A BOOK REVIEW OF THE BEEKEEPER'S SON BY KELLY IRVIN

Incredible writing talent by Kelly Irvin is the first thing readers will notice about The Beekeeper’s Son (Zondervan Fiction).  Kelly’s vivid descriptions of the landscape and characters engage the reader and add immensely to the reading experience.  This enchanting and absorbing novel is hard to put down and is filled with messages from the Good Word.

Widowed Abigail Lantz is moving her children from their home in Ethridge, Tennessee to a small Amish settlement in Bee County, Texas.  Abigail’s brother John and his family live there in the middle of desolation, heat, and dirt.  The Amish in Bee County don’t take care of their property like the Ethridge Amish do.  It’s no wonder that depression begins to set in for the Lantz’s.

Oldest daughter, 19 year old Deborah, is missing her special friend, Aaron, back in Tennessee but he is already moving on, much to Deborah’s despair. Deborah’s mother, Abigail is making this move to see if she and an old friend, Stephen, are compatible for marriage.  Kelly Irvin’s writing surrounding this couple is engrossing.  Readers will be in suspense waiting to see how Stephen and Abigail’s relationship turns out.

One of the Bee County families steps up to befriend Abigail and her children.  Mordecai King and his family raise bees to sell their wax and honey.  His son, Phineas King, is physically and mentally traumatized from an accident that killed his mother when he was a small child.  Now as a young adult, he keeps to himself and rarely speaks to anyone as he feels too disfigured to mix with others. 

When Phineas and Deborah meet, sparks fly but neither want to acknowledge the attraction.  Phineas doesn’t feel like anyone could ever love him since he is facially scarred.  He tries to push Deborah away at every chance he gets as he detests pity and to protect his heart from more pain.  Deborah doesn’t understand why Phineas doesn’t believe her when she tries to express her feelings and she gets discouraged.

With two romances to develop, and a few calamities thrown in, this book is very noteworthy and a real page turner.  Kelly Irvin writes with a passion for prayer and Christian values that is woven throughout the pages.  The Beekeeper’s Son is a keeper, worthy of purchase for any book collection.  The Beekeeper’s Son was published January 12, 2015.

A BOOK REVIEW OF THE AMISH CLOCKMAKER BY MINDY STARNS CLARK AND SUSAN MEISSNER

The Amish Clockmaker (Harvest House Publishers) by Mindy Starns Clark and Susan Meissner is a five star entertaining delight!  This book has it all from romance to mystery.  But not just your run of the mill romance and mystery.  Both are written in depth and in a way that is unlike any other Amish novel out there.  Readers should keep tissues handy as the end is tender and touching.

While trying to enlarge the family tack shop, Matthew Zook is told there is a parcel of land they want to build on that does not belong to the Zook family.  It turns out that former land owners Mr. and Mrs. Clayton Raber still own that parcel of land and as a result, it had not been sold to the Zooks.

Clayton Raber, a clockmaker, had a terrible temper according to the Amish in the community that remembered him.  It was thought that Clayton killed his wife back in 1955, however, although he was arrested for the murder, the charges were dropped.  Clayton left the community and Amish church after being released from jail and it seems that no one knows where he went.

Matthew Zook desperately needs to find Clayton Raber to get him to sign a quick claim deed for the land before he can continue his remodeling project on his family shop.  The book is divided into three sections, telling Matthew’s story, Clayton’s story, and the conclusion, which is divine.  Truly, the writing is so beautifully done and out of the ordinary, that it makes this Amish novel hard to put down.

Mindy Starns Clark and Susan Meissner have been geniuses in writing this series, The Men of Lancaster County. The normal Amish novel has a female as its protagonist, but in this series, it is always a man telling the story.  The Amish Clockmaker is Book Three in the series.  All the books are fantastic but this last one, The Amish Clockmaker, is a flawless piece of literature, and a book anyone would be proud to have in their permanent library, regardless if they are a fan of Amish genre or not.  The Amish Clockmaker was published February 1, 2015.

