A Letter From Lancaster County

"Silvia Donato's hand shook as she put her pen's tip to the stationery. She hesitated, but then prodded herself no matter how much her fingers ached. This was her last chance to repair much of what had gone wrong. Before it was too late.

Dearest Angela and Rose,

Please visit me. This invitation may sound crazy. After so many years, I wouldn't blame you if you couldn't care less about your aunt. But I'm getting older, and how I regret not asking you sooner, as well as the tension between your mother and me that separated us for so long.

How can I entice you to travel clear across the country? For one thing, I still live in your grandparents house where your mother grew up. You might wish to take a memento home with you. Anything you like. Lancaster County is truly magnificent. To my way of thinking, autumn is its finest season. Please come.

Fondly, Aunt Silvia"

Angela and Rose haven't returned to Lancaster County since their mother had died and now with a letter begging them to come for a visit, they both decided to take some time to visit and perhaps find a way to mend their own distance between themselves as well. Angela, married and living in Seattle with two wonderful kids believes that her mother always favored Rose, her sister who remains single and beautiful as well as thin, running her own mail order business. For Rose, she looks on Angela with bitterness for not being happy with what she believes is a perfect life, married, with children and a husband with a booming law practice so she can stay at home. Why can't they be happy with what each of them has instead of wishing they were the other sibling.

When the two head home to Lancaster County, they find some long buried secrets from their mother's own past behind a paneled door in their closet. When their mother died, their father destroyed all her mementos so this will be an opportunity to gain something that they can keep the memory of their mother close to them in some small way. They both just didn't expect to have a crush over Glenn, the Amish man who runs a successful nursery, but hasn't decided to make the commitment to return to his Amish ways. To do so, would mean giving up what he has managed to create with his own business. But does Glenn's family have a connection to Rose and Angela? Only time will tell!

I received A Letter From Lancaster County by Kate Lloyd compliments of Harvest House Publishers and Litfuse Publicity. In accordance with the new FTC Guidelines for blogging and endorsements, you should assume that every book reviewed here at Reviews From The Heart was provided to the reviewer by the publisher, media group or the author for free and were received, unless specified otherwise. This was a hard novel for me to navigate through because each chapter alternates from each of the sister's point of views. I had to keep telling myself at the opening of each chapter, this one is the married one and this is the single sister. In fact I didn't even realize that was happening until almost half way through the book. Even though each of these sisters isn't Amish or even strong in their faith, you can get a sense that they both have serious issues to work out.

Angela fantasizes about Glenn when she is clearly married and believes the reason he husband is so busy that he has little time for her, is because she thinks he is having an affair. For Rose, she is so carefree with her own single lifestyle she doesn't realize the carnage she leaves behind in all her failed promiscuous relationships. I had a difficult time believing this was even a Christian novel, because of their lack of faith and it's barely touched on throughout the novel. This is the first novel in the Lancaster Discovery Series with reader's getting a sneak peek at the second one, Starting From Scratch at the conclusion of this one. For me, this garnered a 3 out of 5 stars in my opinion. While I have read novels with alternating view points, this one was really hard for me to stay focused in.

For more information about A Letter From Lancaster County, Kate Lloyd or where to pick up a copy of this novel today, please click on the links below:

A Letter From Lancaster County by Kate Lloyd

You can find Kate Lloyd on Facebook to stay up to date on all her latest novels.

To read more reviews on A Letter From Lancaster County, please visit Litfuse Publicity's Book Tour Page.

Will their sibling rivalry get in the way of these two sisters' chances at life and love? Find out in Kate Lloyd's new book, A Letter from Lancaster County. When a letter arrives from Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, Angela and Rose decide to visit their mother's Mennonite sister in the heart of Amish country. Angela and Rose discover surprising family secrets that add to their strife and threaten Rose's romance with a new beau. Through it all, the two sisters must find the faith necessary to face their personal problems and allow God to restore hope and healing to their hearts and relationship as only He can.

Celebrate the release of Kate's new book by entering to win her Two Sisters, Two Winners Giveaway!

One grand prize winner will receive:

• A copy of A Letter from Lancaster County
• A Kindle Fire

Another grand prize winner will receive:

• A copy of A Letter from Lancaster County
• A queen-size Amish quilt

Enter today by clicking the icon below, but hurry! The giveaway ends on July 27. The winner will be announced July 28 on the Litfuse blog.

Forever Amish

The last thing Sally Bingham expected was to have her entire life as she had known it to be a complete lie. She knew that her mother had abandoned her when she was too little to remember her, leaving her to be raised by her father Ed. But someplace deep inside, she wanted to know more about her mother and why she left. Only her father doesn't want to tell her any more than he already has, which amounts to almost nothing.

