Promise to Return

On the day that Miriam Coblentz and Henry Matz are meeting with the bishops to discuss their upcoming wedding plans, Henry receives his draft notice. They had almost made it, but now the war will be what keeps them apart for now. Since Henry is Amish and killing others goes against his religious beliefs in the Ten Commandments, he is assigned tasks as a conscientious objector in the Civillian Public Service camp, digging trenches and other tasks. However it isn't without risks.

Will Miriam be able to find the same man after Henry serves his time during World War II, or will the horrors he witnesses take a toll on the man he used to be? How will the men that Henry deals with, the English, see him as one who refuses to fight? Will they have any respect for a man who refuses to defend his own country?

In the novel, Promise to Return by author Elizabeth Byler Younts, this novel picks at a subject most don't come to think about, how the Amish dealt with World War II. I think Elizabeth utilizes all her knowledge and experience both being raised Amish and having a husband who serves in the armed service to blend together a wonderful and compelling story of how much we are willing to risk to serve not only others but our country as well.

Miriam is feeling overwhelmed because of what she has been brought up to believe as well as what the Amish community has been saying not only about Henry but about what will come of their wedding when Henry returns. She takes to heart what people are saying not only to her but about Henry and at times is at odds trying to defend their beliefs. She worries that she might not ever see her dreams about being married and raising a family come to pass especially when Henry returns on a short leave at Christmas and tells her about the discrimination facing the Amish men by the English and their beliefs in not wanting to fight when they are so desperately needed. Henry surprises Miriam when he tells her that he has decided to enlist because it is something he believes God is calling him to do. But is it really?

Now Henry will face shunning by the Amish community when he returns because he has taken it upon himself to enter the war efforts and it is simply more than Miriam can take. Meanwhile there is a man who has an interest in her, Eli and now with Henry out of the picture, will he be able to persuade Miriam that her best interests lie in marrying him instead? You'll have to pick up this novel and find out.

I received Promise to Return by Elizabeth Byler Younts compliments of Howard Books, a division of Simon and Schuster Publishers for my honest review and received no monetary compensation for a favorable review. Being a huge fan of World War II fiction as well as Amish Romance, I was thrilled to be able to read this one. I never really considered how the Amish had to deal with the war effort until picking this one up and really loved the conflict for Henry. Trying to decide what is the right thing to do without all the added peer pressure not only from the American soldiers but also from his Amish community. Definitely a hard place to be and trying to convince Miriam that he still plans on marrying her when he returns if she will wait for him. Definitely a task worthy of faith in God and one that takes the reader on an unforgettable journey! I rate this one a 5 out of 5 stars! There is a great reading guide that is perfect for book clubs as well as a letter to readers from the author explaining her idea in writing this book being a former Amish member and what people had to deal with regarding entering the war as Amish residents. This is the first book in the Promise of Sunrise Series and I can't wait for the next one in this series!!!

For more information about Promise to Return, Elizabeth Byler Younts or where you can pick up a copy of this novel today, please click on the links below:

Promise to Return by Elizabeth Byler Younts

You can also find Elizabeth Byler Younts on Facebook to stay up to date with all her latest novels.

To read more reviews on Promise to Return on Howard Books website, please click here.

• Series: Promise of Sunrise
• Paperback: 320 pages
• Publisher: Howard Books; Original edition (October 8, 2013)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1476735018
• ISBN-13: 978-1476735016
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.4 x 0.9 inches

On Distant Shores

One of my all time favorite historical authors has managed to do it again! Sarah Sundin has the talent to bring the reader right back in time to 1943 so much so you can almost feel the grittiness of the dirt and the smell of bombs being dropped, and the emotions of not knowing if you are going to live or die in her latest novel, On Distant Shores, the second novel in the Wings of the Nightingale series.

This one picks up right where With Every Letter left off. Here we find ourselves tagging along with Lt. Georgiana Taylor as flight nurse serving with the Army. The only issue that Georgie that she volunteered for the flight program by following on the heels of her best friend Rose. When she found out about medical air evacuation, Rose had to be a part of it, so of course Georgie came along too! Her problem is that she's a big ol' fraidy-cat. She tries to be brave, but she's never been so close to the front, and the flights are more dangerous here than over North Africa. Worst of all, she's afraid something will happen, and she'll freeze, and she won't be able to help her patients. So most of the time Georgie finds herself grounded or only called upon when all the other flight nurses are busy. If she doesn't find a sense of courage somewhere, more than likely she'll be sent packing. Her only hope is that Ward Manville, her fiancè is waiting for her to come home so they can start a life together. For now, she continues to write him letters of encouragement and love so he doesn't forget about her. He has been her childhood friend, then high school sweethearts. He never officially proposed, but they knew one day they would get married.

