Book Review: The Ghost Of Crutchfield Hall #10

Author: Mary Downing Hahn
Title: The Ghost Of Crutchfield Hall
Publisher: Clarion Books
Publish Date: Sept 6, 2010
Buy: Amazon
Copy Provided By: NetGalley & The Publisher
Book Blurb: When twelve-year-old Florence boards the horse-drawn coach in London, she looks forward to a new life at Crutchfield Hall, her great-uncle’s manor house in the English countryside. Anything will be better, Florence thinks, than the grim London orphanage she has just left.


Florence doesn’t reckon with the eerie presence that haunts the cavernous rooms and dimly lit hallways of Crutchfield. It’s the ghost of her cousin Sophia, who died the year before. Sophia’s ghost seeks to recreate the scene of her death and cause someone else to die in her place so that she will be restored to life. And she intends to force her newly arrived cousin to help her.

Blending elements from classic ghost stories of the past, Mary Downing Hahn pays homage to such renowned writers as Edgar Allan Poe and Charles Dickens while creating a bone-chilling new story of her own.

Review: The Ghost Of Crutchfield Hall is a story for tween set, but the tell is told well enough for mom's and dads and anyone else to enjoy.  It is a typical gothic ghost story set in the 19th century, complete with an orphan girl, who is a bit of a bluestocking, a sickly child, and aunts and uncles, some that are nice and others not so much so.

Fans of classic literature, may find this story a bit like The Secret Garden. Hahn also drops a lot of names of famous classic authors in this story. Florence has read Bronte, Austen, Thackery and Dickons. All at a very young age.

The story though isn't very scary, at least not in a horrifying way. What it is, is spooky and mysterious.  That's more appropriate for the age range too, which is grades 4-6.

When Florence arrives at Crutchfield Hall, there's no one there to greet her. At the door she meets an aunt that is prim and proper and an uncle that is more loving. Her cousin, James has been confined to his bed since the death of his sister Sophia one year ago. It is Sophia that haunts Crutchfield Hall, hoping to get revenge on her brother.

The characters are easy to like, even the aunt. Once you realize how much she loved Sophia, her behavior made a lot of sense.

I really enjoyed this story. It reminded me of a lot of the ghost stories I read when I was in grade school.

Rating: 4 flowers

Crazy Book Tours Book Review: Oogy: The Dog Only A Family Could Love #9

Author: Larry Levin
Title: Oogy: The Dog Only A Family Could Love
Publisher: Grand Central Publishing
Publish Date: Oct 12, 2010
Copy Provided By: Crazy Book Tours
Buy: Amazon
Book Blurb: In the bestselling tradition of Rescuing Sprite comes the story of a puppy brought back from the brink of death, and the family he adopted.
In 2002, Larry Levin and his twin sons, Dan and Noah, took their terminally ill cat to the Ardmore Animal Hospital outside Philadelphia to have the beloved pet put to sleep. What would begin as a terrible day suddenly got brighter as the ugliest dog they had ever seen--one who was missing an ear and had half his face covered in scar tissue--ran up to them and captured their hearts. The dog had been used as bait for fighting dogs when he was just a few months old. He had been thrown in a cage and left to die until the police rescued him and the staff at Ardmore Animal Hospital saved his life. The Levins, whose sons are themselves adopted, were unable to resist Oogy's charms, and decided to take him home.
Heartwarming and redemptive, OOGY is the story of the people who were determined to rescue this dog against all odds, and of the family who took him home, named him "Oogy" (an affectionate derivative of ugly), and made him one of their own.
 
Review: This is the kind of animal book I love to read, the kind where the animal is still alive at the end. Oogy is a dog that anyone can't help but love and his owner really shows that love as he shares his story of his family and how they came to welcome a poor abused Dogo pup into their lives.

Sure this story is about Oogy, but it was also about Larry, Jennifer, Dan and Noah. The type of people they were helped shape Oogy's life, just as he helped shape theirs. Larry shares Oogy's life story with the world as best as he can.

