This is a story that is trying to show how kids with hearing problems can be just like all the other kids. This does seem to show that they might need a little extra help some days. I liked how it showed that the schools would be willing to help all kids to get a good education. The illustrations were well done also. I received a copy of this book from the ireadbooktour for a fair and honest opinion that I gave of my own free will.
In this bighearted book, the real story of a young boy with deafness in his ears is aided by his mother and teachers in navigating new school experiences. Mickey is just like everyone else, except he wears cochlear implants and has to do things just a little differently than most. This charming tale reminds us that we can all find happiness if we lean on and support each other. Buy the Book Amazon ~ B&N Mascot Books
Meet the Author:
Born and raised in Chicago, Michelle Wagner was always a very positive and outgoing woman. Her energetic love for children and zest for life was admired by everyone who knew her. Michelle is a realtor whose career background involved restaurants and always helping other people. She has dedicated time and support to charities and events to help other children with hearing loss and assist families as they work through the different approaches to raising a special needs child in a typical environment.
I am really going to miss these characters since this is the final book in this series. I loved how Belinda learns to handle her grief over the death of her husband and one of her sons. Belinda, along with her two daughters and her son, get better at handling life and begin to find love again. I also like Virginia even though she wasn’t always pleasant. I liked how they solved the mystery of the vandalism around their home and greenhouse. I received a copy of this book from the author and Barbour publishing for a fair and honest opinion that I gave of my own free will.
I give this book a five out of five stars.
About the Book:
A Season of Hope Is Coming
For the past two years Belinda King, along with her two grown daughters and teenage son, has been struggling to keep the family greenhouse running. Despite disconcerting events that have threatened to put them out of business, they have survived two growing seasons. And now Belinda can focus on the two suitors vying for her attention. Herschel Fisher, a new acquaintance, makes her feel relaxed, and Monroe Esh, an admirer from her past, reminds her of her youth.
But just when Belinda thinks she can choose between her suitors, life throws more trials her way. Her son, Henry, becomes bitter about the idea of her dating anyone, and attacks on the greenhouse start again.
When can Belinda hope to experience the peace and love her weary heart longs for?
This book is going to make you cry and question why things happen the way they do. This will help you to rebuild your faith or make it stronger. This is a wonderful way to look at how people process their grief differently. It was hard to read this story in places because I wanted to cry so hard. I received a copy of this book from the author fir a fair and honest opinion that I gave of my own free will.
I give this book a five out of five stars.
PUBLISHER DESCRIPTION
While her humanitarian husband Liam has been digging wells in Africa, Mara Jacobs has been struggling. She knows she’s supposed to feel a warm glow that her husband is nine time zones away, caring for widows and orphans. But the reality is that she is exhausted, working a demanding yet unrewarding job, trying to manage their three detention-prone kids, failing at her to-repair list, and fading like a garment left too long in the sun.Then Liam’s three-year absence turns into something more, changing everything and plunging her into a sunless grief. As Mara struggles to find her footing, she discovers that even when hope is tenuous, faith is fragile, and the future is unknown, we can be sure we are not forgotten . . . or unloved.With emotionally evocative prose that tackles tough topics with tenderness and hope, award-winning author Cynthia Ruchti invites you on a journey of the heart you won’t soon forget.
This is such a cute story that teaches children how to be polite. The first part teaches children how to load a dishwasher and the second half teaches children about what noises are not polite to do at the dinner table. I love the illustrations and the story. I believe that young children will enjoy having this read to them or they can try to read it to themselves. I received a copy of this book from ireadbooktours for a fair and honest opinion that I gave of my own free will.
I give this book a five out of five stars.
Book Description:
When poor manners are present, Forkman will be there to save the day! Join Kathryn and William as they learn how to load the dishwasher properly and avoid inappropriate distractions at the table with the help of all their utensil friends. This second book in the Adventures of Forkman series is a great introduction to mealtime etiquette for readers of all ages.
Tiffany Caldwell: I have worked with children for over thirteen years and every year basic manners become less evident. When I was growing up, my sisters and I took etiquette classes during the summer while we visited our grandparents. Etiquette was always a big part of our upbringing. When we would have our family dinners, my dad, W.R. MacKenzie, would make our utensils come to life as we were eating. Forkman became a part of our dinner routine! I am a mother of three great kids and military wife to my hero. A few years ago, I told my dad we needed to start writing our story. We are so excited to share Forkman with the world!
