Carolina Gold
By Dorothy Love
Publisher: Thomas Nelson
Pub. Date: December 10, 2013
ISBN: 978-1401687618
Pages: 336
Buy Link: http://ow.ly/s2Q5l
Blog Tour: http://litfusegroup.com/author/dlove

Review:
 
2014 is officially here and my first book review for the new year is on the new historical romance novel by Dorothy Love, titled Carolina Gold. The novel is inspired by the life of a 19th-century woman rice farmer, Elizabeth Waties Allston Pringle.

Carolina Gold is set in the South Carolina low-country during the post-Civil War era, in which a young woman, Charlotte Fraser returns to home to her family's rice plantation, Fairhaven. Her father had recently passed away, so bringing the plantation back to its former glory will all be on her shoulders, but she is determined to learn how to plant, grow and harvest rice, mostly so she can pay off a few debts.

All of Fairhaven's bondmen are now free, so her first objective is to find workers, but it becomes a major challenge for her, as well as finding farming equipment. She eventually comes to terms that she will need an extra job to make ends, so takes a job tutoring her neighbor's two young daughters.

Nicholas Betancourt isn't just only Charlotte's neighbor, he is also the heir to the Willowood Plantation, but he'll be needing concrete evidence to proof it. As the friendship between the two blossoms into something more, Nicholas sends Charlotte on a quest to unravel a long hidden family secret.

Book Description:

In this follow up to the #1 New York Times bestseller I Funny, middle schooler Jamie Grimm has big dreams of being the best stand-up comic in the world--and he won't let the fact that he's wheelchair-bound stand in his way. After winning the New York state finals in the Planet's Funniest Kid Comic Contest, Jamie's off to Boston to compete in the national semi-finals. But when one of his best buddies runs into trouble at school and a sudden family health scare rears its head, Jamie has to put his comedic ambitions on hold and stand by the people he cares about. Can Jamie pass up the big competition for the sake of his friends and family? (Includes more than 175 black-and-white illustrations.)

Billy's Review:

Plain Peace
A Daughters of the Promise Novel
By Beth Wiseman
Publisher: Thomas Nelson
Pub. Date: November 12, 2013
ISBN: 978-1401685942
Pages: 320

Review:

Anytime I see an Amish book, I have to read it and that is exactly what happened when I saw Plain Peace by Beth Wiseman was available to review through Book Sneeze. Though this is the sixth book in the series and I've only read one or two books, I still wanted to read it.

Normally young Amish woman have a say in who her future husband will be, but that is not the case for Anna Byler, whose grandfather happens to the bishop and he is an old-school Ordnung, enforcing strict rules on the Amish community. All the marriage-age young men never approach or take interest in Anna, as they are all afraid of what her grandfather might do to them. That is until Jacob Hostetler moves to Paradise and takes an immediate interest in Anna.

She loves her grandparents and wants to respect their rules, but the strict legalism her grandfather has created is practically dividing the community. One woman has already been shunned because of adultery.

Despite disapproval from her grandparents, Anna pursues a relationship with Jacob. She must decide what is more important - marrying Jacob or staying loyal to her grandparents.

Book Description from Amazon.com:

The Kidd siblings have grown up diving down to shipwrecks and traveling the world, helping their famous parents recover everything from swords to gold doubloons from the bottom of the ocean. But after their parents disappear n the job, the kids are suddenly thrust into the biggest treasure hunt of their lives. They'll have to work together to defeat dangerous pirates and dodge the hot pursuit of an evil treasure hunting rival, all while following cryptic clues to unravel the mystery of what really happened to their parents--and find out if they're still alive.

Billy's Review:

Description from Amazon.com:

Dare to Look! is the 10th book – and best yet – in the phenomenal bestselling Ripley's Believe It or Not! annual series. It offers up the world of weird in an all-new collection of unbelievable stories from across the globe. The new Ripley's Believe It or Not! app allows hidden content in the book to come alive.

Jam-packed with a mind-boggling selection of incredible facts, crazy stories, jaw-dropping pictures, lists and interviews, this fantastic book also comes with bonus hidden content that's accessible using our Ripley's Believe It or Not! app. Step right into the world of Ripley's and see it come alive by scanning the special oddSCAN™ logos with a smartphone to reveal exclusive videos, images and more. Organized into thematic chapters, the crazy stories are illustrated with a wealth of amazing images throughout.

Published annually, with brand new extraordinary material every year, this interactive series presents the best of Ripley's Believe It or Not!

