Daughters-in-law by Joanna Trollope

From Goodreads:As Anthony and Rachel Brinkley welcome their third daughter-in-law to the family, they don’t quite realize the profound shift that is about to take place. For different reasons, the Brinkleys’ two previous daughters-in-law hadn’t been able to resist Rachel’s maternal control and Anthony’s gentle charm and had settled into their husbands’ family without rocking the boat. But Charlotte—very young, very beautiful, and spoiled—has no intention of falling into step with the Brinkleys and wants to establish her own household. Soon Rachel’s sons begin to think of their own houses as home and of their mother’s house as simply the place where their parents live—a necessary and inevitable shift of loyalties that threatens Rachel’s sense of herself, breaks Anthony’s heart, and causes unexpected consequences in all the marriages. Then a crisis brings these changes to the surface, and everyone has to learn what family love means all over again. From Goodreads:

My Thoughts: This is the first book by Joanne Trollope that I have read and I have to say that I really enjoyed it and I hope to discover more. If you enjoy getting to know whole families of characters, this would be a book for you! Come learn about Rachel and Anthony Brinkley and their three sons and families as they all adjust to growing apart, but staying close at the same time. Daughters-In-Law is totally family-oriented so please enjoy. Happy reading everyone!

My rating: 4 stars

About the author: Joanne Trollope

Joanna Trollope Potter Curteis (aka Caroline Harvey)

Joanna Trollope was born on 9 December 1943 in her grandfather’s rectory in Minchinhampton, Gloucestershire, England, daughter of Rosemary Hodson and Arthur George Cecil Trollope. She is the eldest of three siblings. She is a fifth-generation niece of the Victorian novelist Anthony Trollope and is a cousin of the writer and broadcaster James Trollope. She was educated at Reigate County School for Girls followed by St Hugh’s College, Oxford. On 14 May 1966, she married the banker David Roger William Potter, they had two daughters, Antonia and Louise, and on 1983 they divorced. In 1985, she remarried to the television dramatist Ian Curteis, and became the stepmother of two stepsons; they divorced in 2001. Today, she is a grandmother and lives on her own in London.

From 1965 to 1967, she worked at the Foreign Office. From 1967 to 1979, she was employed in a number of teaching posts before she became a writer full-time in 1980. Her novel Parson Harding’s Daughter won in 1980 the Romantic Novel of the Year Award by the Romantic Novelists’ Association.

Cottage by the Sea by Debbie Macomber

**A seaside town helps one young woman rediscover hope and healing in a brand-new novel from #1 *New York Times* bestselling author Debbie Macomber.**

After tragedy strikes, Annie moves in to the summer cottage where her family vacationed when she was a child. Soon Annie finds herself making new friends, even developing a romance with a quiet and mysterious painter. And as she becomes part of the community, Annie learns that the surest way to heal is by making a difference in the lives of those around her.

My thoughts: Debbie Macomber is absolutely one of my favorite authors and this book certainly did not disappoint me! The characters are so real and well defined. Come follow Anne as she faces total tragedy and loss, and travels back to her childhood happy place where she heals and finds friendship and love! This journey is full of ups and downs which includes a man of few words, pets in need, and friends facing many life challenges. If you enjoy women’s lit, I think you will really enjoy this story! Happy Reading everyone!

My Rating: 5 stars

About the author: Debbie Macomber

Debbie Macomber is a #1 New York Times bestselling author and one of today’s most popular writers with more than 200 million copies of her books in print worldwide. In her novels, Macomber brings to life compelling relationships that embrace family and enduring friendships, uplifting her readers with stories of connection and hope. Macomber’s novels have spent over 1,000 weeks on the New York Times bestseller list. Thirteen of these novels hit the number one spot.

In 2019, Macomber’s all-new hardcover publications include Window on the Bay (July) and A Mrs. Miracle Christmas (October). Macomber is also releasing a new journal titled Be a Blessing: A Journal for Cultivating Kindness, Joy, and Inspiration (April). In addition to fiction, Macomber has also published three bestselling cookbooks, most recently Debbie Macomber’s Table in 2018, an adult coloring book, numerous inspirational and nonfiction works, and two acclaimed children’s books.

Celebrated as “the official storyteller of Christmas”, Macomber’s annual Christmas books are beloved and five have been crafted into original Hallmark Channel movies. Macomber is also the author of the bestselling Cedar Cove Series which the Hallmark Channel chose as the basis for its first dramatic scripted television series. Debuting in 2013, Debbie Macomber’s Cedar Cove was a ratings favorite for three seasons.

