Thursday, February 16, 2017

Amish Wanderer by Laura V. Hilton {Book Review and a Giveaway!}


Click here to enter the giveaway! 
While many people absolutely love Christian Amish Fiction, it is a genre that I don't read a ton...but when I find an author I enjoy, who writes with depth & detail, and includes suspense & mystery, I very much enjoy when they write a second novel! Laura V. Hinton is a writer who falls into that category for me..her book Amish Firefighter was one of the first works of Christian Amish Fiction that I read; when the opportunity came to read and review Amish Wanderer, which is the second book in the series, I signed up immediately in hopes I'd get the chance to read and review it.

Amish Wanderer did not disappoint, and I highly recommend it. But, although you could read it as a stand alone novel, I think it is best for someone to read Amish Firefighter first, as there are references to characters and situations that have potential to be confusing if you aren't already familiar with the initial storyline. Amish Wanderer begins where Amish Firefighter stopped, but it is a wonderful 2nd novel as it takes minor character Bethany Weiss and puts her front and center. Bethany is facing many tough circumstances due to things her dad and boyfriend did in the 1st novel. She wrestles with grief, shame, and even finding her 'fit' within her own family. As she seeks to find herself and find peace with God, Silas Beiler (Bethany's first crush) returns temporarily to Jamesport. As Silas wrestles with his own secrets and shameful past, Bethany and Silas begin to find strength in each other, in God, and begin to realize that other people truly care about them, too.

Amish Wanderer held my attention from start to finish, and I truly hope there will be another book added to this series!


*I received a copy of this book from the publisher, but was under no obligation to write a review. My honest opinion has been provided without any requirement to write a positive review.*
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Click here to purchase your copy.

About the Book


Book: Amish Wanderer
Author: Laura V. Hilton
Genre: Amish Romance
Release Date: February 14
Bethany Weiss is ready to leave town. Tongues haven’t stopped clacking in Jamesport, MO, since her daed, the bishop, was admitted to a mental hospital after hurting their small Amish community. But her sharpest wounds Bethany hides from prying eyes, quietly biding her time until she can take a chance at a new life—away from Jamesport and away from God.

Silas Beiler was kicked out of his own home. Dogged by a rough childhood and a family who blames him for each new disaster, he begins hitchhiking across the country, sleeping in barns where he can, working for food when possible—headed for Pennsylvania in the hope of some stability.

When Bethany spies a man asleep in the hayloft, she first fears the return of an unwelcome suitor. But when it is Silas who turns and speaks, the memories flood back: a happy summer six years ago full of lemonade, long walks, and budding courtship. Now, however, those months of bliss seem naïve and idyllic. Was their old love strong enough to overcome new pain? Or will hurt and rejection continue to haunt their path?

About the Author

Laura V. Hilton
Amish fiction lovers responded positively and immediately to Laura V. Hilton’s debut novel, Patchwork Dreams, when she burst on the scene in 2009 with her unique series, The Amish of Seymour, set in the tiny town of Seymour, in Webster County, Missouri. Fans of the genre immediately recognized Hilton’s insider knowledge, not only of the Webster County community, but Amish culture in general. Her natural speech and writing patterns, she says, are uniquely “Amish,” acquired from her Amish maternal grandparents. The Amish of Seymour, includes Patchwork Dreams, A Harvest of Hearts, and Promised to Another. Her second series, The Amish of Webster County, is comprised of Healing Love, Surrendered Love, and Awakened Love. A stand-alone title, A White Christmas in Webster County, was released in September 2014. The Amish of Jamesport includes The Snow Globe, The Postcard and The Birdhouse. In spring 2016 she released The Amish Firefighter with the setting in Jamesport, MO, the same as for The Amish Wanderer.
Laura is a member of American Christian Fiction Writers and a professional book reviewer. Laura and her husband, Steve, have five children, whom Laura homeschools. The family makes their home in Horseshoe Bend, Arkansas.

Control Girl~Book Review {and Giveaway!} with Shannon Popkin

Control Girl Shannon Popkin 

If "control girl" describes you in any way, you need to get this book. If you're like me and think it sometimes describes you, I highly recommend you read it, too. While it is good for any woman, much of the writing is written with an emphasis on being married and having a husband. The way Popkin writes not only brings fantastic insight to the dangers of being a control girl, but she provides rich, biblical detail to women in the Bible in a way I have never seen before. Great resource, and I have already recommended it to several friends.

*I received a copy of this book from the publisher, but was under no obligation to write a review. My honest opinion has been provided without any requirement to write a positive review.*
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Control Girl: Lessons on Surrendering Your Burden of Control from Seven Women in the Bible (January 2017, Kregel)
Tension, anger, fear, anxiety—it all begins with a heart that craves control.
Little fights with your husband and kids. Unhappiness when things don’t match your version of perfect. When your perspective of how life should go replaces God’s, you doom your quest for security, peace, and joy before it even starts.
Thankfully, there is a better way.
Join Shannon as she shares what she has discovered about her own control struggles and
about God from studying seven Control Girls in the Bible. Whether it was Eve’s desire to know instead of trust, Sarah’s inability to wait for God to move, or Rebekah’s controlling hand on her family’s future, each of these women’s stories contain warnings and lessons for us today.
Learn how you too can lay down this burden of trying to control everything and find rest in surrendering to the One who truly is in control.
Shannon PopkinLearn more and purchase a copy.

Shannon Popkin is a wife and mom, a speaker and teacher, and a leader of small group studies. She's been published by "Family Fun," "MOMsense," "Focus on the Family Magazine," and other outlets. She is a contributing blogger for True Woman.com and has blogged for several years at shannonpopkin.com. "Control Girl" is her first book.