"Beside Still Waters" Review

Beside Still Waters by Tricia Goyer was sent to me by B&H Publishing Group as a digital copy through NetGalley. I will be participating in the blog tour for the second book in this series, Along Wooded Paths, on October 12^th, and I wanted to read the first in the series. This is the first novel I have read by Tricia Goyer.

Marianna Sommer has plans for her life, which include being baptized into the Amish church, marrying Aaron Zook, and living out her days in her Indiana Amish community.

When her parents decide to temporarily move the family to Montana, Marianna has a decision to make. She is not obligated to go, but with a new baby brother or sister on the way, Marianna decides to make the trip, just until the baby is born and her mother is settled into a routine.

What Marianna finds in Montana, and in both the Amish and English communities, is far more than she ever could have imagined.

When I started this blog a year ago, I was not really a fan of Amish fiction. I had read a couple of Amish novels, but none of them stood out enough to get me to explore the genre. Now that I am doing book reviews on a regular basis, my bookshelf has seen more Amish novels than I ever thought it would. Although I wouldn’t necessarily call myself a ‘fan,’ the Amish fiction genre has definitely grown on me.

Enter Tricia Goyer’s novel Beside Still Waters. If any book would convince me to become a fan of this genre, this one would. Let’s start with the facts that it is well-written, has good dialogue that is easy to follow, and has engaging characters. While other Amish fiction novels have had these things (maybe not all at the same time…) this book goes even further. It is set in a traditionally un-Amish setting: Montana. It also addresses some issues which other Amish novels are lacking, especially in relation to people who are not Amish.

So many Amish fiction books show the English as bad and the outside world as something to be completely avoided. I understand that this is a basis of the Amish belief system; however, since I am not Amish, then it is hard for me to read about the English being ‘bad’ just because we are not Amish! That was the main reason that this novel was so refreshing. Marianna encounters English people in Montana who believe in and are passionate about serving God. Her own faith is stretched in ways she never thought it could be. She comes to realize that believers in Christ are their own community, whether English or Amish.

This is the first in a continuing series by this author, so don’t expect everything to be wrapped up at the end of this first novel!

So, am I a ‘fan’ of Amish fiction? Maybe not a true, die-hard fan…yet…but ask me again when I finish this series.

With a refreshing perspective on the Amish way of life, Tricia Goyer’s first Amish series is off to a tremendous start.

I will give Beside Still Waters … 4 BookWorms.

Disclosure of Material Connection:  I received this book free from B&H Publishing Group through NetGalley. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this is accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255:  “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

"The Wounded Heart" Giveaway Winner

The winner of a copy of The Wounded Heart by Adina Senft is...

Dolores Pyer

Congratulations! You will be receiving an email from me soon!

Thanks to everyone who entered the contest. I will be having a giveaway for another book coming up next month, so watch for it!

--Shoopette

The winner of this contest was chosen by Random.org from all of the entries received.



"Hook, Line, & Sinker" Review

Hook, Line, and Sinker by Susan May Warren is a novella that I received as a digital review copy from Tyndale Publishers and NetGalley.

Ross Springer is the leader of the New Life campus group at Bethel College in Minnesota, but he is in over his head…in more ways than one.

Abigail Cushman leads the dwindling Sojourner group on campus and has plans to stick around after graduation to become an assistant professor.

 When the Deep Haven annual fishing contest throws Ross and Abigail back together after their time apart, they may end up reeling in more than they bargained for.

For those who have read the Deep Haven books by this author (read my review of My Foolish Heart here), you will be familiar with the setting and even a few of the characters in this short story. I liked reading this novella (which I finished in practically one sitting) about two groups of college kids. I really enjoyed my campus group when I was a college student, and this story brought back some fond memories of that time for me.

Since this is a novella, the story goes at a much quicker pace than most. However, it was a nice read by an author that I have come to enjoy.

I will give Hook, Line, and Sinker by Susan May Warren … 3 ½ BookWorms.

This title is available a an ebook for $1.99 at many online retailers.

Disclosure of Material Connection:  I received this book free from Tyndale Publishers and NetGalley. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this is accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255:  “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

"Stumbling into Grace" Review

I had the pleasure of attending a Women of Faith event this past August, and the speakers there were incredible.

One of the speakers at the event was Lisa Harper. I thought her presentation was very good, so when I saw that her book was available at BookSneeze, I requested it right away.

