Hopeful

Webster's dictionary defines hopeful as exciting hope; promising advantage or success and in her latest series, Return to Sugarcreek, Shelley Shepard Gray does just that for two remarkable characters in her book Hopeful. Miriam Zehr wants to have hope. Being twenty-five among the Amish and without any romantic aspects in her future, she is considered a bit of an outcast by both friends and her family. That make Miriam all the more subconscious about being a little overweight and not the prettiest young woman in her opinion. In fact, no one has ever given Miriam a passing glance. She finds solace in working as a waitress and baker at the Sugarcreek Inn, but even there she comes up short, she can't even make it to work on time. It's a good thing she is such a great baker and hard worker or she would have lost her job awhile ago. But something has to change for her.

When Junior Beiler arrives at the Inn and asks to meet with Miriam at her house after work, she finally feels that God is about to answer her prayers. She thinks Junior has come to court her! She has had her eye on Junior for quite some time and is finally willing to believe something good is coming her way. Even her parents are thrilled to hear that Junior is making plans to come to the house to talk to Miriam, However, when Junior arrives all he wants to know is if Miriam can help set him up with her best friend Mary Kate. In one instant, all her hopes and dreams are dashed in pieces. Yet Miriam will never let anyone know that she set herself up believing for one minute that Junior was interested in her and plays it off in front of her parents and Junior. To Junior, she is willing to be that "friend" he needs to get to Mary Kate, but she can't let her parents and family think that Junior doesn't want to court her, so she begins to live a double life of sorts, not being honest to anyone but most of all not even herself.

Judith Graber has learned after her last miscarriage that she can no longer have any babies and she wonders just what kind of wife can she be to Ben, if she can't give him the family he has wanted. No matter how much Ben assures her that his only concern is for her to get better, no amount of love seems to be enough for Judith to come to terms with only being a wife to Ben and not a mother of his children. She's isn't even willing to consider adoption. Knowing many women who have lost babies, she believes she might find the answer with another doctor, but what if this is the choice God has in store for her, to remain childless. Can she live with that fact forever?

I received Hopeful by Shelley Shepard Gray compliments of Litfuse Publicity and Avon Inspire for my honest review. I did not receive any monetary compensation and the opinions expressed in this review are strictly my own. I found myself relating to Miriam's character quite a bit, willing to put her true feelings on the back burner to make everyone else happy. She is undoubtedly a people pleaser. I can see her struggle with her own self image and when things don't work out the way she likes, it seriously affects her self esteem. She finds herself second guessing herself at virtually every turn. I see so much of myself in Miriam's character, I felt like Shelley was writing about me. For me, this was one of the closest character parallels I've ever come across in a novel. It was like watching myself in this novel. I love how it turned out, and I won't give this one away, but trust me you'll want to check this one out. I personally give this a 5 out of 5 stars.

For more information about Hopeful, Shelley Shepard Gray, or where to pick up a copy of this novel today, please click on the links below:

Hopeful by Shelley Shepard Gray

You can also find Shelley Shepard Gray on Facebook to stay up to date with all her latest novels.

To read more reviews on Hopeful, please visit the Litfuse Publicity Book Tour Page.

Welcome to the blog tour for Hopeful, the first book in Shelley Shepard Gray's new series, Return to Sugarcreek. Critics have already given their thumbs up for Hopeful: “Lovable characters and a good story, full of romance and suspense . . . a must read." (Library Journal)

Enter to win one of FIVE copies of the book. 

Five winners will receive:

• Hopeful by Shelley Shepard Gray

Enter today by clicking one of the icons below. But hurry, the giveaway ends on February 23rd. All winners will be announced February 24th at Shelley's blog.

Enter today and be sure to visit Shelley's blog on the 24th to see if YOU won one of the books!

