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The Amish Bride, Women of Lancaster County Series #3 – Mindy Starns Clark and Leslie Gould
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The Amish Bride, Women of Lancaster County Series #3
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Review Summary: When I pick up a book with Mindy Starns Clark as one of the authors I expect to find an intriguing mystery, that keeps me up late at night trying to figure out who the culprit is. This book wasn’t one of those, so I was a little disappointed. This book was a very slow start for me and I struggled getting into the book especially the main character, Ella. I struggle with characters that are manipulative and stop at nothing to get their way. However, I must admit by I cried tears of joy at where the authors brought these characters.
I should also mention here that although this is a book 3 of the series, the book didn’t feel like a continuation. It might have added more for me to have read previous books, but it didn’t make it any less enjoyable.
Digging Deeper: The story opens with Ella visiting her Grandmother who gives her a journal that belonged to Ella’s great-grandmother,Sarah, and she ask Ella to break the code that Sarah used throughout her book. Ella is the primary female character in this book. She’s a headstrong, independent young woman of the Mennonite faith. There is much discussion regarding her faith and the Amish faith of her boyfriend, Ezra. Ella wants to go to school and learn to be a baker, something that is frowned upon by the Amish community and Ezra’s family.
The book provides an interesting assortment of characters from the conservative Amish of Lancaster Count to the slightly more relaxed Amish of Indiana. It was also interesting to see the contrast and comparison of the Amish and Mennonites. The authors did a beautiful job of portraying both groups in a positive light. I loved the Amish pastor that Ella meets in Indiana.
Another aspect of the story was Ella’s relationship with her father. Ella had much to learn and deal with in regards to him and his return to Lancaster County. I think one of the strongest messages of the book comes from this part of the story.
Final thoughts: Although not my favorite book by Mindy Starns Clark, it did have things to offer and I enjoyed it. Some of us (ok maybe me) become adrenaline junkies and need a dead body on the first 3 pages, where this book takes a slower pace. If you enjoy Amish book, I think this is a good one. If you enjoy stories that take a look at history and the importance of finding one’s own way, definitely a winner. If you want dead bodies and high intensity, then you might take a pass.
Disclaimer: I would like to thank the publisher for the opportunity to read and review this book. I am under no obligation to provide anything but my honest opinion.
Tandem–Tracey Bateman
Review: OK, first off, I didn’t realize this was a vampire book. I, personally, have had issues with the idea of a “Christian” vampire book. HOWEVER, I’ve read Tracey Bateman’s books before and thoroughly enjoyed them, so I wanted to give her the opportunity to change my mind. Which I am happy to say she did! Though, I’m still not sure how I feel about vampire books, I did enjoy this book immensely.
The author did a great job of drawing me into the story. The author allows you to solve the mystery along with the protagonist. I found myself not only trying to figure out who was involved in the killings in this small Missouri town but the whys. As Amede reflects on her long life and her family, she struggles with her urges and her desire to find her half sister, Eden. It was intriguing to watch her character develop throughout the story.
To say the least, I found this story intriguing on many levels. I’ve not read any other vampire stories or watched the Twilight movies, so whether the author stays true to the vampire mythology I don’t know. What I do know is this story was really well written and I enjoyed it more than I expected. If you have someone in your life who is into vampires, this might be a good book for them to read. There are definite Christian themes in the story, that aren’t too overbearing, to scare off those who are anti-Christian.
Learn more about the author:
Give Away: I’m giving away the copy I received from the publisher. Please fill out the form below. I will not share your address, I will only use it for the winner so I can send them the book. I’ll pick a winner on July 13th.
Disclaimer: I would like to thank the publisher, Waterbrook Press, for the opportunity to read and review this book. I was under no obligation to give anything but my honest opinion.
Tidewater Inn–Colleen Coble
My Review: Libby’s best friend and business partner,Nicole, is kidnapped right before her eyes and there’s nothing she can do to stop it. There is more than one mystery for Libby to deal with as she travels to Hope Island to find the truth about her father and to find her friend.
Once again, Colleen Coble gives readers a little bit of everything, a great mystery, strong characters to love and hate with romance mixed in, but most of all she gives us a great story. The author paints a beautiful pictures of Hope Island, a small fishing community where everyone knows everyone’s business. Our main character not only faces a difficult past and the realization that her mother lied to her, but she deals with a half brother and sister who want nothing to do with her.
The story line is strong with the mystery of her friends kidnapping along with a lot of whys regarding her recently deceased father. As she so often does, Colleen Coble keeps you guessing who the villain is until the end. Another thing I loved about this story was Colleen brings to Hope Island a couple of my favorite characters, Bree and Samson.
Staying true with her books, the author provides us with what I call “a line of redemption” where at least one character ends the story with a relationship or stronger relationship to God than they started with. For me this is an important factor when I read Christian fiction. I want a good story with strong characters, I personally prefer and nice mix of suspense and romance, but I love seeing ways that God can work in lives. This book gives me those things.
If you’re a Colleen Coble fan, you should enjoy this story. If you’ve never read Colleen Coble but enjoy a mystery, with romance and a hurricane, check out Tidewater Inn.
Disclaimer: I received this copy from the publisher through www.netgalley.com however, I’m under no obligation to give anything but my honest opinion.
