Book Review: The Tattered Quilt

Author: Wanda E. Brunstetter
Title: The Tattered Quilt
Publisher: Barbour Publishing
Publish Date: August 6, 2013
Buy: Amazon

Review Copy Provided By: Net Galley
Book Blurb: Join Emma Yoder Miller, the Amish widow-turned-newlywed, as she leads another quilting class with a new group of unlikely students, all with tattered pieces of their lives that need mending. Members of the patchwork group find friendship, faith, healing, and restoration while gathered around their quilts, under the Father’s guiding hands—for only He can take what’s ragged and shabby from the lives of His children and turn it into beauty for His glory.

Review: Even if you haven't read Half Stitched Amish Quilting Club, you can enjoy the sequel, The Tattered Quilt.

Emma is taking on  a new class of would be quilters and like the group from the first book, there is an eclectic mix  of people in the class, young, old, men, women, Amish and English.

What makes this book such fun to read is how it is told through all the classmates eyes. It reads like a Christian soap opera, if there were such a thing. There's romance between several characters, there are personal struggles and so much more.

This series isn't your typical Amish read and that's what makes it such fun. I love Emma and her husband Lamar. They really seem to pull the goodness out of everyone.

Several of the characters in this quilting class have a connection to the folks from the characters in the first book, but again that doesn't mean this book can't be read as a stand alone. I did, and I wasn't lost at all.

Probably the most fun characters are Cheryl, Terry and Blaine. There's a little bit of a love triangle going on here. Cheryl takes the class after bringing her grandmother's quilt to Emma for repairs. Terry and Blaine both want to date her for different reasons. Terry is a bit of a biker whereas Blaine is more clean cut.

Carmen is a journalist come to Indiana to see her brother-in-law and niece while trying to write an article on the Amish.

Anna is Amish girl, trying to break free of the chains her parents seem to have her caught up in.

Lastly is Selma, a cranky, lonely old lady that you can't help but love and feel sorry for.

I love how their lives intertwine as the novel progresses and the permanent connections that are made, as well as how the class really transforms each of them.

I look forward to reading about Emma's next quilting class.

Rating: 5 flowers

Book Review: Sarah's Choice

Author: Wanda E. Brunstter
Title: Sarah's Choice
Publisher: Barbour Publishing
Publish Date: Dec 1, 2010
Buy: Amazon
Book Blurb: Slip into romance in this eagerly anticipated book 3 of bestselling author Wanda E. Brunstetter’s Brides of Lehigh Canal series. Widowed Sarah Turner has her hands full, raising three young children, tending the lock on the canal, baking bread, and washing clothes for boatmen. Although she’s not looking for love, she’s vowed not to lose her heart to a boatman. Yet she didn’t count on meeting Captain Elias Brooks. Will she follow her heart where it leads or accept the proposal of a handsome land-loving blacksmith?
Review: When I want to read a feel good book Wanda E. Brunstetter is one of the authors I usually reach for. This is the second historical novel of her's that I've read. I usually go for her Amish fiction. This series is more heavily Christian fiction and may come across as a bit preachy to some. At times it felt that way to me, but the story was so sweet that it didn't bother me.

The setting of the book is in Northeastern Pennsylvania the Lehigh Valley. The setting is one of the things that drew me to the book. I love reading books that take place in my home state. Pennsylvania is just not the most glamorous spot, so I always look forward to seeing how author's present the state, either in a historical setting or present day.

Sarah is a widow, who's husband was killed on the canal. She's working at the lock in his place to keep her three children fed and clothed. Her hatred of the canal is easy to understand. There are times when her reactions to things are a bit much, but deep down it is easy to see why she behaves the way she does.

The two men vying for her heart are as different as night and day and it is easy early on to see which is going to win her heart in the end. Elias is all that is good and Christian. He's a little too much for me at times, but he is a kind, gentle, caring soul, oh and he has a disfiguring birthmark. Patrick is everything he isn't.

Yeah, so you can guess which guy she ends up with.

I loved her son Sammy, who really is the child that gets the most time in the story. He runs off with Elias to pull the mulls on the canal, something that his mother forbid him to do.

The other thing that I loved was the dog, Bristle Face, who didn't like Patrick very much. Again, you can see what guy she's going to end up with.

So, sure it is predictable, but it is very enjoyable, light read and it made me smile. Wanda Brunstetter's books never disappoint me.

Rating: 4 flowers

Book Review: A Cousins Prayer

Author: Wanda E. Brunstetter
Title: A Cousin's Prayer
Publisher: Barbour Books
Publish Date: Sept 1, 2009
Buy: Amazon
Book Blurb: Kumme to Amish country, where the simple ways of life lead to hope and healing. Katie Miller is traumatized after her boyfriend is killed in a van in which she was also a passenger. How will she find her way out of the valley of her depression? Freeman Bontrager will make any excuse to be near to Katie, hoping to win her love. But how far will he go to gain her trust. . .and her heart? What will bring this girl out of the shadows of fear, and open her heart to life—and love?