The Calling

Sometimes when you read such a great story about a fictional place, you find yourself wishing that the places, people and settings are real so you could visit. Much is the same for the Inn at Eagle Hill. Suzanne Woods Fisher created just the place in her series, The Inn at Eagle Hill. It's a B & B located on the Amish farm of Rose Schrock and she is trying to find a way to earn a living after the recent death of her husband which also left her under scrutiny of the SEC for Schrock Investments. A company that was owned and ran by her former husband and his business partner Jake Hertzler. Only Jake has disappeared along with her son Tobe and now they are being investigated. Only Rose doesn't know where either of them have run off to, and she is doing everything she can to keep going in spite of all the debt that Schrock Investments now has to pay for their investors.

Bethany is trying hard to forget Jake and the idea that she ever saw anything in him to begin with. Now they they had broken up and Jake has left town, she is trying to find someone to keep her thoughts off of her past and focused on her future. It seems that she can't seem to make any good decisions lately. In fact even though she is tempted by Jimmy Fisher, her neighbor, who is more than interested in her, Bethany feels that she is just one of many girls that Jimmy is interested in. And based on her most recent relationship with Jake, she doesn't believe she is meant to be with anyone at all right now.

While she spends her time trying to help her mother with the guests that are staying at their Inn, she also has a part time job assisting a group of five Amish sisters who are in desperate need of organizing their home. They are what you would call Amish horders and since the Amish are supposed to rotate house for Sunday services, the Bishop has told the Sisters that they have to host as soon as they can get their home ready. That is the reason they have hired Bethany. She isn't attached to anything the Sisters want to hold on to and she could use the money to help her mother. Everything is going along fine until Bethany finds a chest of bones located in the basement and believes the Sisters are murderers. Will she ever be able to go back?

In the novel The Calling, the second book in the Inn at Eagle Hill series from Suzanne Woods Fisher, we are once more taken back into further detail with the Schrock family. In the first novel The Letters, we got an inside look into Rose's life and the establishment of the Inn. Now in The Calling, her daughter Bethany is the focus and we get a chance to see how her past relationship with Jake is complicating matters with helping her family dealing with the investments issues with the SEC. While the novel focuses on the lives of Bethany and Jimmy, we are also introduced to Naomi King, Galen's sister who is married to Rose. Naomi has had a crush on Tobe Schrock since she was a child and now that he has come home to face the music of his dealings with Schrock Investments and Jake Hertzler, Naomi finds her crush has turned into true love. But what will happen when Tobe meets with the SEC investigator. It may mean a life altering choice for Bethany and Naomi.

I received The Calling by Suzanne Woods Fisher compliments of Litfuse Publicity and Revell Publishers for my honest review. I did not receive any monetary compensation for a favorable review and the opinions expressed here are strictly my own. I can't wait to see how this all plays out and I will have to wait until The Revealing is released to know. However I loved so many of the Amish proverbs that are woven through this story that my poor novel has been ear marked to death. Couple that with an amazing recipe for Rose's Blueberry Buckle that is already calling my name and a Book Discussion Guide that is perfect for book clubs you have it all in one amazing novel. This one is well worth all 5 out of 5 stars!

For more information about The Calling, Suzanne Woods Fisher, or where to pick up a copy of this novel today, please click on the links below:

The Calling by Suzanne Woods Fisher

You can find Suzanne Woods Fisher on Facebook to stay up to date with all her latest novels.

To read more reviews on The Calling from the Litfuse Publicity Book Tour, please click here.



Bestselling author Suzanne Woods Fisher is celebrating her newest book, The Calling, by giving away TWO iPads, TWO Kindles, and TWO Nooks!
 

Two grand prize winners will receive:

• An iPad
• The Letters and The Calling by Suzanne Woods Fisher

Four second place winners will receive:

• A Kindle Fire HDX or a Nook HD—winner's choice!
• The Letters and The Calling by Suzanne Woods Fisher

Enter today by clicking one of the icons below. But hurry, the giveaway ends on February 8th. All winners will be announced February 10th at Suzanne's blog.