What I found in Stumbling into Grace: Confessions of a Sometimes Spiritually Clumsy Woman, was a part-devotional, part-humorous story, all-honest book. Lisa Harper is open and down-to-earth in her descriptions of things she has encountered in everyday life while always coming back to Christ and how He is the center of everything.

There are Personal Reflection/Discussion Group questions at the end of each chapter and also a helpful prompt for writing your thoughts about the topic in a journal.

I especially liked the chapter titled, “The Very Real Problem with Pantyhose,” and not just because I hate pantyhose. (I don’t even like the name ‘pantyhose.’ It’s just weird.) I really related to the point that was made when Lisa said, “Don’t you wonder what He [Jesus] would say about all the confining junk we lug around and label ‘spiritual’?”¹ I have been pondering this a lot lately – about busyness rather than focusing on priorities, or about doing what looks good rather than truly changing your heart and caring about people – and this chapter helped my thinking in that area quite a bit.

I also appreciated how Lisa pointed out the context of the verses that she was using instead of pulling a verse out of the Bible here and there and running with it.

There were a couple of chapters that didn’t really hit home with me, but that is to be expected, of course. The book needs to relate to all, not just to me! J

This book was a pretty good devotional, which was made easier to read by Lisa Harper’s unending humor and honesty.

I will give Stumbling into Grace by Lisa Harper … 3 ½ BookWorms.

¹Lisa Harper. Stumbling into Grace: Confessions of a Sometimes Spiritually Clumsy Woman (Kindle Locations 445-446). Thomas Nelson.

Disclosure of Material Connection:  I received this book free from Thomas Nelson Publishers through their BookSneeze program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this is accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255:  “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

"Heiress" Blog Tour & Contest

About the book:

They can buy anything they want—fame, power, beauty, even loyalty.

But they can’t buy love.

The beautiful and wealthy heiress daughters of August Price can buy everything their hearts desire. But what if their desire is to be loved without an enormous price tag attached?

When one sister betrays another for the sake of love, will she find happiness? And what happens when the other sets out across the still untamed frontier to find it—will she discover she’s left it behind in the glamorous world of New York’s gilded society? What price will each woman pay for being an heiress?

Set in the opulent world of the Gilded Age, two women discover that being an heiress just might cost them everything they love.

Read an excerpt here.

About the Author:

Susan May Warren is an award-winning, best-selling author of over twenty-five novels, many of which have won the Inspirational Readers Choice Award, the ACFW Book of the Year award, the Rita Award, or have been Christy Award finalists. After serving as a missionary for eight years in Russia, Susan returned home to a small town on Minnesota’s beautiful Lake Superior where she, her four children, and her husband are active in their local church. 

Susan's larger than life characters and layered plots have won her acclaim with readers and reviewers alike. A seasoned women’s events and retreats speaker, she’s a popular writing teacher at conferences around the nation and the author of the beginning writer’s workbook: From the Inside-Out: discover, create and publish the novel in you! She is also the founder of www.MyBookTherapy.com, a story-crafting service that helps authors discover their voice. 

Susan makes her home in northern Minnesota, where she is busy cheering on her two sons in football and her daughter in local theater productions (and desperately missing her college-age son!)

A full listing of her titles, reviews and awards can be found at www.susanmaywarren.com.

My Take:

Let me say from the start that stories set in the Gilded Age in New York have not been my favorites. The endless description of the opulence of that time makes me tired and seems to get in the way of the story.

This was not the case with Heiress. While there are many descriptions of parties and gowns and the like, the story is so captivating and interesting that the imagery didn’t interfere with it. Also, there are no perfect characters here. It is not the outcome or ideal characters that make a story…it is the journey. I am hoping that the growth and faith of these characters will continue to grow as we go through the series.

A criticism I have with many books is that too much is given away in the ‘back-of-the-book’ description. Again, this was not the case with the novel Heiress. When I began reading the actual book, I had no idea which sister would be the one to marry and stay in New York’s high society and which one would head west. Trying to guess was half the fun.

Apart from a few times when the dialogue was hard to follow (it was sometimes difficult to tell who was speaking), this novel was extremely well-written. I was immersed in the story, and the cliffhangers at the end of the sections made this novel very difficult to put down.