It is wonderful to see a family that can take in a dog like this and give him love. Oogy is not the prettiest pooch, but how can you not love that face? He's like E.T.  He's so ugly he's cute.

What made this story super special was how the Levin's really went above and beyond for this dog. After the first $3,000.00 surgery, many people would have given up. Lucky for Oogy, his owners were attorneys as well as animal lovers. Oogy was really part of the family, like one of the twins said, "Oogy is my brother."

Most people that truly love their furry companions will feel this way and I don't think I've ever read a book with a pet where this is more perfectly illustrated. Larry loves Oogy and will do just about anything for his dog.

The Levin's are my kind of people.  Oogy is my kind of dog!

Rating: 5 flowers



Meet Oogy:

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

Book Review: Delirium #7

Author: Lauren Oliver
Title: Delirium
Publisher: HarperCollins
Publish Date: 2/1/2011
Copy Provided By: The Publisher & Rex Robot Reviews
Buy: Amazon
Book Blurb: Before scientists found the cure, people thought love was a good thing. They didn’t understand that once love - the deliria - blooms in your blood, there is no escaping its hold. Things are different now. Scientists are able to eradicate love, and the governments demand that all citizens receive the cure upon turning eighteen. Lena Holoway has always looked forward to the day when she would be cured. A life without love is a life without pain: safe, measured, predictable, and happy.

But with ninety-five days left until her treatment, Lena does the unthinkable: She falls in love.

Review: I reviewed this books for Rex Robot Reviews. To read my review click here
Rating:  4 flowers

Book Review: Invincible #4

 
Author: Joan Johnston
Title: Invincible
Publisher: Mira
Publish Date: Oct 26, 2010
Review Copy Provided By: NetGalley
Buy: eharlequin
Book Blurb: Bella Benedict's five grown children are scattered around the world like a handful of precious jewels. Now she's dying and she has one last, secret wish. To bring her children home. And to give them what she once had: a marriage of passion.
Wealthy playboy Max Benedict has no interest in long-term commitment. He had his heart broken once and that was enough. Instead, he travels the world, working as a sometime spy for the CIA. When he's asked to investigate a foreign threat against the president, he doesn't think twice about accepting—until he hears who he'll be working with in London.
FBI Special Agent Kristin Lassiter is under investigation and on the verge of losing everything—her savings, her job, her beloved father. So when Bella Benedict approaches her with the offer to pay her mounting debts, she's tempted to accept. But there's a catch—a big one. Bella wants Kristin to win the heart of her son Max, the very man who destroyed Kristin years ago. A man unaware he fathered her nine-year-old daughter. If Kristin succeeds, she'll get the money she needs—and the priceless Blackthorne rubies Bella has offered to sweeten the deal. The only problem is, can she win Max's heart without falling back in love with him?

Review: Joan Johnston has created a fast paced, glamorous read, that gives you a bit of the world of the rich and famous, as well as glimpse of the tennis circuit. All of that is sprinkled with a little bit of espionage! She's also created some very memorable characters.

This is the first book in the series about the Benedict siblings. We meet Max and his lost love Kristin, but we also meet his mother, Bella and Kristin (and Max's) daughter Felicity (Flick). It is easy to like the playboy, Max. The reader is easily drawn to him and feels compassion for the boy that felt unloved and abandoned by his mother. It isn't as easy to feel sympathy for Kristin. In fact, she's downright unlikable for most of the story.

Kristin runs away after she loses her virginity to Max. She was 16 and he was 18. There was a minor misunderstanding, that she neglected to tell him about. Then about 9 months later there was another. I didn't like that she didn't tell Max about his daughter when they met up again to play and exhibition match in Wimbledon, especially when she jumped into bed with him with ease. I also didn't like how she then proceeded to try to keep Flick from him. It made it hard to believe that she loved him, when she was acting more like a spoiled brat.

Flick more than makes up for the weakness of her mother's character. Flick is a super smart 9 year old, fresh from being expelled from boarding school. It is impossible not to love her. She's inquistive and has a love for big words! And she knows how to use them. She wraps everyone around her little finger, including her grandma, Bella.