Billy's Review:

The Secret Keeper
Home To Hickory Hollow
By Beverly Lewis
Publisher: Bethany House
Pub. Date: September 2, 2013
ISBN: 978-0764209802
Pages: 352

Review:

It's been ten years or more since I read my first Amish fiction novel by Beverly Lewis, but I have fallen behind on her last few series, but I have been trying to catch up on the Home To Hickory Hollow series. I'm glad to say I have finally gotten around to reading the fourth book in the series last week.

In The Secret Keeper, finds Jennifer Burns fed up with her modern lifestyle, so she decides to make a major change. She leaves everything behind and joins an Old Order Amish community of Hickory Hollow. An Amish couple, Samuel and Rebecca Lapp, have agreed to let the young woman live in their home and learn their way of life.

Of course there are many skeptics in Hickory Hollow, but Jennifer is determined to prove to everyone that she is serious about living as an Amish woman. She makes a few friends within the community, while others somewhat disapprove of an outsider in their mix.

The Amish lifestyle isn't as easy as what Jenifer thought it would be and she struggles with the everyday chores. As she gets more acquainted with the community, she finds herself keeping a secret, one she would rather not keep to herself.

On a rare occasion I get a random book in the mail, a book I don't remember signing up to review. I never get upset over this, as I do love getting a new book in the mail, but when I have other books I already agreed to review, those random books get shoved aside. Which is exactly what happen to the book Path of the Templar by W.C. Peever, book two of The Jumper Chronicles. No, I don't recall agreeing to review it, nor do I remember reading the first book. Therefore the book has been collecting dust for eleven months that is until I picked it up a few days ago.

The Guardian
Home to Hickory Hollow, book 3
By Beverly Lewis
Publisher: Bethany House
Pub. Date: March 26, 2013
ISBN: 978-0764209796
Pages: 352

Review:

My first time reading a Beverly Lewis novel (well my first Amish fiction read) was with The Convent (Abram's Daughter, book 1) and ever since then I have been a fan of the author's work. I was eager to read The Guardian earlier this year, but the book (along with several others) got shoved aide and I'm just now getting around to reviewing it.

Return to Lancaster County when Jodie Winfield arrives to house-sit her cousin's house. She thought moving to a new location would help her get over the death of her sister, who died six months ago. She has lost all faith in the Lord and this has caused problems in her relationship with her fiancé.

Early one morning, Jodie goes out to train for an upcoming marathon and she stumbles upon a young girl asleep on the side of the road wearing only a pair of underwear. The girl has a bump on her head and a few cuts and bruises. The girl doesn't speak English.

Dear Mr. Knightley
By Katherine Reay
Publisher: Thomas Nelson
Pub. Date: November 5th, 2013
ISBN: 978-1401689681
Pages: 336
Buy Link: http://ow.ly/qDEkp
Blog Tour: http://litfusegroup.com/author/kreay

Review:

I have to admit that I sometimes, well most the time, make my decision whether or not I'm going to review a book based on the book cover. If it isn't eye-catching, I normally look the other way. For the some odd reason when I received the email invitation to review Dear Mr. Knightley, the book cover image didn't upload correctly, so I scrolled down the email and read the book description. After reading that the main character was a book lover too, I had to review it.

In Dear Mr. Knightley, Samantha Moore (she goes by Sam) grew up an orphan and found herself drawn to the magical world of books written by classic authors, such as Austen, Dickens and Shakespeare. Her love of books leads her to become English major. She quotes from her favorite authors, which become annoying to her friends. At the age twenty-three, an anonymous benefactor going by the name Mr. Knightley offers to pay for her education at Northwest University's Medill School of Journalism. Sounds like a dream come true, but there is one little catch, Sam must write letters to the benefactor, detailing how her schooling is going.

Sam follows through with the letters, which at first they are basic, but since she doesn't know who the benefactor is, she opens up to him and reveals her true emotions. For her entire life she has shied away from the world by hiding behind books. Through these letters she can finally confront her problems and be free of them, maybe even find love.

The Christmas Quilt
By Vannetta Chapman
Publisher: Abingdon Press
Pub. Date: October 25, 201
ISBN: 978-1426752773
Pages: 256
Buy Link: http://ow.ly/qKnYD
Blog Tour: http://litfusegroup.com/campaigns/quilts-of-love-the-christmas-quilt-and-aloha-rose
 
Review:

I love Amish fiction, but I can't seem to keep up with all the new releases this year and of course there are several books released in the fall with a Christmas theme. I have several quilters in my family, though I don't quilt myself, I do respect the sewing hobby. When I had the chance to review The Christmas Quilt by Vannetta Chapman, I took it. The book is a sequel to A Simple Christmas Wish, which I don't recall if I have read it or not, though the main character, Annie, does seem familiar. 