A BOOK REVIEW OF THE MATCHMAKER BY SARAH PRICE

Sarah Price has written another instant hit with the novel The Matchmaker (Charisma Media).  Jane Austen’s Emma was the inspiration for The Matchmaker’s theme.  Sarah’s impeccable attention to authentic details of Amish daily living is apparent in this book.  This is an immensely enjoyable read with an essential message woven throughout.

Our protagonist, Emma Weaver, age 21, is a pretty Amish woman with blue eyes, who lives with her 65 year old widower father, Henry.  Emma’s cousin Anna, who spent years living with Henry and Emma just left their homestead to marry “Old Widower Wagler” the week before.  Emma sadly feels the absence of Anna who was her substitute mother after Emma’s mother died.

Emma has it in her head that she should be the town’s matchmaker after she matches Anna with Mr. Wagler.  Hannah Souder, is a 17 year old new Amish girl in town, and seems to have replaced the void in Emma's life since Anna left.  Emma wants to exercise her matchmaking skills on Hannah and at naive Hannah's expense. 

Everyone tells Emma how thoughtful and kind-hearted she is.  Emma prides herself in having that reputation in the Amish community.  It nevers occurs to Emma that she lacks humility in her dealings with family, friends, and neighbors.  Emma who seems so perfect, finds she needs to rethink her actions.  There are many lessons readers can learn from this beautifully written novel, but in particular the lessons of humility and forgiveness shine through.

Previous to The Matchmaker, Sarah Price wrote First Impressions, An Amish Tale of Pride and Prejudice.  First Impressions is the first book in the series called The Amish Classics.  The two books released so far in the series are quality literature and would be a wonderful addition to any book collection. The Matchmaker was published on February 3, 2015.

If you would like to learn more about The Matchmaker and visit other tour stops here is the link to take you to the Blog Tour List.

The Preiss family emigrated from Europe in 1705, settling in Pennsylvania as the area's first wave of Mennonite families. Sarah Price has always respected and honored her ancestors through exploration and research about her family history and their religion. At nineteen, she befriended an Amish family and lived on their farm throughout the years.

As a masterful storyteller, Sarah Price prides herself on presenting an authentic Amish experience for her readers. Many of her stories are based on actual people she has met and her own experiences living among the Amish over the years. Sarah now resides in Morris County, New Jersey with her family.

While she started out as an Indie author, she signed on with Realms, an imprint of Charisma House and Waterfall Press, an imprint of Brilliance Publishing. Her first book, First Impressions: An Amish Adaptation of Pride and Prejudice was released in May 2014.

Get the latest news about Sarah Price on Facebook, Twitter, and sarahpriceauthor.com.

Please use these buy links: Amazon / B&N / Christianbook.com

COMPUTER IS ON THE MEND

Here I sit in a hotel room in northern Atlanta, Georgia and I'm able to compose a post on my blog today.  I figured out that my ailing computer needs much more time to start up or else it will refuse to work.  So as a result, if I show a great deal of patience, my laptop will reward me with working for a few hours, then it slows down to the point of being useless.  There is probably a real easy fix for my computer's problems but I am just not up to date on technology.  It seems as if the days when I understood and could do just about anything on the computer have passed and now my brain just can't wrap itself around how complicated everything is.  I just wish I didn't rely so much on my computer, but I do!

Meanwhile, back to AmishReader.blogspot.com, a new post with information and a review of Sarah Price's new Amish novel, The Matchmaker will be posted on February 11 at 7:00 am.

Blessing to you all!
Gloria

COMPUTER TROUBLES

Unfortunately my computer is in ICU and the situation looks grim.  I'm writing this to you all on my husband's computer, so I must keep it short.  Since I can't bring AmishReader.BlogSpot.com up on my computer at all, my blogging will be nonexistent.  Hopefully if my computer is not repairable, I can buy a new one and transfer all my files over, but that will not happen until after the 8th of February.  Currently I am in Ft. Myers, Florida and will not return home until February 8th.

Blessings to you all,
Gloria