Paradise Valley by Dale Cramer

I received this book from Bethany House free for my honest review of this book.

Book Description:
An Amish settlement in Ohio has run afoul of a law requiring their children to attend public school. Caleb Bender and his neighbors are arrested for neglect, with the state ordering the children be placed in an institution. Among them are Caleb's teenage daughter, Rachel, and the boy she has her eye on, Jake Weaver. Romance blooms between the two when Rachel helps Jake escape the children's home.

Searching for a place to relocate his family where no such laws apply, Caleb learns there's inexpensive land for sale in Mexico, a place called Paradise Valley. Despite rumors of instability in the wake of the Mexican revolution, the Amish community decides this is their answer. And since it was Caleb's idea, he and his family will be the pioneers. They will send for the others once he's established a foothold and assessed the situation.

Caleb's daughters are thrown into turmoil. Rachel doesn't want to leave Jake. Her sister, Emma, who has been courting Levi Mullet, fears her dreams of marriage will be dashed. Miriam has never had a beau and is acutely aware there will be no prospects in Mexico.

Once there, they meet Domingo, a young man and guide who takes a liking to Miriam, something her father would never approve. While Paradise Valley is everything they'd hoped it would be, it isn't long before the bandits start giving them trouble, threatening to upset the fledgling Amish settlement, even putting their lives in danger. Thankfully no one has been harmed so far, anyway.

Paradise Valley, Book 1 of The Daughters of Caleb Bender by Dale Cramer is based on actual events that took place in Ohio in 1921. The laws in Ohio changed and all children were to be in school and learn certain subjects. Amish children are educated in their colony up until a certain age and then learn at home from there for their trade. Caleb Bender and 4 other men were put in jail for not sending their school age children to school. The children were then taken to a group home until the time their fathers agree to send them to school in the city. Caleb and the other men finally decided for the best of their families they needed to sign the papers and send the children to school until they could find another solution. Caleb then encounters a flier advertising land in Mexico for sale and he looks into it. The whole colony has a meeting with the man selling the land and Caleb decides for the best of his family they will make the trip to Mexico and settle. Once they are there they will send word to the others and they will come.

This is the first book I have read by Dale Cramer and I was completely enthralled with it. It's a wonderful story of faith, love, and hard work. Caleb's Family uproots and makes the journey to a land where they don't know the language and a land in turmoil. Once in Mexico, their faith and ultimately their way of life is questioned. They meet a wonderful man who is a native who helps them get settled and becomes an integral part of their lives. Caleb and his family show him about living honorably. This book was hard to put down. Once I started it, it grabbed me and held on until the end. I can't wait to read the next book in this series. The characters are rich and relateable, their struggles and successes you are able to feel to as the reader and you find yourself completely into the story. I highly recommend this book for anyone who like Amish fiction it definitely won't disappoint.

Fairer Than Morning By Rosslyn Elliott

I received this E-Book from booksneeze.com for free for my honest, unbiased opinion.

Book Description
Ann dreams of a marriage proposal from her poetic suitor—until she meets a runaway apprentice who knows what a truly noble man is.

In 1826, Ann Miller travels to Pittsburgh with her widowed father and two young sisters, only to find that a mysterious man has pursued them all the way from Ohio. Is Ann’s father just a circuit minister, or is he hiding something that may endanger them all?

Will Hanby indentures with a Pittsburgh saddle maker, only to discover that his master is a cold-hearted tyrant. After years of abuse, Will becomes a prisoner of his own mind. But then lovely Ann Miller comes to stay next door and her compassion lights a long-dark part of Will’s soul. His renewed courage puts his life in jeopardy as he begins to assist fugitive slaves.

Will's murderous master and Ann's questions about her family may keep both of them bound in the shadows forever. Or will they find freedom—together?

Fairer Than Morning is a captivating story of Ann Miller and Will Hanby. Set in Pittsburg, PA and Rushville, OH in the 1800's we meet the Miller Family who are helping slaves get to freedom through a whole network of people in the south. Business takes the Miller Family from Rushville, OH to Pittsburg, PA where the family meets Will Hanby, an indentured apprentice to Master Jacob Good, a cruel man who will do anything to get ahead. Will is subjected to physical abuse that almost kills him. This prompts him to make the journey from Pittsburg to Rushville, OH in hopes the Miller's will be able to help him.