I will warn that this story involves some more mature themes. Much of the story revolves around adultery, so this might not be a book for younger audiences.

It would also be good to note that this is the first book in a series, the “Daughters of Fortune.” The two main characters’ stories are completed in this book, but there is one plot line that is not.

Susan May Warren has written an intriguing novel that won me over to books about the Gilded Age.

I will give Heiress by Susan May Warren … 4 BookWorms

About the Contest:

Win an opulent Gilded Age Prize Pack fit for an Heiress from Susan May Warren!

 Heiress, a richly complex historical romance, is the first in Susan's three book Daughters of Fortune series. In honor of Heiress’ debut, Susan is hosting a FABULOUS Gilded Age Giveaway and giving away an opulent prize pack fit for an heiress!

 

One grand prize winner will receive:

                                                   A $100 gift certificate to ModCloth.com A sleek silver iPod™ Shuffle A beautiful strand of Pearls Titanic DVD Speakeasy Compilation Music CD from Starbucks™ Heiress by Susan May Warren

Click one of the icons below to enter. But do so soon - this giveaway ends 10/5/11. The winner will be announced Thursday, October 6 on Susan’s blog.

  

Disclosure of Material Connection:  I received this book free from Summerside Press through LitFuse Publicity. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this is accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255:  “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

"The Wounded Heart" Blog Tour & Giveaway!

The Wounded Heart by Adina Senft was sent to me as an advanced review copy by Faith Words/Hachette Book Group. It is the first in the “Amish Quilt Trilogy” by this author.

About the book:

A widow with two small children, Amelia Beiler is struggling to make ends meet. She is running her late husband’s business, but it’s not what she was raised to do, which is run a home. When she gets an offer for the business from Eli Fischer, she’s only too relieved to consider it – especially when it looks as if Eli’s interest might include more than just the shop.

But when she begins to experience strange physical symptoms and is diagnosed with multiple sclerosis, it is difficult not to question God’s will. If she pursues the treatment she believes in, she risks being shunned. But how can she allow Eli to court her when she can’t promise him a future?

The more she gets to know Eli, the more Amelia is torn between what logic tells her is right, and the desire of her heart.

My Take:

I have read several Amish fiction novels recently, and I have to say that they are starting to grow on me. In this particular novel, once I got all of the characters straight at the beginning, the story moved along at a nice pace and was interesting. I was especially interested to see what would happen in relation to Amelia’s physical problems. The emotions that were portrayed about her illness were very real, and her determination to hold on to her late husband’s shop was inspiring.

As is always the case when I read Amish novels, I tend to get too focused on the doctrine of the Amish church (which I obviously do not completely agree with, since I am not Amish) instead of just enjoying the story. There is a lot of time spent in this book questioning what God’s will is. I will not go into that theology here, but I will say that I don’t think God’s will is whatever the Amish Bishop says it is. (For example, Amelia would be disobeying God’s will if she sold her shop to someone outside of the Amish Church.) I just think that we need to be careful when we use the phrase “It was God’s will.” Please search the Scriptures to discover what God’s will is instead of relying on man. To me, the Amish bishop and deacons in this book came across as very harsh and condescending, which was hard for me to read.

What I liked most about this book was the relationship among the three friends, Amelia, Carrie, and Emma. So many Amish books focus on family relationships (as they should), but I really enjoyed the closeness that these three friends shared. I appreciated the time they spent together making their quilt (throughout the book, they get together once a week to work on a quilt) and how they supported each other and even confronted each other when necessary. I realized as I read the book that these three friends would be the focus of each of the books in the Amish Quilt Trilogy, and I look forward to reading Carrie and Emma’s stories when they are released.

I will give The Wounded Heart by Adina Senft … 3 ½ BookWorms

The Giveaway:

The publisher of The Wounded Heart, Faith Words, would like to give away a copy of this novel to one of my readers. To enter the contest, please fill out the form below by October 6^th. I will announce the winner on my blog (and through email to the winner) on Friday, October 7^th.

The winner is Dolores Pyer!

Congrats!

The Quilt:

In the three books of the “Amish Quilt Trilogy,” Amelia, Emma, and Carrie make a quilt together. Each book in the series has instructions at the end for making this quilt. I also have instructions for making a pot holder in the same pattern as the quilt in the books. If you would be interested in having a copy of these pot holder instructions, please leave a comment with your email, and I will send you a PDF copy.

