A Dog For Christmas" by Linda Byler (An Amish Christian Romance)

A Dog for Christmas by Linda Byler is about Amish twins during the depression. Twins Henry and Harvey were sent away from their family to live with another because they were so poor and had so many children. Rachel and Ephraim who had three girls took them in and Henry and Harvey were well cared for and learned farming. A Newfoundland dog found a home with them and became their best friend. The story about Henry includes fun times and sad times, but his faith in God grows along the way. He finds love and does well. This book seems like a Hallmark movie with some adversity to overcome and a happy ending.
Karen’s review, 4 stars)

Gerard’s review 12/6/19:
A Dog for Christmas by Linda Byler is mostly told by Henry. He was born into an Amish family. This book tells the trials of his childhood and continues into his manhood. The story has a good flow to it and I enjoyed all the characters very much. I also enjoyed the dogs that were involved in the story.
(4 stars)

Teaser from page 4: The boys didn’t look back, knowing that what was behind them was something they could never have again.
After the first mile, their feet were cold from snow leaking into the cracks in the soles of their shoes.


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"Summer of Promise" is Historical Christian Romance

I liked the dog in this one!

Summer of Promise by Amanda Cabot is the first in the Christian Romance Westward Winds series. Back in the 1880s, Abigail teaches in an all-girls school in Vermont and is planning to marry a colleague named Woodrow who is very nice and well organized. Abigail is worried though about her older sister, Charlotte, who is married to an officer and lives at Fort Laramie in Wyoming. In reading her letters, Abigail got the feeling that something is not quite right so decides to visit her. On the way she meets Ethan, a lieutenant, on the stagecoach who saves the passengers from a couple robbers. Abigail finds that Charlotte is pregnant and seems very weak so stays to help her and cheer her up. When the army post gave orders to kill all the stray dogs running around, Abigail couldn’t help but pick a puppy for Charlotte who she named Puddles. Abigail discovers that Wyoming isn’t boring like she originally thought and finds that God has different plans for her than what she expected.

Teaser from page 58: “Oh, Ethan, he’s so cute. You can’t drown him.”

This book was pretty good but seemed to move a bit slowly. I really liked Ethan and Puddles the best! Although there is some mystery about who was robbing the stagecoaches and who was a traitor, it wasn’t really too hard to figure out. The romance was predictable, as is par for the course with Christian fiction books. I enjoyed some of the funny parts in this book very much, such as when Ethan was teaching Abigail how to shoot a gun. I will probably continue on with this series, but not right away. I need something a bit more gripping.
(Karen’s review, 4 stars)


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"A Rancher for Their Mom" by Leann Harris

A Rancher for Their Mom by Leann Harris is a happy Christian fiction romance for Mother's Day.  A widow rancher with two young boys who want to be cowboys and one little girl prays for God's help to get her farm planted and keep the ranch going.  The answer comes in the form of a rodeo cowboy passing through town.

This is light reading and you know right from the title how it turns out, but the boys in it made it somewhat interesting and a heartwarming read.
(Karen's review, 3 stars)

On a sad note, this our cat, Manny's, last photo shoot.  He was a very affectionate cat and we will miss him terribly, but he stopped eating and when he did, he couldn't keep it down anymore.  He kept losing weight and I had to do what was best for him.  We chose to end his life so he would die with dignity and not be in pain any longer.  This picture was taken on his last day with us. 

Have you read this one? What did you think of it? If you reviewed this too, feel free to share your link to your review in the comments. To find books on a specific topic, scroll to the bottom and click on the topic you want. Happy Reading!

"Finding Peace" by Melanie D. Snitker is about a Photographer and a Cop

Finding Peace by Melanie D. Snitker is a clean romance/mystery that was predictable right from the start as far as the romance part.  The mystery part provided at least some action to keep me interested enough to finish. Someone breaks into Laurie’s photography studio twice. She falls for the cop on the case and gets a gun for protection. This book actually showed what the work of a professional photographer involves which I enjoyed. Overall, the shallowness of the characters and the predictability of the plot made it a mediocre book for me. This is Book 1 in the Love's Compass series which I may or may not continue.
(Karen's review, 3 stars)

Have you read this one? What did you think of it? If you reviewed this too, feel free to share your link to your review in the comments. To find books on a specific topic, scroll to the bottom and click on the topic you want. Happy Reading!

