MrsK Books: An Amish Heirloom by Amy Clipston, Beth Wiseman, Kathleen Fuller, and Kelly Irvin

Saturday, June 16, 2018

An Amish Heirloom by Amy Clipston, Beth Wiseman, Kathleen Fuller, and Kelly Irvin

An Amish Heirloom: A Legacy of Love, The Cedar Chest, The Treasured Book, A Midwife's Dream

Various Authors

ISBN: 9780310351887

A Legacy of Love by Amy Clipston

"Surely all married couples fell into that comfortable relationship eventually.
Didn't they?"

Publisher's Synopsis:

Local volunteer fire fighter Leon King agrees to repair his ex-girlfriend Susie Bontrager’s grandparents’ antique rocking chairs for her future home with her fiance and is forced to acknowledge that his feelings for her have not quite gone away. As Susie spends time with Leon, she begins to recognize she is marrying the wrong man for all the wrong reasons.

MrsK's Review:

For Leon, Charlie's funeral served as a reminder that life is fragile and just how alone he really was. It had been a few years since he had seen Susie and she was still just as beautifully sweet as when they had been teens. With a request to fix her grandparents rockers for her soon-to-be home, Leon is sure he can do the work as a wedding gift. Yet, in his noble offer of friendship, love begins to find a way to replace loneliness with hope.

Susie is sure that just "checking in" with Leon every week is all about her grandparent's rockers. After all, she has begun sewing the wedding dresses. Planning a wedding provides many opportunities to be in town and stop by to see the progress Leon is making, but it also becomes a time for a heart to begin recognizing that maybe she isn't ready to marry the man she thought she loved.

With characters that have been woven in and out of previous Lancaster legacies, this story sweetly reminds the reader that our friends, families, and communities are like gems with facets that work together to illuminate God's will and the brilliant glow of hope.

Meet the Author:

Hi, I’m Amy Clipston. I am an author of Amish and Christian fiction with HarperCollins Christian Publishing. Most of my books focus on the Amish community, faith, and love. I also write romance novels and young adult inspirational stories.

The Cedar Chest by Beth Wiseman

"I do not know God's plan for my having stumbled upon you by the

river, but I can be certain there always is a plan.

Our Father sees to that."

Publisher's Synopsis:
Decades after inheriting her great grandmother’s cedar chest, Emma Fisher decides to pry it open only to discover a beautiful love story in the form of letters between her great grandparents. But as Emma immerses herself in their story, family secrets are revealed, and she must decide whether to share them to preserve family history or honor her great grandparents’ decision to leave them hidden.

MrsK's Review:
What does a legacy mean? For Emma it's a blessed childhood with parents that knew how to cherish each other. As a mother, when your child is showing signs of disquiet your heart seeks guidance and solace from your faith. Could a cedar chest and it's box of letters bring her daughter's hidden worries to the surface. Would she be given a chance to be a gentle support while they spend time reading the private letters of her grand parents? Will her daughter discover strength and wisdom to find a living spark of hope?

For Catherine, her relationship with her husband appears to be falling apart. How could Abram become so distant? Is there a way to stop the festering bitterness that is threatening their hope? As God's timing becomes an opportunity, it will require a willingness to accept that God's will is rarely revealed all at once. On the day that Catherine and her mother are in search of a box of books, they discover the cedar chest. With determination, Catherine is driven to pry the chest open. What has been lovingly packed inside will usher in a journey of discovery.

If only... I wonder how many of us would love to discover a hidden chest from our bloodline? I know that it would have been a blessing for my mother and I to have made a discovery like Catherine's and Emma's. Both women will find a legacy of love, hope, and God's plan.

"... when a kindness is done to a person,

that person needs to carry it with him until he sees fit to

double the kindness for someone in need."

Meet the Author:

Beth Wiseman
"I wish I had the time to review books and chat with you here, but my writing deadlines just don't allow it. Please like my Fans of Beth Wiseman Page on Facebook where I try to post any news and interact with readers." Beth is the best-selling and award winning author of the Daughters of the Promise series - Plain Perfect, Plain Pursuit, Plain Promise, Plain Paradise, and Plain Proposal. She is contracted with HarperCollins Christian Publishing. Her other series--the Land of Canaan Novels--begins with Seek Me With All Your Heart, then The Wonder of Your Love and now, His Love Endures Forever. Seek Me With All Your Heart is the first Amish fiction book selected as a Women of Faith novel in 2011. Beth has also written three contemporary Christian fiction novels, Need You Now published in 2012 and The House That Love Built in 2013. In The Promise, (2014) Beth jumps way outside the box. This story takes readers far away from Amish Country and small Texas towns to a dangerous place on the other side of the world. Inspired by a true story, Beth believes this is the book she’s been working toward for a long time. 2015 brings Beth back to the Pennsylvania Amish with her new series, Amish Secrets.