Bella was a great matriarch though there is a lot about her that needs to be cleared up, especially her relationship with her estranged husband and her mysterious twin sister, Alicia. Joan only gives us hints at why she isn't with her husband, Bull, who seems to be the love of her life.

I really enjoyed Max and Kristin's story, even though I wasn't terribly fond of Kristin. I definitely want to read more, and I look forward to Lydia's story, which is coming up next.

Rating: 4 flowers

Book Review: The Winter Of Candy Canes #3

Author: Debbie Viguie
Title: The Winter Of Candy Canes
Publisher: Zondervan
Publish Date: Sept 23, 2008
Book Blurb: They’re fun! They’re quirky! They’re Sweet Seasons—unlike any other girls’ books you’ve ever read. You could call them alternative, God-honoring chick lit. Join Candace Thompson on a sweet, lighthearted, and honest romp through the friendships, romances, family, school, faith, and values that make a girl’s life as full as it can be.
Seasons change and so will life for at least one park employee.
Christmas is coming! And an elf outfit and the minty scent of what seem like a gatrillion candy canes aren’t the only adjustments for Candace. Her biggest worry what to get her boyfriend for Christmas turns into a much larger project after Candace is reminded that real needs can be hiding right around the corner. Can this elf capture the true meaning of Christmas in time to make a difference? --
 
Review: The Winter of Candy Canes is book 3 in the Sweet Seasons series and its really a fun Young Adult story. Its part romance, part chicklit, and part fun with a Christian theme.  If you aren't big into books that are a bit heavy on religion, then this might be a turn off.

Candace, the series' heroine is more religious than most teenagers I've encountered in my life, but she's not really obnoxious about it, so it works well for me. Her friends and boyfriend are all the kind of kids parents wish their teenagers had.

Tamara, her BFF is a girl with more money than she knows what to do with, but she isn't spoiled and she doesn't have terrible parents either. Wow! Then there's Becca, the girl who has a sugar allergy and addiction. She was totally lovable and funny.

The story is set around the fictional amusement park, The Zone. Just reading this made me long for a park like this. (One that had activities year round, rather than just summer and Halloween).

All the characters are fun and the challenges they face really remind us of what the Christmas holiday is all about, and these kids face a lot of challenges in the 194 pages of this story, some aren't very significant, like what to buy someone for Christmas but others are larger like deciding to help someone that's less fortunate.

It is a cute and super funny story that is suitable for just about any age and a great story for the holiday! I know I'll be watching out for the other three books in the series.

Rating: 5 flowers

Book Review: Snowbound Reunion #2

Author: Barbara McMahon
Title: Snowbound Reunion
Publisher: Harlequin Romance
Publish Date: Nov 2006
Book Blurb: Watching the snowflakes fall and make everything look perfect, Cath Morgan knows she's made the right decision to spend Christmas alone, far away from the city and her husband, Jake. For six years Cath has dreamed of more from her marriage--a husband who isn't off globe-trotting around the world and a home ringing with children's laughter.


Only Jake isn't about to let his wife go so easily. He has one Christmas to show how much he loves her--to share the secrets that have kept him away.

They just need this one chance to make their marriage beautiful again....
 
Review:  Snowbound Reunion was another Harlequin Romance that left me with a feeling of "WOW" when I turned the last page.  I really liked that the story involved a couple with marriage difficulties.  Which totally tossed the usual 25  year old virgin thing from the storyline!

Woo hoo!

Cath and Jake have a long distance marriage, and Cath has pretty much had it with not ever seeing her husband. Why bother being married if you almost never see the guy.

It makes a lot of sense, until Jake shows up at the home she inherited from her aunt.  The two of them have a chemistry, and it is obvious that they both love each other, so much so, that it is hard to believe that Cath would want the divorce she is pretty passionate about getting.

McMahon teaches Cath a lesson in love through a centuries old journal found in the cellar of the house, and through a little Christmas magic woven by Jake.

I love how the story of Tansy and Jonathan is entertwined with Cath and Jake's without making itself a story inside of a story.

