Naomi’s Hope

Naomi's Hope Author: Jan Drexler

Series: Journey to Pleasant Prairie #3

Publisher: Revell

Release Date: June 6, 2017

Reviewer: Jennifer S. Roman

The third and final installment in the Journey to Pleasant Prairie series finds a newcomer, Cap Stoltzfus, joining the two groups of Amish who have arrived in LaGrange County, Indiana, in the 1840s. One group is from Ohio, and one group is from Pennsylvania. Although one group is considered more progressive than the other, they live and work together across a wide area separated by marsh and forest. They make miles-long treks on Sundays for church services and during the week to help their neighbors with chores. Cap finds himself settling in nicely, and is especially happy when he meets Naomi Schrock, a single girl who lives with her family and son near Cap’s new cabin. She has rescued a young boy whose family perished in a deadly storm, and even though her neighbors accept it, some people gossip that the boy, Davey, is the product of a sinful relationship. Cap is determined to get to know Naomi while finding out the truth of Davey’s coming to live with Naomi.

Meanwhile, a new preacher has arrived in the settlement, and he brings back horrible memories for Cap. Shem Fischer used to bully Cap when they were boys, and while Cap does his best to forgive Shem and put that experience in the past, he can’t help but feel that Shem is stirring up trouble throughout the settlement. Rumors fly, people refuse to help one another, and there is talk of breaking the church into two different sects. Shem seems to be behind all of it, but Cap has no proof. It’s up to the other members of the church to see Shem for his bad behavior and keep him in check.

I have enjoyed the first two books in this series, so I was excited to read the final book, as well. I have to admit that I had no idea there could be such Peyton Place-like drama playing out in an Amish settlement in the middle of Indiana, but after reading this book, it’s a whole new possibility. People are quarreling over where to hold church, how to plant and harvest crops, and what to serve for Sunday dinner. Married people have their eyes on someone other than their spouses, and rumors fly like birds. This is probably not typical of the average Amish settlement, but in this book, it was quite common. While the Amish are not immune to drama and conflicting personalities, it seems like this is an awful lot for a small new community.

I enjoyed the characters this book has, including the many newcomers. Several main characters and side characters have personal conflicts that need to be addressed, and they realize that until they give them up to God, the issues won’t go away. This causes stress in a few relationships, and the people involved learn how to work together instead of apart. There are many lessons for the characters to earn, the biggest being to trust God above all others. While some of the drama may be a bit over-the-top, the storylines and true commitment to living a simple life make the book a worthwhile read.

This is a charming book that does not contain violence, sex, or foul language. For this reason, I recommend this book for young adult readers and up. Fans of Amish fiction, Amish romance, or a good clean story about the settling of America will enjoy the story.

Riverbend Reunion

Riverbend Reunion Author: Henry McLaughlin

Series: Riverbend Saga #3

Publisher: CreateSpace

Release Date: December 14, 2016

Rating: 5 Stars

Reviewer: Jessica Higgins

The third book in the Riverbend Saga brings Michael Archer back to what he has been running from for years and is the best in the series!

Michael Archer feels like the luckiest man in the world. He has just married, Rachel, the woman he is madly in love with, and they have a bright future to look forward to. He has finally decided to settle down after running from his past for years. But when he receives a cryptic telegram from his sister Ellie telling him to come home, he feels led to go. He is hesitant to go because the last time he was home he was saving his sister from their father, who he then stabbed with a pitchfork. Thinking he had killed his father he runs and doesn’t look back. Going back might just be the hardest thing he has ever had to do.

After reading all three books in the Riverbend Saga, I can easily say that Riverbend Reunion is the best. The first two focus on Michael and all he goes through. With the third, it starts with his sister Ellie and what led to Michael leaving home. The story then continues for almost a third of the book with Ellie before switching back to Michael. I thought this was an interesting approach, keeping the main character from the first two books mostly absent till a third of the way through, but it worked. I enjoyed getting the story of Ellie and how she handled all she went through before going back to Michael. His story in Riverbend was fleshed out enough that it was easy for him to leave and go home to deal with the family issues he had been harboring for years. I can tell that McLaughlin is growing and improving as a writer with each new book. The characters are relatable and the story itself is much more tight with the suspense in just the right places. I’m not sure if there is going to be another in the series, not only do I see potential with a few of the characters being delved into a little further, but also feel it has been wrapped up well if this is the end. The nice thing about this book was there were no spots were the story came to a stop and I felt like I wanted to be done, I was invested and wanted to see what happened with the characters. Overall it was very well written and I will be recommending this to readers that enjoy a good western tale with a lot of suspense and redemption throughout.