What the Army needs is the Pharmacy Corps. The pharmacies in most mobile hospitals are run by technicians with three months of training. Back in the states, it's illegal for anyone but a pharmacist to fill a prescription. Sgt. John Hutchinson "Hutch wants to change that. He believes that patients deserve the same level of care they'd get at home and for now all he can do is document what is happening on the front lines and hope his father might be able to sway Washington to make some changes that might elevate this position to be created and thus the needs for saving lives. When his surgical unit is short on medicine, he is able to compound them from scratch something that is missing from the Army training manual and such mistakes can cost someone their life. This is where the differences lie between the enlisted men who are placed in these positions if they can simply a label whereas Hutch has gone to school for. He too, has a girl, Phyllis waiting for him to return from the war, one that he has promised he will remain faithful to even though she has doubts.

Will Georgie be able to find the courage she needs to save the lives of the men who depend on her as a flight nurse or will she come to face the truth that she was meant to return home and be a wife and mother with Ward? Will Hutch be able to remain faithful to Phyllis despite the man miles that separate them until they are together again? Will he be able to convince the Army that the Pharmacy Corps are a vital part of patient care before lives are lost to simple mistakes made by untrained men and women? To find out, you'll have to pick up a copy of On Distant Shores by Sarah Sundin at your local retailer.

I received On Distant Shores by Sarah Sundin compliments of Revell Publishers and Litfuse Publicty for my honest review. I have not received any monetary compensation for a favorable review. I love how Sarah can take you and place you right in the heart of the action in her novels. What I loved about this one was the character of Georgie and how despite her honesty in knowing she might not be in the best position, she tries valiantly to figure out how to make it work. At times she gives into her fears and then when called on it, tries to change. She contributes this to her inability to be able to make decisions and questions everything. She realizes that her family and even Ward have made all her decisions for her and she has merely went along, much like she did in following Rose. She'll either need to confront her fear of making decisions or be honest enough to admit her short comings. I love all the elements and research that Sarah incorporated into this wonderful story. The issues with not having trained pharmacists in the field hospitals and the needs that they brought to the war effort I felt was missing. Thank you for bringing this much needed position to the forefront in this novel. I easily rate this one a 5 out of 5 stars and can't wait to see where she will go with her next novel in this series!

For more information about On Distant Shores, Sarah Sundin or where you can pick up a copy of this novel today, please click on the links below:

On Distant Shores by Sarah Sundin

You can also follow Sarah Sundin on Facebook to stay up to date with all her latest novels.

To read more reviews for On Distant Shores from the Litfuse Publicity Book Tour, please click here.

Sarah Sundin is celebrating the release of her latest novel, On Distant Shores, with a Romantic Weekend Getaway giveaway!









One grand prize winner will receive:



• A $200 Visa Cash Card (good for a perfect couple's getaway)


• With Every Letter and On Distant Shores by Sarah Sundin


Enter today by clicking one of the icons below. But hurry, the giveaway ends on September 2nd. Winner will be announced September 3rd at the "On Distant Shores" Author Chat Party on Facebook. During the party Sarah will be hosting a book chat, testing your trivia skills, announcing the winner of the Weekend Getaway, and giving away a ton of books, gift certificates, and more. Oh, and she'll also be giving party goers an exclusive look at the next book in the Wings of the Nightingale series.


So grab your copy of On Distant Shores and join Sarah on the evening of September 3rd for a chance to connect and make some new friends. (If you haven’t read the book, don’t let that stop you from coming!)






DON’T MISS A MOMENT OF THE FUN; RSVP TODAY. HOPE TO SEE YOU ON THE 3rd!

The Anniversary Waltz

Woo Hoo! The best part of finding new authors is like finding a real treasure, especially when the story is so good you want to share it with every single person you can find. That's just what I discovered when I opened the pages of The Anniversary Waltz by Darrel Nelson in his debut novel.

This is such a heartwarming story for lovers of history, World War II, the underdogs of the world and just pure romance told in a way only a seasoned writer would know how and that's what makes this one so splendid. Because it's Darrel's first, but it seems as though he has honed the talents of what makes Nicholas Sparks and Andy Andrews novels work so well in the hearts of women everywhere. A great story!

This one encapsulates two different time periods, 2006 and 1946. In the opening chapter, we are immediately drawn into the Anniversary party for Elizabeth and Adam Carlson, celebrating sixty years of happiness and love among family and friends. Then the story takes us back to where it all began for them as most timeless love stories will.

Here we see Adam Carlson as a returning war hero coming home from World War 2. It's hard coming back because you are sure how you will be received. His mother is waiting to hug him and tell him how much he's been missed, but his father isn't there. He is still carrying a grudge and anger from when Adam announced his intentions of joining the war efforts and leaving his mother and father to manage the family farm until he's returned four years later. You'd think his father would be happy to see him home alive instead of the sixteen others from his home town in Reunion, Montana that died while serving their country.