The Treasured Book by Kathleen Fuller
"Her life was at a standstill.
Working with Shane those six months had been a splash
of excitement."

Publisher's Synopsis:
For the past two years, Shane Broyles has felt God leading him to join the Amish. He’s staying with his friends Noah and Ivy Schlabach in Birch Creek, OH, where he is reunited with Lucy Fisher, an old friend of Noah’s family. Shane and Lucy have never revealed their feelings for each other, but when they stumble upon an antique Bible at a flea market, they feel drawn to each other and to the mystery of the contents found within.

MrsK's Review:

Lucy has been sent to Cervilla's in Birch Creek. It will be a good chance to spend some time helping her great-aunt's friend recover, and yet, she is burdened with leaving her parents even for a short span of time. Upon her arrival, she never expected to hear the voice of Shane. Why was he in Birch Creek? Why was he sent to pick her up? Struggling to take courage by trusting in God, Lucy reminds herself that everything will be okay, it will be okay!

When Shane's friend Noah mentioned that he had to arrange for a taxi to pick up Lucy, Shane
"jumped at the chance to see her again." Since those months they had been working together, he began recognizing that Lucy had an inner strength that profoundly witnessed to his need for a life changed and renewed. Now that his life is on a new path, he will discover that a leap of faith means letting God lead you. Once lead, Shane becomes determined to trust that God will allow Lucy to be a part of his renewed life.

This novella is the sweetest tale about two sojourners. It is filled with moments of truth, hope, tenderness, and wit. Conversations between Lucy and Shane are seamless. It will be a satisfying discovery that inspires a spring to your step. Sometimes plans change, sometimes we can live blessed.

"...sometimes plans change."

Meet the Author:

Kathleen Fuller

Best-selling author of Amish fiction. Also a wife, mother, crafter, coffee addict, football fan, and chocolate aficionado.

The Midwife’s Dream by Kelly Irvin
"Until you're ready."

Publisher's Synopsis:

Iris Beachy serves as a midwife in her district where she longs for a family of her own. When her friend’s brother Mahon Kurtz seeks her help in delivering the baby of two young teenagers who have sought refuge in their town, they begin to see each other in a different light. Unprepared for parenthood, the young couple leave their baby girl behind in an antique crib quilt resembling the one destined for Iris when she becomes a mother. Mahon and Iris come together to take care of the baby as they try to find her parents, and they begin to see new possibilities for their future.

MrsK's Review:

Iris is a midwife and with the arrival of her best friend's newest baby, Iris is reminding herself that this is a time to be joyful. A time in which she must call upon her inner strength to celebrate their blessing. Yet calling upon that type of strength has become a trial to accept contentment and turn over her deepening sense of a life that isn't complete. Does she really have plenty of time left for her longing, for God's timing?

Mahon is not exactly a pleasant man. He can be terse, yet a straight shooter and honest. His passion is in his drawings. Putting his pencil to paper is a passion that Iris can share for her passion has always been spending her quiet time with a book. In is own way, Mahon will become the pillar of strength for Iris, especially since the unexpected newborn has become a gift for the time being.

When Iris agrees to help deliver a baby to a young couple, she wasn't prepared for God to answer her prayers for a child. Especially if the child could be reclaimed by either parent. Yet, when God brings a blessing into your life you muster up the strength to take each day as a gift and walk by faith into your tomorrows.

This story has an elegance woven within its characters. The story line is poignant, tenderhearted, and refined with style. The best dialogues come between those in whom life has veiled their feelings, for Iris and Mahon their hearts will discover more than the little blessing that has placed them on the path to joy in the fullest measure.

"To open herself up to Mahon, to trust him, was to trust God.

God was waiting for her too."