"Barefoot Summer" by Denise Hunter

Barefoot Summer by Denise Hunter is a delightful Christian romance novel. Madison is a vet with a close family, but is still grieving over the death of her twin brother who died suddenly as a teenager. His dream was to win the Ragatta (annual sailing race) before his 27th birthday. Madison suffers from nightmares related to his death and thinks that if she wins the race with his boat, it will put an end to them. Beckett teaches her how to swim and how to sail and they both experience chemistry between them. Beckett doesn’t feel he’s good enough for Madison because he had a lot of family issues. Madison tries to deny her attraction to him because of his reputation from high school and the incident between him and her sister for starters.

This is a light, enjoyable read with some exciting parts. I could easily identify with Madison’s feelings when she was learning to swim and although the ending is predictable, it did have a surprise along the way. I recommend this to anyone who enjoys Christian romance novels or sailing.
(Karen's review)

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"Safe In His Arms" by Colleen Coble is a Christian Cowboy Romance About A Woman With Low Self-Esteem

Get that book off my cat tree!

Safe In His Arms by Colleen Coble is about Margaret, a wealthy rancher’s daughter, with low self-esteem. She loves working on the ranch and really runs it but when her pa hires Daniel and brings her cousin in to help, Margaret is hurt and totally against the idea. Then she finds out that her pa intends to leave the ranch to her cousin instead of to her which totally riles her. Even though Margaret finds out that Daniel is connected with bank robbers, she can’t help but like him deep down.

This is a Christian fiction romance with action and suspense set in the old west. Coleen Coble is a best-selling author but this is the first book I read by her. Daniel and Margaret make a good team and Daniel helps her to trust in God more. This is a light cowboy love story that I enjoyed.
(Karen's review)

Have you read this one? What did you think of it? If you reviewed this too, feel free to share your link to your review in the comments. Happy Reading!

"Short-Straw Bride" by Karen Witemeyer

Slow moving but with an exciting ending

Short-Straw Bride by Karen Witemeyer is a historical western romance between Travis Archer and Meredith.  He was the oldest of four brothers who made a death-bed promise to his dad to protect the ranch and his brothers by staying on it.  He felt guilty breaking his promise to see Meredith home after hurting her leg in one of his traps.  Then years later, she came back into his life to warn him of a scheme to burn his barn.  It’s a good Christian fiction story with a happy ending but moved kind of slow.  I liked Travis but didn’t care for Meredith.
(Karen's review)

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"Redeeming Love" by Francine Rivers

Great read for book clubs and historical fiction fans!

Redeeming Love by Francine Rivers was excellent! One of the best I ever read. About a beautiful little girl, sold into prostitution with no decent role models who learns what real love is when Michael Hosea decides to marry her and take her out of the brothel no matter what. Slowly, very slowly her walls come down and she learns to trust people, even to love. She leaves Michael for 3 years because she knows he wants children and she can’t have any, ever. Told her best friend to have his children and make him happy but Michael chose Angel. Angel is transformed when she finally trusts in Jesus as her personal Savior.

This is a historical Christian romance that held my attention all the way through and provided a lively discussion for our book club. It starts out very sad, depressing and raunchy but ends on a very positive note and shows Angel's journey to love and acceptance. It's a marvelous story based on the book of Hosea. I liked this book so much, I actually bought it!
(Karen's review-read in 2006)

Click this link to See What I Won at the Library Have you read this one? What did you think of it? If you reviewed this too, feel free to share your link to your review in the comments. Happy Reading!

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"The Wings of Morning" by Murray Pura

Here's the book trailer for this one:






I enjoyed The Wings of Morning by Murray Pura very much.  This is part 1 of "Snapshots in History" series.  It is about Jude, an Amish pilot during World War I who agrees to fly for America in order to save his friends even though it means he will be shunned.  Lyyndaya and Jude develop a friendship which leads to a romance but their letters must remain at the post office because of the shunning.


