Tag Archives: Blogging For Books

Review: Ties That Bind

19 Sep

Ties That Bind

Ties That Bind by Cindy Woodsmall

Click here to purchase a copy or learn more about Ties That Bind.

Twenty-year-old Ariana Brenneman loves her family and the Old Ways. She has two aspirations: open a café in historic Summer Grove to help support her family’s ever-expanding brood and to keep any other Amish from being lured into the Englisch life by Quill Schlabach.

Five years ago Quill, along with her dear friend Frieda, ran off together, and Ariana still carries the wounds of that betrayal. When she unexpectedly encounters him, she soon realizes he has plans to help someone else she loves leave the Amish.

Despite how things look, Quill’s goal has always been to protect Ariana from anything that may hurt her, including the reasons he left. After returning to Summer Grove on another matter, he unearths secrets about Ariana and her family that she is unaware of. His love and loyalty to her beckons him to try to win her trust and help her find a way to buy the café—because when she learns the truth that connects her and a stranger named Skylar Nash, Quill knows it may upend her life forever.

 

My thoughts:

“We are free to choose, but we are not free from the consequences of our choices.”

Ties That Bind is a unique story with a compelling plot, unlike any other I’ve read in Amish fiction. Cindy Woodsmall intertwines the Old Order Amish world with the Englisch, as secrets are unearthed and faith is tested.  “Ariana’s comfortable Old Order Amish world is about to unravel. Will holding tightly to the cord of family keep them together or simply tear them apart?”

Ties That Bind tugged at my heartstrings, and its cliff-hanger conclusion left me anxious for more. I thoroughly enjoyed this first book in The Amish of Summer Grove series and highly recommend it to fans of Amish fiction.

I received a complimentary copy of this book through Blogging for Books in exchange for an unbiased review. All thoughts expressed are my own.

 

Cindy Woodsmall

Cindy Woodsmall is a New York Times and CBA best-selling author of numerous works of fiction and one of nonfiction. Her connection with the Amish community has been featured widely in national media. She lives in the Foothills of the North Georgia Mountains with her family.

To learn more about Cindy and her books, please visit her website.  

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Review: Waiting for Morning

25 Aug

Waiting for Morning

Waiting for Morning by Karen Kingsbury

As Hannah Ryan waits for her family to return home from a camping trip, she realizes she has everything going for her—a husband other women admire, two charming teenage daughters, and a loving Christian home. As the sunny afternoon turns into twilight, her uneasiness grows along with the shadows. Then a car pulls into Hannah’s driveway, bringing two police officers…and devastating news that shatters her life forever.

In the days that follow, Hannah struggles with unspeakable feelings of sorrow and rage—feelings that fuse into one chilling purpose for living: revenge against Brian Wesley, the drunk driver who has caused all her pain.

In her fury, Hannah shuts the Lord out of her life. She’s determined not to forgive Wesley or the God who allowed this tragedy to happen. Can two caring people help Hannah rediscover her faith…before bitterness destroys her?

My thoughts:

“I’m afraid there’s been a car accident…”

Waiting for Morning is such an emotional story! Hannah Ryan’s life is irrevocably changed when she receives news that her family has been involved in a car accident. Letting hate and vengeance replace her faith, seeking revenge becomes Hannah’s singular mission.

This is such a heartbreaking story and one so many people have lived. My heart aches for all those who have suffered such tragedy! I thought the author did a tremendous job portraying each of the characters and their spiritual and emotional states. The theme of forgiveness is woven through the narrative, and I appreciated the scriptural references. Each chapter begins with a verse from Lamentations that offers a precursor to the events that are unfolding.

Waiting for Morning is a dramatic story and the first book in the Forever Faithful series. I enjoyed this story and look forward to continuing the series.

I received a complimentary copy of this book through Blogging for Books in exchange for an unbiased review. All thoughts expressed are my own.

 

Karen Kingsbury

KAREN KINGSBURY is a USA Today and New York Times best-selling author, with nearly twenty million books in print. Dubbed the “Queen of Christian Fiction” by Time magazine, Karen has written more than forty Life-Changing Drama, which encompasses the Redemption, Firstborn, and Sunrise series, as well as stand-alone novels such as Like Dandelion Dust, When Joy Came to Stay, and This Side of Heaven. Karen and her husband, Don, live in the Pacific Northwest and are parents to six children, including three adopted from Haiti.

To learn more about Karen and her books, please visit her website.  