Riverbend Justice

Riverbend Justice Author: Henry McLaughlin

Series: Riverbend Saga #2

Publisher: CreateSpace

Release Date: January 6, 2016

Rating: 4 Stars

Reviewer: Jessica Higgins

With more action and suspense than the first, this new installment is sure to be a hit with readers.

Michael Archer is having a hard time getting over the guilt of having taken a life, even if it was to try and save another. Before dying, Sam Carstairs asked Michael to clear the name of his son Ben, the original reason for Michael coming to Riverbend. After dealing with his demons, he and a few new friends head to try and clear Ben’s name. It is going to be harder than they could have imagined, records are missing and more bodies keep turning up. It takes Michael being shot and beaten up, a young girl kidnapped, and hurting the girl he is falling in love with to make him put aside all his pain and fears to get to the bottom of what is going on.

Henry McLaughlin has followed up his hit debut novel with an even better, more suspenseful sequel, Riverbend Justice. At first, I got a little tired of Michael and his attitude of self-pity; luckily, it quickly changed and he became the man he should be. The mystery of what Michael was trying to solve was even more interesting here than the first. The characters flowed well with each other and the entire story. There is a faith message throughout, but also a lot of action. I do feel this book is more developed than the first in several ways. Even though it is independently published instead of with a publishing house, the story touches a nerve and keeps you into the story because of the feelings and emotions it brings up. McLaughlin does a great job bringing you back to the old west with the language he uses to set up the scenes and the characters. Michael and Rachel are right for each other, that is obvious from the first book. In Riverbend Justice, I found myself connecting more and more with Rachel; she has had a hard past but has turned herself into a strong, independent woman that is not only capable of taking care of herself but also helping to take care of those around her, my kind of lady. Overall this was a very enjoyable read that I will recommend to lovers of western romances with a nice dose of suspense thrown in for good measure.

Journey to Riverbend

Journey to Riverbend Author: Henry McLaughlin

Series: Riverbend Saga #1

Publisher: Tyndale

Release Date: January 24, 2011

Rating: 4 Stars

Reviewer: Jessica Higgins

A Christian western with a lot of gunslingers, kidnappings and much more to enjoy.

After unsuccessfully trying to stop the hanging of a man, Michael Archer has a mission. He promised Ben Carstairs that he would find his father for him and try to reconcile with him, even though he is being hung for a crime he didn’t commit. Michael tried to stop it but couldn’t get the evidence he needed. Now Michael must travel to the town of Riverbend to find Sam Carstairs, a ruthless business man that kicked his son Ben out and isn’t likely to give Michael the time of day. As he arrives in Riverbend, Michael meets and quickly finds himself attracted to Rachel Stone who is running from her past and is hesitant to start any kind of relationship. Sam Carstairs isn’t in town and Michael waits for him. Soon word gets to town that Sam has been kidnapped on his way home and Michael feels led to join the search party to find Sam and bring the news of his son. It is a dangerous road ahead and not everyone will make it home alive.

This was the winner of the Christian Writing Guild’s Operation First Novel contest. The writing is well done and the characters are very relatable. I did feel that it had some unneeded content, especially in the last third where the action needed to pick up speed and instead stalled. There were a lot of characters, that is a hard thing to pull off and I think it could have helped to cut out about half of them, especially with the search party scenes. The overall concept of the novel was good, having the characters consider the actions they take and the consequences to their choices. Even though this is a historical novel, these concepts can be applied to everyday life and we can all learn from the characters and how they deal with their actions and the consequences. As a debut novel, this was very well done and I recommend it to lovers of historical fiction with a good message.

Blood Rose Rebellion

Blood Rose Rebellion Author: Rosalyn Eves

Series: Blood Rose Rebellion #1

Publisher: Knopf Books for Young Readers

Release Date: March 28, 2017

Rating: 4 Stars

Reviewer: Jessica Higgins

An enchanted tale of romance, magic, and family drama that brings the tension to new levels.