Rosslyn Elliott has written a beautiful story of love, hope, and finding faith in even the worst situations. The book is based on true historical facts of real people. Our main characters: Ann Miller, Will Hanby, and Master Jacob Good are real people and the events are real also. I could not put this book down, it grabbed me from the first page. The characters were so real, the history accurate, and the story line kept me from wanting to put it down. I cannot wait to read the next book in this 3 book series called" The Saddler's Legacy". I am so excited to find a new author to read and highly recommend this book to anyone.

Beside Still Water by Tricia Goyer

I received Beside Still Water from Litfuse for my honest review of this book.

About Tricia: Tricia Goyer is the author of twenty-six books including Songbird Under a German Moon, The Swiss Courier, and the mommy memoir, Blue Like Play Dough. She won Historical Novel of the Year in 2005 and 2006 from ACFW, and was honored with the Writer of the Year award from Mt. Hermon Writer's Conference in 2003. Tricia's book Life Interrupted was a finalist for the Gold Medallion in 2005. In addition to her novels, Tricia writes non-fiction books and magazine articles for publications like MomSense and Thriving Family. Tricia is a regular speaker at conventions and conferences, and has been a workshop presenter at the MOPS (Mothers of Preschoolers) International Conventions. She and her family make their home in Little Rock , Arkansas where they are part of the ministry of FamilyLife. Visit www.triciagoyer.com for more info.


About Beside Still Waters: Marianna Sommer believes she knows where her life is headed. Nineteen years old and Amish, her plan is to get baptized into the church, marry Aaron Zook, and live in the only community she's ever known.
When Marianna's family moves from Indiana to Montana she discovers life and faith will never be the same. As she builds an easy friendship with local guy, Ben Stone, Ben not only draws her heart, he also gets her thinking about what loving God and living in community is all about.
As Marianna struggles to find "home", she also encounters God in intimate ways. Click here to watch the book trailers.

Beside Still Waters is the first Amish book Tricia Goyer has written and is based on real life events. I am a huge fan of Amish fiction and read it every chance I get. Beside Still Water was a well written, well researched book with a lot of heart. It just wasn't my kind of book. I found that it was not keeping my attention or drawing me into the characters or the storyline. I personally had a rough time getting through the book but that does NOT mean that the book wasn't well written or that I wouldn't recommend it. Tricia Goyer is a wonderful author! I would recommend it to anyone who enjoys Amish Fiction. With this book being the first in the series I look forward to reading the others in the series.

Link to buy the book: http://triciagoyer.com/contemporaryfiction.html#BesideStillWaters

To celebrate the release of the first book in the Big Sky Amish series Tricia is giving away 10 copies of Beside Still Waters and a pair of super cute antique Amish salt & pepper shakers.

Details at Tricia’s blog, It’s Real Life: http://triciagoyer.blogspot.com/2011/04/beside-still-waters-giveaway.html

BONUS! Each person who enters the giveaway will receive a FABULOUS Montana Amish Calendar. Hurry, it’s only available while supplies last!

Blog Tour Schedule: http://litfusegroup.com/blogtours/text/13199255

Here Burns My Candle By Liz Curtis Higgs

I received this book for free from WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group for this review. I was not paid to give a positive review. I was given the book to give my honest review of that book.

Book Description:
A mother who cannot face her future.
A daughter who cannot escape her past.

Lady Elisabeth Kerr is a keeper of secrets. A Highlander by birth and a Lowlander by marriage, she honors the auld ways, even as doubts and fears stir deep within her.

Her husband, Lord Donald, has secrets of his own, well hidden from the household, yet whispered among the town gossips.

His mother, the dowager Lady Marjory, hides gold beneath her floor and guilt inside her heart. Though her two abiding passions are maintaining her place in society and coddling her grown sons, Marjory’s many regrets, buried in Greyfriars Churchyard, continue to plague her.

One by one the Kerr family secrets begin to surface, even as bonny Prince Charlie and his rebel army ride into Edinburgh in September 1745, intent on capturing the crown.

A timeless story of love and betrayal, loss and redemption, flickering against the vivid backdrop of eighteenth-century Scotland, Here Burns My Candle illumines the dark side of human nature, even as hope, the brightest of tapers, lights the way home.

