Heart in Hand

I love a great series of books whose characters are so well written, you'd swear they were real. Such is the case in Barbara Cameron's series Stitches in Time, in which I finished the third book, Heart in Hand. Stitches in Time is a shop owned by a wonderful family of women in Paradise, Pennsylvania. It is run by Leah, the grandmother and cousins, Naomi, Anna and Mary Katherine, each of them with a unique special skill like quilting, weaving or knitting. In the previous books in the series, we have gotten an in depth look at the lives of Naomi and Mary Katherine who have found their perfect husbands and now await their marriages. Yet Anna, the first to get married is also the first to experience true loss. Her husband Samuel died shortly after they got married when Leukemia claimed his life. Now living in the home they dreamed would one day be filled with children and love, Anna finds loneliness and thinks she will never find love again. Not after Samuel who she knew growing up and going to school with.

When she finds herself face to face however with Gideon Beiler and his daughter Sarah Rose who have come to the shop to help teach Sarah Rose some "women skills" since his wife, Mary also has died. Gideon is afraid that she will become more like a tom-boy unless she learns to quilt or knit. When Anna recommends learning to knit, she encourages Gideon to learn as well to help Sarah Rose when they are at home. She soon finds that the loneliness that her and Gideon share is something only two who have experienced loss can understand and it's the very thing that soon draws them together. When Sarah Rose starts having problems with school and struggling in her own grief in losing her mother, Anna becomes a friend to her to help her through the grieving process. She soon finds herself falling in love with Sarah Rose first and it's not long before she begins to fight her feelings about Gideon. She feels she is betraying her trust to love Samuel and struggles with wondering if God wishes her to fall in love again.Is it possible all this time, God has had someone in mind to help her move forward and put the past of loneliness and sorrow behind her?

I received Heart in Hand by Barbara Cameron compliments of Pump Up Your Book Tours and Abingdon Press for my honest review and really love how this book brings to a close all the relationships between these wonderful characters we've come to love. I can relate to Anna's own struggle in believing that the love she shared between her and Samuel can never be found again. It can't and as soon as she realizes that and accept Gideon as his own instead of trying to compare him with Samuel, she can soon come to grips with the feelings she has for him. Their's isn't going to be like those early years of romance, but now one of more maturity since life has already dealt them with a lot to handle. Even though this is part of a series, you can read this as a stand alone. Barbara does such a wonderful job in each of her books that you can immediately jump in and gain an understanding of where everyone is at. But to fully appreciate the series as I have, you need to start from the beginning. You can pick up Her Restless Heart and The Heart's Journey at your local retailer.  I easily rate this one a 5 out of 5 stars and hope that Barbara might just squeeze one more out before ending this one!

For more information about Heart in Hand, Barbara Cameron, or where to pick up a copy of this book, please click on the links below:

Heart in Hand by Barbara Cameron

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

You can find more reviews on Heart in Hand from the Pump Up Your Book Tour by clicking here. 

• Paperback: 288 pages
• Publisher: Abingdon Press (February 1, 2013)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1426714343
• ISBN-13: 978-1426714344
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.4 x 0.8 inches

Heart in Hand

I love a great series of books whose characters are so well written, you'd swear they were real. Such is the case in Barbara Cameron's series Stitches in Time, in which I finished the third book, Heart in Hand. Stitches in Time is a shop owned by a wonderful family of women in Paradise, Pennsylvania. It is run by Leah, the grandmother and cousins, Naomi, Anna and Mary Katherine, each of them with a unique special skill like quilting, weaving or knitting. In the previous books in the series, we have gotten an in depth look at the lives of Naomi and Mary Katherine who have found their perfect husbands and now await their marriages. Yet Anna, the first to get married is also the first to experience true loss. Her husband Samuel died shortly after they got married when Leukemia claimed his life. Now living in the home they dreamed would one day be filled with children and love, Anna finds loneliness and thinks she will never find love again. Not after Samuel who she knew growing up and going to school with.

When she finds herself face to face however with Gideon Beiler and his daughter Sarah Rose who have come to the shop to help teach Sarah Rose some "women skills" since his wife, Mary also has died. Gideon is afraid that she will become more like a tom-boy unless she learns to quilt or knit. When Anna recommends learning to knit, she encourages Gideon to learn as well to help Sarah Rose when they are at home. She soon finds that the loneliness that her and Gideon share is something only two who have experienced loss can understand and it's the very thing that soon draws them together. When Sarah Rose starts having problems with school and struggling in her own grief in losing her mother, Anna becomes a friend to her to help her through the grieving process. She soon finds herself falling in love with Sarah Rose first and it's not long before she begins to fight her feelings about Gideon. She feels she is betraying her trust to love Samuel and struggles with wondering if God wishes her to fall in love again.Is it possible all this time, God has had someone in mind to help her move forward and put the past of loneliness and sorrow behind her?

I received Heart in Hand by Barbara Cameron compliments of Net Galley and Abingdon Press for my honest review and really love how this book brings to a close all the relationships between these wonderful characters we've come to love. I can relate to Anna's own struggle in believing that the love she shared between her and Samuel can never be found again. It can't and as soon as she realizes that and accept Gideon as his own instead of trying to compare him with Samuel, she can soon come to grips with the feelings she has for him. Their's isn't going to be like those early years of romance, but now one of more maturity since life has already dealt them with a lot to handle. Even though this is part of a series, you can read this as a stand alone. Barbara does such a wonderful job in each of her books that you can immediately jump in and gain an understanding of where everyone is at. But to fully appreciate the series as I have, you need to start from the beginning. You can pick up Her Restless Heart and The Heart's Journey at your local retailer.  I easily rate this one a 5 out of 5 stars and hope that Barbara might just squeeze one more out before ending this one!

