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Forever Amish

By Kate Lloyd

The latest book in the Legacy of Lancaster trilogy, Forever Amish introduces us to a young woman about to uncover a shocking secret and find an invitation to a new way of living. This is a story of forgiveness, legacies, and the ties that bind through generations.

It’s the Last Thing She Expects to Find.

Sally Bingham needs some time away to sort through the changes in her life and to rethink her upcoming marriage. Despite her ailing father’s hesitations, she takes off for a bed and breakfast in Lancaster County for a weekend away. But her best-laid plans leave her in a near collision with a bishop’s buggy and in the home of a mysterious Amish woman named Lizzie. Lizzie introduces her to a different perspective on life, a charming farmhand named Armin— and opens a Pandora’s box that will forever change Sally’s life.

ISLAND BREEZES

Sally decides to visit Amish country in Lancaster county. She keeps getting emails from a Lizzie Zook about buying one of her corgis. Lizzie just won’t take no for an answer, so Sally is going to straighten her out once and for all.

It all becomes even more confusing when Sally arrives and ends up staying with Sally’s family. Everyone seems to be okay except the father is a real grouch. Then there is that hunky Armin who lives on their property.

It doesn’t take long for Lizzie’s family to turn Sally’s world upside down. A lot of anger and confusion are stirred up around the kitchen table, and it doesn’t look as if it’s going to have a happy ending.

On top of everything, Sally’s snotty fiance’ Donald has vandalized her home. It looks as if he’s out and Armin’s in, but how can that happen when he’s Amish and Sally’s Englisch? Maybe hiding out in the Sunshine Secondhand Store will give Sally time to figure things out.

Thank you, Ms Lloyd, for another great book. I’ve enjoyed your Legacy of Lancaster Trilogy.

***A special thank you to litfuse for providing a review copy.***

Author Kate Lloyd is a passionate observer of human relationships. A native of Baltimore, Kate spends time with family and friends in Lancaster County, PA, the inspiration for her novels. She is a member of the Lancaster County Mennonite Historical Society. Kate and her husband live in the Pacific Northwest. Kate studied painting and sculpture in college. She’s worked a variety of jobs, including car salesman and restaurateur.

A Place in His Heart

By Rebecca DeMarino

She could cross an ocean, but could she ever win his heart?

Anglican Mary Langton longs to marry for love. Left at the altar and disgraced in her small hamlet, she is being pressured to marry the eligible son of the London milliner. Puritan Barnabas Horton still grieves the loss of his beloved wife, but he knows his two young sons need a mother.

With tender hearts, Mary and Barnabas take a leap of faith and wed. But when Barnabas’s secret plans to move his family to the New World to escape persecution come to light, Mary’s world is upended. How could she possibly leave her papa and her dear sister?

And will she ever reach the secret places of her husband’s broken heart?

ISLAND BREEZES

Mary’s father wants to see her wed. It was disgraceful to have her left at the altar. Now he wants to get her wed to the son of the London milliner.

Does he bother to ask Mary’s opinion? She wants to marry for love. Eventually her father gives his blessing for her to marry Barnabas, a widower with two small children.

Barnabas had said he had no plans to sail to New England with his brothers, but he wasn’t being truthful. Several years into the marriage he dropped that bomb on Mary.

Along with the separation from her family, Mary has to deal with the continual comparison with his dead wife. He did let Mary know up front that his love would always be for his first wife. And then there are the children. The youngest takes to her as a mother, but the oldest always lets her know that she is the wicked stepmother in his eyes.

Life in the New World is filled with hardships and hard work, the the family difficulties are the real burdens on Mary’s heart. Will her husband ever love her? Will her oldest son ever open up his heart to her? Be sure you have that box of tissues nearby. You’re surely going to need them.

Thank you, Ms DeMarino, for giving us a view of our early history through Mary’s eyes.

***A special thank you to Lanette Haskins for providing a review copy.***

Rebecca DeMarino is a member of American Christian Fiction Writers, Romance Writers of America, and The Southold Long Island Historical Society. She was a 2011 Genesis Award semi-finalist and lives in the Pacific Northwest with her husband, Tom. A Place in His Heart is based on DeMarino’s ancestors, who came to Long Island in the mid-1600s to establish a life–and a legacy–in the New World. Learn more at www.rebeccademarino.com.