This is the first book by Liz Curtis Higgs I have read and it is a wonderful book. It is an awesome combination of the Book of Ruth and a fictitious story that took place in Scotland in the 1700's. She uses Scottish words in her writing and includes a glossary in the back to help understand them which was wonderful. This book is as much historical as biblical. Liz Curtis Higgs shows she did much research of not only the history at that time but of the book of Ruth to make this story alive to the readers. The characters are rich and very real, I felt I was really knew them and could relate to them. For me personally Part one was hard to get into but once I got to Part two I couldn't put it down. For anyone who loves historical fiction this is definitely the book for you. I look forward to reading more of Liz Curtis Higgs books.

Heart of Ice by Lis Wiehl and April Henry

I received Heart of Ice from booksneeze.com free for my honest review of this book.

Book Description:
The Triple Threat Club novels follow three fiercely intelligent women—a TV reporter, a Federal prosecutor and a FBI agent—as they investigate crimes as current as today’s headlines.

The Triple Threat women have faced intense situations before…but never such a cunningly cold-blooded murderer.

Elizabeth Avery is a stunningly beautiful woman. But her perfectly managed exterior hides the ice-cold heart of a killer. She ingeniously manipulates everyone who crosses her path to do exactly as she wishes--from crime reporter Cassidy Shaw, who thinks Elizabeth is her new best friend, to a shy young man Elizabeth persuades to kill for her.

As Elizabeth leaves a trail of bodies in her wake, Federal prosecutor Allison Pierce and FBI agent Nicole Hedges must piece together clues from seemingly unrelated crimes. Can they stop her before she reaches her unthinkable, ultimate end-game?

Heart of Ice is the third book in Lis Wiehl's Triple Threat Club series. I have had the honor of reading all 3 of them through Booksneeze.com. Heart of Ice will not disappoint fans at all. In Heart of Ice Allison Pierce has had a miscarriage and her wayward sister comes to stay, Nicole Hedges faces serious medical issues, and Cassidy Shaw faces her own esteem issues and ends up making friends with an aerobic instructor at the gym she attends, Elizabeth. Elizabeth says the right things that Cassidy needs to hear and instantly they are friends. Unfortunately, Cassidy doesn't know everything about Elizabeth. She is not whom she says she is and manipulates everyone around her. Elizabeth tries to infiltrate the Triple Threat Club but the other 2, Allison and Nicole sense something off about her, but they try because of Cassidy. Allison and Nicole each has separate murders they are investigating but as they dig deeper they may not be separate.

Heart of Ice kept me on the edge of my seat. Hard book to put down because you find yourself right there with our 3 heroines figuring out this murder, mystery. These characters are easy to identify with, they have such depth that you feel like you are right there. This book did NOT disappoint. You could read this as a stand alone, Lis Wiehl does a great job of writing that you don't feel lost if you didn't read the prior books. I look forward to another Triple Threat Club book!! Can't wait to read more of what Lis Wiehl has to write.

The Mountains Bow Down By Sibella Giorello

Welcome to the Blog Tour for Sibella Giorello's novel, The Mountains Bow Down. I received this book from Litfuse for my honest review of this book.

About Sibella: Sibella Giorello grew up in Alaska and majored in geology at Mount Holyoke College . After riding a motorcycle across the country, she worked as a features writer for the Richmond Times-Dispatch. Her stories have won state and national awards, including two nominations for the Pulitzer Prize. She now lives in Washington state with her husband and sons. Find out more about Sibella and her other books at her website. www.sibellagiorello.com

About The Mountains Bow Down: Everything's going to work out. Time away always makes things better . . ..

That's what FBI Special Agent Raleigh Harmon believes as she boards a cruise to Alaska . A land of mountains and gems and minerals, The Last Frontier is a dream destination for this forensic geologist who's hoping to leave behind a hectic work schedule and an engagement drained of romance.

But when a passenger goes missing and winds up dead, Raleigh 's vacation suddenly gets lost at sea. The ship's security chief tries to rule the death a suicide, but Raleigh 's forensics background points to a much darker conclusion: Somewhere onboard, a ruthless murderer walks free.

Engulfed by one of her toughest cases yet, Raleigh requests assistance from the FBI and receives her nemesis-perpetual ladies man Special Agent Jack Stephanson. As the cruise ship sails through the Inside Passage, Raleigh has five days to solve a high-profile murder, provide consultation for a movie filming onboard, and figure out her increasingly complicated feelings for Jack-who might not be such a jerk after all.

And that's only her work life. Family offers even more challenges. Joined on the cruise by her mother and aunt, Raleigh watches helplessly as disturbing rifts splinter her family.

