Cleaning My Bookshelves Five Book Giveaway!

Since we just moved and I unpacked all of my books I realized I needed to do another giveaway!

Most of these book are ARCS that I received from the publisher. I ended up with a couple of duplicates so I figured I could share the love.

No One Ever Asked by Katie Ganshert 

Across the Blue by Carrie Turansky

Gathering the Threads by Cindy Woodsmall

Home on the Range by Ruth Logan Herne

Jane of Austin by Hillary Manton Lodge

 

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This is ONE giveaway so ONE person will win all of the books listed. USA only please. Once the winner has been notified they will have 24 hours to respond before I will have to choose someone else.

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My Favorite Amish Stories

So I will be the first to admit that Amish stories are not my go to books to read. Many times I feel like the stories are all the same. That being said, I have read some EXCELLENT Amish books. If you are looking for something a little unique in the Amish genre check these out!

This whole series is well very written.

This is one of the first Amish books I read by recommendation of a dear friend who has since passed away.

This was just a wonderful book for any time of year!

Katie Ganshert did an excellent job writing out of her comfort zone!

This isn't Christian Fiction just an FYI but it is SO good.

This book drew me right in!

This is probably my all time favorite Amish story written by a classic story teller.

This series is popular for a reason, it really is very good.

This book is non-fiction and it will humble you and stick with you long after you read it. I still think of it often. Read it.

No One Ever Asked Review

About the Book

Challenging perceptions of discrimination and prejudice, this emotionally resonant drama for readers of Lisa Wingate and Jodi Picoult explores three different women navigating challenges in a changing school district--and in their lives.

When an impoverished school district loses its accreditation and the affluent community of Crystal Ridge has no choice but to open their school doors, the lives of three very different women converge: Camille Gray--the wife of an executive, mother of three, long-standing PTA chairwoman and champion fundraiser--faced with a shocking discovery that threatens to tear her picture-perfect world apart at the seams. Jen Covington, the career nurse whose long, painful journey to motherhood finally resulted in adoption but she is struggling with a happily-ever-after so much harder than she anticipated. Twenty-two-year-old Anaya Jones--the first woman in her family to graduate college and a brand new teacher at Crystal Ridge's top elementary school, unprepared for the powder-keg situation she's stepped into. Tensions rise within and without, culminating in an unforeseen event that impacts them all. This story explores the implicit biases impacting American society, and asks the ultimate question: What does it mean to be human? Why are we so quick to put labels on each other and categorize people as "this" or "that", when such complexity exists in each person? (Goodreads)

PRE ORDER HERE

My Thoughts

I have loved all of Katie's books and have been anticipating this novel for awhile! This book is SO good but also SO heavy. Get ready to feel and at times feel uncomfortable. Katie did an excellent job in writing current situations and difficulties not just in a school district but what goes on in our homes. Now I will add that there isn't much about religion or a relationship with God. While I didn't mind, I was a tad surprised to find not much about God in the book. I think much of this is in between the pages. This story reminded me a lot of perhaps a Jodi Picoult novel or the like. After reading all of Katie's books I would say this one is the most different and I think books like this are needed in a Christian market. My favorite part of the book is the story line following Jen Covington and her adoption of a little girl. I liked reading her side of the story and it really added to the book. So of course, Katie has done it again with a five star read!

Five stars. 

 Look for it in stores April 2018!

"I received this book from Blogging for Books for free. All opinions are my own."

Life After Book Review

 

 About the Book

On the day of a late spring storm, in Chicago, Autumn Manning boarded an “L” train. A bomb explodes, killing everyone in the train car except for Autumn—the sole survivor. A year has passed and Autumn suffocates under a blanket of what ifs and the pressing desire to bring the victims back to life, every day, if only for her. She doesn’t want their stories to be forgotten. She wants to undo what cannot be undone. An unexpected ally joins her efforts, also seeking answers and trying to find a way to stumble ahead.
But one victim’s husband, Paul Elliott, prays to let the dead—and their secrets—rest in peace, undisturbed and unable to hurt his loved ones.
Caught between loss and hope, these restless souls must release the past to embrace a sovereign God. (Goodreads)

My Thoughts

Katie Ganshert really knows how to write a story. There hasn't been a book of hers that I haven't adored. Life After has all the feels and I stayed up way too late reading it. Autumn is broken in so many way. Paul is lost and guilt is killing him on the inside. I loved these characters and how life was not easy or simple and right when you thought all was well, it wasn't. This was an emotional roller coaster for me as anxiety, courage, guilt, pain, heartbreak, Jesus, and honesty are all twisted up. I love how God heals the broken and how important the truth is. We serve a big God. 

