A Simply Enchanted Life

The Hope of Spring by Wanda E. Brunstetter

My rating: 5 of 5 stars



I pretty much just kept devouring these little novellas. I LOVE the storyline and I had to keep reading. As I have said in my previous reviews of these however, I’m frustrated that they’re broke up in 120ish page stories.

Economically, it just isn’t a good value! The story is fantastic but my continued gripe about these is the price. At 6.29 a piece (on amazon) this set of six would cost a hefty 37.74 (not including shipping) so that is my continual gripe/warning in regards to this series.

Meredith has returned to her home and is awaiting the birth of her and Luke’s baby. She’s excited to meet her child but she still feels so lost and alone. She never thought she would be raising her baby alone.

Meanwhile, "Eddie" is still in a coma and his nurse seems to be getting a serious attachment to him—this concerned me from the get go! I was worried about a romance blossoming between the two of them.

Jonah also is another concern of mine—to be honest, I started almost disliking him at this point in the story. I know he isn’t meant to be pushy and obnoxious but that is how I kept reading his character. I felt he was a tad too pushy with a woman who hasn’t been a widow even a year and is still pregnant with her husband’s child.

Nonetheless—I really enjoyed this little novella and looked forward to picking up the next installment right away!
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A nationally recognized authority on the Amish community, Wanda E. Brunstetter has seen her book sales over the two million mark. Wanda enjoys an uncommon kinship with the Amish and continues to visit their communities throughout the country. Her books have won numerous awards and topped several bestselling charts. http://www.wandabrunstetter.com/

I received this book free from the publisher through Netgalley. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own

A Heartbeat Away by S. Dionne Moore

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


This is the first book I’ve read by this author.

My mother is a quilter and I was intrigued by the idea of quilting and storytelling.

The Civil War has always been an interest in mine—it was a very sad time in our history where brother fought against brother. I can't imagine how heartbreaking this was for the families involved.

The fascinating thing to me is that there are documented stories of “enemies” that fought in the Civil War becoming close friends. How could two people that fought one another ever become friends? This book really focused on the power of forgiveness and shows how our lives can change when we soften our hearts towards our fellow man. I would be interested in reading more by this author!

Beth has gone against her parent’s wishes in learning to become a nurse. When Beth arrives at her grandmother’s she is completely loyal to the Union and finds it hard to serve the injured confederates. Her grandmother however sees each injured man as a person with a soul and feelings and refuses to turn away anyone—regardless of which side they fight for.

Joe is one of the injured confederates that Beth is caring for and she is intrigued by his gentle nature. He doesn’t seem to be the monster she assumed a confederate would be. As it turns out, Joe tried to help a family of slaves and in doing so was shot—his brother killed.

Joe is struggling to recover emotionally and physically while Beth is learning to see past labels and the exterior and see the man that is inside. A promise of love develops between them but there are obstacles to overcome.

A quilt sent to Beth by her mother holds a secret message in the pattern. The design hides a message of faith and hope that Beth begins to discover as she pieces together the blocks.

This story was very touching and I was rooting for Beth and Joe from the start. I enjoyed this book very much and it was very well written. I did find one small editorial mistake in mid book in a misspelled word but was easily overlooked—especially because the storyline was so wonderful!
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Dionne Moore is a historical romance author who resides in South Central PA with her family, surrounded by the beautiful Cumberland Valley and lots of fun, historically rich locations. She is a weekly contributor to "The Borrowed Book", a blog for book-lovers and "Cozy Mystery Magazine", for all things cozy mystery.

I received this book free from the publisher through a fantastic program called Litfuse Publicity. I was not required to write a positive review. The thoughts and opinions I have expressed are my own. To view other reviews and learn more about the blog tour for A Heartbeat Away please visit the Litfuse group by clicking here

The Silence of Winter by Wanda E. Brunstetter

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I’ve been itching to pick up the rest of these and was so excited that I was selected to review the series!

I literally couldn’t put these down. I was obsessively reading to figure out what would happen with Luke and Meredith and at times nervously worried they might not make it back to one another.

I do hope that one day all six volumes will be available in a collection as I think that individually I would have gotten frustrated with having to wait to see how the story wrapped up.

I also think that individually the cost of each book is a more than I’d be willing to pay. It has nothing to do with the story line or the writing but I do prefer a more traditional delivery than mini novellas.

Meredith has learned of Luke’s death and as to be expected is devastated. It is bad enough that they parted on uneasy ground but to never have a chance to tell him that she’s expecting his baby is absolutely heartbreaking.

Her life is thrown into a tailspin and when she almost loses the baby—my heart just sank! Luckily, nothing like that happened and her sister moves in to help care for her. Also, an old friend shows up to offer his support as well and I quickly saw how interested he was in her even though it is entirely too early for her to be ready for any relationship.

Hours away, Luke lies in a coma. Badly beaten and fighting for his life in the hospital—no one knows his identity and his family wrongfully believe he has died. Ooooh, drama and suspense! I knew it was very unlikely to happen but I couldn’t help but feel apprehension of Meredith possibly moving on while she still had a husband!!!

Book two concluded entirely too soon and I quickly picked up book three to see where this story would lead! If you’re planning to pick up this series I strongly suggest waiting and getting all six books at once as frustration at having to wait to read the next installment is highly probable.

The story is definitely five stars—I am still wary of the value and cost of these individual novellas so please take that into consideration when you pick these up!
View all my reviews|Excerpt

Amazon|CBD|Barnes&Noble

A nationally recognized authority on the Amish community, Wanda E. Brunstetter has seen her book sales over the two million mark. Wanda enjoys an uncommon kinship with the Amish and continues to visit their communities throughout the country. Her books have won numerous awards and topped several bestselling charts. http://www.wandabrunstetter.com/

I received this book free from the publisher through Netgalley. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own