She serves on the Guideposts National Advisory Cabinet, is a YFC National Ambassador, and is World Vision’s international spokesperson for their Knit for Kids charity initiative. A devoted grandmother, Debbie and Wayne live in Port Orchard, Washington, the town which inspired the Cedar Cove series.

Upcoming June Releases that you might enjoy.

Here are a few Christian fiction books that I am looking forward to adding to my tbr list in the next month. What new books are you looking forward to? I would love to read your suggestions in the comments below!! Happy reading everyone!!

Mary Reichert is one of the best sharpshooters in the country, and in the Brookstone Wild West Extravaganza her skills are on display in every performance. But unless the man responsible for her brother’s death is brought to justice, Mary’s fame and accomplishments seem hollow. She feels helpless in the face of the murderer’s money, power, and connections. The only bright spot in her days is the handsome journalist who keeps attending their shows.

Christopher Williams has been assigned to follow the Brookstone show on its 1901 tour of England and write a series of articles for his magazine. As he gets to know the cast he quickly finds himself irresistibly drawn to the show’s sharpshooter. But getting close to someone would threaten to bring his past to light. How could he ever win Mary’s heart if she knows the truth? Mary and Chris will both have to trust God if they are to heal from the wounds of the past and chart a new future together.

Release date 06/04/2019

Meet Amish couples from communities distinguished by their buggy’s color! White-toppers Deanna and Elmer plan to wed—until he becomes blind. Will *Deanna’s Determination* keep them together? *Rose Mary’s Resolve*to spurn English life is tested. Will she leave her black-top community? And yellow-topper Leila falls in love with black-topper Aden. Can *Leila’s Longing* overcome their differences? 448 pages, softcover from Barbour.

Release date 06/01/2019

Abigail Kemp needs a man’s name on her bakery’s deed or she’ll lose her business. A marriage of convenience seems sensible, but with her independent spirit, she wants somebody she can control. That certainly doesn’t describe Zacharias Hamilton. But in many ways, he’s the best man for the job—and maybe for Abigail, too! 368 pages, softcover from Bethany.

Release date 06/04/2019

Mission Impawsible (Paws and Claws Mystery #4) by Krista Davis

From Goodreads:From the “New York Times” bestselling author of “Murder Most Howl “comes another Paws & Claws mystery…
In the pet-friendly town of Wagtail, Virginia, there’s no love lost when Holly Miller meets her match in a murderer…
Holly and her grandmother, Oma, are working their tails off to prepare the Sugar Maple Inn for an upcoming matchmaking event for pet owners. While Holly has no interest in pairing up, Oma plans on playing Cupid and finding someone to warm her reluctant granddaughter’s heart.
Unfortunately, one man Holly does meet is cold, dead cold, and he has a personal letter from Oma in his pocket. As suspicion is cast over the inn’s guests, Holly, with the help of her furry friends, Trixie the Jack Russell and Twinkletoes the cat, must fetch the real killer, or she may soon have a date in court.
Includes delicious recipes for owners and pets!”

My thoughts: Krista Davis has done it again. Take another trip to Wagtail, where cats and dogs are the center of attention, and Molly finds herself in the middle of a major who-dun-it. I love the characters in this story, human and pet-wise. This author makes you feel like you are right there with them every step of the way. From descriptive meals to murder scenes, this book keeps you wanting more from beginning to end. I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys cozy mysteries and loves when pets are involved! Happy reading everyone!

My rating: 5 stars

About the author: Krista Davis

Krista Davis lives in the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia where she writes three mystery series. She lived in Northern Virginia for many years and resided for a time in Old Town Alexandria where her Domestic Diva Mysteries take place.

Krista also writes the Paws and Claws Mysteries, which debuted with MURDER, SHE BARKED. They are set in a resort town that caters to people who want to vacation with their dogs and cats. Alas, charming Wagtail Mountain, Virginia, where dogs and cats are welcome everywhere is fictional.

Her newest series, the Pen & Ink Mysteries, features covers that can be colored! Read the book and have fun coloring the cover.

She likes to cook and bake (okay, what she really likes is eating) so it was only natural for her to include recipes in her mysteries.

Her dogs and cats have inspired the animal characters in her books.