Review: Wanda Brunstetter brings real life issues to her stories of the Amish. Katie's emotional problems are what many people face. Her anxiety is very real and is conveyed accurately in A Cousin's Prayer. Anyone that has ever suffered panic attacks will emphathize with Katie. I know I did.

As always, Wanda creates some colorful secondary characters. Eunice is one of the best in this book. You truly love to hate her. She's so gossipy and selfish. It is hard to believe she's an Amish girl.

Freeman is one of my favorite heros. He's not perfect. He's had panic attacks like Katie, and he has problems with "foot in mouth disease".

The only thing about the story that I wish had been more developed was the part with Katie and the abandoned child. I would have loved to have seen more interaction there, since it was such a big part in Katie beginning to trust Freeman.

I have read many of Wanda Brunstetter's books, and I have to say I've not been disappointed yet. This book was no exception.

Rating: 4 flowers

Book Review: The Healing

Author: Wanda E. Brunstetter
Title: The Healing
Publisher: Barbour Books
Publish Date: Sept 6, 2011
Buy: Amazon
Review Copy Provided By: Net Galley
Book Blurb: Seek a fresh start with Amish widower Samuel Fisher as he journeys from Lancaster County to Bluegrass Country, hoping to find a balm for the grief he’s carried with him. Will this single father, burdened by yesterday’s memories, discover a new and perhaps better life in Kentucky, the land of tomorrow? Esther Beiler, who helps watch Samuel’s children, develops a crush on Samuel and a true affection for his kids. Can she win his heart, or has she already lost it to an English woman? How will God untangle star-crossed lovers when jealousies and misconceptions threaten to tear them apart?

Review: Wanda E. Brunstetter really knows how to create a good dramatic Amish romance. The Healing is book 2 in the Kentucky Brothers series, but it can stand on its own without any problems.

As with many of the other book Wanda has written, this story really involves more than just the main characters, Esther and Samuel. You have Bonnie, the young woman who is starting the bed and breakfast and Titus, Samuel's brother and Suzanne his girlfriend.

All of their lives intermingle, making this several stories within a story, with the common theme of healing.  Samuel is healing from the death of his wife. Bonnie has her own demons she's healing from.

Reading any of Wanda's books is almost like watching a soap opera, and this story is very much that way. It makes you wonder how much drama there is in the life of the Amish. This story had runaways, marital problems, and a wedding. The telling of Suzanne and Titus' wedding was a highpoint in the story, acting as a catalyst for things to come in book three as well as adding conflict between Samuel and Esther.

There's another couple in this story as well, Bonnie from the Bed and Breakfast and Allen, who is a local contracter who is friends with the Fischer family. There are feelings stirring between these two, which hopefully will be resolved in the next book of the series.

Wanda has again delivered a wonderful story of the Amish way of life.

Rating: 5 flowers

Book Trailer:

ARC Book Review: Love Finds A Home

Author: Wanda E. Brunstetter
Title: Love Finds A Home
Publisher: Barbour Books
Publish Date: July 1, 2011
Buy: Amazon
Review Copy Provided By: Net Galley
Book Blurb: Bestselling author Wanda E. Brunstetter brings you three historical stories of finding room for love. Glenna Moore is desperate after she watches her gambling father jump hurriedly from the back of a moving train. Will a young reverend bring stability and love back into her life? Judith King’s life as a new schoolteacher takes an unexpected turn when a widowed father begins to captivate her thoughts. Will she muster enough courage to seek his love? Bev Winters’s job is an answer to prayer until her boss complicates her widowed life. Will her pride allow love after loss?

Review: This collection is a depature from the stories I'm used to reading by Wanda Brunstetter. This book features 3 stories, each around 90 pages. It is historical Christian fiction, with an emphasis on Christian, though Wanda doesn't shove any particular religion at the reader, her characters are all very religious.

The first and the last stories were the best. Daddy's Girl had Glenna finding love and God after her father jumps off a train, but there is more to the story then that. The story reminds us that we all have faults and we all have good in us. The relationship develops a bit fast in this one, but then again, Glenna wedded her minister, David to help her start over. This one was very bittersweet. The relationship between Glenna and her father.

Dear Teacher was the weakest story in the collection. Judith is a school teacher and Ernie is an undereducated canal boat captain. Both struggle with self-esteem issues that keep them apart. It is Judith's love for Ernie's children Grace and Andy that really bring them together over the course of her time teaching them.

Twice Loved is the final story and the most contemporary. The setting is Easton, PA shortly after the second world war. Both Bev and Dan have lost spouses, and they find each other because Bev lost her job. She takes over working at Twice Loved, the used toy store Dan's late wife opened and loved. This was the strongest story, with characters that you really cared about. I loved watching their relationship grow, even though they had some struggles.

Wanda Brunstetter proved with these stories that she really is a master of Christian fiction. Her stories are always light and sweet and easy and enjoyable to read and this was no exception.