She also paints Jake in a favorable light. Sure, you may get miffed at him for the information he withholds but not enough to stay mad. I'm also glad that in the epilogue, McMahon doesn't create a miracle for them.

This was another beautiful holiday love story. Bravo!

Rating:  5 flowers

Book Review: Their Christmas Wish Come True #1

Author: Cara Colter
Title: Their Christmas Wish Come True
Publisher:  Harlequin Romance
Publish Date: Oct 9, 2007
Book Blurb: Forty days till Christmas...Can they open their hearts in time? Kirsten Morrison runs the Secret Santa Society and loves making others happy. Although she knows opening your heart can be painful, her secret wish is to find a special man to share Christmas with...

Volunteering to wrap children's gifts isn't something Michael Brewster would normally do. But, facing his first Christmas alone, he finds himself on Kirsten's doorstep.
As they work together, an undeniable attraction flares between them. Is a kiss under the mistletoe the start of their Christmas wish come true?

Review: Their Christmas Wish Come True, is Harlequin at its finest. This is one of the sweetest stories anyone can read. Both Kirsten and Michael are wounded souls at the holiday, for different reasons. Thanks to a neighbor, the two of them find each other and things begin to develop.

This story was really different in the grand scheme of Harlequin novels. Michael was a very wounded soul, but he was so lovable, that you hoped that Kirsten fell for him much faster than she did. He starts out looking like a playboy but it is soon apparent that he is anything but.

Kirsten is a very quirky heroine.  She's a little drab and possibly a little dull, wallowing in her grief and clinging to a love for a figurine collection called Little In Love. She's more than a little obsessed with these things too.

The two of them work to bring Christmas happiness to the less fortunate at the Secret Santa Society. Kirsten works hard, but Michael really brings life and more donations to the society thanks to his charm, and his bank account.  The volunteers at the society really bring life to the story too, especially Lulu!  She reminded me a bit of a toned down Lola from the Stephanie Plum novels. She had a lot of spunk.


It was also really refreshing  to see a hero in a Harlequin Romance sensitive and really caring from the getgo for the heroine. There was never any doubt that Michael was falling for Kirsten. Better still there wasn't any silly fight between the two that usually puts readers on pins and needles at the end. The happily ever after comes after a shattering revelation. (literally..but you'll have to read the book to understand that)

Cara Colter created a perfect romance for the holidays. I found myself wishing that this book could be adapted for TV. It would make a fabulous Hallmark Channel movie. Totally sweet. Totally Christmasy!




Rating: 5 flowers

Book Review: A Cowboy's Christmas Proposal

Author: Judy Christenberry
Title: A Cowboy's Christmas Proposal
Publisher: Harlequin Romance
Publish Date: Nov 2007
Book Blurb: One snowy Christmas, wedding bells ring!

Penny Bradford has inherited her family ranch, but she has no idea how to run it! So she hires rugged rancher Jake Larson to train her up and show her the ropes. Jake thinks it will be easy -- he'll run the ranch and hold Penny's hand until she realizes she isn't cut out for ranching. Trouble is, Jake realizes he doesn't want to let Penny's hand go!

As the snow falls thick and fast, Christmas begins to work its magic on the boss and her rancher...

Review: There's nothing like a cowboy story around Christmas. This sweet romance could really give you the warm fuzzies. At times it was a little too sweet, a 25 year old virgin? Only in Harlequin Romances. However in the spirit of the holiday, the story worked well.

Penny works admirably to learn how to run the ranch that she inherited after her parent's deaths earlier that year. She works hard, even when she doesn't have to, and she has a generous spirit, giving her time to help others as well as herself. It was hard not to love Penny, even when she does stupid stuff out of anger or frustration.

Jake comes to her ranch on the recommendation of a friend of her father. He also comes with a warning that he's a lady's man. I think that characterization is one of the only problem's with the story. Jake really doesn't fit the playboy mold at all. There was also his total lack of family that didn't make any sense. The reader knew what happened with Penny's family but not Jake's.  It left a bit of a hole in the story.