Adam has to work to heal that rift between him and his father and he begins by immediately setting to work repairing the farm that has fallen into disrepair. Only he soon learns that the farm has fallen into foreclosure and it will be sold in a matter of weeks at an auction. Adam tries everything he can to work with the officer at the bank, Nathan Roberts, an old friend from school. But it seems time has changed their relationship as well. Nathan has been climbing the corporate ladder and making himself rich in the process when a heart murmur kept him home from the war. He is unwilling to work with Adam at all.

Adam soon learns that Nathan's competitiveness runs further along than just business matters when Elizabeth Baxter, his girlfriend, seems to have an eye for Adam and his easy going ways over Nathan's demands. Adam takes the advice from Elizabeth to see her uncle, the mayor, to see if they can find a loophole to save the family farm. This is where the story takes an interesting turn and the book really engages the reader.

Darrel Nelson transports the reader back to a difficult time as soldiers were returning home from the war and towns were trying to find ways to recover from depression as well. It takes you back to simple times when friends and neighbors remember how to come together and find workable solutions. For me, this book was like a mix of It's A Wonderful Life when George and Mary were much older and trying to find a way to make it in their world despite all the difficulties happening in their day. This creates such loveable and real characters you can't help but all in love with and root for the entire way through the book.

In doing so, Darrel created so many moments, I had to stop reading and share them with my husband. These are those "Ah" moments that show how relationships are truly meant to be, with lots of hard work, dedication and laughs along the journey. This one I know will completely capture your heart. If you are a lover of historical romance books, or just a hopeful romantic at heart. I know you will LOVE this one!

I received this book compliments of Glass Roads Public Relations for my honest review and HIGHLY recommend this one. This book for me was a mix of The Notebook and It's A Wonderful Life magically blended together to form an outstanding and timeless classic love story! This is one, I know, I will read again and again and share with anyone who is looking for those incredible books that completely leave your breathless but with a smile on your heart. I rate this one a 5 out of 5 stars and can't wait to add Darrel's novels to my permanent library. Look for his next book, The Return of Cassandra Todd due out in 2013 and one that will be on my MUST read list!

For more information on The Anniversary Waltz, Darrel Nelson, and where to pick up a copy of this book today, please click on the link below:

The Anniversary Waltz by Darrel Nelson

The Anniversary Waltz

Woo Hoo! The best part of finding new authors is like finding a real treasure, especially when the story is so good you want to share it with every single person you can find. That's just what I discovered when I opened the pages of The Anniversary Waltz by Darrel Nelson in his debut novel.

This is such a heartwarming story for lovers of history, World War II, the underdogs of the world and just pure romance told in a way only a seasoned writer would know how and that's what makes this one so splendid. Because it's Darrel's first, but it seems as though he has honed the talents of what makes Nicholas Sparks and Andy Andrews novels work so well in the hearts of women everywhere. A great story!

This one encapsulates two different time periods, 2006 and 1946. In the opening chapter, we are immediately drawn into the Anniversary party for Elizabeth and Adam Carlson, celebrating sixty years of happiness and love among family and friends. Then the story takes us back to where it all began for them as most timeless love stories will.

Here we see Adam Carlson as a returning war hero coming home from World War 2. It's hard coming back because you are sure how you will be received. His mother is waiting to hug him and tell him how much he's been missed, but his father isn't there. He is still carrying a grudge and anger from when Adam announced his intentions of joining the war efforts and leaving his mother and father to manage the family farm until he's returned four years later. You'd think his father would be happy to see him home alive instead of the sixteen others from his home town in Reunion, Montana that died while serving their country.

Adam has to work to heal that rift between him and his father and he begins by immediately setting to work repairing the farm that has fallen into disrepair. Only he soon learns that the farm has fallen into foreclosure and it will be sold in a matter of weeks at an auction. Adam tries everything he can to work with the officer at the bank, Nathan Roberts, an old friend from school. But it seems time has changed their relationship as well. Nathan has been climbing the corporate ladder and making himself rich in the process when a heart murmur kept him home from the war. He is unwilling to work with Adam at all.

Adam soon learns that Nathan's competitiveness runs further along than just business matters when Elizabeth Baxter, his girlfriend, seems to have an eye for Adam and his easy going ways over Nathan's demands. Adam takes the advice from Elizabeth to see her uncle, the mayor, to see if they can find a loophole to save the family farm. This is where the story takes an interesting turn and the book really engages the reader.

Darrel Nelson transports the reader back to a difficult time as soldiers were returning home from the war and towns were trying to find ways to recover from depression as well. It takes you back to simple times when friends and neighbors remember how to come together and find workable solutions. For me, this book was like a mix of It's A Wonderful Life when George and Mary were much older and trying to find a way to make it in their world despite all the difficulties happening in their day. This creates such loveable and real characters you can't help but all in love with and root for the entire way through the book.