This is the best Amish romance I've read because it didn't poke along and the main character was male instead of female.  I liked the description of the flying, the dog fights and the romance.  Parts were heart-breaking and very sad but it was really great to see how Jude maintained his faith while at war and managed not to kill anyone!  The ending was fantastic!

This book is so much more than just a Christian romance.  I loved this one because it had adventure, faith, forgiveness, group dynamics, clean language and romance without the sex scenes.  Murray Pura is a new author to me; I look forward to reading more of his books.
(Karen's review)



Have you read this one? What did you think of it? If you reviewed this too, feel free to share your link to your review in the comments. Happy Reading!

We are donating 50 cents for each legitimate comment we receive on all our blogs during June and July to The Wounded Warrior Project which helps wounded warriors and their families returning from current conflicts.

"Enclave" by Ann Aguirre

For Fans Of The Hunger Games--Publishers Weekly

The start of Enclave by Ann Aguirre was good but then it went flat in my opinion until the last 160 plus pages when I was gripped by it so much that I could not put it down. Wow! It was so good; glad I did not give up on this dystopian novel. There is a teen romance in this like in Hunger Games. One thing I do know for sure, I'll be reading the second book in this trilogy!
(Gerard's review)

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"The Caregiver" by Shelley Shepard Gray

The Caregiver by Shelley Shepard Gray is the first book of Shelley’s “Families of Honor” series. It is about Lucy, an Amish abused widow who goes to take care of her cousin who is going through chemo treatments. On the train there, she meets Calvin Weaver who is going to the same place and learns that he his her cousin’s neighbor. They hit it off on the train until she witnesses his temper which reminds her of her dead husband and that she can’t trust men. Over time, she opens up and finds love with Calvin, big surprise--NOT! There are discussion questions at the end of this book so this could be a book club read.

Here's a little teaser from page 25:

She would concentrate only on Mattie's needs. That would enable her to keep her mind off her own pain and start to move on.

I didn’t care too much for this book because I really didn’t like Lucy, the main character or her cousin, Mattie, although I think she was the most believable of the characters with her faith waning as the chemo treatments progressed, making her feel worse instead of better. My favorite character was Calvin’s little sister, Katie, but she was only in the beginning of the book.  This seemed to move slow and I like books that I really look forward to seeing what happens next.  This just didn't grab my interest although I like the cover!

Have you read this one? What did you think of it? You can help our charity of the month just by leaving a comment on any of our blogs! We will donate 50 cents per comment at the end of the month. The charity for this month is at the top of our blog.

"Forgiven" by Shelley Shepard Gray

Forgiven by Shelley Shephard Gray is the third book of her Sisters of the Heart series about the Amish community. When Jonathan's barn is burned down, his sister is badly hurt and he is filled with anger and a desire to find out who was smoking on his property that caused the fire. The other story line is romance that his sister, Winnie, finds as a result of the fire. It has an interesting twist and is an enjoyable read. Naturally, as the title gives away, Jonathan finds forgiveness in his heart for the one who started the fire.

As with most Christian fiction, this was predictable but a nice change of pace from the intense suspense novels. It certainly shows what it's like being Amish and has a good message about forgiveness. If you like a happy Amish story with Christian romance, you will enjoy this book too.

Have you read this one? What did you think of it? You can help our charity of the month just by leaving a comment on any of our blogs! We will donate 50 cents per comment at the end of the month. The charity for this month is at the top of our blog.

Check out our book giveaway of "I'm Outnumbered--One Mom's Lessons In The Lively Art Of Raising boys" to a mom (or gift for a mom)--winner to be announced May 1 so you have it in time for Mother's Day.

