Mennonite Girls Can Cook Celebrations

LOVELLA SCHELLENBERT, ANNELIESE FRIESEN, BETTY REIMER, BEV KLASSEN, CHARLOTTE PENNER, ELLEN BAYLES, JUDY WIEBE, JULIE KLASSEN, KATHY MCLELLAN, MARG BARTEL
MENNONITE GIRLS CAN BOOK CELEBRATIONS

Life is a gift from God, so why not celebrate?

The bestselling authors of Mennonite Girls Can Cook return with a second course in their new Celebrations cookbook. From mouthwatering mini-muffins and succulent soufflé to campers' stew and lattice-topped grilled apples, the Mennonite Girls share recipes to honor all of life. Join the girls for brunch celebrating a child's birth, campfire cooking with family, and even the more somber celebrations of a life well-lived. Filled from cover to cover with devotional reflections, personal stories, and beautiful photos, this book contains much more than recipes--it will soon become your kitchen companion for life's celebrations.

Like their first book, Mennonite Girls Can Cook: Celebrations includes many gluten free adaptations!

My Review:

A book to celebrate! No kitchen should be without one. I've already bought three as presents for upcoming wedding showers and a summer birthday.

This is so much more then a cookbook. It's like opening a treasured family recipe book that has personal anecdotes of all the special women in your family. Words of wisdom and faith share space with down home cookin' tried and true recipes. And the recipes aren't fussy. They are simple and straight forward, but packed with flavour and sometimes a surprising mix of ingredients. (Who would have thought of adding a Granny Smith apple to squash soup?!)

Exquisite full-colour photographs enrich the reading experience. Every time I open Celebrations I have to spend a while just savoring the ambiance of this cookbook. Definitely destined to be a classic that should find its way into every home not only for the stellar recipes but for the way the authors celebrate their faith and families within its pages.

"Book has been provided courtesy of MennoMedia and Graf-Martin Communications, Inc. Available at your favourite bookseller from Herald Press, a publishing imprint of MennoMedia".

Wishing on Willows

GIVEAWAY

GANSHERT, KATIE
WISHING ON WILLOWS

Does a second chance at life and love always involve surrender?

A three-year old son, a struggling café, and fading memories are all Robin Price has left of her late husband. As the proud owner of Willow Tree Café in small town Peaks, Iowa, she pours her heart into every muffin she bakes and espresso she pulls, thankful for the sense of purpose and community the work provides.

So when developer Ian McKay shows up in Peaks with plans to build condos where her café and a vital town ministry are located, she isn’t about to let go without a fight.

As stubborn as he is handsome, Ian won’t give up easily. His family’s business depends on his success in Peaks. But as Ian pushes to seal the deal, he wonders if he has met his match. Robin’s gracious spirit threatens to undo his resolve, especially when he discovers the beautiful widow harbors a grief that resonates with his own.

With polarized opinions forming all over town, business becomes unavoidably personal and Robin and Ian must decide whether to cling to the familiar or surrender their plans to the God of Second Chances.

My Reviews:

A story about finding joy in the wake of grief. Heart-wrenching, angst-stirring, soul-touching. Rich text and real characters catapult the reader into an emotional read you won't soon forget. Ganshert's words are magic even as they are laced with realism and grit along with the sheer beauty of being alive. A memorable love story that will warm you from the inside out.

Giveway Opportunity:

 If you would like an opportunity to win a copy of Wishing on Willows, please leave a comment below or email me at kavluvstoreadATyahooDOTca. If you post a comment and add your email address, please use AT and DOT instead of @ and . in the address to protect yourself from spammers. If you enter the draw via email please remember to put the title in the subject line so that it's easy for me to spot your entry. Draw will be held and winner announced on Sunday May 19 2013. Offer open to international readers. Good luck! 

Follow the Heart

GIVEAWAY

DACUS, KAYE
FOLLOW THE HEART

Set during the Industrial Revolution and the Great Exhibition of 1851, Follow the Heart is a “sitting-room romance” with the feel of a Regency-era novel but the fashions and technological advances of the mid-Victorian age.

Kate and Christopher Dearing’s lives turn upside down when their father loses everything in a railroad land speculation. The siblings are shipped off to their mother’s brother in England with one edict: marry money.

At twenty-seven years old, Kate has the stigma of being passed over by eligible men many times—and that was before she had no dowry. Christopher would like nothing better than to make his own way in the world; and with a law degree and expertise in the burgeoning railroad industry, he was primed to do just that—in America. Though their uncle tries to ensure Kate and Christopher find matrimonial prospects only among the highest echelon of British society, their attentions stray to a gardener and a governess.

