Cleaning My Closet Book Giveaway Part 1: Knitting Amish Love

I have a set of books to giveaway and the lucky winner will receive all three! Yes, that’s right, a set. This is the first of the Cleaning Out My Closet Blog Book giveaway. Again, these books are in good condition and some never even cracked open…

Knit for Love | Waterbrook Press

 

Knit for Love by Beth Patillo

 

Publisher: Waterbrook Press(2009)

 

ISBN: 978-1-4000-7395-5

 

Price: $13.99

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

When the Heart Cries | Waterbrook Press

 

When the Heart Cries(Sisters of the Quilt Book 1) by Cindy Woodsmall

 

Publisher: Waterbrook Press(2006)

 

ISBN: 978-1-4000-7292-7

 

Price: $13.99

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

When the Morning Comes | Waterbrook Press

When the Morning Comes(Sisters of the Quilt Book 2) by Cindy Woodsmall

 

Publisher: Waterbrook Press(2007)

 

ISBN: 978-1-4000-7293-4

 

Price: $13.99

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

These are sweet fiction to get your heart as warm as the summer sun this Summer 2011, stay tuned for more free book giveaways!

Please see Contest Rules for more information. The deadline for part 1 of this giveaway series is July 5, 2011- Good Luck!

 

The Write Web

‘The Bridge of Peace’ Book Review

The Bridge of Peace| WaterBrook Press

 * Book provided for review by WaterBrook Press for my unbiased review*

Amish fiction writer, Cindy Woodmsall introduces us to Dry Lake Community once again with Lena Kauffman and other members of  the Community.

 Lena is ashamed of the mark on her face, the dark mark reminds her of why she may not be suitable for marriage. Along with that issue she must constantly contend with the school board over her “out of traditional ways” of teaching the students. Meanwhile, Benjamin “Grey” Graber,  who is married to Elsie is having some cloudy doubts about his marriage and hopes he and his wife can cross the bridge of hope before its tool late.

The Bridge of Peace has all of the classic pieces meant to bake a homemade Amish story: the large communities filled with families, women wanting to get married and have more than two children, strict rules based off the Ordnung and so on…but what the Bridge of Peace has is the ability to cause you tear up what you believe and reevaluate your old ways. Lena is a teacher but she has to try and seek out help for her  students and in the process is gaining love from  a person she has never thought would fall for her.

One flaw with this book that stems from my own personal opinion, is that as much as I crave Amish fiction and Amish Potato Salad, I can certainly do without the church leaders’ Ordnung or ways of Amish life. Too many restrictions actually does not equal peace for many people. I congratulate CW and those of the Amish faith for providing real background for her books along with the author’s uncanny ability to spill a character’s soul, but I’d like never to be Amish, just, maybe visit.

Want more Amish books? Click for Amish Fiction. Love Cindy Woodsmall’s stories or haven’t tried them yet? Go to www.cindywoodsmall.com to learn more.

This book earns 4 out of 5 stars from this reviewer! Woot!

Are you itching to read a first chapter of The Bridge of Peace?(Nod your head yes) click here for Chapter 1)

Ready to purchase? Great!
More reviews coming soon!

Amish fiction about finding the truth, recovering the past and discovering love

The Hope of Refuge | WaterBrook Press

Raised in foster care and now a widower and single parent, Cara Moore  battles  against the harsh torrents of life and a stalker who wants to make life difficult for her and her daughter Lori, but the pain and struggles brought her to Dry Lake Pennsylvania and there is where she may find solace…or a fight of a different kind.

When the handsome Ephraim Mast finds Cara Moore in his barn, he does not like her sassiness and the New York way of life permeates from her so much that he and his family wishes Cara would just go away- until he hears a message from God which will rock him to his soul and he must follow the Lord’s call. But following what God wants seems to go against the Ordnung(order) of the Amish. Would Ephraim dare to help this woman and her daughter and risk being shunned?

Cindy Woodsmall has captured the essence of how a community would react to the past, to tragedy, and the sequence of events in the book reminded me of how my old used to be. People caring for one another and when one person hurts, everyone hurts with them. Ephraim and Cara’s character were tender and real. Cara was rough around the edges because of what she’s been through, Ephraim was tough, stubborn, but wanted to be led by God. The tough decisions that had to be made by each character is what will stick with the reader.

In the end there is a blossoming of romance, yet, this is an Amish work where chastity and love go hand in hand- not lust. The main point of the story that will resonate is summed up when Ephraim tells Cara: “[That] fight doesn’t discount the truth seen in that flash of time. Love is real, and its worth the battle”( Woodsmall, 2009, The Hope of Refuge, pg. 269).

This book was unforgettable and receives 5 stars!

Check out the first chapter below!
The Hope of Refuge by Cindy Woodsmall (Chapter 1)http://d1.scribdassets.com/ScribdViewer.swf

For more about Cindy Woodsmall and her Amish books and travels please go to: www.cindywoodsmall.com!

If you like the chapter, do yourself a grand favor and head over to Waterbrook and purchase it here.

*Book provided for review by WaterBrook Press for an unbiased review.