"Spring's Renewal" by Shelley Shepard Gray

Spring’s Renewal by Shelley Shepard Gray is a happy Christian romance story of how Cara, an Amish school teacher who is badly scarred from a fire sees her dreams come true.  When Tim meets Cara, he realizes he does not love his hometown sweetheart as much as he thought he did, but falls for Cara.  Although there are some obstacles to a life together, they find a way to work things out.  This is a light, heartwarming read involving balancing one’s responsibilities with the pursuit of happiness.  The main theme is “that it’s not right to judge a person by only outward looks.  Sometimes when you do that, you miss out on a lot.” It has some funny parts as well as some suspense in it.  I enjoyed it!
(Karen's review)

Read Meet Amish Romance Novelist Shelley Shepard Gray to learn about the author.

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"Hidden" by Shelley Shephard Gray

Hidden by Shelly Shephard Gray is the first book in the “Sisters of The Heart” Series. When Anna finds herself in an abusive relationship with Rob, her boyfriend, and discovers he has been misappropriating his campaign funds, she decides to hide with an Amish friend, Katie, at her Bed and Breakfast inn. While there, she has time to think about things and finds romance with her friend’s Amish brother, Henry, and a safe haven for awhile and learns to put others ahead of herself. Anna seeks God’s guidance and finally comes to a decision about some major choices in her life and stands up to her controlling parents and Rob, finally figuring out who she is and what she wants.

Hidden deals with self-doubt, loneliness, friendship, romance and trust with some discussion questions in the back. My favorite character was Henry I liked the decision Anna made in the end and the general theme of the book about people hiding who they are was obvious and well done. This was a quick, light Christian romance/suspense story. I read the second in this series first, Wanted, which is more about Anna’s friend, Katie. I liked that one better and look forward reading the last one, Forgiven.

Have you read this one? What did you think of it? You can help Japan get relief through Samaritan's Purse by leaving a comment on any of our blogs in March. We will donate 50 cents per comment at the end of the month.

"Wanted" by Shelley Shephard Gray

Wanted by Shelley Shephard Gray is a happy little story of Jonathan, a brokenhearted widower with two little girls and an Amish woman, Katie, who faces her past in order to move on with her life and make her dream a reality.  When Jonathan asks Katie to help him live at his home and help him care for his girls, she sets out to show him what a good wife she would be.  I found it interesting to see how Katie struggled to connect with the girls and also gradually got Jonathan’s attention.  It focused on inner struggles and faith in God to work things out. 

Shelly Shephard Gray’s books have clean language and no sex scenes—a rare find in the romance genre.  This is a light, quick read that I finished in one day.   If you like Christian romance or stories about the Amish, I recommend this one.

Have you read this one? What did you think of it? You can help Canine Lifeline (a dog rescue organization that saved our dog, Abby) by leaving a comment on any of our blogs in March. We will donate 50 cents per comment at the end of the month.

"The Girl In The Gatehouse" by Julie Klassen

I really liked the cover!

The Girl In The Gatehouse by Julie Klassen is historical fiction about Mariah who was sent away from her home for inappropriate behavior to live in a gatehouse on her aunt’s property.   This takes place in the 1800s when it was considered unladylike to be an author so Mariah wrote a couple books under a pseudonym.

There were quotes before each chapter but the harshest I think was this one by Nathaniel Hawthorne in a letter to his publisher, 1852:  All women as authors, are feeble and tiresome.  I wish they were forbidden to write. 

I found the historical quotes interesting and also the book cover.  There is mystery, romance and the insight into the 1800s in this story.  I enjoyed the interaction with the people in the poor house across the street from the estate, especially when Mariah got her friends to put on a little play for those at the poor house.  There are a lot of characters, but they were introduced slowly enough to be able to get to know them. 

I had to laugh when I came to the part of Captain Bryant discussing Mariah’s novel with her and his lieutenant, Mr. Hart, when he did not know she was the author because it summed up how I was feeling about this book:

He snapped the book shut.  “It is all so much gentlewoman gibberish to me.” . . .. In any case, I am afraid I find the book frightfully dull.
“Let me guess,” Hart said.  “No swordplay, no gunfire, and no horse races.”
“Exactly.  Lots of long looks and deep discussions.”
Hart raised one finger high.  “And therein lies the void between the sexes.  Women want long looks and deep discussions, and men want to ride and shoot.”

