Treasuring Emma by Kathleen Fuller

Who treasures Emma? Is it her grandmother, Leona, who is living with her after her parents have died? Is it her sister, Clara, who has a family and a husband, Peter, who is unable to find work? Is it a former boyfriend, Adam, who left his Amish roots to live in the world and has now returned to his home town? Is it a cousin of Peter’s, Mark, who shows up and makes a show of helping and being everyone’s friend?

As Emma moves through the days following the death of her mother, she begins to see that while she has always puts the needs/wants of others first there has come at time when she must begin to treasure herself.

Each of the people in Treasuring Emma eventually finds that they must depend on God and less on themselves in their daily life. When the reader reaches the end of this book, lives have been changed and the character for the next book apparently has been revealed.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher through the BookSneeze.com <http://BookSneeze.com> book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 <http://www.access.gpo.gov/nara/cfr/waisidx_03/16cfr255_03.html> : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

Restless in Carolina by Tamara Leigh

The third is a series of books dealing with the women of the Pickwick family of North Carolina, Restless in Carolina took a little bit of persistence to get into. Readers of Leaving Carolina and Nowhere Carolina would have no problem as many of the characters are already introduced.

However, do not let that discourage you, dear reader. Bridget Pickwick Buchanan is a tree-huggin’, animal- lovin’ widow who is still recovering from the death of her husband four years previously. Like no one you probably have never met, she has a history of doing outrageous things (outrageous to everyone but her) and so no one is really surprised by the way she lives or what she holds dear. Content to live in her widowhood, that state of life is ultimately challenged by her young niece and nephew. Happily ever after does not exist for Bridget and God isn’t fair in His dealings with her. On top of all of this, she takes on the job of helping to sell the family Biltmore style home and estate so her uncle can repay debts to families that the Pickwicks have treated unjustly in the past.

Enter J.C. Dirk, a developer from Atlanta who sees the possibility of developing the land while keeping with an eco-friendly development favored by Bridget. What no one knows initially is that J.C. is the descendent of a family who had been taken advantage of.

As I progressed through the four month period this book covers, I found it increasingly difficult to put down. I wanted to find out what happened next as Bridget and J.C. interact and eventually realize they have fallen in love. There are enough twists and turns to keep you, the reader, interested as you discover the motivation and plans of a second developer, meet members of the Pickwick family, discover lost relatives and find both Bridget and J.C. moving beyond their past, learning to forgive and let go of hurts/wrongs done and into a future together. Humorous with romance and a message of hope and healing, I recommend this book to readers of Christian fiction.

I received this book for free from WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group for this review.

Summer Dream by Martha Rogers

What does the daughter of a minister do when the man she is attracted to has no place for God in his life? This is the quandary facing Rachel in 1888. Nathan arrives in her hometown of Briar Ridge, Connecticut to settle the estate of a recently deceased woman. While there Rachel and Nathan are attracted to each other, but they know nothing can come of it. Rachel because Nathan is not the kind of husband she needs, Nathan because he doesn’t want to associate with a Christian woman.

Caught in a sudden spring snow storm (the White Hurricane of 1888), Nathan stumbles across Rachel’s youngest brother in the snow and is credited with saving the boy’s life. Passing out due to his own cold and exhaustion, Nathan finds himself recovering at the home of Rachel’s family. The family has been praying for his recovery and speaking to him of the love God has for him. As a result he begins to return to the faith of his childhood and comes to the realization he has to return to his childhood home to restore relationships with his mother and sisters.

Summer Dream is book one of the Seasons of the Heart series. Chapter one of Autumn Song, the second book, gives the reader a chance to follow Rachel’s minister brother and her cousin and spouse as they minister and live in Texas.

I recommend this series to readers of Christian historical fiction.

 

I received this book free for review.