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Review: The Mapmaker’s Children

14 Jun

The Mapmaker's Children

The Mapmaker’s Children by Sarah McCoy

Sarah Brown, the vibrant, talented daughter of abolitionist John Brown, is dynamically changed when she stumbles onto her father’s work on the Underground Railroad shortly after being told the shocking news that she won’t ever bear children. Realizing that her artistic talents may be able to help save the lives of slaves fleeing north, she becomes one of the movement’s leading mapmakers, hiding maps within her paintings while bigotry and hatred steer the country toward a bloody civil war.

Interwoven with Sarah’s adventure is the present-day story of Eden, a modern woman desperate to conceive a child with her husband, who moves to an old house in the suburbs of Washington, D.C. and discovers a porcelain head hidden in the root cellar—the remains of an Underground Railroad doll with an extraordinary past of secret messages, danger and deliverance. Sarah and Eden’s connection bridges the past and present, forcing each of them to define courage, family, love, and legacy in a new way.

 

My thoughts:

The Mapmaker’s Children is dramatic, intriguing, and full of emotion!  Sarah McCoy skillfully weaves fact and fiction together in this dual time-period narrative.  I love historical fiction, so I really enjoyed the history of Sarah Brown and her family and their work with the Underground Railroad.  While the historical story line was my favorite, I also enjoyed the contemporary story line and the threads that tied the past and present together.  I really enjoyed this compelling story and look forward to reading more from this talented author!

I received a complimentary copy of this book through Blogging for Books and appreciate the opportunity to offer my honest opinion.

 

sarah mccoy

SARAH McCOY is the author of the New York Times, USA Today, and international bestseller The Baker’s Daughter, a 2012 Goodreads Choice Award Best Historical Fiction nominee. Her first novel is The Time It Snowed in Puerto Rico.

Sarah’s work has been featured in Real Simple, The Millions, Your Health Monthly, Huffington Post and other publications. She has taught English writing at Old Dominion University and at the University of Texas at El Paso.

The daughter of an Army officer, her family was stationed in Germany during her childhood. She calls Virginia home but presently lives with her husband, an Army physician, and dog, Gilbert, in El Paso, Texas.

Her novella “The Branch of Hazel,” featured in the anthology Grand Central (Penguin), releases July 1, 2014. Her third novel The Mapmaker’s Children releases from Crown May 5, 2015.

To learn more about Sarah and her books, please visit her website. 

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Review: Franklin Barbecue: A Meat-Smoking Manifesto

3 May

Franklin Barbecue

Franklin Barbecue: A Meat-Smoking Manifesto
Aaron Franklin and Jordan Mackay

A complete meat- and brisket-cooking education from the country’s most celebrated pitmaster and owner of the wildly popular Austin restaurant Franklin Barbecue–winner of Texas Monthly’s coveted Best Barbecue Joint in Texas award.

When Aaron Franklin and his wife, Stacy, opened up a small barbecue trailer on the side of an Austin, Texas, interstate in 2009, they had no idea what they’d gotten themselves into. Today, Franklin Barbecue has grown into the most popular, critically lauded, and obsessed-over barbecue joint in the country (if not the world)—and Franklin is the winner of every major barbecue award there is.
 
In this much-anticipated debut, Franklin and coauthor Jordan Mackay unlock the secrets behind truly great barbecue, and share years’ worth of hard-won knowledge. Franklin Barbecue is a definitive resource for the backyard pitmaster, with chapters dedicated to building or customizing your own smoker; finding and curing the right wood; creating and tending perfect fires; sourcing top-quality meat; and of course, cooking mind-blowing, ridiculously delicious barbecue, better than you ever thought possible.

My thoughts:

Franklin Barbecue: A Meat-Smoking Manifesto is an excellent meat-smoking resource! 

Aaron Franklin, an award-winning pitmaster, shares his knowledge and secrets of success in this meat-smoking manifesto.  His love and enthusiasm for Central Texas barbecue is evident and he shares his passion in these pages. 

“Barbecue to me is about more than just the smoke and the meat,
more than trying to cook better with more flavor and more consistency (though those things are definitely important).  Barbecue is also about a culture that I love.”

Franklin Barbecue: A Meat-Smoking Manifesto is a book my husband and I both use and enjoy.  From building or modifying a smoker to serving and eating, this book is brimming with detailed information and includes step-by-step instructions, beautiful pictures, and mouth-watering recipes.  This meat-smoking manifesto is exceptional, and we look forward to using it again and again!  Whether you are a beginner looking for direction or a seasoned pitmaster looking to perfect your method, Franklin Barbecue: A Meat-Smoking Manifesto is the book for you! 

I received a complimentary copy of this book through Blogging for Books and appreciate the opportunity to offer my honest opinion. 

Click here for more information about Franklin Barbecue: A Meat-Smoking Manifesto and to read an excerpt. 

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