Anna Arden is sixteen years old and has been shunned by her family and society for a blood defect. Her family is part of a powerful magic group called the Luminate. However, she is Barren and unable to perform the simplest of spells. Everything goes wrong for Anna when she breaks her sister’s debutante spell, without even realizing she is doing it, and becomes exiled by her family and sent with her grandmother to Hungary. Things seem worse than ever when she finds that things are not as she thought. She is living with her cousins and starts to discover that magic and those around her are not as she was led to believe. A rebellion is quickly spreading across the country and Anna finds herself in the middle of the conflict with many believing she might be what they need if she will embrace her ability and help those she cares about.

Rosallyn Eves has woven a tale that will make you think of others out there but is its own story in many ways. There is magic and love that must be interwoven in order for the story to work, and it does work. For me, the story took a little bit to get going, but once it did, I enjoyed it and couldn’t turn the pages fast enough. Anna was her own kind of hero; she didn’t believe in herself until she realized everyone else was counting on her and she really could make a difference. Being set in the past and in such a different location I would have liked to see a little more world building to set the story in motion. The character development was done very well and was easy to connect with Anna and the others. Overall it was a very enjoyable read and one I will recommend to readers that enjoy YA and mystical reads.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher. The views and opinions expressed within are my own.

Trusting Grace

Trusting Grace Author: Maggie Brendan

Series: Virtues and Vices of the Old West #3

Publisher: Revell

Release Date: May 2, 2017

Rating: 4 Stars

Reviewer: Jessica Higgins

Even the unlikeliest of characters have a chance at true love.

Robert Frasier feels scammed. He just lost his wife after a few short months of marriage and has now learned that she has three kids after his late wife’s sister drops them off at his door. To make matters worse, he has lost the family farm to debt and must now find a job to make ends meet. Wandering from town to town, Robert searches for a place to work. He finds work at a farm in Montana in the employment of Grace Bidwell. Hopefully Robert can work the farms to keep himself and his bedraggled children fed and clothed.

Grace Bidwell has always longed to be a wife and mother. But after her husband passed way before they had children, it seems that is an unlikely dream. She is now taking care of her widowed father whose health continues to get worse. Her new farm hand Robert is very unapproachable, almost as if he has something against her, but sometimes she still sees a softness to him. At least with his help she can manage to keep her farm.

A well written book by Maggie Brendan and my first to read by her. Even so, I don’t feel like I lost any portion of the story by starting with the third is a series. It just picked right up and took me along for the ride. I’m not sure if there were any history of the main characters in the previous two stories, but I don’t feel like I need them. The romance between the main characters was set at the right pace. Not too fast, but not too slow either. The relationships between the kids and Robert played out well too. They had a lot of problems getting started, but worked them out throughout the book and became a trusting family. Grace was a very strong woman, but still had a time of need for Robert when he managed to rescue her in a bad situation.

If you like western historical fiction with some clean romance, I recommend you give this a try.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher. The views and opinions expressed within are my own.

A Stolen Heart

A Stolen Heart Author: Amanda Cabot

Series: Cimarron Creek #1

Publisher: Revell

Release Date: March 14, 2017

Rating: 4 Stars

Reviewer: Jessica Higgins

Cabot’s new trilogy set in the Texas hill country makes for a great new series.

When Lydia Crawford steps off the train the train in Cimarron Creek, she expects to meet her future husband. Instead she meets the sheriff, who informs him that her husband to be is missing. And then tells her that his wife is frantic with worry. Although Texas is known for its friendliness, just a few years after the civil war people still hold grudges and suspicion against any northerner in their presence. Alone and in a new place, will Lydia be able to start over? Or should she just return back home?

Amanda Cabot’s novels are always entertaining and seem to put the main character in very awkward situations. This remains the case for Lydia when she finds that the man she loves in married to someone else. Then romance appears for this character in someone who would be an unlikely fit. This is pretty much her formula, but one that works very well. It is similar to her Texas Crossroads series, but set in the 1880s rather than present day. If you like Texas historical fiction coupled with romance, this is a new series for you!

I received a complimentary copy of this book from the author. The views and opinions expressed within are my own.

Alabaster

Alabaster Author: Chris Aslan

Publisher: Lion Hudson

Release Date: November 18, 2016

Rating: 5 Stars

Reviewer: Jessica Higgins

A well-known story told from a different perspective.

