Reading, Writing & Pondering

    Do you like Amish romance books? Her Reluctant Amish Heart by Pamela Desmond Wright is an Amish romance book. It is also the third book in the Humble Blessings series but can be read as a stand-alone.  Elam Muller made a mistake. He took part in a street race when he knew better. A teenage boy, Nathan Glick, got hurt that night as a result of the race. Elam was sentenced by the judge to report to the Amish Bishop and to help the Glick family and to help at the local Meals on Wheels program. Elam didn't realize that Nathan's mother and older brother died in an accident and his dad was partially paralyzed before Nathan got hurt. A lot work fell on Anika's shoulders and Elam was there to help her with it all. I liked Elam and Anika. I also liked their families. This book shows life in an Amish community. There are some changes the Bishop made allowing some modern conveniences when necessary. Reuben Glick couldn't get to church as it was too difficult to get the wheel ...

  An Amish Widow's Hope by Pamela Desmond Wright is an inspiring story that kept my interest from beginning to end.  As the book begins, Widow Isla Stohl had her home broken into and her savings robbed. Sheriff Evan Miller, who was once Isla's beau, is on the case and determined to find the culprit. After his sister was killed in a car and buggy crash, Evan walked away from the Amish in his pain and became a law enforcement officer as a younger man. However, as he searches for Isla's robber, he gets shot in the process. Then he is put on leave while the shooting is in review, which leaves him with a lot of time to think. Will he make some changes in his life? I enjoyed An Amish Widow's Hope. I thought the story was well-written. There are themes of mercy and redemption through the story. It is also a story with relationship issues, romance, and mystery mixed with the Amish faith and simple values.   I received a copy of this book from the author/publisher. All opin...

  I read Her Amish Refuge by Pamela Desmond Wright as a stand-alone as I did not realize it was part of a series. It read just fine on its own. Her Amish Refuge starts out with Florene Schroder being kicked out of the car from her abusive Englisher husband into the middle of a blizzard. She is alone and pregnant and walks as best she can to a nearby farm and collapses in the barn. She is found the next morning by Gil Kestler. Gil is a tall Amish man who is a gentle giant. His family takes her in for the time being. However, Gil's family has its own troubles as Gil and his brother Eli struggle to get along. This is complicated by the fact that Eli's wife misses living in town and feels trapped in the country with their new baby. Gil's mother is a widow and his dad originally owned the farm through his family for generations.  There is a gentle love story between Florene and Gil as the book progresses. Florene also must decide if she will return to the Amish ways and the Am...

    What do you get when you mix a book featuring Amish people with suspense? A new book called, Among the Innocent by Mary Alford. Ten years ago, Leah Miller's entire Amish family was murdered. She thought the killer committed suicide. But was that the right guy? Miller, along with the new police detective Dalton Cooper, are faced with a new case where an Amish woman is murdered in the same way almost exactly 10 years later.  Among the Innocent is my first book by Mary Alford. This book kept me turning pages quickly to find out who the real killer was. The plot was fast-paced and the story line moved along quickly. I liked the main characters, Leah and Dalton. However, I didn't think there was much romance to develop a relationship and I thought it happened a little too quickly.  I bring this up because it is labeled Romantic Suspense. . .and I think just "Suspense" would have worked better as a label. Anyway, I was more interested in finding out who the bad guy w...

Jemima Graber is an old-order Amish wife and mother. Recently she and her husband, Roy, have become distant. She has four little ones and has been a dutiful wife and mom, patiently waiting for her dream of owning a food truck to come true while Roy continues to invest in the family's horse farm. Only now, something is wrong and her dream isn't going to be realized. Roy is distant and his behavior is erratic. What is wrong? Read the Englisch Daughter by Cindy Woodsmall and Erin Woodsmall to find out. I haven't read an Amish novel for a long time so I don't have a lot to compare it to, but I enjoyed The Englisch Daughter. The story grabbed me from the beginning and kept me turning pages quickly until the end. I was also impressed that this book deals with some issues many women deal with like how to remain close to your spouse during the years of parenting young children. It also dealt with some issues that are unique to the Amish and I learned some things about the A...