A Simply Enchanted Life

When Mercy Rains by Kim Vogel Sawyer

My rating: 5 of 5 stars
★: Didn't Like it
★★: It was Ok
★★★: Liked it
★★★★: Really liked it
★★★★★: It was amazing

Suggested Age:14+ Genre:Amish/Mennonite Fiction, Christian Fiction

 
Note: I let my thirteen year old read this but not all parents will feel comfortable with topics involving teen pregnancy/unwed mother.  Teen pregnancy is not glorified in any way, in fact, you see the shame that this young girl felt and the embarrassment.   As always, I suggest that you use your own discretion in regards to this matter.

Katie's Journey to Love by Jerry S. Eicher

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Jerry Eicher is quickly becoming a favorite author of mine! Many times with male authors I feel like they miss the mark when they write about female characters but Eicher doesn’t fall into this trap. His characters are realistic and likeable. The situations and feelings he puts to paper come alive when you read them and make a very believable and intriguing story. I can't brag on this series enough! I'm absolutely loving Katie Raber!

Emma has married Jesse Mast and she and Katie are starting life anew in the Mast household. However, things aren’t going smoothly with all of Jesse’s children. Mable isn’t shy about expressing her beliefs that her dad should have married another woman. Mable is also pushing the boundaries on her personal freedoms and overall she’s just a bitter young girl trying to find her new role in the Mast house.

Coming October 1,2013!

Amidst the turmoil, Katie continues growing her relationship with the local Mennonite youth groups. At one of these meetings she happens to meet up (and form a relationship with) a young Amish man that she’s had her eyes on for quite some time. Emma doesn’t approve of the relationship—she doesn’t trust Ben Stoll. At first I thought maybe she was letting her own bitterness get in the way of Katie’s happiness but an interesting turn of events have me wondering if she was right. I’m left wondering how it will all turn out!

I cannot wait to read the next installment. I’m so curious and impatient to know how things are going to wrap up! If you’re looking for a new author or series to pick up then I strongly suggest Jerry Eicher and the Emma Raber’s Daughter series.
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Jerry Eicher’s bestselling Amish fiction (more than 210,000 in combined sales) includes The Adams County Trilogy, the Hannah’s Heart books, and the Little Valley Series. After a traditional Amish childhood, Jerry taught for two terms in Amish and Mennonite schools in Ohio and Illinois. Since then he’s been involved in church renewal, preaching, and teaching Bible studies. Jerry lives with his wife, Tina Eicher, and their four children in Virginia.
I received this book free from the Author and Harvest House Publishers. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own

Unbreakable by Nancy Mehl

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


I think I liked this book better than the first. I did think some of it was entirely too similar though so I couldn’t quite give it a 5 star rating. Don't mistake my honesty as expressing a dislike as I really did enjoy the story despite a few shortcomings I thought that book had. For one, I thought that the love triangle angle was a smidgen annoying since I felt it pretty much happened in the first story. In Inescapable, I could understand Lizzie’s plight—Hope just came off a little flighty. Overall though, I did enjoy the story and I look forward to book three if there is to be one.

Hope is torn between two men—betrothed to Ebbie but seriously interested in Jonathan. As hate crimes start to mount against the Mennonite, Ebbie and Jonathan are at odds at how to handle the situation. The Mennonite are gentle people who do not believe in any sort of violence but change is in the air and the church is at odds on where things stand.

Really, the above paragraph sums everything up—there’s not much else I can say to expand on. I felt that this story was a better read than the first but after having read book one I do feel as if the two books were too similar in parts. I would have liked to have seen a little deviation from the typical love triangle.

Since there was in fact a love triangle—at least it wrapped up nicely and I had no idea who she would choose. I was nearly tempted to skip forward a page just to find out once it became apparent that she had made up her mind so at least it was written to be intriguing. Overall a solid four star read and I’ll be picking up more from this author.
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Nancy Mehl lives in Wichita, Kansas with her husband, Norman, and her very active puggle, Watson. First published in 2001, she has now authored nine books, including an omnibus mystery collection, Cozy in Kansas, which contains three of her previously published Ivy Towers mysteries. Book three in the series, For Whom the Wedding Bell Tolls, won the American Christian Fiction Writers Mystery Book of the Year award. Nancy's main writing interests lie in mystery although her new Harmony Series leans more toward the romantic suspense genre. Nancy runs a HUD program for the city of Wichita and is president of a volunteer organization, Wichita Homebound Outreach. She is a member of American Christian Fiction Writers and Kansas Authors Club. You can find out more about Nancy by visiting her Web site at: www.nancymehl.com
I received this book free from Bethany House Publishers in exchange for an honest review. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own.

Inescapable by Nancy Mehl

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


This is the first book that I’ve read by this author and I honestly really liked it. I’m surprising myself because I’m actually starting to enjoy first-person perspective after finally forcing myself to start reading books written in that view late last year. The interesting thing about this series too is that it’s suspenseful with a mystery. Not something you typically associate with Mennonite or "plain" fiction. I finished this book and quickly picked up book number two in the series. Now I am curious to find out if a book three is in the works and when it is coming out! If anyone happens to know the dates--LET ME KNOW!

Lizzie left her Mennonite community after she became an unwed teen mother. Life with her father was difficult and his views kept the community at an arm length from showing their support to Lizzie and her newborn daughter, Charity.

Lizzie has been fairly happy with her new life—that is until someone tries to frame her and she also has a stalker threatening her and her daughter’s life. This causes her to pack up and move back to Kingdom—all the while praying that her father won’t turn her out.

As it turns out, change has come to Kingdom and the promise of a new life exists for Lizzie until her stalker finds her and threatens her and the residents of her sleepy little hometown. I was on the edge of my seat waiting to find out who would have a reason to threaten a single mom and her daughter and I have to say—the culprit wasn’t revealed too fast so I kept reading to figure things out.

Amid the threat of violence and Lizzie’s struggle to reconnect with her family there also was a love story—more like love triangle that had me interested through the very end. I thought it was a great start to a series—a little slow at times for me but that’s still more to do with my struggles with first person perspective more than the story itself. Definitely a keeper for my bookshelf!
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Amazon|CBD|Barnes&Noble
Nancy Mehl lives in Wichita, Kansas with her husband, Norman, and her very active puggle, Watson. First published in 2001, she has now authored nine books, including an omnibus mystery collection, Cozy in Kansas, which contains three of her previously published Ivy Towers mysteries. Book three in the series, For Whom the Wedding Bell Tolls, won the American Christian Fiction Writers Mystery Book of the Year award. Nancy's main writing interests lie in mystery although her new Harmony Series leans more toward the romantic suspense genre. Nancy runs a HUD program for the city of Wichita and is president of a volunteer organization, Wichita Homebound Outreach. She is a member of American Christian Fiction Writers and Kansas Authors Club. You can find out more about Nancy by visiting her Web site at: www.nancymehl.com