A Holland Reads

May 28, 2013

Enter to win an Amish Baking Box from Tricia Goyer and RSVP for her 6/12 Facebook Party!

Tricia Goyer is celebrating the release of her lastest novel, The Promise Box (Zondervan), by hosting an Amish Baking Box giveaway and connecting with readers during her June 12th Book Chat Party!

One "promising" winner will receive:

Apron, hot mitts, and kitchen towels
Amish baking items (rolling pin, pie plate, etc...)
Sherry Gore's Simply Delicious Amish Cooking
The Memory Jar and The Promise Box by Tricia Goyer

Enter today by clicking one of the icons below. But hurry, the giveaway ends on June 11th. Winner will be announced at the "The Promise Box" Facebook Author Chat Party on June 12th. Connect with Tricia for an evening of Amish fun - book chat, trivia, laughter, and more! Tricia will also share an exclusive look at the next book book in the Seven Brides for Seven Bachelors series and give away books and other fun prizes throughout the evening.

So grab your copy of The Promise Box and join Tricia on the evening of June 12th for a chance to connect and make some new friends. (If you haven't read the book, don't let that stop you from coming!)

Don't miss a moment of the fun; RSVP today. Tell your friends via FACEBOOK or TWITTER and increase your chances of winning. Hope to see you on the 12th!

Mr. Tea and the Traveling Tea Cup (Madeline Teahouse Mystery) by Leslie Matthews Stansfield

Title: Mr. Tea & the Traveling Teacup

Author: Leslie Matthews Stansfield

ISBN: 9780988194328

Genre: Cozy Mystery

Type: Trade Paperback

Synopsis: After the death of their mother, sisters Terry and Karen Sutter, turn their childhood home into a teahouse. It’s a dream come true, but the dream begins to resemble a nightmare when teacups start crashing to the floor in the middle of the night. Could the teahouse be haunted? There’s a list of possible ghostly candidates: the prior owner who is rumored to have left behind a buried treasure, two spinster neighbors who disappeared without a trace over forty years ago, or perhaps it’s Terry and Karen’s own mother trying to communicate with them. Karen, the older sister, thinks running a haunted teahouse might be fun, until the sisters come home one night to find the attic stairs covered in a trail of what appears to be blood. Is it a ghost or a warning? The teahouse’s new mascot, a psychic macaw, may provide some unexpected clues, but the sisters will encounter many more surprises before they solve this mystery.

My Review: I read this book because it sounded like a cute cozy mystery to me and we all know I love a good cozy mystery. I think it was a neat idea for the sisters to turn their childhood home into a teahouse, how cool would that be - but then when it turns out not when it turns out your house may be haunted. This was a new author for me and I am glad I chose to review it. I loved the macaw as a fun touch to this story - Mr. Tea always had something to say. This book was full of twists and turns which kept you guessing right up until the very end as whodunit which makes for a good mystery to me. The character development in this book was very good - I felt like I could know any of these people. This is going to be a fun series to continue on with. 4 stars

I received this book in exchange for a fair and honest review.

Ray of Light by Shelley Shepard Gray (Days of Redemption #2)

Title: Ray of Light

Author: Shelley Shepard Gray

ISBN: 9780062204424

Genre: Christian Fiction/Amish

Type: Trade Paperback

Synopsis: When two hearts connect on a beach in Florida, is it a brief romance . . . or the start of a lasting love?

After family secrets come to light, causing an uproar, Roman Keim is taking a much-needed vacation to Pinecraft, the Amish snowbird community in Florida. The warm weather is a welcome break from the bleak Ohio winter, as is a week off from all his family's drama. But Roman's own drama begins when he meets his next-door neighbors: Amanda Yoder, a beautiful young widow, and her adorable daughter, Regina.
In the two years since her husband died, Amanda has never looked at another man. She certainly doesn't intend to get married again. But she can't deny that there's something special between her and Roman. As his week in Pinecraft comes to a close, Amanda knows that, in spite of her attempt to remain distant, she's given Roman a piece of her heart. And her daughter seems to have fallen in love, too.
Is there hope for a second chance at love for Amanda? Or will duty call Roman home first, far from the two women who have captured his heart?

My Review: This is the first book I have read by this author and I am happy that I said I would review it. There were a couple of things that drew me to this book, one is that is is a book about the Amish which I love and the second is that is is set in Florida which is where I live so I enjoy reading books that take place here. I have not read the first book in the series yet but I did not have any trouble reading this book. I do want to now go back and read the first one as well. Another thing I liked about this book was how it had a romance feel to it without it being heavy. This was also a story about moving on but not forgetting the one we have lost. It is good to show how that can be done. I think is a must read book especially if you are a fan of Amish Fiction. 5 Stars

I received this book in exchange for a fair and honest review

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May 27, 2013

The Promise Box by Tricia Goyer (Seven Brides for Seven Bachelors #2)

Title: The Promise Box

Author: Tricia Goyer

ISBN: 9780310335122

Genre: Christian Fiction (Amish)

Type: Trade Paperback

Synopsis: Every year, young Amish men descend on the cozy little town of West Kootenai, Montana, arriving in the spring to live there for six months and receive “resident” status for the hunting season in the fall. They arrive as bachelors, but go home with brides!