Set in Mifflin County, PA, The Christmas Quilt finds Annie marrying Samuel Yoder, her one true love. Two years later, Annie works side-by-side with her husband helping out with the Amish community's minor medical needs. When needed, she assists the local mid-wife, Belinda.

Her best-friend, Leah, has been a little bit moody; as she is due to deliver her first child sometime before Christmas. Annie is looking forward to having a little nephew or niece and she is planning on making a quilt for the baby crib before the little one arrives. At first she thought six weeks was plenty of time to finish the quilt, but God has a way of surprising people. Leah goes into labor a bit earlier than expected.

Adoring Addie
The Courtship of Lancaster County, Book 2
By Leslie Gould
Publisher: Bethany House
Pub. Date: May 1, 2013
ISBN: 978-0764210327
Pages: 352

Review:

I've been fascinated with Amish fiction for over ten years, well, ever since I read my first Beverly Lewis novel. Any time there is an opportunity to review an Amish books, I eagerly sign up. This year has been a little rocky, with a family emergency and a few other things, therefore Adoring Addie got shoved aside for six months, but I finally got around to reading it last month.

In a Romeo and Juliet-type plot, the Cramers and Mosiers families have been bickering back and forth for as long as anybody can remember, which causes a bit of a problem for Addie Cramer, who has fall in love with Jonathan Mosier, whose family just returned to the county. Addie's parents are insisting that she marries the bishop's son, Phillip Eicher, as Amish daughters are suppose to honor their parents' wishes, but Addie doesn't love Phillip at all. Her heart is with Jonathan.

The only chance of any kind of a future for Addie and Jonathan is for them to come up with a scheme to get their families to forgive each other and start anew.

Trouble In Store
By Carol Cox
Publisher: Bethany House
Pub. Date: June 1, 2013
ISBN: 978-0764209567
Pages: 352

Review:

I've read a few other titles by the author, Carol Cox, so I was eager to sign up to review Trouble In Store during the summer, but this is one of several books that got pushed aside and collected a bit of dust until I picked it up last month.

Trouble in Store starts out with Melanie Ross being fired from her governess job. She doesn't know what do with her life until she inherits an Arizona mercantile from a cousin. Everything seems to be going well until Caleb Nelson claims he is the one who inherited the mercantile and won't let her step into the store that really belongs to her.

It seems neither one can have full ownership of the store without the other one, so he attempts to distract her by setting her up with potential husbands, in the hope that she would hand over the store and leave, but this becomes a bit of a problem, as Caleb is starting to like her.

Her Eternal Rogue
By Gina Danna
Publisher: To The Better End Publishing
Pub. Date: June 30, 2013
ISBN: 978-0615836348
Pages: 284
Buy Links: Amazon, B&N

Review:

At first glance Her Eternal Rogue looks like a Harlequin Regency romance novel at sea, but author Gina Danna puts a twist on the genre by adding a paranormal theme.
The heroine is Lady Lavina Sinclair who has been kidnapped by French pirates, whom plan on selling her into the prostitution trade, but luckily for her, a handsome stranger happens to rescue her.

His name is Captain Alexander Sword (Barrington), who had escaped his controlling uncle in exchange to living on the high seas, but now finds himself known as a ruthless pirate. He was to be hanged for his crimes, but he accepted a deal to rescue Lady Lavina from the French pirates and return her to her betrothed (Nicholas) in England.

The rescue mission seemed to be easy thing to get done, but Alexander didn't plan on falling for the Lady Lavina, who returns his affections. Little does she know that he has cursed - he is actually a vampire.

A Cast Of Stones
The Staff & The Sword, Book 1
By Patrick W. Carr
Publisher: Bethany House
Pub. Date: February 1, 2013
ISBN: 0764210432
Pages: 432

Review:

I'm not the biggest fan of fantasy novels, but after becoming addicted to Game of Thrones, I now have an open mind when it comes to the genre, which is one of the reasons why I wanted to review A Cast of Stones by Patrick W. Carr. Sadly, this is one of several books that got shoved aside and collected dust for months until I finally got around to reading it last month.

Desperate for money, the orphan Errol Stone takes on an mission assigned to him by a church messenger. Over the years, he has found a liking to ale, which helps him forget the deaths of his family. The money being offered to him could keep him drunk for at least a week, so he eagerly accepts the mission, which he presumes to be a simple task. He leaves the blackwater village of Callowford, and goes on a mysterious quest alongside the priest Martin, Luis and a couple of warriors from a nearby village.

King Rodran is in a lot of trouble as he has no heir to take the thrown; therefore the church is taking up the responsibility of selecting the next king, but a dark force begins killing the church readers, they are the ones with the ability to look into a piece of stone or wood and see the future.