In doing so, Darrel created so many moments, I had to stop reading and share them with my husband. These are those "Ah" moments that show how relationships are truly meant to be, with lots of hard work, dedication and laughs along the journey. This one I know will completely capture your heart. If you are a lover of historical romance books, or just a hopeful romantic at heart. I know you will LOVE this one!

I received this book compliments of Christian Fiction Blog Alliance for my honest review and HIGHLY recommend this one. This book for me was a mix of The Notebook and It's A Wonderful Life magically blended together to form an outstanding and timeless classic love story! This is one, I know, I will read again and again and share with anyone who is looking for those incredible books that completely leave your breathless but with a smile on your heart. I rate this one a 5 out of 5 stars and can't wait to add Darrel's novels to my permanent library. Look for his next book, The Return of Cassandra Todd due out in 2013 and one that will be on my MUST read list!

For more information on The Anniversary Waltz, Darrel Nelson, and where to pick up a copy of this book today, please click on the links below:

The Anniversary Waltz by Darrel Nelson

You can also follow more of this book tour and get a first chapter glimpse into this wonderful novel by clicking here.

Remembering You

Television producer Ava Ellington cannot refuse her grandfather's last wish - that she accompany him to Europe on a tour of World War II battle sites. Ava has little interest in historical battles, but this may be her last chance to break down the barriers that have grown up between them, and she sets off, camera in hand, ready to record and report on their journey. She and Grandpa Jack are greeted in Paris by Paul, her grandpa's best friend, and his grandson Dennis. The Dennis who just happens to be Ava's first love.

History comes alive as the group travels across Europe - from the romantic sights of Paris to the bleak battlefields of Belgium to the Austrian labor camp these men liberated so many years before - and Ava sees a side of her grandfather she's never known before. As he shares his memories of those bitter days on the battlefield, she begins to understand how his experiences in the war made him the man he is today.

Throughout the journey, Ava and Dennis are drawn together in ways neither of them expected. Can their memories of the past lead to a bright new future?

My Review:

This is such a wonderful book to read as an outsider looking into the personal relationship that Ava and her grandfather are working at resolving while traveling across Europe despite the fact that the original planned tour was cancelled and now Ava is funding this trip as a gift to her grandfather. Feeling more than overwhelmed at traveling in a country where the language is foreign to her as well as the country itself, she is determined to make this trip memorable for her grandfather, despite the fact that her very job could depend on the footage she is able to capture along the way. However her grandfather isn't about to share his memories so Ava can capture this on her television show. There are simply some memories that are just too painful to share as Ava will soon discover the real reason for her grandfather's trip to Europe.

I received Remembering You by Tricia Goyer, compliments of Litfuse Publicity for my honest review and since Tricia Goyer is one of my personal literary favorites I jumped at the chance to read this one. I am such a huge history fan of World War II, that this was such a rare delight to see how the war impacted someone on a personal level and that's why I believe this one deserves all 5 out of 5 stars! If you would love to know more information about the book, the author and where to pick up a copy of this book, please click on the links below:

Remembering You by Tricia Goyer

You can also read about the amazing giveaway that Tricia is sponsoring with Facebook by clicking here.

Title: Win a Kindle Touch for YOU and a Friend from Tricia Goyer!
Tricia Goyer is celebrating the release of her novel, Remembering You, with a KINDLE Touch Giveaway for you ... and for the friend of your choice. Then on 11/29 she'll be wrapping up the release of Remembering You with a Book Chat Party!



During the first half of the party Tricia will be chatting, sharing a sneak peek of her next book, and giving away a ton of great stuff. Then she'll head over to her website for a Live Chat! Readers will be able to chat with Tricia via video or text.



Don't miss your chance to win a Kindle Touch for yourself ... and to "remember" a friend this holiday with a Kindle Touch for them!



Read what the reviewers are saying here.

One grand prize winner will receive:

• A Brand New Kindle Touch and a Kindle Touch for a Friend (winner's choice!)


• A copy of Remembering You by Tricia Goyer for each

Enter today by clicking one of the icons below. But hurry, the giveaway ends at noon on November 29th. Winner will be announced at Remembering You Facebook Party on 11/29. Tricia will be hosting an author chat (on Facebook and Live from her website) and giving away copies of her other WWII books and gift certificates to Starbucks and Amazon.com. So grab your copy of Remembering You and join Tricia on the evening of the 29th for an author chat, a trivia contest (How much do you know about WWII?) and lots of giveaways.

Don't miss a moment of the fun. RSVP today and tell your friends via FACEBOOK or TWITTER and increase your chances of winning. Hope to see you on the 15th!