AMISH FRIENDS FOUR SEASONS COOKBOOK by Wanda E. Brunstetter, Reviewed by Paula Shreckhise

Great book!

I love the format of this cookbook. It is spiral bound and has a lot of colorful pictures of the recipes. It is organized by seasons both by what is available by seasons and what tastes good by seasons.

Other great features are scripture passages sprinkled throughout and cooking and household tips.

The recipes are often short with readily available ingredients. There is a wide variety of recipes from breakfast through dessert.

“Any housewife, no matter how large her family, can always get some time alone by doing the dishes.” Martha Miller, Decatur, IN

There is something for everyone!

This is definitely a book that I will use frequently.
*I received a complimentary copy of this book from Barbour Publishers. I was not required to give a favorable review. All opinions are my own.*5 stars and a strong faith thread

BackCover Blurb:
Fresh Recipes for Each Season of the Year. Do you strive to eat what local, fresh, and in season? Then this is the cookbook for you. Organized by the winter, spring, summer, and fall seasons, there are a bounty of recipes for various ways to use up seasonal fruits and vegetables. Sprinkled with tips for growing and harvesting, too, the well-organized book boasts contributions from Amish and Mennonites from across the United States who are fans of author of Amish fiction, Wanda E. Brunstetter. Encased in a lay-flat binding and presented in full color, it is a must-have cookbook for anyone who gardens, participates in a CSA, or enjoys farmers

Sprial bound book from Barbour Publishing, April 2022

Buy AMISH FRIENDS FOUR SEASONS COOKBOOK at Amazon, Christianbook .com, or Baker Book House

FATAL CODE by Natalie Walters, Reviewed by Kim

Fatal Code is the second story in the SNAP Agency series by Natalie Walters. I was so excited to hear that Kekoa was getting his own story because I have loved him since the second he appeared on the page!

Kekoa’s story was everything I had hoped it would be. I loved delving into his past and the message of forgiveness and letting go of things we are not meant to carry that came out of it. This story has pops of humor that kept me laughing, a slow build realistic romance (Elinor is perfect for Kekoa!), great team dynamics, and perfect pacing leading up to an action filled end.

I really love this team and their camaraderie, which just gets better with each story. And, after reading Fatal Code, I am seriously needing Garcia and Lyla’s story! I cannot wait.
*I received a complimentary copy of this book. All opinions are my own. The faith thread is light. 

SEE REVIEWS by PAULA AND REBECCA

BackCover Blurb:
In 1964, a group of scientists called the Los Alamos Five came close to finishing a nuclear energy project for the United States government when they were abruptly disbanded. Now the granddaughter of one of those five scientists, aerospace engineer Elinor Mitchell, discovers that she has highly sensitive information on the project in her possession--and a target on her back.

SNAP agent and former Navy cryptologist Kekoa Young is tasked with monitoring Elinor. This is both convenient since she's his neighbor in Washington, DC, and decidedly inconvenient because . . . well, he kind of likes her.

As Elinor follows the clues her grandfather left behind to a top-secret nuclear project, Kekoa has no choice but to step in. When Elinor learns he has been spying on her, she's crushed. But with danger closing in on all sides, she'll have to trust him to ensure her discoveries stay out of enemy hands.

Natalie Walters sucks you into the global race for space domination in this perfectly paced second installment of her SNAP Agency romantic suspense series.

Revell Publishing, May 3, 2022

Available in digital ebook, paperback, hardcover, and audiobook:

Buy Fatal Code at Amazon, Christianbook .com, or Baker Book House

 

WHEN THE MEADOW BLOOMS by Ann H. Gabhart, Reviewed by Paula Shreckhise

From the beautiful cover to the last page when the characters sing the Doxology, When the Meadow Blooms is a grand story that encompasses many emotions.

 

Hardship and sorrow seem to follow Rose and her daughters, Calla and Sienna as Rose battles TB and the girls endure time in an orphanage. The past haunts Dirk Meadows when he cannot get over the grief of losing family members and his first, young love. In addition, he was badly burned in a barn fire. But when Rose, the girls and Dirk meet again, healing and hope slowly take over. God comforts Rose through the words of Romans 8. “For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor power, nor thing present, nor things to come, nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God.” This is one of my very favorite verses and I am glad Ms. Gabhart chose it to illustrate the faith that Rose clung to.

I like that the meadow on the farm played a part in the book. It was a favorite place for young Sienna, who loved nature and animals. It was something she looked forward to when she was waiting in the orphanage. It personified hope and new birth. A family Bible, likewise, was instrumental in bringing lost souls home.

Reading a book by Ann Gabhart is like sitting with an old and trusted friend and sharing comforting words of faith.