Rebecca is having a giveaway at http://www.rebeccademarino.com/a-place-in-his-heart-giveaway/

Happy to be Alive, Because

By Chelsea Jacobs

Chelsea Jacobs’ debut novel is here just in time for summer! The perfect beach read, Happy to be Alive, Because (Nyree Press) will delight fans of YA authors such as Sarah Dessen and Krista McGee.

Avery is a seventeen-year-old girl whose reality has just been shattered by the death of her mother. Feeling a desperate need to flee from what has become her life, she follows a travel plan meant for her mom and her that leads her to the little beach town where her mom grew up. It’s there that she meets a group of three adventurous friends who adopt her into their circle, allowing her to experience a summer she never thought would be possible after suffering such a great loss. Unfortunately, her summer full of experiences threatens to end abruptly when she realizes that one of the three has a secret that causes her to question everything about the new life she has been building.

Avery must learn to balance her grief and her desire for a future in order to achieve her mother’s final wish for her: That she would be happy to be alive.

ISLAND BREEZES

A seventeen-year-old orphan. Avery as spent so long taking care of her mother and hoping, but life has let her down. She’s tired of everyone giving her looks of sympathy and wants to escape them all. When Avery discovers tickets and plans for a trip to her mother’s home town, she decides to go on her own.

Her mother also left her a journal so that she could continue what her mother had started – an “I’m happy because” journal.

Both the journal and Avery’s three new friends get her through her grief and to the point of happy to be alive. But one friend’s secret can either ruin the whole thing or make their friendship closer. Avery is hurt when she finds out. Now how will she react?

This book brings a new perspective to keeping a journal. It’s helped bring new meaning to my gratitude journal. I’m hoping we get a chance to read more about Glynn Springs. I want to know more about what the future holds for these four friends.

I’m also wondering if maybe some of this is a bit autobiographical, Ms Jacobs. Just a feeling from reading your book’s dedication.

***A special thank you to litfuse for providing a review copy.***

Chelsea grew up with an immense love for words—both reading them and writing them. She obtained her degree in English and has spent the time since getting married to her high school sweetheart and chasing adventure so she’ll have something to write about.

When she’s not drinking copious amounts of coffee while writing, she spends her time reading, playing with her puppy named Gatsby, and dreaming, always dreaming.

To learn more about Chelsea visit her website and follow her via Twitter.

It is time for a FIRST Wild Card Tour book review! If you wish to join the FIRST blog alliance, just click the button. We are a group of reviewers who tour Christian books. A Wild Card post includes a brief bio of the author and a full chapter from each book toured. The reason it is called a FIRST Wild Card Tour is that you never know if the book will be fiction, non~fiction, for young, or for old…or for somewhere in between!

The Closer

By Mariano Rivera

with Wayne Coffey

The greatest relief pitcher of all time shares his extraordinary story of survival, love, and baseball.

Mariano Rivera, the man who intimidated thousands of batters merely by opening a bullpen door, began his incredible journey as the son of a poor Panamanian fisherman. When first scouted by the Yankees, he didn’t even own his own glove. He thought he might make a good mechanic. When discovered, he had never flown in an airplane, had never heard of Babe Ruth, spoke no English, and couldn’t imagine Tampa, the city where he was headed to begin a career that would become one of baseball’s most iconic. What he did know: that he loved his family and his then girlfriend, Clara, that he could trust in the Lord to guide him, and that he could throw a baseball exactly where he wanted to, every time.

With astonishing candor, Rivera tells the story of the championships, the bosses (including The Boss), the rivalries, and the struggles of being a Latino baseball player in the United States and of maintaining Christian values in professional athletics. The thirteen-time All-Star discusses his drive to win; the secrets behind his legendary composure; the story of how he discovered his cut fastball; the untold, pitch-by-pitch account of the ninth inning of Game 7 in the 2001 World Series; and why the lowest moment of his career became one of his greatest blessings.

In The Closer, Rivera takes readers into the Yankee clubhouse, where his teammates are his brothers. But he also takes us on that jog from the bullpen to the mound, where the game — or the season — rests squarely on his shoulders. We come to understand the laserlike focus that is his hallmark, and how his faith and his family kept his feet firmly on the pitching rubber. Many of the tools he used so consistently and gracefully came from what was inside him for a very long time — his deep passion for life; his enduring commitment to Clara, whom he met in kindergarten; and his innate sense for getting out of a jam.

When Rivera retired, the whole world watched — and cheered. In The Closer, we come to an even greater appreciation of a legend built from the ground up. – See more at: http://www.littlebrown.com/thecloser.html#sthash.HX39f0PZ.dpuf

ISLAND BREEZES

I’m not sure why I signed up to review this book. I knew very little about baseball and nothing about Mariano Rivera. I wasn’t sure why, but I’m very glad I did. Now I know a lot more about baseball, and I feel as if I know the man called The Closer.

