A Stranger's Wish

ROPER, GAYLE

A STRANGER'S WISH

Englischer Kristie Matthews' move to an Amish family farm in Lancaster County Pennsylvania, couldn't have started on a worse note. The young schoolteacher is bitten by the farm dog, and on her trip to the local ER, she has a strange encounter with a man who has just had a heart attack...

Suddenly he raised his head and looked at me with an intensity that made me blink. "Will you do me a favor, Kristie Matthews?"

I leaned close to hear his weak voice. "Of course."

"Keep this for me." He fumbled in his shirt pocket...

"But tell no one -- no one -- that you have it." He slipped a key into my cold hand and folded my fingers over it.

When her life is endangered, Kristie suspects a connection to the mysterious key. While solving the mystery (and trying to stay alive), Kristie must decide whether her lawyer boyfriend, Todd Reasoner, is right for her...or if Jon Clarke Griffen, he local man she's met, is all he seems to be.

I AM SO GLAD THIS IS THE FIRST BOOK IN THE AMISH FARM TRILOGY BECAUSE I'M ADDICTED AND I NEED MORE! NOW!!!!

THIS BOOK MADE ME THINK. ROPER HAS INTRODUCED SOME SPIRITUAL TRUTHS THAT REALLY CAPTURED MY ATTENTION. THEY ARE WOVEN THROUGH THE STORY, IN NO WAY 'PREACHY', BUT TOUCHED MY HEART AND SET ME TO THINKING. I LOVE WHEN I FIND A BOOK THAT HELPS ME DRAW CLOSER TO GOD'S TRUTH AND THIS ONE CERTIANLY DID.

KRISTIE'S FIRST PERSON ACCOUNT IS SHARP AND WITTY AND HEARTFELT. WE LEARN ABOUT THE AMISH CULTURE THROUGH HER EYES AND ROPER IS AN AUTHOR WHO HASN'T ROMANTICIZED THE PEOPLE AND THE RELIGION. SHE PORTRAYS THEIR STRUGGLES TO LIVE IN THE MIDDLE OF THE EVER ENCROACHING ENLISCHER WORLD AND THE EFFECTS IT HAS ON THEIR COMMUNITY WITH HONESTY AND COMPASSION.

THE MYSTERY HAS SOME SURPRISING TWISTS AND TURNS THAT BUILD TO A PAGE-TURNING ACTION SEQUENCE. AND IN THE MIDDLE OF IT ALL KRISTIE PICKS HER WAY AROUND A COMPLICATED LOVE LIFE. ANGST ON ALL SIDES!

ROPER HAS CREATED MEMORABLE CAST OF CHARACTERS WHO BRING LANCASTER COUNTY, PENNSYLVANIA TO LIFE AND MAKE ME EAGER TO RUSH OUT AND GET TO THE NEXT BOOK IN THE SERIES. I'M HOPING IT'S JAKE'S STORY.

Lady in the Mist

EAKES, LAURIE ALICE

LADY IN THE MIST

By virtue of her profession as a midwife, Tabitha Eckles is the keeper of many secrets. Dominick Cherrett is a man with his own secret to keep: namely why he, a British aristocrat, is on American soil working as an indentured servant.

In a time when relations between America and England rest on the edge of a knife, Tabitha and Dominick leading them on a journey of intrigue, threats, public disgrace, and...love. But can Tabitha trust Dominick? Finding true love seems impossible in a world set against them.

With stirring writing that draws you directly into the story, Lady in the Mist takes you on a thrilling ride of love's discovery.

IN A WORD: INTRIGUE. IT STARTS FROM THE VERY FIRST PAGE AND INSIDIOUSLY WINDS ITSELF INTO EVERY SCENE. AN INCREDIBLY RIVETING AND FASCINATING READ.

I LOVED THE HISTORICAL DETAIL. THE BOOK IS RICH WITH IT. EVERY WORD CONJURES UP AN ERA LONG PAST BUT NOT FORGOTTEN THANKS TO EAKES EXPERT WRITING. IT'S AN INTERESTING TIME PERIOD AS WELL -- THE POLITICAL OVERTONES WERE CERTAINLY NEW TO ME SO I FELT LIKE I LEARNED SOMETHING. AND THE FACT THAT TABITHA IS A MIDWIFE MAKES IT ALL THE MORE FASCINATING.

