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Lindsay (1804 KP) rated The Heart's Frontier (The Amish of Apple Grove, #1) in Books

Feb 15, 2018

This is unique kind of story in itself. It about a family in Apple Grove along with Luke Carson and his men on a trail. There are some things that happen along the way. Emma and Luke relationship starts to form.

In the prologue you learn about Luke Carson, and his pa. Luke was picked to be a trail boss to take Mr. Hancock cattle to market. He is to take the cattle drive from Texas to Hays. We find out what some of what Luke Carson wants in life and it bit different then this fathers life.

Emma Switzer and her family were on their way to Troyer. Emma does not want to leave Apple Grove to go to Troyer to live her aunt. Her Grandmother Switzer insisted on her to go with Emma to Troyer.

We start out on the trail in Kansas going from one Amish community to another Amish community. When unexpected things start to happen to the Switzer's family. They are robbed of their belongings, and were left with nothing, but their lives. Emma Switzer's father Jonas, sister Rebecca and grandmother Switzer's were all traveling to Troyer, KS. They were hoping that Emma would find husband, as their were more Amish men available there.

After they are left on the trail, they pray for God's help and is provided with assistance from Luke Carson. He is on a cattle drive, and is in a anxious to get to Hays, KS with his animals.

Wait until you hear what Grandma Switzer.... says and does on the wagon ride. It to funny.

So if you are in a need to laugh or you just want to read it read about to see what up with this wonder of a book. The best way to put on smile is to laugh at something. As they say laughter is best medicine.
I would recommend it but to read this it up to you to decide. These are my honest feeling and for this review. It is a fun and funny book, but if you do not like western or cowboys or rustlers this may not be a book for you but that is up to you to decide. I do not like to many histical or western stories but this one got my attention and did like it.

Kudos

Nicole Hadley (380 KP) rated Wildflower Harvest: Also Includes Bonus Story of Desert Rose in Books

Jun 18, 2018

Wildflower Harvest by Colleen L. Reece is a Christian novel set in the 1800’s. Thomas and Sadie Brown’s farm, Red Cedars, is nestled in the Allegheny Mountain’s in what has become West Virginia. It escaped detection by both Yankee and Rebel troops during the Civil War. Their twin daughters, Mountain Laurel and Ivy Ann, are very different from each other. Laurel is very quiet and reserved while Ivy is outgoing and flirty. They have recently turned twenty. A week later they are blessed to have the new doctor, Adam Birchfield, arrive.

The story is about two twin sisters Laurel and Ivy Ann who lives with their parents in West Virginian. They meet a handsome doctor, Adam Birchfield who seems to like both of the sisters. There is a rift between the sisters which makes one choose to do something unexpected. Adam leaves West Virginian to joins his older brother Nat in Wyoming who is a preacher. Laurel decides leave and go to Wyoming too.

The Birchfield’s have always made their home in Massachusetts until oldest son, Nathaniel, refuses to fight in the war he doesn’t believe in and leaves home. When he finishes school, Adam also leaves his family home in order to practice medicine where he is desperately needed and to try to find his brother.

The lives of these two families become entwined in some very unexpected ways over the years. I really enjoyed this book and the characters though at times I wanted to yell at them when they made silly decisions. There is always some competition going on between Laurel and Ivy, some expected and some seem silly for adult women. The girls are both strong and adventurous when need be. When their lives take unexpected turns they focus on prayer to see them through. Adam finds Nathaniel is now a preacher in the vast Wyoming where the need for a doctor is great. Adam prayerfully considers whether God is calling him to join his brother.

There are many unexpected turns which kept me very engaged and reading to learn what would happen next. The main characters are all Christians but only share their faith through actions. I recommend this book to all who enjoy a good, Christian based romance novel with some mysteries included.

I received an advance copy of this book from Barbour Publishing, through Netgalley, in exchange for my honest review.

Kudos

Ross (3284 KP) rated The Way of All Flesh in Books

May 31, 2018

Excellent gripping period thriller set in Edinburgh's medical revolution

This tale of murder takes place in mid 19th century Edinburgh, where the city is at the forefront of the world's advances in medicine - both medical practices and procedures and also drugs and anaesthetics. Many nights are spent with some of the city's top surgeons sitting round the dinner table in the post-prandial slumber sampling various substances looking to find the perfect anaesthetic.
Will Raven, a recently qualified doctor, starts a new job as apprentice to Edinburgh's pre-eminent midwifery expert, Dr James Young Simpson. But he has recently found the dead body of a female friend and starts to investigate the mysterious circumstances of her demise.
The book takes several strands: we have the true history of Edinburgh's medical revolution where doctors like Simpson vied to get the job done but also find better ways to do it for their patients, we have the murder mystery angle, we have the capable and frustrated women who are refused to even attempt to do jobs they are clearly able to do, and we have the class system in full evidence and while many go along with it, some people like Simpson try to get past this and make their households more inclusive for all.
The threads are all interwoven brilliantly and combine to give a story that is both thrilling and interesting.
Having read a lot of Chris Brookmyre, I had high expectations for his storytelling and these were more than met with a brilliantly paced and enjoyable page-turner. I believe writing with his wife has helped tone down the language a little and the tone of the dialogue is very different to his previous work.
My one gripe would be that the climax of the story was a little laboured, with every single event, decision and twist explained numerous times from different perspectives. Given I had spotted a number of hints quite early on and knew who the perpetrator was, and was happy to assume certain things had happened, I didn't feel the need to have this confirmed at length in great detail.
Otherwise an excellent book and the start of a new series that I will be avidly waiting for the next instalment of.