This book takes one into the heart of baseball as well as into the heart of Mariano. It tells of his love for baseball, family and God.

Here is a quote from The Closer that made my heart sit up and take notice. “It’s so easy to get caught up in the problems and complications and sadness that life can confront us with, but by opening my heart to the Lord, I am filled with lightness, with appreciation for the gifts He has given me, with the ability to pay attention to what is good and not what is not good.”

That, my friend, is wisdom that we should all hold in our hearts.

Thank you, Mr. Rivera, for showing us the heart of a godly man. If you were still the Yankee closer, I would be a huge Yankee fan. I wish you and Clara well as you work with the Refuge of Hope.

***A special thank you to Amy Morrow of The Barnabas Agency for providing a review copy.***

Mariano Rivera was a New York Yankee for nineteen seasons. He is Major League Baseball’s all-time saves and ERA leader, a thirteen-time All-Star, and a five-time World Champion. He and his wife, Clara, have three sons and live in New York.

Wayne Coffey is one of the country’s most acclaimed sports journalists. A writer for the New York Daily News, he cowrote R. A. Dickey’s bestselling Wherever I Wind Up and is the author of the New York Times bestseller The Boys of Winter, among other books. He lives in the Hudson Valley with his wife and children.

All My Belongings

By Cynthia Ruchti

A new life and a new identity can’t protect Becca from a past that refuses to go away.

After spending years running from the shame her father put on her family, Jayne is determined not to let him steal her future in the same way he stole her childhood. Changing her name to Becca Morrow, she moves to California and settles into a new life and new job caring for ailing mother of handsome young businessman, Isaac Hughes.

But just as she’s wondering if she and Isaac are headed for a relationship, Becca’s patient passes away under unusual circumstances. Suddenly, her past catches up with her and the unnerving details of her heritage threaten to destroy all sense of home and all hope for love.

Even if she could clear her name, a phone call wraps a suffocating shroud around her heart. Her estranged father needs her help. But can Becca open her new life to the man who ruined her past?

ISLAND BREEZES

How do you escape a family scandal? Becca legally changed her name and took a job hundreds of miles away in California. This job was caring for a friend’s dying sister. Not an easy job for her to do after her mother’s death, but necessary.

There was one complication – Isaac, the handsome son of her patient. Well, that and Becca’s big secret.

Romance was in the air. At least until her patient died, and Becca was accused of killing her. And then the topper. A man from her home town shows up and lives are at risk. It’s all such a mess, and Becca’s not sure it will ever get straightened out.

This is the first book I’ve read by Ms Ruchti. but it won’t be the last. I’m looking forward to reading many more.

***A special thank you to litfuse for providing a review copy.***

Cynthia Ruchti has more than three decades of radio broadcast experience with “Heartbeat of the Home” radio and currently serves as Professional Relations Liaison for American Christian Fiction Writers.

Out of the Ruins

By Karen Barnett

Abby’s shattered faith in both God and man is challenged when the terrible earthquake hits 1906 San Francisco.

While her sister lies on her deathbed, Abby Fischer prays for a miracle. What Abby doesn’t expect, however, is for God’s answer to come in the form of the handsome Dr. Robert King, whose experimental treatment is risky at best.

As they work together toward a cure, Abby’s feelings for Robert become hopelessly entangled. Separated by the tragedy of the mighty San Francisco earthquake, their relationship suddenly takes a back seat to survival. With fires raging throughout the city, Abby fears for her life as she flees alone through burning streets. Where is God now? Will Robert find Abby, even as the world burns around them? Or has their love fallen with the ruins of the city?

ISLAND BREEZES

Abby’s sister Cecilia is dying and Abby is trying to bargain with God. Maybe that’s working, because when Papa called Cousin Gerald, he was told there might be a doctor in San Francisco who could help Cecilia.

There was, but Cecilia had to be taken to San Francisco immediately with Abby and her mother accompanying her. Once there Cecilia was started on some new experimental treatments by Dr. Robert King. While Cecilia’s health started improving, Abby was slowly falling in love with Dr. King.

Then complications set in and cooled Abby’s relationship with the good doctor. But that became less important to Abby. The big earthquake took that off her mind as she wandered alone trying to find her family. She did find Robert and Cousin Gerald, but got separated from them.

