Be Still My Soul - a Multnomah Review

Be Still My Soul by Joanne Bischof is a story that felt different to me. Different than other books I read. How? Well, it has a "tone" (only way I know to describe it) that hit my heart immediately. Set in the turn of the last century in the Blue Ridge Mountains, this story will bring all sorts of emotions to the table. Melancholy, forbidden, hopeless are words that I would use to describe Lonnie Sawyer's life. She lives at home with her parents and her siblings, but her father is not loving toward her. She looks forward to turning 18 when she can move in with her aunt.

But before that can happen, a man named Gideon messes up with her plans when she allows him to kiss her and her father witnesses it. Deciding that she's no longer pure, her father forces her to marry Gideon. Both Lonnie and Gideon do not want to marry but do so because they see no other way around it.

When Gideon decides to move to another town for better job opportunities, Lonnie goes along with him, but the trek is arduous. Lonnie collapses when Gideon doesn't allow her to rest, and as a result they wind up at the home of an older couple. From here, chaos ensues for both of them. With a lack of love toward one another, can they make it or will Gideon leave?

This book kept me on the edge of my seat!

I received Be Still My Soul as a complimentary gift in exchange for review from Waterbrook Multnomah Publishers. My comments and opinions are my own.

 

Faithful to Laura - a BookSneeze Review

Faithful to Laura, an Amish fiction novel by Kathleen Fuller, is a well-paced novel with solid characters and an intriguing story.

Laura Stutzman, whose face is forever scarred after an attempt on her life by a man who also stole her family's life savings, has decided to pay back her family. Taking on a job away from home for another Amish family, Laura is determined to no only repay her debt but to find some answers and put the man who nearly killed her behind bars.

Sawyer Thompson was adopted by an Amish family when he was an adolescent. Now as an adult, he rides the fence on whether to remain Amish or to go back to his Yankee roots. When Laura Stutzman works in his parents' shop, his head turns. In spite of the scars on her face, he finds himself drawn to her. But when his rich grandmother from New York finds him and demands that he return with her, he finds himself at a crossroads that he doesn't like.

This is a story that I found myself wanting to finish once I started. A touching story! If you enjoy Amish fiction, this one is a keeper!

I am a member of BookSneeze, a fabulous program through Thomas Nelson. BookSneeze sends members free books to read and keep in exchange for written reviews on a blog and on a major retailer's website (such as Amazon or Barnes & Noble).