Receiving numerous emails from an Amish woman named Lizzie who is interested in the Pembroke Welsh Corgi's she breeds, she heads to Lancaster County not only in response to a possible dog adoption, but to give her some breathing room from her pending engagement to Donald. She wasn't sure why but something was nagging at the back of her mind, telling her that Donald might not be all she had thought he was. He didn't care for her ailing father like he should and seemed to distance himself from her as much as possible. If she followed through with her upcoming marriage, she would need to give up her breeding, and move to Donald's home town to be close to his family. After their recent argument, Sally believes some time spent away from Donald might give her the perspective she needs and is missing.

What she doesn't expect to find when she arrives in Intercourse, Pennsylvania is that her reservation at the Bed and Breakfast is cancelled due to rain damage to her room leaving her with no options. Thankfully she runs into an Amish driver who tells her that his family often takes in English tourists. Little did she know that it was also the home of Lizzie, the woman behind all the numerous emails about the dog. But is that really what she wants to know? Why does an Amish woman want a pure breed dog like a Welsh Corgi? Did she even realize how much these dogs cost? Or is there something more behind the request to get Sally to come to Lancaster County? Would that have anything to do with the handsome Amish man, Armin staying on the family's farm? Life is about to get so much more interesting than she ever imagined.

I received Forever Amish by Kate Lloyd compliments of David C. Cook Publishers and Litfuse Publicity for my honest review. I did not receive any monetary compensation for a favorable review and the opinions are strictly my own. This is the third and final book in the Lancaster of Legacy trilogy but I believe there are still more questions that need to be answered by the time you get to the end. Hopefully Kate will address these in a future novel. I love when you get a blend of the two cultures of Amish and English in one novel. It shows the similarities as well as differences between the two and shows that English can become Amish if they are willing to endure the hard work. It conveys that the things that one must give up isn't necessarily as hard as you would think. In fact, I love the simplicity that the Amish living brings over the English life of living for wealthy and material things. I love that by the end Sally gets a sense of what belonging really means as well as being a part of something more than just a family! I easily give this one a 5 out of 5 stars!

For more information about Forever Amish, Kate Lloyd, or where you can pick up a copy of this novel today, please click on the links below:

Forever Amish by Kate Lloyd

You can also find Kate Lloyd on Facebook to stay up to date with all her latest novels.

To read more reviews on Forever Amish, please visit Litfuse Publicity's book tour page. 


The latest book in Kate Lloyd's Legacy of Lancaster trilogy, Forever Amish, introduces us to a young woman about to uncover a shocking secret and find an invitation to a new way of living. This is a story of forgiveness, legacies, and the ties that bind through generations.

Kate is celebrating by giving away an Amish-made prize pack!

  One winner will receive:

• A brand new Kindle Fire
• A Qillow (A pillow with a lovely surprise inside! It opens to a 40” X 60” quilt ideal for traveling, sports events, and home.)
•  A Center Diamond wall hanging (Hand-stitched by Old Order Amish quilter Emma Stoltzfus of E.S. Quilts in Lancaster, PA. It measures 42” x 42” and is a traditional Old Order Amish design.)
• Darling Amish-made faceless dolls (Hand-crafted in Lancaster County, PA. Each measures 12 inches and is individually named. Meet Martha and Henry!)
• Forever Amish and the rest of the Legacy of Lancaster trilogy by Kate Lloyd

Enter today by clicking one of the icons below. But hurry, the giveaway ends on June 29th. Winner will be announced at Kate's blog on July 1st.

Tell your friends via FACEBOOK or TWITTER and increase your chances of winning and be sure to stop by Kate's blog on July 1st to see if you won!

Pennsylvania Patchwork

Sometimes our greatest times of adversity can also be our best opportunities for growth and reliance on God. Such in the case in the latest novel in the Legacy of Lancaster Trilogy Series from author Kate Lloyd, Pennsylvania Patchwork. Once again we pick up the story of Holly Fisher who has recently discovered that her mother, Esther has been keeping a secret from her. In fact, it's quite a huge secret. Esther grew up Amish and left to get married but led Holly to believe she has always had an English upbringing. She learned early on the reason for no real relatives or grandparents were that they were all dead. Now she discovers that she has quite an Amish heritage. Her father, Samuel has been missing in the Vietnam war and is now believed dead for the last few years.

