The Angel of Forest Hill

I really loved this book! I won't rehash the story line, as you can read that on all the other reviews, but I loved the story line and loved the pace of the book. I started this and finished it in one night. A great Christmas book during a busy season was just what I needed.

I loved that the author didn't sugarcoat the Amish life. I've lived near Amish for decades and I can tell you that they don't live fairy-tale lives. Life is hard and full of hurts for the Amish, same as everyone else. They aren't perfect; and in this story, the mother-in-law's character was all too believable.

I would recommend this book to anyone who loves Amish fiction or who loves Cindy Woodsmall. It's a nice read!

Thank you to Blogging for Books for a copy of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.

Frayed at the Edge

Fraying at the Edge is the much anticipated second book in The Amish of Summer Grove series. If you haven't read the first book in the series, Ties that Bind,  I highly recommend it, as Fraying at the Edge is not a stand alone book.

We find Ariana and Skylar arriving to their "new" homes...after being switched at birth 20 years ago, they've found their lives uprooted. Ariana, who is firmly Amish; and Skylar, who is a drug addict, both find life as they've always known it spiraling in confusion and angst.

I'm a huge Cindy Woodsmall fan and I enjoyed this book, but I have to say that I found parts of it unbelievable. Ariana's Amish family let her go far too easily. The thought that Ariana's birth father would sue the Amish midwife just didn't come across as strong enough to me as the argument for Ariana's year-long leave.

Also, the author seemed to have forgotten that Ariana was Amish when she was writing the dialogue between Ari and Nicholas. Yes, Ari's theological arguments were there, but her Amish speech and speech patterns were not. She spoke like a seasoned "Englisher" which took away from the book for me.
I thought Skylar's character was well written. Her experiences seemed more true to life than Ari's.
Overall, it was a good book. Not what I anticipated in the sense that it didn't have an Amish feel to it, but I will look for book 3 to finish up the story line. 

Fraying at the Edge by Cindy Woodsmall

Hope Unfolding...A review

"Sweet" but lacking in true depth for an older mom...

I was expecting a lot from this book, I think...and I didn't get it. The positives- it's an easy read. The cover is beautiful. It's written from a Christian standpoint. I'd recommend it to a new mom. What were the negatives for me? The author sort of "floated around" in her chapters. I didn't feel the chapters were wholly cohesive.  The book lacks depth. Yes, it's encouraging. Yes, it's nice to know I'm not the only tired mom out there who leaves dirty dishes in the sink. But, haven't we read this all before?

There are questions and prayers at the end of each chapter.

I think the book is good enough to pass along to a friend who's a new mom and I pray she is blessed by it.

I received a copy of the book from Blogging for Books in exchange for my honest review.

When Love Returns by Kim Vogel Sawyer

I'm a huge Kim Vogel Sawyer fan.  I'm also a fan of book series in general because books tend to end sooner than I'd like. Lol

Generally,  you can pick up a book in a series and jump right back into the story line.  For me, I wasn't able to do that with this book. It's been several months since I've read books one and 2, so I read some refreshers. That still didn't prove to be too beneficial.  I feel like I need to start over with the entire series to get the most from this book.  I would not recommend it as a stand-alone book.

Because I enjoy Ms. Sawyer 's wiring style,  I'm going to give it another go.