Thanks for stopping by the blog tour for The Wounded Heart!

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from Faith Words/Hachette Book Group. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this is accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising."

Book Club Ratings -- June, July, August, September

Because I have been receiving so many review copies of books lately, I am going to have to start doing things a little differently for my Book Club books. I just don't have time to write a full review of each of the books that I read for Book Club.

I want to make clear that I do actually read these books, and we do actually talk about them during our meetings (regardless of what some of the husbands might think...!).

So, in the future, I will be listing my Book Club books on my "To Be Read" and "Currently Reading" lists, but I will only post about them on my blog quarterly. And I will just be giving a short review of the book and my BookWorm rating instead of a full review.

If you want to know more about any of the books that I mention for Book Club, please leave a comment with your email, and I will get back with you.

Book Club Selection for June:  The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer & Annie Barrows

Winning the award for the book with the longest title was our Book Club selection for June. For a description of the book, please click here.

My favorite part of this book is that the story is told through letters written to and from the members of the Society. This book made me laugh out loud but also made me cry. (And that is something, because I am not a 'crier.')

I will give The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society ... 4 BookWorms.

Book Club Selection for July:  Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card

Ender's Game is one of my favorite books, and it is my husband's favorite book of all time. My husband had been trying to get me to read it for a long time, but I really hadn't ever been into Science Fiction. I finally gave in, and I was glad I did!

Because I enjoyed Ender's Game, I read other books that my husband enjoyed, such as The Lord of the Rings and books by Michael Crighton. Now those books are on my list of top favorites. I guess this means I should listen to my husband, huh?!

Ender's Game is not for everyone. I have friends who have loved it and some who have hated it. That's okay. I get the book, I emphathize with Ender, and it will always be one of my favorites.

There are many other books in the Ender series as well, but I have only read one of them. My husband has read them all but insists that Ender's Game is the best.

I will give Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card ... 5 BookWorms!

Book Club Selection for August:  The Man with Two Left Feet by P.G. Wodehouse & an outing to see the movie The Help.

Okay, okay, I know that I said I read all of the books that my Book Club selects, but I didn't read The Man with Two Left Feet. My apologies to Mr. Wodehouse. Hopefully I will read it someday, as I was able to get a free Kindle version from Amazon. (Get your copy here).

Since we read The Help back in January (see my review here), we decide to go as a group to see the movie version when it came out in August. Unfortunately, I was at the Women of Faith conference that weekend and could not go with the group. My wonderful husband took me to see The Help another time, since he knew I was disappointed about not being able to see it with my friends.

The movie version of The Help was very good and was very much like the book. The acting was exceptional, and you could definitely enjoy the movie even if you had not read the book. (I think the book is better, but I think that 95% of the time with books that are made into movies!).

Again, hopefully I will have time to read The Man with Two Left Feet someday, and The Help was an excellent movie!

Book Club Selection for September:  The Wednesday Letters by Jason F. Wright

For our November selection in 2010, we read Christmas Jars by this author (see my review here), which I liked quite well. The Wednesday Letters is pretty much in the same vein as Christmas Jars, and you can read a synopsis here.

I did not enjoy The Wednesday Letters as much as I enjoyed Christmas Jars. I thought it was sappy just for the sake of being sappy. (You kind of expect this more from a Christmas book, which is why I was more forgiving in my review of Christmas Jars). But, The Wednesday Letters did tell a story of forgiveness that was extraordinary. The way the main characters were able to forgive was incredible.

I will give The Wednesday Letters by Jason F. Wright ... 3 BookWorms.

So, that's it for now. We are reading The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins for October and Finding Noel by Richard Paul Evans for November. In December we will have our Christmas party and book exchange.

-- Shoopette

"A Lancaster County Christmas" Blog Tour and Contest

A Christmas book review in September?!

Why not?

If my husband had his way, there would be Christmas music playing in the Shoop household all year long!

And a new Christmas book is a great way to get us in the spirit and prepare our hearts for the upcoming Holiday Season.

About the book:

Jaime and C. J. Fitzpatrick began their married life as most couples do--in love and looking forward to a bright future together. But four years later they've drifted apart and are almost ready to call it quits.

