A Simple Amish Christmas by Vannetta Chapman

Synopsis:  

Annie Weaver always planned to return home, but the 20-year old RN has lived in Philadelphia for three years now. As her time of rumschpringe is about to come to an abrupt end, bringing for Annie an overwhelming sense of loneliness. She returns home and finds herself face-to-face with a budding romance with an Amish farmer and Annie has several important choices to make.

My thoughts.  I have now read every one of Vannetta's books.  She is such a good author I can't wait till the next book comes out.  A Simple Amish Christmas was her debut novel.

As with every one of her books, I really enjoyed this story of Annie who ventures out and becomes a nurse.  Not exactly what the Amish are to do because they only go to school till the 8th grade.  

Although she returns to her people, she is worried how to share her events of her last years with her family and friends.  

This book was very sweet and shared good and sad events in the lives of the various characters.  You can't help but like Annie and she is a very endearing person.  It shared Amish ideals without portraying them as perfect, but rather regular people who share the same feelings we all do.  Loved this book!  

About the author:

Vannetta writes "Fiction Full of Grace".

You can find out more about Vannetta and her publications at this link.

To Capture Her Heart by Rebecca DeMarino

To Capture Her Heart was a wonderful historical read!  I love historical novels and this one was a hit with me.


"It is 1653 and Heather Flower, a princess of the Montauk tribe, is enjoying her wedding feast when her groom is killed and she is kidnapped by a rival tribe and held for ransom. Though her ransom is paid by an Englishman, she is nonetheless left to die in a Connecticut forest--until she finds herself rescued by handsome Dutch Lieutenant Dirk Van Buren. Torn between her affection for Dirk and her long friendship with family friend Benjamin Horton, Heather Flower must make a difficult choice--stay true to her friend or follow her heart.

Exploring a unique slice of history, Rebecca DeMarino transports readers to the wild land that would eventually become Long Island, New York. Her attention to detail and her captivating storytelling bring the New World to vivid life."

I was lucky enough to win this book in a contest.  The historian-genealogist in me loved this book.  The sister-in-law of a native-American loved it.  It was the second book of the series called the Southold Chronicles.  The story revolves around the Horton family in the early 1600's.

Heather Flower is an Indian princess who has been kidnapped by another tribe.  Left for dead, her life is spared during the time of early Dutch settlers.  I am very aware of this time period because of my genealogical research in the New Netherlands during these years.  I found the book just fascinating and hope to be able to read more from this excellent author!  Great book!

The author, Rebecca DeMarino.  You can read more about Rebecca at this link!  Really happy that I was able to read this book!














About the author:  

Rebecca DeMarino writes love, legends and lore as a historical romance author and lives in the beautiful Pacific Northwest. She inherited her love of baking and gardening from her mother, a love of horses, reading and writing from her dad, and the wanderlust gene from both parents. Her travels have taken her from Alaska to Nebraska and Florida, from Long Island to England and Italy, and from Washington DC to Texas, California and Guam. But usually you can find her at home, enjoying her grandchildren and baking crisp little ginger cakes. When Rebecca traveled to Horton Point, Long Island, with her mother, Helen Jean Horton Worley, in 1999, passions collided: her love of faith, family, travel, history, and writing. Rebecca's debut novel, A Place in His Heart, is a historical romance based on Mary and Barnabas Horton, Rebecca's ninth great-grandparents. Book two of The Southold Chronicles series, To Capture Her Heart, is now available for pre-order. From PUBLISHER WEEKLY ~ DeMarino's ... strong suit is recreating history and relating it to readers. 

You can find her book(s) here.

Writer off the Leash by Michelle Griep

This was my second "How-to" book that I have read.  Because this was about "Growing in the Writing Craft", I am definitely a bit worried about how I write this review!  Ha ha!  Well, I will be honest and "myself".

I myself, only write blogs, journals, how-to do genealogy materials and other "stuff", not fiction book, but I must say this book definitely gave me some new ideas for writing, regardless of "what" I am writing.

Needless to say this was a very amusing book, while going through the various teaching steps, procedures, etc.  The author does certainly have a way with words.  I found it hard to put down, which was unexpected for this type of reading material.

I may not become an expert blogger, but at least I have a book to refer to as to how to do so!
So that said, I do recommend this interesting, as well as entertaining book to all aspiring writer wannabes.  I think you will learn a lot and realize patience is definitely a key word in the writing process.  Thanks, Michelle for a most interesting read.

The author:  Michelle Griep can be found at the following  website.

She is the author of many fictional works which I hope to be lucky enough to read!

On a Summer Night by Diane Dean White

This was the second book of author Diane Dean White that I have read.  It was a very interesting read and I enjoyed it very much.

The story starts in the 60's, a time that I can relate to, and then jumps to the present and recalls a significant incident of the past which happened to Kate and Vanessa on a trip to Florida after their high school graduations.

This book has a little of everything, romance, mystery and it was also very inspiring, using scriptural references to express feelings of the characters as well as the author's, I believe.

After Kate reveals her secret, her entire life changes and she finds herself growing in many ways.

This story of faith and inspiration is a story of people working together, family, friends and community and with forgiveness as an underlying topic.  Very good story with unexpected events to keep you reading.  I think you will enjoy this book very much, as did I!  The book also took me back to my younger growing up years.  And some of the things written about in the book brought back some memories for me.  Things were definitely different in the 60's!

I was given a e-book copy of this book from the author for my honest review, which I have given.

Author Diane Dean White:

Brian's Choice by Vannetta Chapman

Brian’s Choice is a novella prequel to Vannetta's Plain and Simple Miracles collection.These are stories of love, family and Amish community in Oklahoma. 

I was lucky enough to have had a chance to read this ebook and have to say, Vannetta Chapman has a wonderful new book!  As always, she never disappoints and I totally enjoyed this quick but well-developed novella.

Brian is an "Englischer" who has a troubled past.  He moves on in his life and because of his want to begin again, and has joined the Amish faith, adapting to their beliefs and customs in hopes of a better 

As a former professor, a teaching job at the Amish school is a new turn in his life.  This story is about love and forgiveness, including  forgiveness of one's own self, which is probably the hardest forgiveness of all.  I really enjoyed this book and look forward to reading the series.

I received an ebook copy of this book for my honest review which I have given.  

The author, Vannetta Chapman

A Southern Girl giveaway!

http://inspiredbylifeandfiction.com/southern-through-and-through/

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