Great setting, wonderful characters, and splendid writing. This book will grab you from page one. 

Five stars. 

"I received this book from the publisher. All opinions are my own."

To Have and to Hold Novella Collection Book Review

About the Book

 

Love Takes the Cake by Betsy St. Amant


She’s known for her delicious cakes, but there’s no recipe for dealing with the new man in her life.


Charlotte Cantrell is always the baker; never the bride. When Will, a regular at Charlotte’s bakery, catches her attention, she can only hope that he is the reliable man this single mother has always hoped to find. The problem is that he’s regularly stopping in to buy cookies for another girl. But when Charlotte is hired to bake a host of wedding goodies for a difficult bride and finds out Will is the best man, she has the perfect opportunity to get to know him better—and find out how serious Will is about this other girl in his life.


The Perfect Arrangement by Katie Ganshert


Meeting Nate was truly an accident—but Amelia finds that he’s one of the few people she can count on.


Amelia Woods is a small-town wallflower and the proud owner of Forget-Me-Nots, a quaint flower shop. Despite her success in business, her love life has always been a bit lackluster. Until she spies on her ex-boyfriend’s wedding and ends up in an embarrassing fender-bender with handsome wedding guest, Nate Gallagher.


Meanwhile, Amelia’s younger brother, William, has proposed to his girlfriend. Amelia would be excited except she has evidence that the fiancée is not who she says she is. It seems Nate is the only one available for any advice-giving, and he’s good at it—and pretty fun to talk to, too.

 

As Amelia works to craft the perfect flower arrangements for other people—including a ninety-year-old “fairy godmother” named George—she begins to wonder if real love is better than the dream. And if it is, will Nate still be interested when he learns who she is?


Love in the Details by Becky Wade


She left him to save his future, but they’ve never gotten over each other.


When Josh returns to his hometown of Martinsburg, Texas, to help his best friend get married, he didn’t intend to run into church wedding coordinator—and ex-girlfriend—Holly. He can’t help but pine after the girl he never got over.


Holly broke up with Josh years ago in an attempt to ensure his future success. But she loved him then and still loves him now. As she helps him plan his best friend’s wedding, she can’t help but feel horrible for the pain she caused him. And even though she longs to be with Josh, she doesn’t feel worthy of his big-time lifestyle when she is more comfortable in her small town world. Will Josh and Holly be able to keep things as they are when their true feelings threaten to surface at every turn? (Goodreads)

My Thoughts

It is rare when I get excited about reading a novella book set. I struggle with reading novellas because they are so short and many times I think authors struggle with making a full story in only a few pages. 

Oh my holy wow this book blew me away! LOVED each story and I really liked how there were only three authors (sometimes they fit in more but this was PERFECT). Now lets be real, you really can't go wrong with these three authors in the first place, as they are all fabulous. 

Love Takes the Cake was a sweet (no pun intended :) romance written by Betsy St. Amant. Good characters and a fun and light read that left me smiling. 

The Perfect Arrangement by Katie Ganshert left me wanting to be a florist. I love how Katie set the book up and how she added communication by way of emails. She did it in a very tactful and easy to read way. Fun love story and great setting. 

Love in the Details by Becky Wade- be still my heart! Having recently met Becky (major fan girl moment!) I have to say she is just as fun as her books. I adored this novella and to be honest it didn't even feel like a novella I got so into the characters and the setting. She did a splendid job creating characters that already knew each other from high school and building a great background for readers to understand. 

So overall this is a wonderful novella collection and you should probably read it because these authors have yet to disappoint. 

"I received this book from BookLook Bloggers for free in exchange for an honest review."

Amish Christmas At North Star Review

 

 About the Book

One night four lives entered the world by the hands of an Amish midwife, just outside North Star, Pennsylvania.
Rebekah’s Babies, as they are called, are now grown adults and in four heartwarming novellas each young person experiences a journey of discovery, a possibility of love, and the wonder of Christmas.

Guiding Star by Katie Ganshert
Curiosity gets the best of Englischer Chase Wellington when he investigates the twenty-five-year-old disappearance of an Amish baby. When he finds adventurous Elle McAllister in Iowa will his discoveries upend her world?

