The dedication is to those of us “who have endured the cruelty of a mean person”. The kind of mean that stays with you and is intended to do just that. The mean can be words or actions that hurt to our very core. That years later still whisper it in our ear. Author Heidi McCahan reminds us that we are stronger than we know. We all have the slings of barbs and arrows. And we can’t always avoid the people who use them. Her Alaskan Family is about that. There are no horrible scenes with yelling and screaming. Just a woman who figures out how to live with those whose words and actions hurt, even in a small way.
Tag: 4 stars
Books that were a really good read but lacked “something” or had errors that lowered the rating from 5 to 4 stars.
A Lancaster Amish Christmas by Anne Blackburne, Amy Clipston, Amy Lillard, and Mindy Steele
A Lancaster Amish Christmas comprises four novellas.
- “Lucy’s Christmas Sunbeam by Anne Blackburne,
- “A Bird-in-Hand Christmas” by Amy Clipston,
- “Christmas Lilly” by Amy Lillard, and
- “Leaving Lancaster” by Mindy Steel.
Rating: 4.25 stars ~ Genre: Amish, Christmas ~ Publish Date: 1 Sep 2024
Click Read More below for review.
To the Wild Horizon by Imogen Martin
Missouri, 1846: In the frontier town of Independence the sound of a gunshot shatters the night. As the pistol drops from her hand and clatters to the ground, Grace knows she has no choice but to leave. Now. ~~ from the description. What would you have done? It’s 1846 in Independence, Missouri. You are a…
Dating an Amish Flirt by Rachel J. Good
To my astonishment, Amazon rejected this review as written. Will try again.
Some girls don’t have to even try. Boys just are attracted to them. I bet you knew someone in high school like that. I did. And, of course, I was one of the ones that didn’t. Turns out that the same thing happens in the Amish world. Rachel is such a girl. Her best friend growing up was Josh. But in the eighth grade (that’s the final grade in an Amish school), he distanced himself from her. She never knew why. But Josh knows why and he does love Rachel even though he is courting another girl. Boys still flock around Rachel like bees even though she gives them no encouragement. And the girls call her a flirt every chance they get. And they ignore her. Rachel lives a lonely life.
When the opportunity to do repairs on Rachel’s home, Josh jumps at the chance. Even if he is courting another girl. His heart wants – needs to help Rachel.
The Flower Quilter by Mindy Steele
My description …
Ever feel like a square peg being forced into a round hole? That’s Barbara. Her mother is a quilter. Her grandmother is a quilter and by George — BARBARA IS GOING TO QUILT *AND* BE A GOOD QUILTER! Oh, her mother is not shouting but she might as well. Her parents send her to Indiana for the summer. Her task? Help her grandmother in her quilting shop. The Indiana community is different than her reserved Kentucky one. The difference? Understanding grandparents and a young Amish man (unmarried, of course) who has a landscaping business.
Family Gatherings at Promise Lodge by Charlotte Hubbard
In the small-town Missouri setting of Promise Lodge, widower Lester Lehman is finally doing so much better. His life has found purpose. He lives in a *real* lakeside tiny house. But there are these two Amish ladies who decide they need a man — they want Lester! That alone makes for some comedy. Both of those women are so — to me it was more important for each to beat the other one — Lester was just icing on the cake.
New to the Promise Lodge community, Marlene Fisher is protective (for good reasons) of her grown brother Mose. She has dealt with several men and none of it ended well. But Lester … he’s different and she finds in Lester, a friend. Both of them need the friendship that grown. But will it grow into more?