Like the scenery that surrounds the cruise ship, Raleigh discovers a situation so steep and so complex that even the mountains might bow down


My Review of The Mountains Bow Down:

I have read all of the Raleigh Harmon novels and love them. The nice part about these books is that you don't have to read them all. The books help you catch up and know details from other books so there isn't a lost feeling while reading it. The Mountains Bow Down will not disappoint. We are with Raleigh again but this time on a "vacation". She is on a cruise with her mother, her Aunt, and a friend of the Aunt. Raleigh, her Aunt, and her Aunts Friend are working with a movie crew on the cruise. A murder happens that is tied to this movie crew they are there helping and Raleilgh must now be FBI agent and daughter. Her mother doesn't know she is an agent so she has to keep the worlds seperate. Raleigh gets help from a former co worker and sparks fly. This book has suspense, murder, emotional turmoil, humor and romance. All these things make for an awesome book, that you can't put down. Book is very well written, you will find yourself on the edge of your seat and then laughing. Sibella's characters are very well researched and characters that you can relate to. The storylines are strong and do draw you in. I highly recommend this book to everyone.

Link to buy the book: http://www.amazon.com/Mountains-Down-Raleigh-Harmon-Novel/dp/1595545352/ref=sprightly-20

Start the series fresh with this great deal! Pick up a copy of Book 1 for your Kindle or Nook for only $2.99! The Stones Roll Away is the critically acclaimed award winner that kicked off the Raleigh Harmon series. http://www.amazon.com/Stones-Raleigh-Harmon-Novel-ebook/dp/B004QGYURS/ref=sprightly-20


Sibella’s celebrating the release of The Mountains Bow Down with a blog tour, a Cruise prize pack worth over $500 and a Facebook Party! Don't miss a minute of the fun.

One Grand Prize winner will receive:

• A $500 gift certificate toward the cruise of their choice from Vacations To Go.


• The entire set of the Raleigh Harmon series.

To enter click one of the icons below. Then tell your friends. And enter soon - the giveaway ends on 4/1! The winner will be announced at Sibella’s Raleigh Harmon Book Club Party on FB April 5th, 2011! Don’t miss the fun – prizes, books and gab!

About the Facebook Party: Join Sibella and fans of the Raleigh Harmon series on April 5th at 5:00 pm PST (6 MST, 7 CST & 8 EST) for a Facebook Book Club Party. Sibella will be giving away some fun prizes, testing your trivia skills and hosting a book chat about the Raleigh Harmon books. Have questions you'd like to chat about - leave them on the Event page.

The Band That Played On by Steve Turner

I received this book from booksneeze.com free in return for my honest review of this books

Book Description: The never-before told, inspiring stories of the 8 brave musicians who played as the Titanic sank.

When Titanic collided with an iceberg on April 14, the eight members of the band had already retired for the evening. Still, they put on overcoats and came out to play in the lounge. When most of the First Class passengers had taken to their lifeboats, the musicians moved to the deck and continued to play as the ship sank. One passenger said: “Many brave things were done that night, but none were more brave than those done by men playing minute after minute as the ship settled quietly lower and lower in the sea. The music they played served alike as their own immortal requiem and their right to be recalled on the scrolls of undying fame.” But who were they? What journeys brought them to this deck on this icy ocean? Who did they leave behind? Historian and biographer Steve Turner delves into the lives of these brave men, revealing eight unique portraits of bravery.

The Band That Played On by Steve Turner was written with the 100th Anniversary of Titanic in mind. This is the story of 8 different men brought together as the 2 bands aboard the Titanic. These men are the unknown heroes of this ship. These 8 men played as the ship went down and didn't stop playing until they went down with the ship. Steve Turner gives us the backgrounds of these men prior to heading aboard the ship. All 8 men were believers and a few played for their churches and other religious places in the past. Three of the men had been in the band on a ship before while the five others had done multiple tours with ships including the Olympic which had its crash with the Ladyhawk. The accounts from many of the survivors of Titanic speak of these men playing Nearer My God To Me as the ship went down. They have also stated that at one point the 8 men were kneeling and playing. The story that Steve Turned wrote depicts 8 men who had accepted their fate and instead of trying to save themselves, they gave of themselves to help the other passengers on the ship stay calm and find peace.

I would recommend this book to people who are interested in the Titanic and history itself. This doesn't go over and over the details of the sinking that we have heard many times but really gives the reader an account that hasn't really been heard.