Holly and her mother Esther are now living with her Amish grandmother Anna, who is in need of being taken care of now that she is getting older. What Holly soon discovers is that her grandmother and mother are planning to intervene on her recent engagement to Zack Fleming, a Mennonite veterinarian since learning of  a rumor that Zack may in fact be a father to his recent ex-girlfriend Victoria's son Justin. But until all the facts are in, Holly is willing to wait and see just what happens. While she is spending some time debating the merits of just how honest Zack really is, she suddenly finds herself in the middle of being pursued by two additional men. Larry, a man she meet when she was living in Seattle and an Amish man, Armin who has just returned from living among the English.

Will Holly be able to find a way to sort out her real feelings of love in the midst of three men who all want to marry her? Is Holly willing to give up her English way of life and learn to become Amish like her grandmother Anna who is hoping for her to marry a nice Amish young man? Or will Holly learn something from her mother's own past that may cause her to return to Seattle for good? To find out, you'll need to pick up a copy of Pennsylvania Patchwork.

I received Pennsylvania Patchwork by Kate Lloyd compliments of David C. Cook Publishers and Litfuse Publicity for my honest review. I received no monetary compensation for a favorable review. Since reading the first novel in the series, Leaving Lancaster, I knew I wanted to see how Holly's story would play out in this novel. I was not disappointed. Along the way, we learn more about Samuel and his disappearance in Vietnam. Esther also has to deal with the potential of deciding if she will become baptized in the Amish church satisfying a possible marriage with Nathaniel as well as dealing with a health issue with her own aging mother. I'd rate this one a 4 out of 5 stars and look forward to seeing how this all wraps up in the next novel.

For more information about Pennsylvania Patchwork, Kate Lloyd or where you can pick up a copy of this book today, please click on the links below:

Pennsylvania Patchwork by Kate Lloyd

You can also find Kate Lloyd on Facebook to stay up to date with all her latest novels.

To read more reviews on Pennsylvania Patchwork on the Litfuse Publicity Book Tour, please click here. 

Kate Lloyd is celebrating the release of book two in her Legacy of Lancaster Trilogy, Pennsylvania Patchwork, by giving away an authentic Amish-made quilt!







 



One "grand" winner receive:




• An authentic Amish-made Quilt


• Pennsylvania Patchwork and Leaving Lancaster by Kate Lloyd

Enter today by clicking one of the icons below. But hurry, the giveaway ends on June 29th. Winner will be announced on July 1st at Kate's blog.

Tell your friends via FACEBOOK or TWITTER and increase your chances of winning.

Leaving Lancaster

When Esther Gingerich left her Amish community in Lancaster, PA during her rumspringa, with the love of her life Samuel Fisher, the rest of their family expected them to return. Yet they didn't. Instead, they headed for a completely new life in San Francisco and would later move to Seattle where life again would take an unexpected turn. In this case, Samuel would be drafted into the Vietnam War and would never be found again. He would remain forever Missing in Action, just like Esther and Samuel did when they left their families.

Now many years later, Esther receives word from her ailing mother, Anna to return home to help take care of her before the rest of the family sells the farm and moves to Montana to begin a new life all over again. If Esther can only find a way to tell her daughter, Holly, that everything she has believed up to this point has been a complete lie. How funny that she would fail to tell her about her Amish upbringing while running an Amish Shoppe? Or that her grandmother is still living when she was told she was dead? How can she ever find a way to return home and expect Holly to come with her?



In the novel, Leaving Lancaster by Kate Lloyd, Esther has to find a way to return home and face up to the past she's not only been lying about, but also running away from. Holly has a right to get to know the family she has hidden from her including many grandparents, aunts, uncles and cousins. But will it be as easy as believing that the Amish are so easy to forgive her, or will there be no place for Esther and Holly to return to. Just how sick is her mother anyway and why does she want them to come home now? This is truly a story about forgiveness and what the seeds of bitterness will grow if we allow them to continue uninterrupted in our lives. It is a wonderful story of starting new chapters in our lives and learning the importance of family, of putting aside grudges and accepting forgiveness.

I received Leaving Lancaster by Kate Lloyd compliments of David C Cook Publishers and Net Galley for my honest review. Too often we can't see beyond our anger and resentment to see what we are missing if we are willing to let go and forgive. This novel does the perfect job at that through the alternating chapters that Esther and Holly share in this Amish fiction, conveying for the reader just what each of them in going through as they work towards resolving their own issues. I rate this one a 4.5 out of 5 stars in my personal opinion and loved how the story finally ended.

For more information on this book, the author and where to pick up a copy of this book today, please click on the links below:

Leaving Lancaster by Kate Lloyd

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