While Christopher has options that would enable him to lay his affections where he chooses, he cannot let the burden of their family’s finances crush his sister. Trying to push her feelings for the handsome—but not wealthy— gardener aside, Kate’s prospects brighten when a wealthy viscount shows interest in her. But is marrying for the financial security of her family the right thing to do, when her heart is telling her she’s making a mistake?

Mandates . . . money . . . matrimony. Who will follow the heart?

My Review:

This is Kaye Dacus at her absolute best! What a captivating read! She's captured the essence of Austen and channeled a bit of Gaskell to create a 21st century masterpiece set in Victorian England.  Follow the Heart is definitely in the 'rabid-read' category. I just ate this up and am ready for a second helping!

Dacus has done a great job with historical detailing.  It's in the descriptions, the conversations, the annoying protocols. Delicious stuff with which to weave a fascinating and infuriating tale of love and sacrifice. I was invested in Kate's outcome from the first time I met her. I loved her, flaws and all, even if she made me cringe a time or two.And stalwart Andrew works well as the impossible love interest. The author has made a classic tale fresh and invigorating.


There is also a bonus second romance involving Kate's brother which was just as much fun to read about. If you are looking for a book to carry you away into another time and place, Follow the Heart is just the book for you.

Giveway Opportunity:
 

If you would like an opportunity to win a copy of Follow the Heart, please leave a comment below or email me at kavluvstoreadATyahooDOTca. If you post a comment and add your email address, please use AT and DOT instead of @ and . in the address to protect yourself from spammers. If you enter the draw via email please remember to put the title in the subject line so that it's easy for me to spot your entry. Draw will be held and winner announced on Sunday May 19 2013. Offer open to international readers. Good luck! 

Sweet Mercy

GIVEAWAY

TATLOCK, ANN
SWEET MERCY

Stunning New Novel from Award-Winning Author

When Eve Marryat's father is laid off from the Ford Motor Company in 1931, he is forced to support his family by leaving St. Paul, Minnesota, and moving back to his Ohio roots. Eve's uncle Cyrus has invited the family to live and work at his Marryat Island Ballroom and Lodge.

St. Paul seemed like a haven for gangsters, and Eve had grown fearful of living there. At seventeen, she considers her family to be "good people." They aren't lawbreakers and criminals like so many people in her old neighborhood. Thrilled to be moving to a "safe haven," Eve is blissfully unaware that her uncle's lodge is a transfer station for illegal liquor smuggled from Canada.

Eve settles in to work and makes new friends, including an enigmatic but affecting young man. But when the reality of her situation finally becomes clear, Eve is faced with a dilemma. How can she ignore what is happening right under their very noses? Yet can she risk everything by condemning the man whose love and generosity is keeping her and her family from ruin?

My Review:

A thought-provoking coming of age story that's a real page turner. Tatlock tackles black and white issues with shades of gray. She really got me thinking.

Eve is so idealistic and naive -- and feeling just a tad superior --  at the beginning of the book. Her story, told in first person, allows us to feel and see everything from her point of view and that delivers an emotional read that is gut-wrenching at times.

Secondary characters flesh out a riveting plot and bring substance to a timeless story that will appeal to a broad spectrum of readers. A stunning, lose-yourself-in-the-moment read.

Giveway Opportunity:

If you would like an opportunity to win a copy of Sweet Mercy, please leave a comment below or email me at kavluvstoreadATyahooDOTca. If you post a comment and add your email address, please use AT and DOT instead of @ and . in the address to protect yourself from spammers. If you enter the draw via email please remember to put the title in the subject line so that it's easy for me to spot your entry. Draw will be held and winner announced on Sunday May 19 2013. Offer open to international readers. Good luck! 

"Book has been provided courtesy of Baker Publishing Group and Graf-Martin Communications, Inc. Available at your favourite bookseller from Bethany House, a division of Baker Publishing Group".

May Giveaway - Week Two

CONGRATULATIONS

won by Maxie

won by Michelle

won by Library Lady

As always, I will contact the winners by email however thanks to the nefarious ways of the internet my email might land in your spam folder so keep your eyes peeled! :-) If you haven't heard from me by Monday evening please email me your snail mail address at kavluvstoreadATyahooDOTca. From time to time winners and I don't seem to connect, so I have a month frame. If I can't reach you within four weeks your win will be forfeited and I will add an extra win to a future draw to even things up.