Divergent by Veronica Roth

From Goodreads: In Beatrice Prior’s dystopian Chicago world, society is divided into five factions, each dedicated to the cultivation of a particular virtue—Candor (the honest), Abnegation (the selfless), Dauntless (the brave), Amity (the peaceful), and Erudite (the intelligent). On an appointed day of every year, all sixteen-year-olds must select the faction to which they will devote the rest of their lives. For Beatrice, the decision is between staying with her family and being who she really is—she can’t have both. So she makes a choice that surprises everyone, including herself.

During the highly competitive initiation that follows, Beatrice renames herself Tris and struggles alongside her fellow initiates to live out the choice they have made. Together they must undergo extreme physical tests of endurance and intense psychological simulations, some with devastating consequences. As initiation transforms them all, Tris must determine who her friends really are—and where, exactly, a romance with a sometimes fascinating, sometimes exasperating boy fits into the life she’s chosen. But Tris also has a secret, one she’s kept hidden from everyone because she’s been warned it can mean death. And as she discovers unrest and growing conflict that threaten to unravel her seemingly perfect society, she also learns that her secret might help her save those she loves . . . or it might destroy her.

My Thoughts: All I can say is wow! I don’t read very much ya or dystopian genre, but this book by Veronica Roth may have just changed my mind! This story just pulls you in from the very beginning and I just couldn’t put it down. Following Beatrice and seeing how she grows and discovers herself is quite a journey and anyone who enjoys ya literature should really give this one a try. Let me know what you think. Happy Reading everyone!

My Rating: 5 stars

About the author: Veronica Roth

Veronica Roth is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of Carve the Mark and the Divergent Series (Divergent, Insurgent, Allegiant, and Four: A Divergent Collection). Her short stories and essays have appeared in Summer Days and Summer Nights, Shards and Ashes, and the upcoming Three Sides of a Heart. The Divergent Series was developed into three major motion pictures.

Veronica grew up outside of Chicago and graduated from Northwestern University. She now lives in Chicago proper with her husband and dog and writes full-time.

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The Oysterville Sewing Circle by Susan Wiggs

From Goodreads: “Stitched together with love, this is a story just waiting for your favorite reading chair. With her signature style and skill, Susan Wiggs delivers an intricate patchwork of old wounds and new beginnings, romance and the healing power of friendship, wrapped in a lovely little community that’s hiding a few secrets of its own.”
— Lisa Wingate, *New York Times* Bestselling author of *Before We Were Yours*The #1 *New York Times* bestselling author brings us her most ambitious and provocative work yet—a searing and timely novel that explores the most volatile issue of our time—domestic violence.

My Thoughts: I really enjoyed this book by Susan Wiggs. I haven’t read many by her, but will definitely looking for more. This story starts out in the big city of New York in the midst of high fashion, designers, and glamorous models. Tragedy then turns the tides, and our main character, Caroline Shelby returns to her hometown of Oysterville, Washington to learn how to become a mom, a woman’s advocate, and a best friend and wife to her long time crush from years past. Come follow her journey of ups and downs and enjoy getting to know all of her family and friends as this tale keeps you turning the pages! Happy Reading everyone!

About this author: Susan Wiggs

Susan Wiggs’s life is all about family, friends…and fiction. She lives at the water’s edge on an island in Puget Sound, and she commutes to her writers’ group in a 17-foot motorboat. She serves as author liaison for Field’s End, a literary community on Bainbridge Island, Washington, bringing inspiration and instruction from the world’s top authors to her seaside community. (See www.fieldsend.org) She’s been featured in the national media, including NPR’s “Talk of the Nation,” and is a popular speaker locally and nationally.

According to Publishers Weekly, Wiggs writes with “refreshingly honest emotion,” and the Salem Statesman Journal adds that she is “one of our best observers of stories of the heart [who] knows how to capture emotion on virtually every page of every book.” Booklist characterizes her books as “real and true and unforgettable.” She is the recipient of three RITA (sm) awards and four starred reviews from Publishers Weekly for her books. The Winter Lodge and Passing Through Paradise have appeared on PW’s annual “Best Of” lists. Several of her books have been listed as top Booksense picks and optioned as feature films. Her novels have been translated into more than two dozen languages and have made national bestseller lists, including the USA Today, Washington Post and New York Times lists.

The author is a former teacher, a Harvard graduate, an avid hiker, an amateur photographer, a good skier and terrible golfer, yet her favorite form of exercise is curling up with a good book. Readers can learn more on the web at www.susanwiggs.com and on her lively blog at www.susanwiggs.wordpress.com.

