grew up in and her father shunned her for her mistake, but she is desperate enough to flee to safety. She encounters many changes in her home town, but one thing did not change and that was her father. She settles in to a new life, just begins to trust some people and feels safe until the stalker shows up again. She has to decide who to trust and what to do now. Does she face her troubles or does she run again? This book was free from the publisher

Short Straw Bride by Karen Witemeyer

Great book!! This book is a wonderful story about courage, honor, sacrifice, reputation and love. When Meredith leaves her home one morning to help four brothers, who she feels indebted to, she never imagined that her life would change so much in the days following. There is tragedy, wedding bells, frustration, kidnapping and redemption! I highly recommend this book. This book was free from the publisher.

Travelers Rest by Ann Tatlock

This book made me laugh and made me cry. The characters are described so well, that you feel like you are reading a true story and they are people you could one day meet in Ashville, North Carolina. I was drawn to reading this book because I knew it was about an injured soldier coming back from war and as a military wife and patriot, my heart is tender for them. I was not disappointed with this book. Seth, the war hero, is very injured and does not want to hold, Jane, his fiancé, to her commitment. She, on the other hand, has loved him forever and still wants to marry him. She meets many interesting people in the veterans hospital Seth is staying at and with their stories and Jane’s, she learns new things about herself while she is helping them. This book was free from the publisher. Thank you!

The Fiddler by Beverly Lewis

Let me first say, I am a huge Beverly Lewis fan! I love her style of writing and her story lines. She does not disappoint with this book. Amelia is an accomplished violinist who loves playing the violin but feels like her life is missing something. Michael is an Amishman who is struggling with his decision to take the vow of baptism or become an Englisher. A crazy rain storm forces their paths to cross and they feel immediately at ease with each other. Both of them are not sure what to do with their feelings, with Amelia having a boyfriend and a demanding lifestyle and Michael being Amish and having family who are anxiously waiting for him to join the church. Will they realize God's hand in their meeting and follow their hearts and the life they feel led to live or will they follow the life path they are expected to do? This book was a free copy from the publisher.

All About Learning Press!!

Okay, I know that I only post about books I have read, but today I am posting about a curriculum that I totally love! My #2 daughter was struggling with spelling so I found All About Spelling, liked the learning approach, and decided to give it a try. She loves it and has improved a ton!! So, I decided to give All About Reading a try with my pre-K son and guess what?? He loves it! Especially Ziggy!! A pre-K boy can be difficult to encourage to sit down and do school, but he never complaines when Ziggy is in the picture. We are looking forward to purchasing All About Reading level 1 and All About Spelling level 4 and 5. Super excited!!

A Captive Heart by Dale Cramer

I read the first book in this series so I was excited to be able to read this book as a reviewer. I loved it just as much as I loved the first book. The series is about Caleb Bender’s daughters and the life they are making living in Mexico as an Amish family. This book is mainly about his daughter Miriam and her personal feelings for a Mexican man named Domingo. She thinks he has feelings for her and she for him, but Amish rules do allow marriage outside of the faith. Miriam struggles with her feelings throughout the book and must find a way to live with them. I highly recommend this book and am looking forward to future writings by the author. The Captive Heart does a great job of telling Miriam’s story and telling the story of the difficulties of the Amish families as they try to make a life for themselves in Mexico.

Thank you to Bethany House for this book to read and review.