The Bachelor - a Kregel review

The Bachelor: A Novel; Plain City Peace #2

• Paperback: 256 pages
• Publisher: Kregel Publications (October 1, 2014)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0825442168

Book Description

In this sequel to The Bargain, Betsie Troyer is back home in her Amish community where she knows she belongs, free from the confusing Englisher way of life. She and Charley Yoder have made promises to each other, and her life is back on track--until Gerald Sullivan shows up with his young daughter, asking for Betsie's help. He's on his way to find his estranged wife, and begs Betsie to take young Sheila in.

 

When she agrees, Betsie's carefully planned life is shaken up again. Sheila's newfound faith is troubling to Charley--and his attraction to another girl is beginning to be a problem. But how can Betsie confront him when she is still trying to confront her own feelings about Sheila's brother, Michael? Keeping the peace between the Amish man she's always loved, a twelve-year-old Englisher girl, and a draft-dodging hippie is more than she ever thought she'd have to deal with in her simple, orderly life. Still, Betsie is convinced she can keep things from falling apart completely.

 

Then during her best friend's wedding, tragedy strikes and her world is upended. She has to make a decision: does she love Charley or Michael . . . or is she craving a deeper love that only God can give?

 

The compelling second novel of the Plain City Peace series,The Bachelor deftly weaves together the strands of a solid, simpler time with the turmoil of an era of change, revealing the strengths of both in its powerful narrative.

My Thoughts

A few years ago, I was given the opportunity to read Stephanie's Reed's novel Across the Wide River. I had never read anything written by her before, and I was moved by her writing. I've been a reader of Amish fiction since my teen years when my grandmother introduced me to Beverly Lewis' books, and for many years it was a genre that was my favorite. I don't read a lot of it at this point, due to burn-out, but when I saw that Stephanie's newest novel was available for review, I snagged the opportunity to read some well-written story!

What I love about Stephanie's writing of Amish fiction is that she writes about the Amish people's beliefs accurately, at least in my opinion. That is one of my pet peeves with Amish fiction, and a big reason why I no longer read it like I used to. But that's another story for another day.

Stephanie has a knack for capturing your attention with detail and characters that feel real. She made me feel some real feelings regarding the characters Charley (frustration, anger, appreciation--his character traits ... and flaws ... were evident) and Betsie (frustration, frustration, admiration ... did I mention frustration? lol She just seemed a good bit naive, but I can see how that would be realistic for an Amish young lady.)

Taking place during the 1970s, the story revolves around Betsie Troyer and how she struggles with her mother and father (as well as family members) leaving the Amish faith for mainstream Christianity and moving away. Left as a young adult with her seventeen year old sister Sadie, Betsie is left to fend for herself. Along the way, she struggles with her own standing in the Amish faith and finding a happy medium with an English family in her life. Between Amish fiance Charley and English friend Michael, Betsie has a hard time knowing what's right. Life challenges present themselves and Betsie finds herself at a crossroad, and she has to make a decision.

I highly recommend The Bachelor to anyone who enjoys reading Amish fiction. Stephanie Reed is definitely a name to remember in the Amish fiction world! Check her out!

Stephanie Reed - Facebook

I received The Bachelor as a complimentary gift in exchange for review from Kregel Blog Tours.
My comments and opinions are my own.

Goldtown Adventures Series - a Kregel Review

I was given the opportunity to review two books written by Susan K. Marlow. The books are part of a series called Goldtown Adventures, and their titles are Canyon of Danger and River of Peril. These are children's books that are appropriate for ages eight through twelve, and since the main character is a boy, they would probably be most appreciated by boys, though I'm sure girls would enjoy them, too.

Canyon of Danger is Book Number Three in the Goldtown Adventures series. You can read the first chapter of it at this link, if you'd like.

Book Description

Jem Coulter's pa, the sheriff of Goldtown, is away on a trip to deliver a prisoner to Sacramento, and he has left Jem in charge of the ranch-along with Aunt Rose, that is.

 

No sooner is the sheriff gone then trouble starts-a dead calf, a mysterious stranger, and then Pa's horse, Copper, and his prize rifle are stolen. And Pa's deputies seem unconcerned. Jem and his cousin Nathan find Copper's tracks end at a dark canyon up in the hills.

 

Jem remembers an old Indian legend Strike-it-rich Sam is fond of retelling about people disappearing and no one ever seeing them again. What is the real story of the canyon of danger? Have thieves found the perfect hideout?