Mattie Riehl was hoping to give her husband Sol the Christmas gift they have both longed for--news that a baby was on the way. But as usual, she is disappointed. The holidays bring an acute awareness to Mattie that her dream of a big Amish family isn't likely to become a reality.

Then a winter storm raging outside blows the Fitzpatricks into the Riehl home--and into a much slower pace of life. Can these two couples from different worlds help each other understand the true meaning of love this Christmas?

With her trademark plot twists and attention to detail, Suzanne Woods Fisher offers readers a beautiful Christmas story of love, forgiveness, and what truly matters in life.

About Suzanne:

Her interest in the Amish began with her grandfather, W.D. Benedict, who was raised Plain. She has many, many Plain relatives living in Franklin County, Pennsylvania, and travels back to Pennsylvania, as well as to Ohio, a couple of times each year for research.

Suzanne has a great admiration for the Plain people and believes they provide wonderful examples to the world.  In both her fiction and non-fiction books, she has an underlying theme: You don't have to "go Amish" to incorporate many of their principles--simplicity, living with less, appreciating nature, forgiving others more readily-- into your life.

When Suzanne isn't writing or bragging to her friends about her first new grandbaby (!), she is raising puppies for Guide Dogs for the Blind. To Suzanne's way of thinking, you just can't take life too seriously when a puppy is tearing through your house with someone's underwear in its mouth. Suzanne can be found on-line at: www.suzannewoodsfisher.com.

My Take:

This is the first book by Suzanne Woods Fisher that I have read, except for her recent non-fiction release, Amish Values for Your Family. I had heard a lot about her Amish novels, so I was looking forward to reading this one.

The story takes place over a three-day period beginning on December 23^rd. The Fitzpatricks are stranded at the Riehls farmhouse, and it is soon discovered by the reader that everyone present has some things to learn about love and forgiveness. The story is told from the point of view of all five adults who are present in the house (C.J., Jaime, Mattie, Sol, and Mattie’s cousin, Zach), which I thought would be confusing but actually ended up giving the novel an overall cohesiveness that I really enjoyed.

When I discovered that this book was to revolve around an “English” couple getting stranded during a snowstorm with an Amish couple, I was a little leery.  The plot sounded very good, but I have read some Amish novels that seem to show the Amish way of life as perfect and the English way of life as wrong or evil. That was not the case at all with this book. Each character learned something from the other characters and from the other characters’ way of life that would continue to help them in the future.

This rather short book was a breeze to read—I read it in a day—but it was not breezy or light in its meaning.

A Lancaster County Christmas is a unique and engaging novel that makes you think about what truly matters in life.

I will give A Lancaster County Christmas by Suzanne Woods Fisher … 4 BookWorms.

Link to buy the book: "A Lancaster County Christmas"

Be sure to follow the blog tour here - many of the bloggers have copies of the book to giveaway!

About the contest:

To celebrate the release of her first Christmas book, Suzanne Woods Fisher has teamed up with her publisher, Revell, to bring you the "Christmas in September" iPad Giveaway!

The winner will be announced on 9/27 at the A Lancaster County Christmas Facebook Party! Details below. Tell your friends and join in the fun (9/7-9/27).

Suzanne and Revell will be presenting one merry winner with a Christmas Prize Pack (valued at over $600):

• A Brand New iPad 2 with Wi-Fi
• $25 gift certificate to iTunes
• A copy of A Lancaster County Christmas

To enter, click one of the icons below. But, hurry the giveaway ends on 9/26.

But, wait! There's more! The winner will be announced at the A Lancaster County Christmas Facebook Party on 9/27 at Suzanne's author page. During the party she'll be revealing something *BIG* - you won't want to miss it. She'll also be hosting a book chat, trivia contest and giving away a few early Christmas presents! Hope to see you there.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from Revell/Baker Publishing Group through LitFuse Publicity. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this is accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising."

"Water's Edge" Review

Water’s Edge by Robert Whitlow was sent to be as an advanced review copy by Thomas Nelson Publishers. My husband read this one, and he helped me with this review!

In Water’s Edge, Tom Crane is a successful young lawyer in a major Atlanta law firm.  He has a beautiful girlfriend, a nice apartment, and is about to make partner at the firm.  When his father, a small town lawyer from Tom’s home town, and another man from the town drown in a fishing accident, Tom needs to go home to take care of his father’s affairs.  Just before leaving, Tom’s world crumbles.  He loses his job, his girlfriend leaves him, and he still has to deal with his father’s death.