Missing Your Smile (Fields of Home, Book #1) by Jerry Eicher

When Susan Hostetler has a falling out with her boyfriend, she leaves her Amish community and moves to Asbury Park to experiment in English life. There she learns to drive a car, takes her GED test, and falls in love with young and handsome Duane Bower. Just as Susan is enjoying her new life, her plans are interrupted.

My Thoughts: This was the first Amish book by Jerry Eicher that I have read and I have to say that was very enjoyable. He brought his characters to life with everyday emotions and very relatable situations. From becoming disheartened by her beau in her Amish community, follow Susan Hostetler as she tries to find her way in the English world. Will she find a man to fulfill her dreams and become totally worldly or will she follow her heart and return to the home that is still in very much on her mind? Come read and see where Susan’s faith and caring heart leads her. I know I am looking forward to the next book, Follow Your Heart, to see what comes next! Happy Reading Everyone!

My Rating: 5 Stars

About the Author:

Jerry Eicher’s bestselling Amish fiction (more than 210,000 in combined sales) includes The Adams County Trilogy, the Hannah’s Heart books, and the Little Valley Series. After a traditional Amish childhood, Jerry taught for two terms in Amish and Mennonite schools in Ohio and Illinois. Since then he’s been involved in church renewal, preaching, and teaching Bible studies. Jerry lives with his wife, Tina Eicher, and their four children in Virginia.

The Tinderbox by Beverly Lewis

Goodreads synopsis: With her Amish parents’ twentieth anniversary approaching, eighteen-year-old Sylvia Miller stumbles across a surprise–the old brass tinderbox her clockmaker father keeps in his Lancaster County shop has been left unlocked. Against her better judgment, Sylvia opens the cherished heirloom, not realizing that what she is about to discover will splinter apart her happy life.

Sylvia’s bewilderment grows when her father confronts her about snooping in the box. To her amazement, the respected convert to the Old Order reacts as if he has something to hide.

Burdened by the weight of his deception, Earnest Miller decides he must reveal the details about his past to his beloved wife, Rhoda. The long-kept secret alters everything for the close-knit family, jeopardizing Earnest and Rhoda’s relationship, as well as threatening Sylvia’s recent engagement to the preacher’s grandson.

Can the Millers find a way forward through the turmoil to a place of forgiveness and acceptance?

My thoughts: Another wonderful story by Beverly Lewis. I always enjoy getting to know her characters and see how they handle different life situations with lots of love and faith. Follow Earnest Miller’s story as mementos from his Englisch days come to light and he must deal with the consequences of keeping them to himself for so long. Will his past come between him and his family and community or will their hearts be kind, loving, and full of forgiveness? Come find out and be sure to look for the next part of the story coming out in September, The Timepiece! Happy reading everyone!!

About the author: Beverly Lewis

Beverly Lewis, raised in Pennsylvania Amish country and both a schoolteacher and an accomplished musician, has been an award-winning author for over a dozen years. Her acclaimed novel, The Preacher’s Daughter, was a 2006 Quill Book Award finalist in the romance category. Her books have appeared on numerous bestseller lists, including USA Today and The New York Times. She and her husband, David, live in Colorado.”

Happy Wednesday everyone! What is everyone reading today? Please comment below and share what you are really enjoying or will be digging into shortly! I’d love to hear from you!!

This is what I am currently enjoying:

With her Amish parents’ twentieth anniversary approaching, eighteen-year-old Sylvia Miller stumbles across a surprise–the old brass tinderbox her clockmaker father keeps in his Lancaster County shop has been left unlocked. Against her better judgment, Sylvia opens the cherished heirloom, not realizing that what she is about to discover will splinter apart her happy life.

Sylvia’s bewilderment grows when her father confronts her about snooping in the box. To her amazement, the respected convert to the Old Order reacts as if he has something to hide.

Burdened by the weight of his deception, Earnest Miller decides he must reveal the details about his past to his beloved wife, Rhoda. The long-kept secret alters everything for the close-knit family, jeopardizing Earnest and Rhoda’s relationship, as well as threatening Sylvia’s recent engagement to the preacher’s grandson.

Can the Millers find a way forward through the turmoil to a place of forgiveness and acceptance?

If you enjoy Amish fiction, this is a really good read!! My review will be coming shortly! Happy Reading everyone!! 🙂

New Release Day

Two Weeks by Karen Kingsbury