The character that really makes the story is the housekeeper, Harriet. She really plays a big role in getting Jake and Penny together. This type of character reminds me of Mrs. Miracle again. I guess it is because she's a matchmaking older lady that you can't help but love.

All in all, this was a lovely story of goodwill and romance and a wonderful quick read to get you into or keep you in the holiday spirit.

Rating: 4 flowers

Book Review: The Magic Of A Family Christmas

Author: Susan Meier
Title: The Magic Of A Family Christmas
Publisher: Harlequin Romance
Publish Date: Nov 2009
Book Blurb: With her little foster son Harry to care for, Christmas suddenly sparkles again for secretary Wendy Winston. The only fly in the ointment is Cullen Barrington. He's her boss, yet insists on playing the part of Scrooge!


When they are all stranded together in an ice storm, Wendy sets about showing them just how magical a family Christmas can be....

Review: When it comes to sweet holiday love stories, you can't' go wrong with Harlequin Romance. They always seem to create loving tales that would make Norman  Rockwell go all warm and fuzzy. The Magic Of A Family Christmas was on my TBR pile last year so I made sure I got to it and I am glad I did. This is the kind of romance that you want to read curled up on the couch with a cup of hot cocoa.  Think Call Me Mrs Miracle but with a little sadder backstory on the child.

Harry is a foster child whose mom died of cancer and whose father is found to have died in a prison fight a few years back. The story has a definite "aw" factor to it, but it isn't cavity inducingly sweet. It definitely would make a good Hallmark Movie.

Wendy is a sweet administrative assistant learning to balance her job with her new duties as a mom. Cullen is a sort of playboy who is about to change his ways.

If it were longer it would have been nice to understand the workings of Cullen's family, who own and operate Barrington Candies, where Wendy works, but as it was, Susan explains their situation pretty well.

I loved Harry though. He was by far one of the cutest kids in a romance novel. He was great at being a matchmaker too.  The only complaint anyone might have with him would be that he seemed too adjusted, especially after losing his mom.

The story can be a little cheesy, but not in a bad way. This is definitely one of the holiday stories I'm keeping so I can revisit it in years to come.

Rating:

Book Review: Do Not Disturb Until Christmas

Author: Charlene Sands
Title: Do Not Disturb Until Christmas
Publisher: Silhouette Desire
Publish Date: Nov 2008
Book Blurb:  All millionaire businessman Cody Landon wanted for Christmas was sweet payback. Superstar singer Sarah Rose had betrayed him for the limelight—and now she'd taste his revenge. He'd seduce her, then leave her forever. But Cody didn't count on being hungry for more.

Or on the resulting pregnancy. To save her image and career, Sarah Rose would have to marry him. Giving Cody what he'd wanted all along: all access—all the time. Once their baby was born, he'd divorce her. Or would his Christmas bride get what she wanted?

Review: I love Charlene Sands' books for Silhouette and I was prepared to devour this one like the reading candy she usually delivers, but I just didn't quite warm up to Cody the way I felt I should. He was just a little too alpha male for me.  Cody was too hung up on revenge and he didn't soften until the last 20 pages, making the ending come a little too quickly.

The premise of Cody and Sarah being high school sweethearts was a great setup for the story. I liked that they had a history, and that there were feelings still brewing between them.  I wish that history had been developed more. The reader caught glimpses of what Sarah and Cody shared in bits of conversations, but a few flashbacks would have made the story better.

Sarah was a great heroine and I loved that she was a country singer. At times she seemed a bit like a young Loretta Lynn. She was strong and yet she was manipulated by her manager, who kept her away from Cody, and from developing her career the way she wanted to. Robert Gillespie was definitely a villian, but he could have been a better one. When Cody confronts him at the end, he gives in too easily for someone that really has an evil streak.

Then there was the matter of Sarah and the baby. I'm trying to figure out how she had to wait to see a doctor to know she was pregnant. I mean, there are some warning signs. Then she gives up her career at the end to be a mom, or at least it felt like she was giving up a career she seemed to love to be a mom. That kind of fell flat with me.

I usually really love Charlene's books, but this one wasn't one of her best in my eyes.

