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A Song Among the Trees By Susan Meissner

I received this book from bloggingforbooks.com for free for my honest review of this book.

Book Description:
A house shrouded in time.
A line of women with a heritage of loss.

As a young bride, Susannah Page was rumored to be a Civil War spy for the North, a traitor to her Virginian roots. Her great-granddaughter Adelaide, the current matriarch of Holly Oak, doesn’t believe that Susannah’s ghost haunts the antebellum mansion looking for a pardon, but rather the house itself bears a grudge toward its tragic past.

When Marielle Bishop marries into the family and is transplanted from the arid west to her husband’s home, it isn’t long before she is led to believe that the house she just settled into brings misfortune to the women who live there.

With Adelaide’s richly peppered superstitions and deep family roots at stake, Marielle must sort out the truth about Susannah Page and Holly Oak— and make peace with the sacrifices she has made for love.

My Thoughts:
A Sound Among the Trees is the first book by Susan Meissner I have read. I love stories with historical ties to the Civil War so this one caught my eye right away. The story comes from the history of Holly Oak, the Virginian mansion that survived the destruction of Fredericksburg during the Civil War. Many believe the house is haunted by its previous owner Susannah, who they thought was a traitor to the South because she helped the Union Army. Others believe the mansion is cursed and demands a blood toll from all the women that live there. This story goes through the whole history of this mansion and the women who lived there. It is believed by the neighbors and some of the occupants that it is haunted by Susannah Page. The story is a good one and the historical information is awesome. My absolute favorite part of the book was Part Four of the book where its all letters written by Susannah. Also the "chapters" were not numbered. Susan Meissner writes with A LOT of authority about the South during the Civil War and that time period. It is an interesting story that is a nice read. I look forward to reading more from Susan Meissner. If you enjoy historical fiction, this is a good book for you.

An Amish Wedding By Beth Wiseman, Kathleen Fuller, and Kelly Long

I received this book from Booksneeze.com for free for my honest review of this book.

Book Description:
Three Amish women yearn for the perfect wedding.

"A Perfect Plan" by Beth Wiseman

Priscilla King has been planning to marry Chester Lapp since she was sixteen years old, and when Chester proposes on Priscilla’s nineteenth birthday, wedding plans begin immediately. What wasn't planned was all the problems the couple encounters as their big day approaches. A house disaster, a ruined wedding dress, and a sick attendant all make the couple wonder if God's sending them signs to call things off.

"The Perfect Match" by Kathleen Fuller

Naomi Fisher has had great success at matchmaking her family members and friends. Now with her sister’s wedding right around the corner, Naomi wonders why she’s able to find husbands for her friends and family, but not one for herself.

"The Perfect Secret" by Kelly Long

Rose Bender has recently become engaged to handsome but somber Luke Raber. She agrees out of a sense of duty and a willingness to settle for solid friendship as a basis for the engagement. But as she watches her friend's excitement over her soon-to-be wedding, Rose wonders if there shouldn’t be more to her relationship with Luke. She begins to examine Luke and his life more closely and is amazed when she stumbles upon an exciting, secret side of him that engages her mind and heart.

My Thoughts:

I am a huge reader of Amish Fiction. I love Beth Wiseman and Kathleen Fuller. I personally hadn't read anything by Kelly Long until this book. I am not one sho is drawn to Novellas because I am just not usually one to read short stories, I enjoy the investment of one whole story. That being said, because of the authors I decided to give a Novella book a chance and I am glad I did. All three stories are written in the same time period of about four weeks. Each one has intertwined the same group of people leading up to the wedding of Priscilla and Chester. I enjoyed the way this was written because it was the same characters throughout all three stories just different perspectives for each. I have to be honest I had a hard time getting into the first story "The Perfect Secret". But I am glad I kept going because I wasn't disappointed. I highly recommend this book to anyone who enjoys Amish Fiction.

Love On The Line by Deeanne Gist

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

Book Description:

Rural switchboard operator Georgie Gail is proud of her independence in a man's world ... which makes it twice as vexing when the telephone company sends a man to look over her shoulder.

Dashing Luke Palmer is more than he appears though. He's a Texas Ranger working undercover to infiltrate a notorious gang of train robbers. Repairing telephones and tangling with this tempestuous woman is the last thing he wants to do. But when his stake out puts Georgie in peril, he realizes more than his job is on the line.

My Thoughts:
I am a huge fan of Deanne Gist's books. I have read almost all of them and find myself not able to put them down. Love On The Line didn't seem to hold me the way the others did. The book was well researched as far as the era, telephone history, and even the information about birds and bird watching. I found the history information very interesting. The characters just didn't have the spark that Deanne Gist usually has in her books. I found it very easy to put down and that I was reading it to finish it.

