To Have and To Hold

Fall is by far my favorite season of the year. Something changes in the air. Perhaps it is the dance of the falling leaves on the wind, the crispness to the air or maybe it's just a time for great novel about love and romance while sitting by the warm fire and drinking something hot. To Have and To Hold is that perfect blend of three great fall romance novellas by Betsy St.Amant, Katie Ganshert and Becky Wade all gathered together in one great book. Each taking a turn at creating something unforgettable and timeless in each of their respective novellas.

Love Takes the Cake by Betsy St. Amant is a delightfully sweet tale of Charlotte Cantrell, owner and proprietress of The Donut Knot, a small bakery that she has always dreamed would one day provide the income a single mother like herself would need to support her young daughter Zoe. Now if she can simply put all romantic interest of out her mind and focus on working with her latest Bridezilla to determine which cake flavor she would most like for her wedding cake. Only it turns out that she is simply too stressed to make all these decisions and defaults under the suggestion of her fiancè to have the best man, Will Martin work with Charlotte to come up with the right combination for all her events leading up to the wedding. Now if she can only stick to her plan not to get involved with anyone while she dreams of what it would be like to date Will instead?

The Perfect Arrangement by Katie Ganshert takes us for a reminiscent ride back through all those old black and white romance movies with Amelia Woods who simply wanted to see what her former boyfriend, Matt's wedding looks like. She wasn't 'spying' she was simply putting her past behind her with this last attempt at letting go. She just never dreamed she would run into the next love of her life, literally by rear-ending his car. Turns out that Nate Galligher might have met his match with Amelia. As the two begin corresponding through email as Amelia attempts to apologize for hitting him and then leaving so quickly, it turns out that they have more in common than they thought and that is love for old classic movies and the romance that those former days seems to allude to. But will Amelia and Nate find the lasting connection or will they simply fade away into the sunset?

Love in the Details by Becky Wade wraps up the book with two former high school sweethearts, Holly and Josh, that are reunited again after 8 years to find themselves suddenly working together on a wedding. Their relationship ended with both being confused on why and thus hurt feelings materialize once again to show that those smoldering embers might just have an opportunity to fan into flames of a former love if they can simply find a way to communicate over what really happened and how a misunderstanding might just be a reason for finding forgiveness and a second chance at true happiness.

I received To Have and To Hold by Betsy St.Amant, Katie Ganshert and Becky Wade compliments of Net Galley and Zondervan Publishers. The best thing about a romance book like this one is you get a little taste of romance with three very talented authors. Kinda feels like a Hallmark movie marathon and for me, my favorite had to be The Perfect Arrangement simply because I am a fan of You've Got Mail and The Shop Around the Corner. They simply don't make them like that anymore and combined with just the right blend of comedy, romance and a yearning for something more, these all feel like their own novels on their own. If you have never read any of these author's books, please consider checking all of them out. For me this is another 5 out of 5 stars and now that it's fall, it seems like the perfect time for love and watching my favorite classic romance movies one more time. Each of these novellas offers their own discussion guides at the conclusion which makes this a perfect fit for book clubs.

For more information about To Have and To Hold, Betsy St.Amant, Katie Ganshert, Becky Wade or where you can pick up a copy of this book today, please click on the links below:

To Have and To Hold by Betsy St. Amant, Katie Ganshert and Becky Wade

You can find Betsy St.Amant on Facebook to stay up to date on all her latest novels.

You can find Katie Ganshert on Facebook to stay up to date on all her latest novels.

You can find Becky Wade on Facebook to stay up to date on all her latest novels.

To read more reviews on To Have and To Hold, please visit Zondervan Publisher's website. 

An Amish Year

Most of the time, we simply don't have the time to read a full length novel but wish we had the time. The perfect solution for those situations is to get a hold of a collection of your favorite genres all combined in one book in the form of novellas or simply short novels. For me, Beth Wiseman is definite a favorite author and whenever I see her name, I know I am in for a great novel or in this case a great collection of novellas in particular to the Amish Romance genre in An Amish Year.

This is a collection of four novellas that bring about the changing seasons in the life of the Amish people we read about in each of the short novellas to bring us full circle in a calendar year. You'll find Rooted in Love, about Rosemary Lantz who like most Amish excels in everything, except gardening and it will take the hard work of Saul Petersheim to try and win her heart but helping her out with learning to garden. In A Love for Irma Rose, this one takes us back to 1957 when Irma Rose needs to decide which man is the right choice for her. Does she take a chance on the one who she believes is right for her or the one who seems a bit on the wild side? Patchwork Perfect chances places from the previous story and puts Eli Byler at the heart of picking which woman would be best suited for him as a widower, Miriam Fisher who is unconventional when it comes to an Amish woman who makes him second guess all his choices for what he believes he wants in a wife. Finally in When Christmas Comes Again, Katherine has to learn how to navigate recent waters of being a single parent when she faces the loss of her husband and must find a way to bring joy back into Christmas for her children, but will it be an English man that turns her head and heart?

I received An Amish Year by Beth Wiseman compliments of Thomas Nelson Publishers for my honest review. I did not receive any monetary compensation, aside from a free copy of this book in exchange for my honest and personal evaluation. For me, what I loved the most is at the conclusion of these novellas, there is a note from Beth telling you where you can find more of the full-length novels dealing with the families you meet in these novellas. This makes that need to finish learning more about what happens next easier to navigate and gives the reader a true sample of the stories you are likely to find. For me, it simply means I need to work on updating my 'must read' list with the ones I found and fell in love with in this collection. Well worth all 5 out of 5 stars in this book lover's heart.

For more information about An Amish Year, Beth Wiseman or where you can pick up a copy of this book today, please click on the links below:

An Amish Year by Beth Wiseman

You can find Beth Wiseman on Facebook to stay up to date on all her latest novels.

To read more reviews on An Amish Year, please visit Thomas Nelson Publisher's website.