THE ROMANCE IS TANTALIZING. ATTRACTION, DISTRUST, IMPOSSIBLE SITUATIONS ALL COMPETE WITH THE HAPPILY EVER AFTER THAT I WAS HOPING FOR. THE ROMANTIC DEVELOPMENT IS SUBLIME THOUGH AND EAKES CREATES THE CONNECTION BETWEEN TABITHA AND DOMINICK EARLY ON AND THEN HAS FUN DEVELOPING IT INTO A STUNNING TESTAMENT TO THE STRENGTH OF TRUE LOVE.

THE SUPSPENSE -- INCREDIBLE! REVOLVING AROUND THREE MAIN CHARACTERS, IT KEPT ME GUESSING RIGHT TO THE END. LOVED THE WAY EAKES DROPS HINTS THROUGHOUT THE BOOK, SLOWING PEELING BACK LAYER AFTER LAYER UNTIL WE FINALLY GET TO THE TRUTH.

LADY IN THE MIST IS A BRILLIANT READ AND A DEFINITE CANDIDATE FOR THE KEEPER SHELVES OF HISTORICAL FICTION LOVERS EVERYWHERE.

Love Finds You in Paradise Pennsylvania

LOUGH, LOREE

LOVE FINDS YOU IN PARADISE PENNSYLVANIA

For as long as anyone can remember, tourists have flocked to the quainttown of Paradise, Pennsylvania, where Amish buggies are as common as shops sellinghandcrafted goods. But to attorney Julia Spencer this town is anything but a paradise. Raised in foster homes, Julia has succeeded in life only through steely determination and independence. The close-knit Amish people are a mystery to her, but local veterinarian Simon Thomas knows them well and is fiercely protective of their simple ways, which are increasingly threatened by the outside world. When Julia agrees to defend a local teenager charged in a case involving an Amish boy, sheand Simon find themselves on opposite sides of an intense and emotional legal battle. Just when it seems they will never understand one another, God has something to teach them both about the power of forgiveness…and the joys to be found in Paradise.

IT ISN'T OFTEN THAT I FIND A NOVEL THAT COMPLETELY BLINDSIDES ME BUT THIS ONE DID. I WAS NOT PREPARED FOR A PLOT TWIST THAT COMPLETELY STUNNED ME! IT TURNED THIS LIGHT-HEARTED ROMANCE INTO SOMETHING MUCH MORE SERIOUS. I CAN'T SAY ANYTHING MORE WITHOUT GIVING IT AWAY, BUT HAVE A BOX OF TISSUES HANDY WHEN YOU READ LOVE FINDS YOU IN PARADISE PENNYSLVANIA.

Sweet Waters

CAROBINI, JULIE

SWEET WATERS

What happens when the fairy tale turns out to be a soap opera?

Tara Sweet is nothing if not sensible. Usually. But her engagement is off, and her mother -- yes mother -- is newly married and gallivanting around Europe. It's time for a change. So she convinces her sisters to honor their father's final wish and rediscover the fairy-tale life they knew in Otter Bay, California. But Tara discovers fairy tales are fragile -- and truth is often one ugly layer after another of secrets, accusation, rumor, and a past an entire church wants to forget.

Firefighter Josh Adams knows all about battling personal demons. He's been doing so ever since a woman nearly died in his arms. Actually, long before...

As the turbulence in their lives grows, Tara and Josh find themselves at odds with their families, their faith, the townspeople of Otter Bay -- and each other. Only in facing the lies from the past can they find the truth. And only in finding the truth can they be set free.

UNIQUE BECAUSE OF IT'S PRESENT TENSE FIRST PERSON, POINT OF VIEW, READING SWEET WATERS MADE ME FEEL LIKE I WAS ACTUALLY LIVING INSIDE TARA'S SKIN. WATCHING THE STORY UNFOLD FROM ONLY HER IMPRESSIONS MADE FOR A VERY INTERESTING -- AND REFRESHING -- PERSPECTIVE .

AND CAROBINI HAS DONE HER HOMEWORK ON CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT! I FELT LIKE I WAS TARA AND THAT CONNECTION REALLY BROUGHT MORE MEANING AND EMOTION TO THE READING EXPERIENCE.