Mourning Star by Amanda Flower
Eden Hochstetler slips from her parents’ fudge shop to investigate the death of her friend Isaac.  Who is guilty? Isaac’s handsome great nephew Jesse, an angry Englischer, or someone else?

In the Stars by Cindy Woodsmall
Heartbroken Kore Detweiler avoids North Star after Savilla Beiler rejects his love.  But when he is unexpectedly called to return home, he and Savilla must join forces to keep a family together.

Star of Grace by Mindy Starns Clark and Emily Clark
Andy Danner left North Star to join a new Amish settlement in Mississippi. His little brother devises a scheme to bring Andy home for Christmas and unwittingly unleashes the power of forgiveness in a reclusive widower’s life.

 My Thoughts

Amish is not what I always love to read, but since Katie Ganshert wrote one of the stories I had to read it! I also like Cindy Woodsmall as well and ends up their two stories are my favorite in this book. The first story is so very good and it leads into the rest of the stories as well. Each story, while different, all tie in together which makes this book one of the better collections I have read. The setting is a cozy Christmas scene and makes you want it to start snowing! All of the characters are well written by each author and if you like reading Amish fiction you will enjoy this book!

"I received this book from Blogging for Books for free in exchange for an honest review."

Autumn Brides: A Year of Weddings Novella Collection Review

About the Book

Happily ever after begins today. The honor of your presence is requested at three autumn weddings.…



A September Bride by Kathryn Springer



When Annie moves to Red Leaf, she’s ready to call the little town home. Deputy Jesse Kent can’t believe his mother has handed the keys to her bookshop over to a woman she met on the internet. Jesse has seen his mother taken advantage of before, and he decides to keep a close eye on this Annie Price. But when a close eye turns into a historical wedding reenactment with Jesse and Annie as the couple, make-believe nuptials quickly give way to real-life emotions.



An October Bride by Katie Ganshert



No one but Jake and Emma know the true reason they’re getting married—so Emma’s dying father can walk her down the aisle. While Jake and Emma plan an autumn wedding together, it becomes clear that their agreement has a few complications—the biggest being their true feelings for each other.



A November Bride by Beth K. Vogt



Having celebrated the big 3-0 by ending a relationship, Sadie is tired of romantic relationships-by-text. The only man she knows willing to put down his iPhone and have face-to-face conversations with her is Erik. It’s time to put a 21st-century twist on the Sadie Hawkins’ tradition of a woman going after her man. But when he realizes he’s fallen for her, can Erik convince Sadie his just-for-fun dates were the prelude to “‘til death do us part”? (Goodreads)

My Thoughts

I've been staring at this cover and I really think it's one of my favorites. I love fall and the flowers on the cover are just beautiful! So typically novellas are not my thing but I wanted to read this one because I love these particular authors. The first story didn't draw me in so much and it was just an okay read for me. The characters didn't stand out and the romance just seemed iffy.

The second October bride story I loved. While being just a short story Ganshert did such an awesome job in adding depth and fun and real life into a few short pages. The romance is funny but not forced or too gushy. I also love the setting! Who doesn't love harvest festivals?!

The third book was also quite good and I liked the characters and the setting (Colorado) which is one of my favorite places. Vogt has such a humor to her writing and she did a great job in creating a storyline in a small amount of space. And the mention of Tattered Cover book store made me smile.

Overall this is one of the best novella collections I have read!! Highly recommend!

"I received this book from BookLook Bloggers for free in exchange for an honest review."

The Art of Losing Yourself Release Day!

Hey guys! So it's Katie Ganshert's release day for The Art of Losing Yourself and I happen to be a big fan. If you haven't read any of her books you really must and this one is so very good. I wrote a review for it earlier this month.

Also, stop by Katie's Website to get to know her better.

Buy the book here.

The Art of Losing Yourself -Must Read

 About the Book

Just like in my dream, I was drowning and nobody even noticed.

Every morning, Carmen Hart pastes on her made-for-TV smile and broadcasts the weather. She’s the Florida panhandle’s favorite meteorologist, married to everyone’s favorite high school football coach. They’re the perfect-looking couple, live in a nice house, and attend church on Sundays. From the outside, she’s a woman who has it all together. But on the inside, Carmen Hart struggles with doubt. She wonders if she made a mistake when she married her husband. She wonders if God is as powerful as she once believed. Sometimes she wonders if He exists at all. After years of secret losses and empty arms, she’s not so sure anymore.