In the middle of everything she ends up with an orphaned baby. Now she has to keep both herself and the baby safe while she still searches for her family. San Francisco’s a real mess and hope is growing dim.

Thank you, Ms Barnett. I’m looking forward to Beyond the Ashes.

***A special thank you to litfuse for providing a review copy.***

Karen Barnett is the author of Mistaken and several articles that have been published by Guideposts and other national magazines. She lives in Albany, Oregon, with her husband, two children, and three cats.

Karen can be found at: website, Twitter, Facebook, Pinterest

The Heart’s Pursuit

By Robin Lee Hatcher

A jilted bride desperate to save her family from ruin.

A bounty hunter seeking vengeance for a ravaged past.

An arduous trek toward justice—or redemption.

Silver Matlock and Jared Newman know traveling together is a bad idea. Bad for Silver’s already tarnished reputation in her small Colorado town. Bad for bounty hunter Jared’s secret, single-minded mission for revenge. But Silver is determined to track down the rogue who left her at the altar and stole the last remnant of her father’s fortune. And Jared’s in a hurry to hunt down the murderer who destroyed his family—even if Silver is too distractingly beautiful for comfort.

The pair takes off over mountain and desert, past bleak homesteads and raw mining towns, hot on the trail of the two villains who took what wasn’t theirs to take. Soon supplies dwindle, secrets emerge, and suspicion leave Silver and Jared at odds when they need each other most. To confront an enemy deadlier than desert rattlesnakes and rocky cliffs, Silver and Jared must learn to forgive and trust and face the question they haven’t dared voice: What happens next?

ISLAND BREEZES

Reputation is not the #1 priority for Silver as she rides out with Jared, a bounty hunter, to track down the low life bum who jilted her. No, she did not want to haul that snake back to the altar. She wanted to recover what he had stolen from their family. If she can’t find him, they would lose bother their home and family business.

Jared didn’t especially want to take on this job, but he managed to work it in as he hunted down another outlaw. Besides he needed a grub stake to get him on the road, and Silver supplied all the goods he needed from her family’s store.

But Silver still aggravated him to no end. To say Salver and Jared were not on the best of terms is an understatement. But they need each other at the present. Even more so when they pick up an orphan along the way.

But all said and done, they both are focused on their goal of getting their man. Will they manage to get both men and recover the fortune that Silver’s dirty skunk of a fiance’ stole?

Thank you, Ms Hatcher. I enjoyed this book every bit as much as I’ve enjoyed your other books I’ve read.

***A special thank you to litfuse for providing a review copy.***

Best-selling novelist Robin Lee Hatcher is known for her heart-warming and emotionally charged stories of faith, courage, and love. The winner of the Christy Award for Excellence in Christian Fiction, the RITA Award for Best Inspirational Romance, two RT Career Achievement Awards, and the RWA Lifetime Achievement Award, Robin is the author of over sixty novels.

I’m Nobody

By Alex Marestaing

Read the EPIC Award-nominated novel that critics are saying is “fresh,” “powerful,” and “unlike anything” they’ve read. In a world full of anxiety, Alex Marestaing’s I’m Nobody: The Lost Pages is a triumphant tale of faith over fear and one that kids and grown-ups of all ages will love. It’s also a London Book Festival Honorable Mention Winner and Epic’s eBook Award finalist.

We’re all broken on this side of heaven, but we can make beautiful things from the pieces.

Agoraphobic Caleb Reed is about to step outside for the first time in seven years, meet indie filmmaker Iris Elliott . . . and definitely not fall in love. It’s all because of the notes, the weird and wonderful notes he keeps finding on his front porch, notes signed by someone claiming to be long dead poet Emily Dickinson. Caleb’s parents think he’s losing his mind, as always, but he knows they’re wrong. Something’s going on outside — something strange, something terrifying . . . something beautiful.

ISLAND BREEZES

This is one incredible book. It’s not like anything I’ve read before. I’m afraid I can’t really say much about it without giving away the plot.

All I can say is it’s a must read book that will touch you to your soul. It might be a good idea to have that box of tissues handy while you’re reading this book.

This initiation into the writings of Alex Marestaing was one that has me wanting more and more books from him.