W.R. MacKenzie: I spent thirty-nine years in the bakery business. After I retired and my four children were grown, I felt it was time to share the importance of the family meal with the world. The Adventures of Forkman teaches children how to properly conduct themselves at the table. Our books are filled with characters all children can relate with and I believe Forkman and his crew will help children of all ages learn manners and table etiquette.
I love to read Amish romances and I really enjoy reading about midwives even though I would not have had a home birth.(too chicken). These three stories were fantastic. Each made me cry and laugh. I have always loved these authors. Each of these stories are very inspirational. I received a copy of this book from the author for a fair and honest opinion that I gave of my own free will.
I give this book a five out of five stars.
From bestselling authors of Amish Fiction come three sweet stories about new life, hope, and romance.
Bundles of Blessing by Amy Clipston
Lost in grief after the death of her husband, Kristina Byler gave up remarrying and found comfort and purpose in becoming a midwife. She is surprised when Aidan Smoker–her ex-boyfriend and the man she was sure she’d one day marry–moves back to the community after living in Ohio for the past eight years. They’re both certain there’s too much pain in their shared past for them to have a future, but they keep finding themselves drawn together. As Kristina helps other women bring children into the world, she starts to wonder if a family of her own might be possible after all.
A Midwife for Susie by Shelley Shepard Gray
Haunted by secret guilt after a tragic accident, Joanna Zimmerman is sure she’s left midwifery behind her. She keeps to herself, certain this is for the best. Her childhood friend Dwight Eicher knows that Joanna hasn’t been herself lately, but every time he’s tried to talk to her about what’s wrong, she’s avoided his questions. When his sister, Susie, becomes pregnant, Joanna must decide if she can find the courage to return to the job she once felt so called to. Meanwhile, both Dwight and Joanna face romantic feelings that have the potential to change their friendship forever.
Christmas Cradles by Kelly Long (Also in An Amish Christmas)
When Anna Stolis takes over for her aunt, the local midwife, Christmas night heats up with multiple deliveries, three strangers’ quilts, and unexpected help from the handsome and brooding Asa Lapp.
This was an enjoyable romantic historical mystery. This takes place in the present but we get to hear what happens in the past through a book written by Hedda Krause. Hedda was a very interesting character from the past that Dini is obsessed with. Dini knows the book that Hedda wrote forward and backward and then she meets Quin who says he has information she has never seen. There are many twists and turns and a ghost. This was a very enjoyable story and I really enjoyed the ending. I received a copy of this book from Celebratelit for a fair and honest review that I gave of my own free will.
I give this a four out of five stars.
About the Book
Book: The Lady in Residence
Author: Allison Pittman
Genre: Christian Historical
Release date: February 2021
Can a Legacy of Sadness be Broken at the Menger Hotel?
Visit historic American landmarks through the Doors to the Pastseries. History and today collide in stories full of mystery, intrigue, faith, and romance.
Young widow Hedda Krause checks into the Menger Hotel in 1915 with a trunk full of dresses, a case full of jewels, and enough cash to pay for a two-month stay, which she hopes will be long enough to meet, charm, and attach herself to a new, rich husband. Her plans are derailed when a ghostly apparition lures her into a long, dark hallway, and Hedda returns to her room to find her precious jewelry has been stolen. She falls immediately under a cloud of suspicion with her haunting tale, but true ghost enthusiasts bring her expensive pieces of jewelry in an attempt to lure the ghost to appear again.
In 2017, Dini Blackstone is a fifth-generation magician, who performs at private parties, but she also gives ghost walk tours, narrating the more tragic historical events of San Antonio with familial affection. Above all, her favorite is the tale of Hedda Krause who, in Dini’s estimation, succeeded in perpetrating the world’s longest con, dying old and wealthy from her ghost story. But then Dini meets Quinn Carmichael, great-great-grandson of the detective who originally investigated Hedda’s case, who’s come to the Alamo City with a box full of clues that might lead to Hedda’s exoneration. Can Dini see another side of the story that is worthy of God’s grace?
