Masquerade by Nancy Moser

Charlotte Gleason learns that her family is about to take a downturn in society. With no money and a scandal brewing with her father, she is about to be sent to America to marry a rich man. Charlotte has always had her own way and she insists that she will only marry for love. When her mother becomes ill, the decision is made for Charlotte's maid Dora to accompany her to New York instead of Charlotte's mother. During the passage across the ocean, Charlotte hatches a plan to swap identities with Dora, thus giving Dora the chance to live the life of a rich heiress. Things don't go as planned and Charlotte has a lot of obstacles to deal with and Dora has pangs of guilt from having to maintain the lie that she is Charlotte.

If you enjoy historical fiction, this is a good book for you to read. The descriptions of the clothing and the rules of society during the gilded age are very interesting to read. It was also interesting to read about the awful conditions in the slums of New York City during that time of high immigration from Europe and Asia to this new land of opportunity. I have to admit that Charlotte was more then a bit irritating at times and rather selfish. I suppose that her privileged upbringing was the main cause of her headstrong behavior, but it still irritated me. The swings between her selfishness and the generosity to help less fortunate people in spite of her own limited ability to help seemed a bit out of character. Overall I did enjoy the book very much in spite of my irritation with Charlotte's behavior.

I received this book to read and review from Bethany House Publications.

The Vigilante's Bride by Yvonne Harris

Emily McCarthy is on her way to the Montana Territory. She expects to become the bride of Bart Axel, a widowed and wealthy man whom she knows nothing about. On her way to Bart's ranch, the stagecoach is stopped by a cowboy with a grudge to settle. The cowboy takes money from the lawyer in the coach, thus settling part of his grudge, and also manages to save Emily from being taken to Bart's ranch to become his bride.

After looking at the cover of this book, I was a bit reluctant to read this "cowboy" book. I'm so glad that I overcame my initial reaction and began to read this exciting story. I really enjoyed meeting the characters in this book. One scene that I especially enjoyed was the change of clothing between the cowboys and Indians. There was humor in this scene but also the message that people of different backgrounds can get along when the truth is recognized by everyone and a common good needs to be achieved. By the end of this story, I was ready to read more. I do hope that there will be additional stories with Emily and the cowboy Sullivan.

I received this book from Bethany House Publishers to read and review.

The Thorn by Beverly Lewis

The Thorn

Book 1 of the Rose Trilogy

by Beverly Lewis

The setting is Amish country in Pennsylvania. A beautiful place where Amish people live their lives, mostly isolated from the hectic pace of cities and suburbia. This story centers on Hen, her younger sister Rose and various people in their lives who seem to have their own needs that may not be best for these two sisters who were brought up in the plain ways of the Amish. Hen has married outside of the sheltered environment of her family. After realizing that her own daughter is not getting the type of love and discipline that she experienced in her own family home, Hen wants to find a way to return to her roots and remove her daughter from the fast ways of MTV on TV and being spoiled with worldly goods. Her husband is not cooperative in any way and claims to be agnostic. Rose is friends with a boy who was adopted by the Bishop, but has never really given up his worldly ways or become a true Amish son to the Bishop. Rose is interested in a Amish young man, who has shown interest in her and wishes to court her.

I really enjoyed reading this book. There are many characters within the book who add a lot of layers and texture to the main story. I've never read any of Beverly Lewis's other books, but look forward to reading more about Hen and Rose and how their lives progress. This book is worth reading and you won't be disappointed with the characters and the story. The book has definitely left me wanting more and as far as I am concerned, that is a high recommendation for this book.

Bethany House Publishers provided an ARC for me to read and review.

