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Showing posts with label Quaker. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Quaker. Show all posts
Thursday, January 25, 2018
A Plain and Sweet Christmas Romance Collection
If you're new to Amish fiction, and love the idea of a Christmas setting with some great story lines, then you might want to pick up A Plain and Sweet Christmas Romance collection. In it you will find 9 different Christmas Romances of Amish, Mennonite, Quaker and Amana settlements, which vary in some of the dress styles, their religious beliefs, and manner of speech. They hold fast to the belief that what happens stays in their communities to handle and marrying outside of the church, can often result in a shunning from the community especially if they have been baptized into their churches.
Yet the one thing that remains clear in all of them, is their sense of support within the community. Help is always offered from within regarding medical issue, issues dealing with breaking the law and tragedies. They are always there for one another. The best part also of this series, is it gives you a brief insight into the style of writing each of the nine authors. This will help you decide if you want to pick up full length novels of other books in that genre as well. It is well worth it too, if time is an issue. Reading them one at a time, as you have time available, keeps you from feeling overwhelmed about not being able to get through a larger novel, than these nine stories provide.
The nine authors that have contributed to this collection are: Jerry Eicher, Olivia Newport, Lauralee Bliss, Ramona K.Cecil, Dianne Christner, Melanie Dobson, Rachael O. Phillips, Claire Sanders, and Anna Schmidt. I have read quite a few of the novels of most of these authors, so it was a nice change of pace to meet some I had never heard of before. This collection is comparable to the length of a full size novel and in it, you get 9 short stories that feel like so much more than a simple novella. There is also a wonderful treat included at the conclusion of each one, a recipe that you can make at home from the story! Just the cover of this collection invites the reader to curl up by the fire on a cold wintery night.
I received A Plain and Sweet Christmas Romance Collection by various authors compliments of Barbour Publishing and NetGalley. This is such a beautiful collection of wonderful heartwarming stories of faith, hope and love set among the Christmas season. This is a must have for lovers of Amish Romance, and even for those who want a great sampling of the various communities mentioned in this review. For me, this really introduced me to some authors I had never heard of before, as well as bring back some favorites from best selling authors as well. For me, this collection would rate a 4 out of 5 stars. There are some stories that really didn't connect with me as a reader, and wanted to get through them to something else, especially the Quaker stories with their 'thee's and thou's in how they speak to one another. Kind of like trying to understand Shakespeare in high school, yet overall a great collection.
For more information about A Plain and Sweet Christmas Romance Collection or where you can pick up a copy of this book today, please click on the links below:
You can read more reviews of A Plain and Sweet Christmas Romance Collection by visiting Barbour Publishing's website.
Tuesday, August 30, 2016
A Gathering in Hope
There is nothing funny about a bunch of bats living in the attic of the meeting house. While the committee members continue to struggle about the best use of the financial windfall they have inherited by the recent passing of a former member of their church, it seems unlikely that the building of the addition to the church is going to happen. At least not under the watchful eyes of the Department of Natural Resources who have declared that the bat colony taking up residence is under federal protection of the species and can not be disturbed for at least three months possibly more.
While the pastor of the church, Sam Gardner, couldn't be more pleased, things are about to get interesting as one series of events will lead to a chain reaction that will have everyone questioning one another's real motives. The Fink couple who manage to wind up in the middle of everything is the catalyst. Sam doesn't care for them because it seems like they are just waiting for him to mess something up with running the church so he can be removed. So while it may feel like walking on eggshells that is nothing compared to what is coming. It can only be described by the reader as downright comical in the scheme of things, but to those who it is happening to, it is catastrophic as assumptions are made, rumors spread and everyone is questioning everyone's true motives over what they would rather believe is true.
Who would have ever thought that a colony of Indiana bats could stir up the congregation and cause such outright division about the community but also within its members and even right into the core of one's family. When someone kills all the bats without knowing they have been declared protected, pretty soon rumors spread that the bat bodies found in the trash bag by the local trash company is just the beginning of a Satanic cult begin lead first by the pastor himself but then fingers are pointed that it really began with the wife and the pastor is just an innocent bystander. Will they ever get things sorted out so they can reestablish the community of believers and finally decide on how best to spend the inherited money? Be prepared for the ride of your life!
I received A Gathering in Hope by Philip Gulley compliments of Center Street Publishing, a division of Hachette Book Groups for my honest review. I did not receive any monetary compensation aside for a free copy of the book in exchange for my honest and unbiased opinion. This series is really all about the quirky personalities that make up a small town community church and how each of them interacts with one another. From the church busybodies who want to know everything that is really going on, to Sam's mother who in her old age, believes that she can still bike ride about town like she did when she was a girl until she is hit by a teen while texting and driving. In her confusion, she knows she is prescribed one pain pill for her injury but thinks if one is good, two can be better, and then again why not double that. Rumors fly when her doctors think she has a prescription drug problem and soon everything is off and running again. I thoroughly enjoyed this book better than the previous one in this series and this one truly makes up for it doubly so! Well worth 4 out of 5 stars.
For more information about A Gathering in Hope, Philip Gulley or where you can pick up a copy of this book due out in early September of 2016, please click on the links below:
You can find Philip Gulley on Facebook to stay up to date with this entire series.
To read more reviews on A Gathering in Hope, please visit Center Street Publishing's website.
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