Allison Pittman is the author of more than a dozen critically acclaimed novels and a four-time Christy finalist—twice for her Sister Wife series, once for All for a Story from her take on the Roaring Twenties and most recently for the critically acclaimed The Seamstress which takes a cameo character from the Dickens’ classic A Tale of Two Cities and flourishes her to life amidst the French Revolution. She lives in San Antonio, Texas, blissfully sharing an empty nest with her husband, Mike. Connect with her on Facebook (Allison Pittman Author), Twitter (@allisonkpittman) or her website, allisonkpittman.com.
More from Allison
From Haunting to Healing: How Stories Bring New Life to Old Ghosts
If you really think about it, every story is a ghost story. Not the floating spirits of the dearly departed kind, not bumps in the night or mysterious howling in the darkness—but the best stories come from examining a haunted heart. Memories that pursue the present.
A few years ago I took the walking tour of haunted San Antonio. It was a lark, a fun tourist-y thing to do with some visiting friends. I’m not a believer in ghosts, but I am a collector of stories. The tour opens at the Alamo—sacred ground of slain soldiers. The second stop is the Menger Hotel, listed as one of the most haunted hotels in the United States by those who measure and evaluate such things. And while the tour guide waxed on about the guests’ litany of haunted experiences (including Teddy Roosevelt raging through the lobby), my mind stuck with the story of Sallie White. Sallie White is the Menger Hotel’s most famous ghost—a chambermaid whose apparition is reported to be seen walking the halls, towels draped over her arm, or to be heard as an efficient two-rap knock on your door late at night. My mind, however, didn’t dwell on Sallie the ghost, but Sallie the woman—just a normal, hard-working, poor woman, murdered in the street by a man who claimed to love her. But for that, she would have passed into history unknown. Instead, her story is told every night as strangers gather on the very sidewalk where the crime took place.
Years after first hearing the story of Sallie white, I stayed in the Menger for a few days to gather details for The Lady in Residence. I booked what they call a “Petite” room—meaning it is a room that maintains its original structure. Read: tiny. Exposed pipes, creaky wooden floors, antique furniture—the only update, the bathroom fixtures. As it turned out, my room was directly above the place where Sallie White was murdered. One night I pressed my ear against the glass and listened to the ghost tour guide tell her story. The next morning, I stood in the exact spot with a fancy Starbucks drink, thinking about her. She lives on, not because people claim to see her walking and hear her knocking in the dead of night, but because she is a woman remembered.
So, is that beautiful? Is it ghoulish? Maybe it’s both, but when I was given the chance to write a story set in and around the Menger Hotel, I was determined to make Sallie White’s story a part of it. I didn’t want to write her story—that would have required embellishment beyond those few historic, factual tid-bits that such a woman left behind. Sallie White didn’t have correspondence to catalog or a journal to give us insight to her thoughts. Instead, I wanted to tell it to readers everywhere who might never make it to San Antonio to hear it for themselves. When you read The Lady in Residence, you are going to hear the true story of Sallie White, all of it taken from a newspaper account of the time. And then, I did what all historical writers do…I folded it into my own tale and folded that tale into another.
That’s really the joy of writing a split-time novel—being able to draw back and shoot a narrative-arrow straight through the hearts of two stories, threading them together, to bring a haunting to a place of healing.
This is the second book in this series and I think even better than the first. I really like Amara and Starsky. There is a lot of suspense and we get some romance. I enjoyed the computer stuff a lot. Amara has her first case in Homicide and it is interesting to see how she goes about solving this case. We also learn a lot more about her family. This has a lot of twists and turns. I received a copy of this book from Revell for a fair and honest opinion that I gave of my own free will.
I give this book a five out of five stars.
PUBLISHER DESCRIPTION
After her rescue of nearly fifty kidnapped children made international headlines, Amara Alvarez gets what she’s worked for: a transfer to San Antonio’s Homicide Division. Reality sets in quickly, though, as her first case, the suspicious death of a teenager at a crowded local water park, brings chaos to her personal life.
As the investigation moves forward and she increases the pressure on the suspects, Amara finds herself under attack by cybercriminals. Her every move is being potentially watched online, and she’s forced to resort to unconventional methods to find the killer. With few leads, she fights to keep her first murder investigation from ending up in the cold case files.
Tom Threadgill is back with another riveting page-turner featuring the detective who is willing to put everything on the line to see that justice is served and lives are protected.