Meet the Author:

Kelly Irvin's newest series, Every Amish Series, began with the debut of Upon a Spring Breeze, in April. The second book, Beneath the Summer Sun, will debut in January 2018. It is a four-book series published by Zondervan/HarperCollins Christian Publishing. This follows the Amish of Bee County series, The Saddle Maker's Son, released in June 2016. It is an ECPA bestseller. It follows The Bishop's Son, and the critically acclaimed bestseller, The Beekeeper's Son, which earned a starred review from Publishers Weekly. The reviewer called it "a beautifully woven masterpiece." The Beekeeper's Son was a finalist in the romance category of the 2016 ACFW Carol Awards Contest.

Just what a reader needs... some time away from the hustle and bustle.
All four of these quick tidbits will rejuvenate any frazzled day.
Sweet Retreats!

"I received this book from the Fiction Guild for this review."

No comments:

MrsK's Reading Bio

Reading is important! No questions asked, not even a blink of the eye from any student I grew up with. On the first day of the First grade, we were given our first books. Day two we all read aloud, round robin of course. Day three we were place in our first basal, now known as a lit circle group. Books were so important, publishers designed new curriculum so that every student was reading by the end of the first week. These early readers had images that looked like what we could see in the classroom, beyond the classroom, even on the big screen. Reading is important, throughout history every generation has believed that “Reading” opens up the world for endless possibilities.

I adore the 1950’s Dick and Jane books. Actually, most reading specialists and experienced (45+) educators believe that every student learned to read with Dick and Jane. Since these books are being re-issued, I have heard many parents, grandparents, and students claim that Dick and Jane stories of repetition does teach students to read.

Early influences from my mother influenced my desire to read. I would watch her read and we would go on “secret” excursions to the library. The library became my playground. I owned every book I could carry home, of course they needed to be taken back to their home after visiting with me for a week or two. My first book that I could pull off of the library shelf and read was, Father Bear Comes Home. I only saw my dad on Sundays for a few hours. I would pull this beginning reader off of the library shelf every week. Every week I would try to read the first chapter. Every week I got further in the story. My mom would let me check it out, only if I could read it myself (She didn’t like the illustrations therefore she didn’t want to take time to read it to me). One day, I pulled the book from the shelf and when mom came to get me from the children’s corner, I realized that I had read the whole story. I ran to the check out desk and the Librarian KERCHUNKED the checkout card. My mother, brother and neighbors read. My teachers read. We all read aloud all day long in school. The Priest read aloud every day at mass, even in Latin. Everybody in the Doctor’s office read. People on the bus read. Dad’s waiting in their cars as the Mom’s and children grocery shopped, read. In fact, once you could read and write, Sunset Magazine considered you a reader and sent you mail every day.

Reading is important; I’ve spent my life reading. I’ve traveled around the world and into space through books. My favorite genre is whichever book I have open at the time. Children’s Literature is my passion. Book clubbing is one of the best past times, especially if food is involved. In fact my friends of old are in a book club and we are about to embark on a beach trip to “read” and discuss our newest selection.

My “home-run” book story has helped every student find his or her own “home-run” reads. Every year, I have shared my, Father Bear Comes Home, and every year my students have brought in their “home-run” books. That’s the “diving board” into our Lit. Studies.

In “Growing Up Digital,” Tapscott’s insights into the new generations enthusiasm for the Net reminded me of my generation’s enthusiasm for reading, movies, TV, parties and our driving permits. The Net-Generation, as Tapscott describes, “are learning, playing, communicating, working, creating communities, and enforcing a social transformation.”
N-Geners are interactive “techies” who are always looking for a way to “work it” verses the TV Generation of “Baby Boomers” who started out looking for “how it works.” Reading development is tougher today, society moves too fast to invest their “non-working” free time into a book or even “home work.” Since I stepped into my own classroom, I have seen students being told to read, being forced to read, and threatened into reading. Homework is not any longer the vehicle for students to gain their future lifestyles or careers with. Yet, the Internet does create an enthusiasm for learning. Since I have been enrolled in these courses, I have used the computers in every subject. My students are using the newest technology in the classroom because I am giving them investigative sites to use as they learn from each other and books. I agree with Tapscott, in order to bridge the gap with this up and coming generation we must “live and learn with them.”

FTC Required Disclaimer: I receive these books from the publishers. I did not receive monetary compensation for these reviews. These reviews have been posted in compliance with the FTC requirements set forth in the Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising (available at ftc.gov/os/2009/10/091005revisedendorsementguides.pdf)