EVEN THOUGH WE SEE ALL THE OTHER CHARACTERS THROUGH ONLY TARA’S EYES, CAROBINI HAS DONE A WONDERFUL JOB OF BRINGING THEM TO LIFE. THE SWEET FAMILY DYNAMICS IN PARTICULAR ARE LAYERED IN COMPLEXITIES. AND THEN THERE’S THE WONDERFUL INHABITANTS OF OTTER BAY -- RICH WITH PERSONALITIES. THEY HELP PROPEL THE STORY…AND ALL ITS GLORIOUS ANGST…ALONG.

JOSH AND TARA’S TANGLED RELATIONSHIP IS RIFE WITH MISUNDERSTANDINGS, AWKWARDNESS, AND STRIFE…BUT IT IS ALSO FILLED WITH HOPE AND FORGIVENESS. THEIR PERSONAL STRUGGLES PULL THEM APART, BUT CAROBINI EXPERTLY WEAVES THEIR LIFE STORIES TOGETHER AND TOWARDS A POWERFUL CONCLUSION.

SWEET WATERS IS ALSO ABOUT DISCOVERING FAITH – BOTH NEW FOUND AND LIFE LONG. I'VE LEARNED THAT MOVING ON MEANS LETTING GO OF EVERYTHING --EXCEPT MY FAITH. IT'S A TENDER STORY THAT LEAVES YOU WITH A SMILE ON YOUR FACE AND A FEELING OF HOPE IN YOUR HEART.

Beautiful Bandit

LOUGH, LOREE

BEAUTIFUL BANDIT

Joshua Neville is a quiet, even-keeled rancher who was just minding his own business when he witnessed a brazen bank robbery in San Antonio, Texas, that left three men dead. Even more shocking than the heist itself is that the ringleader looked like a woman!

Having escaped a gang of robbers who forced her to participate in a bank heist, Kate Wellington adopts an alias and decides to flee to Mexico. Lost and hungry, she stumbles upon the camp of a man named Josh Neville who offers to escort her across the border. But when she injures her ankle, the kindly cowboy takes "Dinah" home to his ranch to heal instead.

As the two grow closer, Josh realizes he's fallen in love, even as he learns the truth about Dinah. But does he know the whole story? And after the truth comes out, will he put his life at risk to keep her with him?

RIVETING READ. A BLEND OF WESTERN DRAMA, IMPOSSIBLE ROMANCE AND ON THE EDGE OF YOUR SEAT ANGST. LOUGH WOVE THEM ALL EXPERTLY INTO A STUNNING STORY THAT WILL LEAVE YOU BEGGING FOR MORE. LUCKILY THIS IS THE FIRST IN THE LONE STAR LEGENDS SERIES AND THE SECOND, MAVERICK HEART, IS IN BOOKSTORES NOW.

The Amish Midwife

CLARK, MINDY STARNS

GOULD, LESLIE

THE AMISH MIDWIFE

A deathbed confession...a dusty carved box containing two locks of hair...a century-old letter about property in Switzerland...

Nurse-midwife Lexie Jaeger's encounter with all three rekindles a burning desire to meet her biological family. Propelled on a personal journey of discovery, Lexie's search for the truth takes her from her home in Oregon to the heart of Pennsylvania Amish country.

There she finds Marta Bayer, a mysterious lay-midwife who may hold the key to Leslie's past. But Marta isn't talking, especially, especially now that she has troubles of her own following the death of an Amish patient during childbirth. As Lexie steps in to assume Marta's patient load and continues the search for her birth family, a handsome local doctor proves to be a welcome distraction. But will he also distract her from James, the man back home who lovingly awaits her return?

From her Amish patients, Lexie learns the meaning of the Pennsylvania Dutch word demut: "to let be." Will this woman who wants to control everything learn to depend totally on God? Or will her stubborn determination to unearth the secrets of the past at all costs only serve to tear her newfound family apart?

A compelling story about a search for identity and the ability to trust that God securely holds our whole life -- past, present, and future.

IN A WORD: RIVETING. A BRILLIANT COLLABORATION. THE AUTHORS HAVE CREATED A TENSE, COMPLEX STORY THAT WILL LEAVE YOU GASPING IN SURPRISE RIGHT THROUGH TO THE VERY END. I LOST MYSELF IN LEXIE'S WORLD. FELT HER PAIN AND CONFUSION, HER DESPERATE NEED TO DISCOVER THE TRUTH IN A COMMUNITY EMBROILED IN SECRETS.