Rating: 2 flowers

Book Review: The Christmas Cookie Killer

Author: Livia J. Washburn
Title: The Christmas Cookie Killer
Publisher: Obsidian
Publish Date: Sept 30, 2010
Book Blurb: Christmas comes to Weatherford, Texas, in this delicious new entry in the national bestselling series.
Yuletide is here—and retired teacher cum amateur sleuth Phyllis Newsom looks forward to finishing up this unlucky year. But she won’t be hanging up her apron just yet—because this year’s Christmas bake-off is going to be cutthroat.
Phyllis would like to think she’s entering the Christmas cookie contest for the fun of it—but that’s not exactly true. She can’t imagine anyone beating her snowflake-shaped lime sugar cookies. Then, during her annual Christmas cookie exchange, Phyllis heads over to the elderly Mrs. Simmons’s home and finds her dead, in a pile of lime sugar cookies. But with a number of names on Santa’s naughty list, this case may be a hard cookie to crumble.

Review: This Fresh Baked Mystery was such a fun read! I loved the fact that the characters weren't your traditional hero and heroine. All the main characters were well into their 60s. Most of them were widows or widowers but all of them spunky and there isn't a single one that really felt grandma-ish.

Phyllis was the more traditional lady but she was the one out there solving the crimes, more so than any of the detectives working to solve the murder of her neighbor, Agnes.

Livia's characters really come to life and Weatherford is the perfect small town that has just enough secrets to leave the reader really wondering who killed Agnes. It seems like everyone has a motive, because everyone, in this case, Agnes, is not exactly the way they seem.

This is one mystery that really keeps you guessing about the whodunit until you get to the last few pages. It definitely makes you want to check out the other books in the series as well.  Phyllis, Carolyn, Sam and Eve, easily worm their way into your heart. These are characters you feel like you really know while you are reading. Plus who could resist a sleuthing grandma? It's like Murder She Wrote, but with cooking ladies.

Oh and Livia shares Phyllis and Co.'s recipes at the end of the book!

Rating:

Book Review: The Englisher

Author: Beverly Lewis
Title: The Englisher
Publisher:  Bethany House
Publish Date: May 1, 2006
Rating: 4 stars
Book Blurb:  Annie Zook, the preacher's daughter, struggles to keep her promise to her father
to abandon her art for a full six months. Will she succeed, only to succumb to another "forbidden" desire? And what would her father do if he discovered her friendship with a handsome Englisher? Ben Martin has recently moved to Pennsylvania from Kentucky on a secret search of his own. He is mysteriously drawn to Paradise and especially to the covered bridge depicted in Annie's painting, a folded copy of which he carries in his pocket...along with a smooth peach stone. Will Ben's keen interest in Annie derail her intention to join the Amish church come autumn? (Annie's People Book 2)

Review:  The Englisher is the second book in Beverly's "Annie's People" series. Annie is the Preacher's Daughter, but she isn't a dutiful daughter. Though she seems to be Amish through and through, she has doubts.

Beverly Lewis does a remarkable job portraying the Amish and the struggles they face, deciding whether they are going to jump the fence or join the church. Annie is in her 20's and she hasn't made her decision.  Her father is an Old Order preacher. In this story we see her struggling with a promise she made to her father not to continue with her art (which is really good) and her growing feelings for a young "englisher"

But there's more to the story than just Annie and Ben. There's the shunning of her friend Esther, whose beliefs are changing and her abusive husband Zeke who has some secrets of his own. He's not an easy character to deal with. He's not particularly nice but as the story goes on, you really start to feel sorry for him. Just as you wish Esther could get away from him permanently.

Another part of  the story involves Annie's friend Lou is there and she's falling for an Amish man. Both friends seem destined to have troubles in love. It was hard not to feel bad for each of them, because their loves really don't seem meant to be. Lou still has too many ties to the outside world, and Annie is very Amish even though she has longings for more worldly things.

There's quite a lot going on in the 347 pages, but Lewis manages to tie up just enough to leave the reader longing for the next book and that's exactly what happens here. I ran out to the store in hopes of finding book 3 to no avail!!