* I received a complimentary copy of this book from Revell on behalf of the author. I was not required to give a favorable review. All opinions are my own.*5 stars and a strong faith thread 

BackCover Blurb:
If any place on God's earth was designed to help one heal, it is Meadowland. Surely here, at her brother-in-law's Kentucky farm, Rose and her daughters can recover from the events of the recent past--the loss of her husband during the 1918 influenza epidemic, her struggle with tuberculosis that required a stay at a sanatorium, and her girls' experience in an orphanage during her illness. At Meadowland, hope blooms as their past troubles become rich soil in which their faith can grow.

Dirk Meadows may have opened his home to his late brother's widow and her girls, but he keeps his heart tightly closed. The roots of his pain run deep, and the evidence of it is written across his face. Badly scarred by a fire and abandoned by the woman he loved, Dirk fiercely guards his heart from being hurt again. But it may be that his visitors will bring light back into his world and unlock the secret to true healing.

Bestselling author Ann H. Gabhart explores the tender places within the human heart in this character-driven story of trusting God to turn our burdens into something beautiful.

 

Revell Publishing, May 2022

Available in digital ebook, paperback, hardcover, and paperback:

Buy WHEN THE MEADOW BLOOMS at Amazon, Christianbook .com, or Baker Book House

 

THE CATCH by Lisa Harris, Reviewed by Kim and Rebecca

KIM'S REVIEW:
I have really enjoyed each book in the US Marshals series by Lisa Harris. While each story is complete on its own, the relationship between Jonas and Madison develops throughout the series and there’s one mystery thread that also plays a part in each story and wraps up in The Catch.

I enjoyed all the twists and turns in this story! There was one twist I totally didn’t see coming. It was so surprising and suspenseful. While there isn’t much romance in this series, I did enjoy Jonas and Madison’s relationship and how it developed throughout each story.

The Catch is the third and final book in the US Marshal series. Even though there is the mystery thread that starts in book one and is solved in this story, I think that you could easily read read The Catch as a standalone as Ms. Harris does a good job of summarizing what has happened up to this point. I’ll definitely be on the lookout for the next story Lisa Harris writes!
*I purchased and received a complimentary copy of this book. All opinions are my own. The faith thread is light.

REBECCA'S REVIEW:
"Four months ago Madison had been shot in her own home. He'd found her lying on the kitchen floor in a pool of blood . . . But the most puzzling part of her injuries had the been the partial amnesia. . . she still didn't know who had pulled that trigger."

Now U. S. Marshals Madison James and Jonas Quinn are tasked with finding the killer of another woman shot in her own home; a local judge's wife . . . except when confronted with video evidence of who had been in his home, Judge Saylor insists that his young mistress could never have pulled the trigger. But case gets even more curious; not only has Becca Lambert gone on the run, but the woman tasked with baby-sitting her newborn son is missing . . . along with the infant.

Being thrown into a new case wasn't exactly how Madison and Jonas had expected to be re-united after Jonas' lengthy absence. They had missed each other during the weeks Jonas underwent rigorous training for a Special Operations Group, and yet Madison was still struggling with the same underlying circumstances; until she solved her husband's murder, she wasn't willing to put someone else that she loved (yes, loved) in the cross-hairs of a killer . . . and Madison knew without a shadow of doubt that she was being watched.

"I'm learning there is a point where I have to simply let go and let God take over . . . I'm tired of living as if I died that day as well."

Nearly entirely plot driven, this series conclusion oozes with multiple layers and endless amounts of surprising connections . . . giving the reader, as well as the characters . . . plenty of reasons to "catch up" to the truth.
*I received a copy of this book from the publisher. The opinions stated above are entirely my own. 3.5 stars

 SEE PAULA'S REVIEW!

BackCover Blurb:
After a harrowing attempt on a judge's life at the courthouse, Deputy US Marshals Madison James and Jonas Quinn are tasked with finding a missing woman and an endangered child in connection to the murder of the judge's wife. What seems like a fairly straightforward case becomes hopelessly tangled when the marshals discover that the woman they are searching for is not who they think she is.

Madison and Jonas are forced into a race to find the woman and the child before the men who want her dead discover her location. And in a final showdown that could cost her everything, Madison will come face-to-face with the person who murdered her husband.

USA Today bestselling author Lisa Harris concludes her thrilling US Marshals series with this breathless tale of secrets kept, lies exposed, and ultimately, justice prevailing.

 

Revell Publishing, April, 2022

Available in digital ebook, paperback, hardcover, and audiobook:

Buy THE CATCH at Amazon, Christianbook .com, or Baker Book House