This is definitely a book you are not going to want to put down. This starts with a bang and keeps you wondering all the way to the end. This has such great suspense and some romance. I loved all the characters. It was great to have some previous characters from other stories helping out. I am so looking forward to reading the next book in the series. I received a copy of this book from the author for a fair and honest opinion that I gave of my own free will.
I give this book a five out of five stars.
PUBLISHER DESCRIPTION
US Secret Service Special Agent Luke Powell is lucky to be alive. Three of his fellow agents have died in unusual circumstances in the past ten weeks. Luke is devastated by the loss of his friends and colleagues, and his inability to locate the killer feels like a personal failure. He’s an expert at shielding others, but now the protectors are in need of protection.FBI Special Agent Faith Malone is driven to succeed and confident in her ability to solve every case she’s assigned. She’s been put in charge of the investigation into the unprecedented attacks, and with Luke’s life in danger, the stakes have never been higher. But it’s hard to know how to fight back when you don’t know who the enemy is.As more agents are targeted, Luke and Faith will have to work together to bring a killer to justice and prevent any more names from joining their fallen brothers and sisters on the Secret Service Wall of Honor.Award-winning author Lynn H. Blackburn pulls out all the stops in this brand-new romantic suspense series that will have you holding your breath one minute and swooning the next.
If you love cozy mysteries you will love this book and the whole series. I love this town in Kentucky and all the crazy characters. I love the idea of a coffee shop that has animals up for adoption in them. This story is another great tale in this series. This one kept me wondering till the end who had committed the murder. I really am looking forward to reading the next book in the series to see what is going to happen in the next book. I received a copy of this book from the author for a fair and honest opinion that I gave of my own free will.
I give this book a five out of five stars.
PUBLISHER DESCRIPTION
Welcome to the Bean Hive Coffeehouse where the coffee is as hot as the gossip!
“Fabulous fun and fantastic fried food! Kappes nails small town mystery with another must-read hit. Don’t miss this one!” – Darynda Jones, New York Times Bestselling Author of Eighth Grave After Dark
Welcome to Honey Springs where the gossip flows as freely as the coffee. and The Bean Hive Coffee shop was usually the magnet to where it all occurred.
Honey Springs, Kentucky is abuzz with the opening of a new holistic health spa. There are all sorts of outsiders in town to visit and participate in the opening. A reviewer from a famous magazine is there, but he has the bad habit of writing scathing reviews of everywhere he visits. Could this be trouble for the grand opening?
Add to the mix Loretta Bebe (the town socialite) wants her granddaughter, Birdie, to work for Roxy, so what if she has a bad reputation that’s a mile long?
Things get a little frothy after the famous magazine reviewer turns up dead and the weapon is found on Birdie. Do you think Loretta is going to let anyone but Roxy Bloom use her lawyering skills to solve the murder? You’re darn-tootin’ she aint!
Grab your coffee and hold on to your hat, this southern mystery is full of red-herrings with all sorts of snorts that’ll having you wanting to stay for bit longer at the Bean Hive!
This author never disappoints me with her stories. I loved the characters. Each of the main characters has a tiny secret that we get to learn during the story. I loved that this has so much inspiration running through it. This made me laugh and cry and it was hard to put down. I received a copy of this book from Waterbrook and Multnomah for a fair and honest opinion that I gave of my own free will.
I give this story a five out of five stars.
A lost ring brings together two wounded souls—a youth minister haunted by the past and a spunky church custodian—in this heartwarming romance from the bestselling author of The Librarian of Boone’s Hollow.
“Kim Vogel Sawyer is an amazing storyteller who crafts each of her stories with page-turning excitement and rich character development.”—Tracie Peterson, bestselling author of the Golden Gate Secrets series
Growing up in the foster care system, Jase Edgar always dreamed of one day starting his own family. But his fiancée’s untimely death shattered his plans. Moving to Kansas and serving as a youth minister should be a fresh start, but he can’t seem to set aside his doubts about God’s goodness long enough to embrace his new life.
Newly-appointed church custodian, Lori Fowler is battling her own challenges. Her strained relationship with her father and her struggles with overeating convince her she’s not worthy enough for love. When an Amish weaver enlists their help locating the owner of a ring found among the donated clothing she uses as fabric, Jase and Lori find themselves drawn to each other. But will they be able to release the past and move forward from this moment into a joyful future?