Upon returning to his home town, Tom starts closing his father’s law firm and discovers that his father’s death might not have been an accident.  Upon further investigation, he discovers nearly 2 million dollars in one of his father’s accounts and evidence that his father might have been involved in fraud.  Meeting the daughter of the other victim of the boating accident, Tom must navigate the deceptive and confining roads of small town America to find the truth, both about his father, and about his own faith.

I have mixed feelings about this book.  For the most part, it was very well written.  The characters developed at a good pace, with only one major exception.  The descriptions of a small town were accurate, and painted a very good picture.  You really got the impression that you were right in the middle of the situations.

But, there were a few problems I had with the book.  The first was the abrupt change of heart that the main character had.  One moment he is a skeptic about God; perhaps even so much as to say that he thought it all a complete waste of time.  Then, one morning, he was sitting at his father’s desk and read a verse that his father had written before his death.  After reading the verse, Tom suddenly has a complete change of heart and becomes a true believer.  This change was just so abrupt, without anything leading up to it, that it seemed unbelievable. However, maybe this has truly happened to others and this is just unbelievable to me because it was not my experience.

Also in this novel, Tom was faced with the decision to stay in his small home town and take over his father’s small law practice or to go back to Atlanta and try to get a job at another large law firm.  The author certainly leads the reader down the path that staying in his home town is the “right” choice or the “Christian” thing to do.  Now, perhaps he was trying to imply that it was the right choice for this character, but that is not how it came off.  I definitely got the impression that going back to Atlanta was the selfish thing to do.  I had a problem with that.  Often in life, we are presented with choices that are neither good nor bad.  Instead, it is more of a choice between good and good.  Would it have been sinful for Tom to go back to Atlanta? Not if he continued to live his life according to the Bible and to glorify God. Sometimes, it is okay to take the job that pays more money.  Staying in the small town might have been a good choice for Tom, but the author came across as portraying the Atlanta job as ‘bad’ because it was in a large city and had good pay and the small town job as ‘good’ because it was in the small town and paid less.

Despite a few differences of opinion with the author, I did enjoy this book.  The mystery of the death of his father and the whole secrecy of the money kept me entertained.  I figured most of the story out by the end but still had a few surprises. 

I will give Water’s Edge by Robert Whitlow… 3 BookWorms

Disclosure of Material Connection:  I received this book free from Thomas Nelson Publishers. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this is accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255:  “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

"Hope Rekindled" Review

Hope Rekindled is the final book in the "Striking a Match" series by Tracie Peterson. You can read my reviews of the first books in this series here: "Embers of Love" and "Hearts Aglow". These novels take place in Texas during the 1880's. 

After her life was turned upside down in the previous book, Deborah’s world has righted itself, and things seem to be falling into place. She is finally planning to marry Christopher when he once again receives urgent family news that takes him away. This time, though, he returns to Texas with some ‘baggage’ that Deborah never expected.

Faced with this new obstacle, Deborah once again questions her future as a wife and also as a physician. Add to this the fact that the logging community is still reeling from the recent fire that claimed the mill, and Deborah’s life once again seems to be going out of control. But all is not as it seems in the town of Perkinsville, and their salvation may come from the most unlikely of places.

Did you notice how I used the words “once again” three different times in my description of this book? It is because this third book in the series seemed to almost be a retelling of the second book. There were so many times when I felt as if I was reading the second book all over again instead of the third one. Once again, Deborah and Christopher are planning their wedding when something takes him away, keeping them from getting married. When he returns, something else gets in their way. I am not saying that the things that keep them from getting married aren’t important…just that it seemed as if we had already done this before…many times. This story might have been better told through only two books.

The issues with the logging company also felt a little repetitive, but I was more interested in that story than I was interested in the romance between Deborah and Christopher. The relationship between Stuart and Jael, though tragic, was compelling. I liked how the Vandermark family all helped each other when things got difficult, and the way the contract issue was resolved was marvelous.

Though Hope Rekindled was a bit tedious in its conclusion, the “Striking a Match” series still had a lot of what I like in Christian historical fiction.

I will give Hope Rekindled by Tracie Peterson … 3 BookWorms.

Disclosure of Material Connection:  I received this book free from Bethany House Publishers. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this is accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255:  “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”