Rating: 4 flowers

Book Review: The Journey

Author: Wanda E. Brunstetter
Title: The Journey
Publisher: Barbour Books
Publish Date: April 1, 2011
Buy: Amazon
Review Copy Provided By: Net Galley
Book Blurb: Discover along with Titus Fisher how life can begin anew in Christian County, Kentucky. Moving from Pennsylvania, finding rewarding work, and leaving a broken romance behind is the best decision Titus ever made. But is he ready to consider love again when he meets two women: one who seems perfectly suited for any Amish man and one who challenges long held ideas of the woman’s role. Who will Titus choose, and will it be the right choice?

Review: I really found this book to be different from the typical Amish offerings out there. There were several stories within the story. The reader gets to see everyone's side of the story, Suzanne, Titus, Pheobe and Titus' family. Each layer of the story really lets you get into the heads of some very different characters.

I really liked Suzanne, who was about as much of a feminist as an Amish woman could be. She wanted to go into the woodworking business with her grandfather and brother. Her brother is very old fashioned and doesn't think it is a woman's place. Readers that don't know much about the Amish and their ways may find this attitude a bit annoying, but that's really how it is.

For as much as I liked Suzanne, I have to say, I found Phoebe to be totally annoying. She totally had no focus in her life. She breaks Titus' heart and goes to California without knowing what the cost would be to live there. She just expects sun and fun, and when things go wrong she doesn't know how to deal with them. I found myself wanting to choke her or at least slap her silly most of the time. She was just not a nice girl.

Then there's Titus. He's the main ingredient in the love triangle that Wanda has created in this story. He isn't the most likable hero, but his idiosyncrasies are what make him more endearing as the story goes on. Besides the love triangle that stretches across the miles in a round about way, Titus gets involved in a bit of a mystery, when he finds money in his phone shanty. This gave the story a bit of Oomph to go on, though I think it resolved the issues a bit too easily.

I really enjoyed this story, but I enjoy most of Wanda's books. I recommend these books to anyone that enjoys a good clean story, with a bit of romance.

Rating: 4 flowers

Book Review: Lydia's Charm #8

Author: Wanda E. Brunstetter
Title: Lydia's Charm
Publisher: Barbour Books
Publish Date: Sept 1, 2010
Copy Provided By: NetGalley & The Publisher
Buy: Amazon
Book Blurb: Widowed and jobless, Lydia King moves her son and herself to Charm, Ohio, to be close to her mother and help with her grandfather. Menno Troyer, a furniture store owner, is also recently widowed and the father of four energetic boys. Levi Stutzman, another newcomer to the area, is the only one in his family not handicapped by dwarfism and has dedicated his life to caring for them. As fall colors the countryside, will anonymous gifts left for Lydia bring her hope for a new life and romance, or will another tragedy flood her with infinite despair?

Review:  Lydia's Charm is an Amish story that really has its roots based in real life. It was hard to fathom all the hardships that Lydia faced in this story, the loss of a husband that sends her back to Charm, then her grandfather and later her son.

It was truly heartbreaking to read at times, but Lydia was such a strong character, that even while I was wiping my eyes because things kept going wrong, I had to press on, to see which of her two suitors, Menno or Levi that she chose in the end.

The story also deals with prejudices. Levi's family are "little people," and he spends most of his time protecting them, unnecessarily.

Wanda's character's are so real. Menno struggles with the loss of his wife and he hopes to find a new mother for his brood, who are very rambucious, in Lydia. It becomes clear very early on, that he's looking for a maid and babysitter more than a wife.

Then there's Rueban who is in love with Mae, Lydia's mother. That is almost a whole other story within a story, because Mae is a very complex character. At the beginning you really want to hate her, because she's so crabby, but as Wanda reveals more of her life, it becomes harder to dislike the woman.

Wanda really brings  her characters to life in her stories and she makes them real. They suffer losses just like the rest of us. Lydia even goes through some unemployment in this book. Again, its all very real.

I also loved that anyone familar with Holmes County, Ohio will recognize some familiar places in the book, like Heini's Cheese, Der Dutchman Restaurant and Java Joe's.

A great story that made me want to go back to Ohio

Rating: 5 Flowers

Christian Fiction

I never really delved much into faith based stories, until I read Anne Rice's novels about the young life of Christ.

Now don't get me wrong, I still love a good smut novel as you can see by the books I've been reviewing, but as a result of reading these books, I opened myself up to more books that had religion as a focal point, and even romantic fiction with a little bit. The Steeple Hill line that Harlequin publishes puts out some wonderful novels that don't focus on the sexual aspect of love.

But what I've really discovered that I love now are books about the Amish. I've always been fascinated by the culture of these people since I was a little girl, visited Lancaster, PA. Its hard to believe that these people live like they do while the rest of the world rushes on ahead of them, and yet they seem happy. Beverly Lewis writes about the Amish very well as do several others like Wanda E. Brunstetter.

It hasn't helped matters that I received a catalog from Christianbook.com and now I get to spend hours deciding what I want to order. Oh and it even has a clearance section! I'll never have money now!

What I've found so refreshing about some of these books is that though the religion and faith is there, its not shoved down your throat. I guess that's the main reason why I've really taken to some of these books.