Forever Faithful By Karen Kingsbury

I received this book from Waterbrook Multnomah's Blogging For Books program for free for my honest review of this book.

Book Description:
The entire best-selling Forever Faithful trilogy, now available in one volume:

Waiting for Morning
A drunk driver...a deadly accident...a dream destroyed. When Hannah Ryan loses her husband and oldest daughter to a drunk driver, she is consumed with hate and revenge. Ultimately, it is a kind prosecutor, a wise widow, and her husband's dying words that bring her the peace that will set her free and let her live again.

A Moment of Weakness
When childhood friends Jade and Tanner reunite as adults, they share their hearts, souls, and dreams of forever--until a fateful decision tears them apart. Now, nearly a decade later, Jade's unfaithful husband wants to destroy her in a custody battle that is about to send shock waves across the United States. Only one man can help Jade in her darkest hour. And only one old woman knows the truth that can set them all free.

Halfway to Forever
Matt and Hannah...Jade and Tanner--after already surviving much, these couples must now face the greatest struggles of their lives: parental losses and life-threatening illness threaten to derail their faith and sideline their futures. Can Hannah survive the loss of an adopted daughter? Will Tanner come through decades of loneliness only to face losing Jade one final time?

My Thoughts:

WOW!!!!! This collection of stories is very, very powerful. I had not read any books by Karen Kingsbury until this one and all I can say again is WOW. The 3 stories, Waiting for Morning, A Moment of Weakness, and Halfway to Forever, show tragedy and finding love and happiness in the face of tragedy. Each story has its own start and finish but they are very connected. Karen Kingsbury writes such powerful stories of tragedy, loss of faith, love, and finding faith in the middle of all the tragedy. These books are centered on Christian beliefs and scripture but not in a way that is preaching or overbearing. These stories leave a lasting impression on you. The characters of each book are very real people whose lives are NOT perfect but have a strong faith in God. The topics addressed in each book like drunk driving laws, were very well researched. All of the stories really caught me and kept my interest to the end. These stories are beautifully written and honest. I highly recommend this Trilogy to anyone who enjoys Christian Fiction. I will definitely be looking for more books by Karen Kingsbury.

Reclaiming Lily By Patti Lacy

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

Book Description:
When an insidious genetic disease strikes her family, Harvard graduate Dr. Kai Chang must alert Lily, the sister Kai left on orphanage steps years earlier. Standing in her way are the Powells, Lily's adoptive parents. Gloria Powell distrusts Kai and thinks her presence will send their troubled seventeen-year-old over the precipice of teenaged angst. Can Kai and Gloria, separated by culture and faith but devoted to Lily, reconcile their differences and trust their dreams to God?

My Thoughts:

Reclaiming Lily is the second book by Patti Lacy I have had the privilege to read. Reclaiming Lily is a beautiful story of a Chinese family torn apart by revolution, an American Family who adopts one of the Chinese children, and a sister whose life goal is to honor her mother's dying wish of Reclaiming Lily. Dr. Kai Chang figures out that her mother died of a hereditary disease, Polycystic Kidney Disease, and hires a PI to find Lily, her youngest sister who they had to give up to an orphanage during the Chinese Revolution. Kai contacts the Texas family that adopted Lily Chang, who is now Joy Powell. Pastor Andrew and Gloria Powell meet with Kai in Texas and find out about this disease. During this meeting the Powells receive a call, Joy is in the detention center and they need to come. So Kai comes with them. Joy finds out a midst all of her trouble that Kai is her birth sister. While at the detention center a tornado hits their town and by the grace of God the jail is left untouched. The Powells open their arms to Kai and want her part of their lives and Joy's life. Kai would do anything for Joy but when Kai's life starts to unravel she must learn to depend on Joy and the Powells and most of all God.

Reclaiming Lily is a wonderful story. I found myself caught up in the story so much that I couldn't put the book down. Patti Lacy weaves a beautiful story of sisters separated to save their own lives, an adoptive family brought back together by a birth sister, and unlikely people brought together by God. This story shows love, loss, and finding a way back to God; giving their lives back. The characters are very relatable and I felt like I was part of their world. Patti Lacy writes with such knowledge of China, Chinese culture, Polycystic Kidney Disease, and the journey with God. This book really had a huge impact on me and its one that will stay with me for a while. Also Patti Lacy keeps you guessing until the end how the story will end. The end of the book truly surprised me. I highly recommend this book to anyone who enjoys Christian Fiction. I look forward to reading more books by Patti Lacy.