For more information about Heart in Hand, Barbara Cameron, or where to pick up a copy of this book, please click on the links below:

Heart in Hand by Barbara Cameron

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

• Paperback: 288 pages
• Publisher: Abingdon Press (February 1, 2013)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1426714343
• ISBN-13: 978-1426714344
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.4 x 0.8 inches

The Heart's Journey

The Heart's Journey from Barbara Cameron is the second book in the Stitches in Time Series, and one that everyone can relate to and a true delight if you're a fan of Amish fiction. In this one, the reader is once again transported to the charm of a delightful store, Stitches in Time operated by Leah and her grand-daughters whom we have met in her first book. This time the story deals with her granddaughter, Naomi who is wondering if her upcoming marriage to John is truly what God had in mind. It seems that John is taking his authority of being the man of the house to heart and tries to ensure that Naomi will obey him at all costs, even if it means man-handling her at times. No matter how hard Naomi tries to put on her best smile, however, her grandmother Leah can see right through it.

When she confronts Naomi about the relationship, she finally tells her the truth and that John is more than controlling. In fact, he has already hurt her physically but believes he can change, especially after how sorry he felt. Leah reminds Naomi that in the Amish world, once you marry the only way you can get out of a bad marriage is for one of you to die. That hits too close for home for Naomi and she agrees with Leah that perhaps they should break up. When Leah takes a nasty fall just outside of her shop, their Englisch driver, Nick comes to take her to the doctor. It is then that Naomi realizes that not all men can be as controlling as John and sees the true heart that lies within Nick.

Opportunity presents itself to head to Pinecraft, Florida with her grandmother to help her pass the time recovering from her fall where the climate is warm and oranges are as close as an arm's reach. Naomi is more than delighted when Nick offers to drive them from Paradise, Pennsylvania to Florida for a mini vacation and both Naomi and Nick discover that something is brewing beneath the surface for them both. However will they be able to find common ground with living in two different worlds or will John find Naomi and bring her back to her senses in more ways than one?

I received The Heart's Journey compliments of Abingdon Press and Pump Up Your Book Tours for my honest review and love the blending of the two worlds in the Amish fiction. Barbara Cameron takes the issue of abuse to a new level introducing it to her Amish character and then inviting the reader along for the ride to see how the Amish might deal with such an issue in their private world. I rate this one a 5 out of 5 stars in my opinion and can't wait for the third book in this series!!!

For more information about The Heart's Journey, Barbara Cameron or where to pick up a copy of this book today, please click on the links below:

The Heart's Journey by Barbara Cameron

You can also find Barbara Cameron on Facebook to stay up to date with her latest books.

To read more reviews on The Heart's Journey from the Pump Up Your Book Tour, please click here. 

• Paperback: 288 pages
• Publisher: Abingdon Press (October 2012)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1426714335
• ISBN-13: 978-1426714337
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.4 x 0.7 inches

Her Restless Heart

Sometimes the words we speak can hurt people worse than any physical pain we can inflict on them. That's just what is happening to Mary Katherine. Finding solace and a place to heal her emotions and her heart and find the love she needs from family, she works for her Grandmother Leah at her store, Stitches in Time, along with her cousins Naomi and Anna. Her father is more than just mean and abrasive to her, he's also been that way to her mother. No longer able to tolerate his unkind words, and avoiding speaking out against her father, she leaves. She's the only child of her parents and finds it difficult that her father can treat her so cruel.

Perhaps that's why Mary Katherine has been avoiding falling in love with those Amish boys who seem to gather around her, most recently Jacob, a young man she grew up with and went to school with. However, Mary Katherine can only see him as the friend she grew up with even though it's obvious to everyone else that Jacob has more than friendly feelings for her. Yet with Mary Katherine still undecided on whether she wants to commit to the church just yet, she spends some time getting to know what she really wants out of life.

Her best friend is an English girl named Jaime, whose outrageous hair and clothing styles, have most of the Amish church community frowning. Thinking that this will only encourage Mary Katherine to leave the Amish community, more and more of the elders and bishop continue to pressure her to make a decision and soon. They are even going so far as to criticize her weaving creations and quilts for sale at Stitches In Time saying she is moving away from the Amish traditions.

In her latest series of Amish books, Stitches in Time, Barbara Cameron is introducing the readers to a new cast of characters in the first book, Her Restless Heart. In this book, all three girls are seeking the love and attention of men in their lives and it seems like only Grandmother Leah has just the right advice to dispense over a cup of hot tea. Ah how we all wish we had a grandmother like her. Unwilling to push and pressure to make the woman face their difficult choices ahead, Leah merely provides a willing ear to listen while they pour out their feelings. Deep down inside she can only pray they will come to make the right decision in the end.

I received Her Restless Heart compliments of Christian Fiction Blog Alliance and I can see why so many readers are now her fans of her Amish series. She writes them so well readers can not only relate to the characters but more importantly to the story and issues the characters are dealing with. I, myself, can completely relate to Mary Katherine, having an emotionally abusive father growing up. I can relate to her feeling less than worthy and dealing with a lifetime of self esteem issues never seeing herself as good enough, even in God's eyes. I found healing in hearing not only the advice from Leah but also in Jacob's kindness as her friend. This book does provide needed healing to restless hearts everywhere and I highly recommend this one with a 5 out of 5 stars!

For more information on Her Restless Heart, Barbara Cameron and even where you can purchase this book, please click on the links below:

Her Restless Heart by Barbara Cameron

You can also find Barbara Cameron on Facebook by clicking here.