Miriam and Martha have had their share of a rough life. When they were children, their mother died leaving them with their father and younger brother. Even so, they still made the best of it. That is until the day that their father helps a leper, who leaves them a small alabaster jar for helping before he dies. Nothing seems that odd until one day Miriam notices a small white patch on his back. Soon the priest and his wife come to observe the patch and quarantine the family. But the patch does not recede, so their father must leave the community for good and venture out to the lepers. But fate does not stop there. Martha has no money for a dowry and remains single, but she is quite the busybody. Miriam gets married to a young man who helps the priest, but his mother and sister are scornful to her and it might have been better never to marry. Their brother, Eleazar, runs away from the community with a friend when they are of age, with intentions never to return. That is until they meet the doctor in the north that has been able to cure leprosy.

This book was a great read that keep playing with my mind. Once the book got started, I began to wonder if this might be one of the well-known stories of Jesus in the bible. The more I read, the more it sounded likely. And then I discovered that it was. It was told from a completely different perspective than I had ever heard it before. But it was still masterfully told. The emotions of Miriam were vastly different than I would have pictured them, but there were still very believable. I love it when stories like this pop up and change the way I have always observed things. Well done!

There is some implied sex scenes, one of which is a rape scene, but it is not graphic. I would recommended this to young adult readers and up.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher. The views and opinions expressed within are my own.

A Trail of Crumbs

A trial of crumbs Author: Susie Finkbeiner

Publisher: Kregel

Release Date: March 28, 2017

Rating: 5 Stars

Reviewer: Jessica Higgins

As the dust bowl rages on, so does the turmoil in young Pearl’s life!

Pearl Spence has been through more in her eleven years than most people have in a lifetime. Having to endure the dust bowl in the Oklahoma panhandle is bad enough, but finding out you’re adopted and then having you birth mother murdered before your eyes makes it seem like a cake walk. On a rare nice day with a clear blue sky, Pearl hopes that new life is coming into Oklahoma, until she sees another raging duster heading their way. This particular storm is going to do more damage than just skin deep, it will set a chain of events in place that will threaten to rip her family apart.

After A Cup of Dust, I was excited to hear that Pearl’s story was going to continue. Having grown up with family members that lived during the dust bowl made me appreciate the research and time that the author put into her book. I was happy that the first part of the book was still set in Oklahoma. Then the remainder moved out to Michigan, which didn’t get the dust bowl but still had plenty of depression. Reading this story, I wonder how much Pearl actually wrote of her own story. I wonder if Susie Finkbeiner was sitting there and suddenly saw what happened to Pearl and thought “didn’t see that coming!” I know there are some characters that have that ability and I could see Pearl in that role.

This story really created a civil war within Pearl, as with many kids who have the issue that Pearl has toward the end of this book. I really want to write more on the subject, but doing so will completely give away the climax of the book, so I’m not going there. What I will say is that this is another great story that has raw emotion built into it so that you actually feel Pearl’s anguish. And most importantly, her story is going to continue yet again coming February 2018!

I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher. The views and opinions expressed within are my own.

Andi Under the Big Top

4431 cover 2.indd Author: Susan K. Marlow

Series: Circle C Stepping Stones #2

Publisher: Kregel

Release Date: March 28, 2017

Rating: 4 Stars

Reviewer: Jessica Higgins

Another fun adventure for young readers that is just the right combination of excitement and life lessons we can all use.

Andi Carter is excited for summer! She is finally healed from the broken arm she got trying to do a trick on her horse and now the circus has come to town. She has seen the circus once before, but was too young to fully remember anything, except for being scared of the clowns. The most exciting thing for Andi is getting to see the champion bareback rider. During the show, Andi and her family meet Henry Jackson, a young boy working in the circus. Andi is a little jealous of Henry at first, working and hanging out with all the circus performers and traveling to new places. That quickly changes after she learns that he ran away from home to join the circus and now he can’t leave. Andi feels led to help him get free, but doing so might cost her more than she is willing to pay.

The second book in the Circle C series is another fun adventure for young readers. However, I don’t think I would say it is as good as the first. I have a problem with the way it ended. For me it didn’t take care of a few of the loose ends. I don’t want to give anything away, but it was too quick without the explanations I would have liked to have seen. The target audience of 7-10 year old children probably won’t notice, or if they do, they might not care, but it bothered me. I liked the way Andi saw a wrong being committed and wanted to do something about it and help. This is a good reminder for the readers to always try and do what is right. The length of these books is just perfect for young readers to get a good story but not be overwhelmed by the amount to read. I recommend this to kids starting out with chapter books that enjoy stories with animals and have some history to them.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher. The views and opinions expressed within are my own.