Until Carmen’s sister—seventeen year old runaway, Gracie Fisher—steps in and changes everything. Gracie is caught squatting at a boarded-up motel that belongs to Carmen’s aunt, and their mother is off on another one of her benders, which means Carmen has no other option but to take Gracie in. Is it possible for God to use a broken teenager and an abandoned motel to bring a woman’s faith and marriage back to life? Can two half-sisters make each other whole? (Goodreads)

My Review

 I have been anticipating the arrival of this book for about a year now. I've decided that anything Katie writes will probably be a winner with me. This book did not disappoint in any way. The characters are wonderful and the reader gets to know them in a personal way. The main story line switches between Gracie and Carmen, I personally enjoyed Gracie's side of the story more but both were wonderful. I think Katie writes about lives that are real and unlike other books, the perfect ending, person, romance, doesn't just "happen". Carmen struggles with not being able to have children and thus in a way wrestles with what God wants from her or means to her. The way the story unfolds left me wanting more and the beachy type setting was really fun. 

Gracie doesn't trust many people especially her family and now she's switched schools again. I liked to read about her struggle because I could better relate. 

This is a well written story that captures the lives of many people today. 

The ending was not what I expected and that's not a bad thing. Can't wait to read more!!

Learn more at Katie's Website

Pre-Order Here or Here!

Thanks to Katie and Waterbrook Multnomah for providing me with a free advance copy in exchange for an honest opinion. 

A Broken Kind of Beautiful Book Review

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About the Book

Fashion is a fickle industry, a frightening fact for twenty-four-year-old model Ivy Clark. Ten years in and she's learned a sacred truth -- appearance is everything. Nobody cares about her broken past as long as she looks beautiful for the camera. This is the only life Ivy knows -- so when it starts to unravel, she'll do anything to hold on. Even if that means moving to the quaint island town of Greenbrier, South Carolina, to be the new face of her stepmother's bridal wear line -- an irony too rich for words, since Ivy is far from the pure bride in white. (Goodreads)

My Review

I got this book in the mail, opened the package, started reading, and never stopped. It's that fantastic. Katie Ganshert has written a heart wrenching, realistic, God embraced, romance that completely captivated me. The characters all have such depth that is put together in just one book and the story line is so important to women to read. Ivy is a model she has the "perfect life" but underneath it all she is so empty. She has been captivating men since she was in her teens and with a loveless father she is a broken woman. 

This book takes the reader to the heart of body image and how magazines etc. interpret beauty.  I have a real passion about this topic and the story hits so close to home that I loved it all the more. God thinks you are worthy and loved and beautiful even though sometimes it takes awhile to realize He is there. It's not that easy and Katie takes this book and shows that it's not easy and life is hard and confusing and painful. 

I really enjoy Ganshert's writing, she does not give away details all in the first chapter. Katie actually creates a story that builds over the pages and adds realistic twists to the story. 

I loved every part of this book and I recommend it to any woman as a must read. 

Look for it in stores April 15, 2014.

Find out more:

• Author's Website
• Facebook
• More Info
• Read Chapter One
• Author Bio

"I received this book from Blogging for Books for free in exchange for an honest review."

Wishing On Willows Book Review

Wishing on Willows by Katie Ganshert is a good read that deals with many issues that people can easily relate.

A three-year old son, a struggling café, and fading memories are all Robin Price has left of her late husband. As the proud owner of Willow Tree Café in small town Peaks, Iowa,  she pours her heart into every muffin she bakes and espresso she pulls, thankful for the sense of purpose and community the work provides.
                                     
So when developer Ian McKay shows up in Peaks with plans to build condos where her café and a vital town ministry are located, she isn’t about to let go without a fight.

As stubborn as he is handsome, Ian won’t give up easily. His family’s business depends on his success in Peaks. But as Ian pushes to seal the deal, he wonders if he has met his match. Robin’s gracious spirit threatens to undo his resolve, especially when he discovers the beautiful widow harbors a grief that resonates with his own.

With polarized opinions forming all over town, business becomes unavoidably personal and Robin and Ian must decide whether to cling to the familiar or surrender their plans to the God of Second Chances. (Goodreads Description)

I have not read anything by Katie before though I know her book Wildflowers From Winter was a big hit. Honestly this book was really difficult for me to get into and I had to push myself to finish it. I did like the fact that it discussed real life issues such as infertility and the life of a single mom. I also liked the characters and the small details that Katie added into the story. This was not my favorite book but still a decent read.

Wishing on Willows will be available March 19, 2013.

Learn more about Katie here.

 "I received this book for free from WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group in exchange for a review."