A Bride for Keeps, Melissa Jaeger

 Rating: 4 out of 5 Stars

 How well could a marriage between a girl hurt by men and a man that has been jilted 3 times really go?  Talk about some HUGE trust issues and defensive walls.  I won't give away too much but let's say it led to a happy ending with excitement, tears and character development along the way.  Lately I had almost given up on Christian Romance, but this book I really enjoyed.  I hope to read some more like this!  The characters, setting (Kansas!!) and plot really hooked me. 

A Place in His Heart, Rebecca Dimarino

 














Rating 2.5 out of 5 Stars
 Rating 2.5 out of 5 stars
Mary and Barnabas marry for convenience after the death of Barnabas's beloved first wife, Ann.  While Mary loves him, Barnabe refuses to let himself love her and instead holds onto his late wife's memory with all his power.  Will he ever learn to love her? 

I really did not enjoy this book very much.  The characters were hard for me to get my head around and understand.  The dialogue was almost painful for me to read, but I am giving it the chance that it was just true to the time period.  A lot of the hints about the main character led me to almost believe he was unfaithful, but that wasn't the truth at all...maybe this was just to help me understand how not attentive he was to her feelings?   I really wanted to see what happened in the ending, but was disappointed there, too. 

To Win Her Heart, Karen Witemeyer

 
Rating 3 out of 5 stars

Summary:
Eden is a wealthy and beautiful woman living in Texas.  After being hurt badly in the past by a lying suitor who was only after her inheritance, she decides that the spinster life is for her.  She pours her time into the lending library she has started in her home with her own personal book collection.
Levi is fresh out of jail.  In his past he was a rebellious youth with a taste for fighting.  During one match an opponent was killed and Levi went to jail.  While this would normally be horrible, it led to Levi's salvation and a promise never to fight again.  Now he's in a new town with a fresh start.  But will his past stay...in the past? 
Here comes handsome, strong Levi to town and Miss Eden seems to be rethinking her "no man" decision.  Will Levi pursue her?  What about the nasty town sheriff?  He's interested in Eden and intent on shedding light on Levi's past.  Will the town turn on Levi?  Will Eden be able to trust him?

Review:
I had a hard time getting into this book.  In fact, I almost stopped reading it, but really did want to know what happened.  However, around 75% the story really picked up and I thoroughly enjoyed the last 25%.  This seems to be a theme of mine with Ms. Witemeyer's books.  They just seem too long to me for some reason?  It was a fun, easy read though and I love a happy ending. 

My Life as an Amish Wife, Lena Yoder

Rating: 4.5 out of 5

This is not a book I ever would have thought to read.  It's not historical and it's not even fiction!  However, a friend of mine raved about it and I thought I'd get a sample on my kindle to try.  Later I realized that I had accidentally bought it and decided I must be meant to read it.  I am very thankful I did. 

My Life as an Amish Wife is almost like reading the day to day diary or journal of an Amish farmer's wife.  She writes about her work, children and friends and the events of their life over seven years.  It's marvelous and inspiring.  Reading about her waking up at 4 and the list of things she would do each day really encouraged me to work harder and be more domestic in general.  Never did I feel at all like she was bragging about her life or what she accomplished day to day.  She was always very humble and also honest about her struggles.   I have to admit I was a little jealous of the sense of community she shared with her church neighbors.  What a blessing.