In The Promise Box, the second book of best-selling author Tricia Goyer’s Seven Brides for Seven Bachelors series, Lydia Wyse, a book editor from Seattle who grew up Amish, returns to the small community of West Kootenai to give comfort to her father after her mother’s death. She is drawn back to the familiar Amish ways after finding her mother’s most precious possession, a Promise Box of prayers and scripture. What her publisher sees, though, is an opportunity for a sensational “tell-all” book about the Amish.
Lydia soon finds herself falling in love with Amish bachelor Gideon Hooley. She wants nothing more than to forget her past and look forward to a future as an Amish bride. But will the pain of her childhood---and her potential betrayal of her community---keep her from committing her whole heart?

My Review: I enjoyed this book just as much as the first book. Lydia is Englisch (after leaving the Amish earlier in her life) and Gideon is Amish but they still find themselves attracted to each other through their past. I like how Tricia can make each of the characters seem so real and make you fall in love with each o them. I found this to be an emotional book which is a good thing as I did not want to put the book down. Each of these books take us on a journey and they affect each of different but there is a good message in each of them that will come out as you read on. Another thing I liked about this series is the prized possessions that also teach us something, first we had the memory jar and now the promise box, what shall we have next. I highly recommend this book to everyone. 5 Stars

Enter to win an Amish Baking Box from Tricia Goyer and RSVP for her 6/12 Facebook Party!

Click here to enter the contest to win The Promise Box

The Red Queen by Philippa Gregory (The Cousins War #2)

Title: The Red Queen

Author: Philippa Gregory

ISBN: 9781416563723

Genre: Historical Fiction

Type: Hard Back

Synopsis: Heiress to the red rose of Lancaster, Margaret Beaufort never surrenders her belief that her house is the true ruler of England and that she has a great destiny before her. Her ambitions are disappointed when her sainted cousin Henry VI fails to recognize her as a kindred spirit, and she is even more dismayed when he sinks into madness. Her mother mocks her plans, revealing that Margaret will always be burdened with the reputation of her father, one of the most famously incompetent English commanders in France. But worst of all for Margaret is when she discovers that her mother is sending her to a loveless marriage in remote Wales.

Married to a man twice her age, quickly widowed, and a mother at only fourteen, Margaret is determined to turn her lonely life into a triumph. She sets her heart on putting her son on the throne of England regardless of the cost to herself, to England, and even to the little boy. Disregarding rival heirs and the overwhelming power of the York dynasty, she names him Henry, like the king; sends him into exile; and pledges him in marriage to her enemy Elizabeth of York’s daughter. As the political tides constantly move and shift, Margaret charts her own way through another loveless marriage, treacherous alliances, and secret plots. She feigns loyalty to the usurper Richard III and even carries his wife’s train at her coronation.

Widowed a second time, Margaret marries the ruthless, deceitful Thomas, Lord Stanley, and her fate stands on the knife edge of his will. Gambling her life that he will support her, she then masterminds one of the greatest rebellions of the time—all the while knowing that her son has grown to manhood, recruited an army, and now waits for his opportunity to win the greatest prize.

In a novel of conspiracy, passion, and coldhearted ambition, number one bestselling author Philippa Gregory has brought to life the story of a proud and determined woman who believes that she alone is destined, by her piety and lineage, to shape the course of history.

My Review: I enjoyed reading this book but there were parts of it that moved a little slow for me. I enjoyed reading and learning about Margaret - Henry Tudor's mother. She knew from the time she was young she would do something great as she had a vision. Lady Margaret lived her whole life trying to get her son back to his rightful throne. Even through three marriages she worked tirelessly to make this vision come true. In a way I felt sorry for her as she did fall in love with the brother to her second husband but she was never able to live out her life with him as she was to intent on bringing her son to his rightful throne. I am looking forward to reading the next book in this series. I give this book three stars.

May 24, 2013

The Merlot Murders By Ellen Crosby - Wind Country Mystery #1

Title: The Merlot Murders - A wine country murder #1

Author: Ellen Crosby

ISBN: 9781416536048

Type: Mass Market Paperback

Synopsis: Leland Montgomery's death was deemed accidental, but when his daughter Lucie returns home from France, she finds the once-thriving family vineyard run down, collapsing under huge debt. Lucie's godfather warns her that Leland's demise may have been the result of an attempt to force the sale of the vineyard. Her extravagant brother and rebellious sister are determined to sell the estate, and there's something suspicious about the vintner her father hired right before he died. When another oenophile turns up dead, asphyxiated in a tank of Merlot, Lucie - the lone holdout preventing the vineyard's sale - realizes she's next in line for an "accident." Can she trust in the proverb in vino veritas - in wine there is truth - as she attempts to survive a very bad year for Merlot?

My Review: I know I have said this about cozies before, but I loved this book. I enjoy all cozies that I read but this even more than others. One thing I like is that there was a little history involved in the story telling. Lucie is a person that I liked from page one, I even felt sorry for her at times even though she I think she can be a strong person. Greg made me want to reach in the book and slap him silly as well as Eli. I did not like either of them. Quinn is a person that one minute I liked and the next I did not. I still think there is some sort of mystery behind him that I hope to find out more about in future books. This is a series that I plan on continuing. There are many people that this book can appeal to, wine lovers, history lovers and mystery lovers. The history of wine and merlot in particular was very interesting to me. I recommend this book to all. I give is five stars.