***A speciat thank you to litfuse for providing a review copy.***

Author Alex Marestaing loves to create. He’s written for media outlets such as The Walt Disney Company, Lego, Thomas Nelson/Harper Collins,and The Los Angeles Times and has authored three YA novels. His latest, I’m Nobody: The Lost Pages, recently won an honorable mention at the London Book Festival and was nominated for a 2014 Epic Award. Though he spends most of his time imagining ideas for the youth market, he’s also written for faith-based publications and has covered his favorite sport, soccer, in Europe and the U.S. for Sports Spectrum Magazine and Yanks Abroad. When Alex isn’t writing or speaking at conferences, you’ll most likely find him hanging out in California with his wife, three kids, and Milou, his dog.

Meant to Be Mine

By Becky Wade

Ty Porter has always been irresistible to Celia Park. All through high school—irresistible. When their paths cross again after college—still irresistible. This time, though, Ty seems to feel exactly the same way about Celia. Their whirlwind romance deposits them at a street-corner Las Vegas wedding chapel.

The next morning they wake to a marriage certificate and a dose of cold reality. Celia’s ready to be Ty’s wife, but Ty’s not ready to be her husband. He’s a professional bull rider, he lives on the road, and he’s long planned to settle down with the hometown girl he’s known since childhood.

Five and a half years pass. Celia’s buried her dreams so that she can afford to raise her daughter. Ty’s achieved all of his goals. Or thought he had, until he looks again into the eyes of the woman he couldn’t forget and into the face of the child he never knew he had.

How much will Ty sacrifice to win back Celia’s trust and prove to her that their spontaneous marriage can still become the love of a lifetime?

ISLAND BREEZES

Ty and Celia seem to be meant to be together. At least Celia thought so when they got married in a Vegas wedding chapet.

The day after Ty lets Celia know he’s neither interested in quitting his life on the road, nor being married to her. He wants to marry a girl back in his home town who,k by the way, is dating someone else.

Crushed, Celia goes back to her home and raises the beautiful daughter that she and Ty created on her wedding night. Things go well until five and a half years later. Ty shows up and sees their child that Celia has tried to keep hidden from him.

So now Ty wants Celia and their child in his life. Celia wants nothing to do with him. Ty does everything except standing on his head to win Celia over. It appears that nothing’s going to work. Has he lost his chance for forever love?

Thank you, Ms Wade. I’m certainly enjoying your books, and look forward to the next one.

***A special thank you to litfuse for providing a review copy.***

Becky makes her home in Dallas, Texas with her husband, three children, and one adoring (and adored) cavalier spaniel. Her CBA debut, My Stubborn Heart, was a finalist in both the RITA and INSPY awards. Undeniably Yours kicked off her Texas-set Porter Family series. Her newest contemporary romance, Meant to Be Mine, has just hit shelves!

A Season of Change

By Lynette Sowell

An Amish widower finds love in unexpected places.

Amish widower Jacob Miller believes it was a mistake to visit the Amish village of Pinecraft for winter vacation, especially after his daughter is struck by a car. Stranded in Sarasota until his daughter recovers, Jacob grows increasingly wary of events that unfold in his unfamiliar surroundings—including the strange curiosity of Englischer Natalie Bennett.

Natalie never thought her circus career as an aerial silks artist would end with a blown-out knee at the age of 25. She also never knew her late mother had a secret—that she was once Amish.

When Natalie meets the Millers at the Sarasota hospital, she is attracted to their warm hospitality and simple ways—and soon wonders if they can help her find her mother’s family. As Jacob and Natalie fall in love, their worlds collide. Will their differences tear them apart? Or will their love be strong enough to blend their clashing cultures?

ISLAND BREEZES

A circus performer and an Amish man. Oh, yes, that’s sure to work out – just like oil mixes well with water.

It all starts innocently enough when Natalie dresses as a clown to amuse hospitalized children. Jacob’s daughter Rebecca is one of those children.

After Natalie discovers her mother was Amish, she is drawn to this family. She continues to get closer to the Millers while trying to locate her Amish grandmother.

It turns into an impossible situation. Again it boils down to how can a circus performer and an Amish man find a way to live their love. Is there any way the two can be together?

I had it figured out long before those two did.

I loved your book, Ms Sowell. I live near Pinecraft, and am looking forward to you Seasons in Pinecraft Series, Book 2. Also, I know who you based your character of Imogene on. Her photographs are beautiful.

***A special thank you to litfuse for providing a review copy.***

Lynette Sowell is the Carol Award-winning and ECPA best-selling author of more than 15 titles, including A Season of Change and Tempest’s Course. When Lynette is not writing, she works as a medical editor and part-time newspaper reporter. She makes her home in Copperas Cove on the doorstep of the Texas hill country.