Love Finds You in Victory Heights, Washington by Tricia Goyer & Ocieanna Fleiss

Love Finds You in Victory Heights, Washington is set during WWII in Washington state. The main character is Rosalie who works at the Boeing plant as a riveter on B-17's. She has lost her fiance in the war and is doing a sort of penance by staying busy at work and helping wherever she can to support the war effort. Eventually she meets a local reporter who does a story on her and makes her the local 'Rosie the Riveter" which leads to a lot of new experiences, some of which really force her into a spotlight that she doesn't want to be in.
I really enjoyed reading this story. Historical romances are always fun to read and sometimes we can learn something new. I hadn't known about the fake town roads and homes that were placed on top of big, strategic buildings like Boeing that could have become targets for the enemy to bomb. There were two things that I wasn't happy with in the story. One being Kenny using the term Doll when he spoke to Rosalie. It just seems a bit slangy and not necessarily a term that a guy would use for a woman he respected. I'm probably wrong that, but that's how I feel. It's not that important to the whole story, so maybe I shouldn't have even mentioned it. The other thing that seemed a bit out of the norm is how the Lanie character managed to be so easily forgiven by Rosalie. She didn't seem all that trustworthy to me and to make her a bridemaid doesn't seem like something someone who was hurt by her underhandedness would do. Yes, it's good to forgive, but sometimes it can take a little while to work things out for the best. Overall, I did enjoy this book very much.

http://www.litfusegroup.com/Blog-Tours/love-finds-you-in-victory-heights-washington.html

This book was provided to me by Litfuse to read and review. I was not paid for my review.

Amish Proverbs by Suzanne Woods Fisher

Amish Proverbs is such a sweet little book packed full of wonderful old sayings that are still meaningful today. Reading through each chapter/subject was such a journey of memories for me. Many of the proverbs were familiar to me from my childhood. My mother was a source of never ending sayings that either brought fear or laughs depending on what it was that I was doing. I remember my mom saying that the Pennsylvania Dutch had an odd way of saying things. One of her examples was "throw papa down the stairs a pair of shoes". That always made me laugh. I could understand that sometimes saying things can be mis-understood by others. I can only hope that I learned from that example.
As wonderful as the proverbs are, the photos throughout the book are a testament to how beautiful the simple things in life really are. Each photo will either bring memories of drives through the Amish areas of Pennsylvania and other states or just show you a small part of how beautiful well kept farms really look. There are also many photos of simple tools, crafted items, quilts, food and many more lovely images that you will enjoy looking at.
I highly recommend this book to everyone. It's a joy to look at and read over and over again.

I received this book from Litfuse and the review is my own opinion.

Amish Proverbs and Your Family Proverbs

I have tried and tried to think of some family proverbs or family sayings, but have not had much luck thinking of any. My own mother used to say all sorts of things, that I just refer to as mommisms. Maybe that is really what most call proverbs, who knows for sure. My mom and grandmother often told me that if I kept making faces it would freeze that way. I didn't think it was true when I was a kid, and fortunately I was right or I'd be in really big trouble now. My grandmother also told me not to hang upside down on my swing set, because all of my blood would go into my head. I'm not sure that that would have been such a bad thing, but who knows. In order to keep granny happy, I wouldn't hang upside down when she was looking.
If anyone reading this would like to share their own family proverbs, please just post them in a comment. I will be giving away a copy of Amish Proverbs to one lucky winner chosen at random by a member of my family who has not yet been appointed to perform this task.

Amish Proverbs by Suzanne Woods Fisher Book Give-Away and Family Proverb Discussion

Suzanne's Amish Proverbs just hit the shelves. To celebrate she's giving away a KINDLE and throwing a party! Let the fun begin. See below for info and links.

Find out more about the book, Suzanne and the blog tour here.

Enter Suzanne Woods Fisher's Simple Wisdom KINDLE Giveaway!

One Grand Prize winner will receive a Kindle preloaded with Suzanne Woods Fisher titles. The Prize Pack (valued at over $205.00) includes:

* A brand new KINDLE, Free 3G, 6", Latest Generation

* Amish Peace by Suzanne Woods Fisher

* The Choice by Suzanne Woods Fisher

To enter, simply click on the icons below to fill out the entry form, then tell 5 or more friends about the contest.

Oh, and enter soon! Winner will be announced on September 1st.

 
Join Suzanne for a Wrap-up Party on September 1st!

She’ll be announcing the winner of the Simple Wisdom KINDLE Giveaway, chatting with readers, and giving away copies of Amish Proverbs and The Choice! Be sure to join us on Wednesday , September 1st at 8PM EST at Suzanne’s Author Page

Be sure to check out the blog tour here or purchase a copy of Amish Proverbs: Words of Wisdom from the Simple Life!