AND LEXIE ISN'T THE ONLY CHARACTER I COULD IDENTIFY WITH. EVERY ONE IS CRAFTED SKILLFULLY WITH CAREFUL DETAIL -- ALL WITH OPPOSING VIEWPOINTS AND VARYING GOALS THAT BUILD TENSION AND SUSPENSE.

BUT LEXIE'S JOURNEY IS MUCH MORE THEN DISCOVERING HER BIOLOGICAL FAMILY. HERS IS A SPIRITUAL JOURNEY -- A CLEARING OF THE MIND AND OPENING OF THE HEART. SHE IS ON A QUEST TO FIND PEACE.

AT ONE POINT SHE IS ASKED IF SHE HAS EVER EXPERIENCED SORROW. WHEN LEXIE REPLIES THAT SHE HAS, SHE IS THEN PRESENTED WITH THIS PROFOUND QUESTION: "AND DID IT MAKE YOU TRUST JESUS MORE?" I GOT GOOSEBUMPS WHEN I READ THAT. ..AND IMMEDIATELY STOPPED AND ASKED MYSELF THE SAME QUESTION WHICH LED ME TO SOME SOUL-SEARCHING OF MY OWN.

THE AMISH MIDWIFE IS DEFINITELY A BOOK FOR YOUR KEEPER SHELF...AND ONE YOU WILL WANT TO RETURN TO AGAIN AND AGAIN.

Fatal Judgment

HANNON, IRENE

FATAL JUDGMENT

U.S. Marshal Jake Taylor has seen plenty of action during his years in law enforcement. But he'd rather go back to Irag than face his next assignment: protection detail for federal judge. Liz Michaels. His feelings toward the coldhearted workaholic haven't warmed in the five years since she drove her husband -- and Jake's best friend -- to despair...and possbile suicide.

As the danger mounts and Jake gets to know Liz better, he's forced to revise his opinion of her. And when it becomes clear that an unknown enemy may want her dead, the stakes are raised. Because now both her life -- and his heart -- are in danger.

Full of suspense and romance, Fatal Judgment is a thrilling story that will keep you turning the pages late into the night.

I HAVEN'T READ A BOOK BY IRENE HANNON THAT I HAVEN'T ABSOLUTELY LOVED AND THIS ONE IS NO EXCEPTION. THERE IS A TIMELESS QUALITY ABOUT HER WRITING THAT PULLS A READER IN AND HOLDS HER FAST. I DIDN'T WANT TO LET GO OF FATAL JUDGEMENT UNTIL I'D FINISHED THE VERY LAST PAGE.

ONE OF HER STRENGTHS IS HER ABILITY TO DEVELOP BELIEVE ABLE CHARACTERS THAT A READER CAN EASILY IDENTIFY WITH. AND SHE TAKES THE SAME CARE WITH THE SECONDARY CHARACTERS, SETTING THEM UP TO SUPPORT THE HERO AND HEROINE AND FURTHER THE PLOT. BY THE END OF THE BOOK I FEEL AS IF I KNOW THESE PEOPLE.

I LOVED THE CARE SHE TOOK WHILE DEVELOPING JAKE AND LIZ'S RELATIONSHIP. THERE'S AN UNHURRIED FEEL TO THE ROMANCE DESPITE THE TAUT PLOT AND TENSE TIMELINE. PAGES PEPPERED WITH SMALL REVELATIONS, GUARDED LOOKS, BEGINNING RELATIONSHIP JITTERS...ALL BUILD ROMANTIC TENSION AND INCREASES THE READER'S ENHANCEMENT.

AND THE SUSPENSE! HANNON HAS AN EERIE WAY OF DELVING INTO A CRIMINAL'S MIND, FLESHING THEM OUT TO BE SOMETHING MORE THEN PURE EVIL. COMPLEX, RAW, EMOTIONAL, THE SUSPENSE DRIVES THIS PLOT AND KEEPS THE PAGES TURNING.

FATAL JUDGMENT IS THE FIRST OF HANNON'S NEW SERIES , GUARDIANS OF JUSTICE, AND I'M EXCITED TO READ THE NEXT INSTALLMENTS, WHERE, I'M HOPING WE GET A GLIMPSE INTO JAKE'S SIBLING'S STORIES.