Don't miss a moment of the fun; enter today and be sure to visit Suzanne's blog on the 10th to see if you won one of the great prizes! (Or better yet, subscribe to her blog and have the winner announcement delivered to your inbox!)

Winter of Wishes

"You're interested in the position?"

There was a hopeful upturn in Andy Leitner's voice as it came through the phone. "I was wondering if the store owners had taken my note down."

Rhoda's heart raced. "Jah, I'd like to talk to you about it, " she gushed. "But ya should understand right out that I don't have a car, on account of how we Amish don't believe in ownin'-I mean, I'm not preachin' at ya, or-"
She winced. "This is comin' out all wrong. Sorry," she rasped. "My name's Rhoda Lantz, and I'm in Willow Ridge. I sure hope you don't think I'm too ferhoodled to even be considered for the job."

"Ferhoodled?" The word rolled melodiously from the receiver and teased her.

"Crazy mixed-up," she explained. "Confused, and - well, I'm keepin' ya from whatever ya need to be doin', so,-"

"Ah, but you're a solution to my problem. The answer to a prayer..."

Just like that Rhoda Lantz life would be forever changed when she answered the ad she found posted in the Zook's Market in town. With her mother Miriam now just a month from being married to Ben Hooley, she knew she was missing something in her life. Call it a need perhaps, but something to validate her life, and taking care of Andy's children as well as his mother just recovering from a stroke, may be just the calling she feels on her life.

But just how would Andy feel about her Amish ways? Being a busy single father while attending school for nursing, he faced challenging obstacles both at work and at home. It seems like he never can find peace between trying to stay organized, raising his two young children, and helping his mother recover. It seems just when his wife walked away, Andy's life had fallen apart. Is it possible that Rhoda can bring life back to his unhappy family or will this be too much for even a seasoned Amish woman to handle?

Once again, Charlotte Hubbard takes her readers back to Willow Ridge in the third novel in the Seasons of the Heart Series, with Winter of Wishes. Rhoda Lantz has found that working with her family in the Sweet Seasons Bakery Cafè just isn't enough for her now that everyone is moving forward in their lives with the exception of Rhoda. But God has bigger plans for this Amish woman and the English family she is about to assume care of. Will He be able to seamlessly blend two different cultures into one perfect family? You'll definitely want to pick this one up and find out.

I received Winter of Wishes by Charlotte Hubbard compliments of Kensington Books and Pump Up Your Book Tours for my honest review. I did not receive any monetary compensation for a favorable review. I have fallen in love with their characters as well as the recipes that the women working at the Sweet Seasons Bakery whip up. I felt the change of the season in this book as Thanksgiving approached as well as the coming winter for the entire town of Willow Ridge. I love how with the advancement of time even some of the strictest religious beliefs are challenge by Miriam when her daughter is threatened by a bittered Bishop Hiram Knepp who's been under the Amish ban for keeping a car in his barn and driving it. Seems like Hiram is hiding more than his emotions under his harsh exterior while he lashes out to those around him, biding his time til he is returned back to overseeing the town and its residents again. Miriam has what I would call gumption and she isn't afraid to use it! I would easily rate this a 5 out of 5 stars and love all the recipes that are included in this book as well. Makes it twice as sweet to enjoy!

For more information about Winter of Wishes, Charlotte Hubbard or where you can pick up a copy of this novel today, please click on the links below:

Winter of Wishes by Charlotte Hubbard

You can follow Charlotte Hubbard on Facebook to stay up to date with all her latest novels.

To read more reviews on Winter of Wishes from the Pump Up Your Book Tour, please click here.

• Series: Seasons of the Heart (Zebra)
• Mass Market Paperback: 368 pages
• Publisher: Zebra (September 3, 2013)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1420121715
• ISBN-13: 978-1420121711
• Product Dimensions: 6.7 x 4 x 0.9 inches