There was so little action and it moved so slow, several times I had trouble keeping my eyes open!  I plowed through it though because I have seen several good reviews for it and I got to liking the characters.  I loved the ending--and not just because it was over!  The theme is forgiveness and to move on even if you make mistakes, don't dwell in the past.

Have you read this one? What did you think of it? You can help the charity at the top of this blog by leaving a comment on any of our blogs in March. We will donate 50 cents per comment at the end of the month.

If you want to see other bloggers thoughts on this book, visit Christian Fiction Book Club over at Edgy Inspirational Romance.

"Whatever Tomorrow Brings" by Lori Wick

I liked Whatever Tomorrow Brings by Lori Wick.  It’s a Christian romance about family and hospitality.  Three siblings whose mother died after moving to California from Hawaii and whose father went back to mission work in Hawaii but left kids in the states with the intent to join them later have to make it on their own with the help of Christian friends.  Katie, the oldest, gets a teaching job and takes care of her teen brother Sean and little sister, Marcail.
(Karen's 5/23/09)

Have you read this one? What did you think of it?

"Sabrina" by Lori Wick

Prostitute to Preacher's Wife, a story of Deliverance and Transformation

Sabrina by Lori Wick is a Christian historical romance book that is fairly predictable and contains a lot of scripture, including the plan of salvation. Sabrina, the main character, was a prostitute who is befriended by the sheriff and his wife who share God's plan of salvation with her and help her get out of prostitution. She leaves town and starts a new life, supporting herself by being a seamstress and working in a mercantile. She tries to help other prostitutes and finds love in her new town.

Sabrina promotes compassion and forgiveness, but pretty predictable although it leaves some loose ends. The author did not go into a lot of detail when handling the prostitution aspect of this story. I enjoyed reading it.
(Karen's review 4/7/09)

Have you read this one? What did you think of it?

"Plain Truth" by Jodi Picoult Is Fascinating

Plain Truth by Jodi Picoult is about an Amish teen girl who is charged with murdering her illegitimate baby.  At first Katie denied even having a baby and consistently denied killing it.  Ellie reluctantly volunteered to be her defense attorney who becomes her friend while staying on the farm with Katie to comply with the court order as a condition while awaiting her trial.  Jodi Picoult shows the contrasts of the Amish and the English cultures in this intriguing novel of ethics, psychology, mystery, romance and judgment. 

I was drawn into this story immediately and had a hard time putting it down.  The story is told from Ellie’s perspective, and I couldn’t help feeling sorry for her when she was trying to get the truth from Katie as to what really happened. The trial was interesting and I definitely came away with a better understanding of the Amish community after reading Plain Truth.  I highly recommend this book, especially to women.
(Karen's review)

Other related reviews:  Debra's Book Cafe
Here is our teaser for this book
Have you read this one? What did you think of it?

"Don't Look Back" by Lynette Eason

Don’t Look Back by Lynette Eason is a marvelous Christian romance suspense novel.  This is the second book of the "Women of Justice" Series.

Jaimie, the main character, is an anthropologist.  Her job was to put bones back together to find some way of identifying a person.  Twelve years ago, she had been abducted, raped, tortured, and almost killed by a serial killer but got away.  Now, she discovers that he is back and coming after her again!  Naturally, she has a lot of issues that prevent her from wanting to be romantically involved.  Dakota, the FBI agent who is still trying to find the serial killer, falls in love with Jaimie while providing her protection and getting the killer becomes more personal for him. 

Don’t Look Back is a page-turner with a fascinating killer.  I liked how parts showed what he was thinking and explained why he was going after certain women.  Jaimie never lost her faith in God to protect her and deliver her and was a good example of a believer in Jesus Christ.  By her life and how she handled her fear, Dakota came around to believe too.  This book stands out among suspense and murder mysteries in that it has clean language and although many crimes were committed, it does not go into all the gory details.  I highly recommend this book if you like suspense without all the gore or Christian fiction that is not “preachy” but certainly gives some insight into Christianity.

Follow Lynette Eason on Twitter: LynetteEason or visit her website at www.LynetteEason.com or her blog at Suspense With A Twist.


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