LOOKING AHEAD TO NEXT WEEK'S GIVEAWAYS:

A fascinating historical I've been waiting for!



Heart-wrenchingly good!

A great coming-of-age story!

Wedding on the Rocks

GIVEAWAY

ZEDIKER, ROSE ROSS
WEDDING ON THE ROCKS

Jennifer Edwards is back home again…

When she traded small-town life for the bright lights of Chicago, Jennifer Edwards yearned to discover a world beyond Faith, South Dakota. So when her father's illness calls her home to run their cattle ranch, she tells herself it's temporary. Then why is she even thinking about a future with archaeology professor Brett Lange—the boy she left behind—whose life's work is digging up the past?  Twelve years ago, Brett had a crush on Jennifer the size of the T. rex that put his hometown on the map. Now she's a citified magazine editor who prefers designer duds to dungarees. Except that's not the real Jennifer. Brett needs to make her see how a little faith can go a long way in uniting two perfectly in-sync hearts.

My Review:

First off -- clever title. It suggests one thing but is actually tied to the hero's profession. Love that twist and the surprise of delving into a story that wasn't what I thought it was. :-)

Zediker has a real gift for delivering a tight, emotionally packed story. I'm in awe of these authors who write such depth in such a short word count. That's real talent!

I really connected with Jennifer's journey. She's making good choices in her life but finds herself at a a crossroads as she begins to realize good choices aren't always God choices. That's something I have to relearn over and over and over again. 

Brett is a complicated mix of laid back confidence and endearing vulnerability. Jennifer has no idea of the power she holds over him and he is reluctant to reveal the depth of his feelings for her. Unrequited love is pretty potent stuff -- especially when it is from the hero's perspective.

A solid plot and captivating romance with plenty of emotional thrills kept me satisfied to the very end.

Giveway Opportunity:

If you would like an opportunity to win a copy of Wedding on the Rocks, please leave a comment below or email me at kavluvstoreadATyahooDOTca. If you post a comment and add your email address, please use AT and DOT instead of @ and . in the address to protect yourself from spammers. If you enter the draw via email please remember to put the title in the subject line so that it's easy for me to spot your entry. Draw will be held and winner announced on Sunday May 12 2013. Offer open to international readers. Good luck! 

Adoring Addie

GIVEAWAY

GOULD, LESLIE
ADORING ADDIE

A New Amish Romance from Christy Winner and Bestselling Author Leslie Gould

When Addie Cramer's mutter and daed decide Phillip Eicher is the man for her to marry, they claim she must honor them by obeying their wishes. But then she falls in love with Jonathan Mosier--part of the family with whom the Cramers have a long-held grudge.

With the help of others in her community who long to see the quarrel healed, Jonathan and Addie struggle to continue their relationship against both sets of parents' wishes. But when one of Addie's vengeful brothers harms a member of the Mosier family, Jonathan intervenes and is banished from Lancaster County.

A distraught Addie determines to find the true reason for the grudge between the two families, hoping to tear down the animosity of the past. Can their love for each other bridge the divide between their families? Or are they destined to remain apart forever?

My Review:

A simple love story set amidst a complicated plot with a Romeo and Juliet twist. The Cramers are as dysfunctional as a family can get -- a fascinating angle from which to present an Amish story. Kudos to Gould for thinking outside the box.

Addie's family is infuriatingly impossible and I alternately cringed and fumed as I witnessed their antics. By contrast, her relationship with Jonathan holds an almost fairy tale quality. Love at first sight that seems shadowed by a curse. The impossibility of it all kept me turning pages as I tried to figure out how Gould could possibly end with a happily ever after.

If you are looking for a refreshing (and infuriating) Amish read, this book definitely fits the bill!

Giveaway Opportunity:

If you would like an opportunity to win a copy of Adoring Addie, please leave a comment below or email me at kavluvstoreadATyahooDOTca. If you post a comment and add your email address, please use AT and DOT instead of @ and . in the address to protect yourself from spammers. If you enter the draw via email please remember to put the title in the subject line so that it's easy for me to spot your entry. Draw will be held and winner announced on Sunday May 12 2013. Offer open to international readers. Good luck! 

"Book has been provided courtesy of Baker Publishing Group and Graf-Martin Communications, Inc. Available at your favourite bookseller from Bethany House, a division of Baker Publishing Group".