 

Readers ages 8 to 12 will be entertained by the adventurous spirit and historical lure in this fast-moving series that teaches about life in the post-Gold Rush days of 1860s California. Quick-paced plots and unforgettable characters make these books fun for the whole family.

My Thoughts
Let me just say first that this is a book that would've interested me when I was a kid. I probably would have turned away because it had a boy on the cover, but if someone had told me it was an interesting book, I'd have read it anyway. This is a book you want to read anyway! When I sat down to read, I wasn't able to read very far before my infant needed my attention, but I managed to finish the first chapter. Boy, was the first chapter a gripper! That is my mark for a keeper. If the first chapter doesn't reel me in, I've no real desire to keep going. This one was not one of those.

I was very impressed with the plot. There was enough excitement to draw in a child, and the story line didn't get too overwhelming, nor was it frightening. The characters were all very believable, and I felt like I "knew" Jem.

To take this on a personal level, I have a nine year old son who is very picky about what he reads. There aren't as many wholesome books for boys of this age, I feel, as there are for girls. It was nice to find a series of books that weren't just good, clean fun, but adventurous, too!

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River of Peril is the second book that I read. It is Book Four in the Goldtown Adventures series. You can read the first chapter of it at this link.

Book Description

Jem Coulter thinks his family is just on a sightseeing trip to the big city of Sacramento. Then armed bandits hold up the stagecoach for the secret stash they're carrying: gold for the Union Army fighting the distant Civil War! Suddenly war isn't so far away; it's right there on the road to Sacramento, with Jem's father, the sheriff of Goldtown, fighting against the rebel army's Knights of the Golden Circle.

 

When the family finally reaches the city, they think they're safe at last. Setting out to see the sights, Jem, his sister Ellie, and their cousin Nathan make a new friend. But is Henry the pal they think he is? With a father who is a die-hard Confederate, could Henry be in cahoots with the thieves?

 

River of Peril gives readers ages 8 to 12 the fast-moving, exciting adventure they've come to expect in this series, as well as a glimpse into the history of post--Gold Rush and Civil War life in 1860s California, with stagecoaches, steamboats, stowaways--and lots of gold!

Jacob's Thoughts

My nine year old reviewed this book. He thought that Jem was a realistic character and said that he would have liked to have had Jem as a friend. He thought it was odd that a kid would have a rifle and shoot it. What a difference between current day and 1860's America! He liked the fact that when Jem was in trouble, he called on God to help him. Jacob thought it would be fun if he could be on an adventure with Jem. Jacob is not a fan of reading, but he enjoyed reading this book. 

My Thoughts

This was a well thought out story. I loved the steamboat adventure. I thought that Susan did an excellent job describing life on a steamboat. Her research has shown in this book, and the historical tidbits make the book seem like history come alive. Also, like Jacob, I thought it was nice to see a character cry out to God when he saw that he needed help. 

Lastly....

This is a series that is easily read. Its chapters are short--relevant to the age of 8-12 year olds. This series would be perfect for a family read-aloud or for individual use. I haven't read the first two books in the series, but each of these books has been perfect for stand-alone, so don't be afraid to read them out of sequence. Susan does a wonderful job of informing the reader about who the characters are, so there's no concern about trying to figure out who is whom.

Susan has enrichment guides that go along with each of the books in this series! Check them out--they're perfect if you homeschool, if you are a teacher in a private school or a parent who just wants a little enrichment in your child's life.

I received Canyon of Danger and River of Peril as a complimentary gift in exchange for review from Kregel Blog Tours. My comments and opinions are my own.

The Tainted Coin - a Kregel review

Medieval fiction has never taken my interest in the past. However, in the last couple of years, I've had the opportunity to read and review two of Mel Starr's novels in the Chronicles of Hugh de Singleton, Surgeon series. Since then, I've read the series up to current release, and I hope to read more! What I like most about this series of books is the magnificent detail that goes into the novels. When I can feel the weather, smell what the character smells, and sense the tension that Hugh experiences, that's the mark of a great book!

The Tainted Coin is the fifth novel in the series. (You can read my reviews of the third and fourth novels.) Hugh de Singleton is the main character. Hugh is a surgeon and a bailiff. Much of his daytime activities revolve around these responsibilities. However, now he also is a father. His beloved Kate and he now have an infant daughter.

The story begins as Hugh makes the discovery of a badly beaten man at a nearby church, where he also discovers that the priest there is a former enemy of his! The enemy, thankfully, is a changed man and helps Hugh in trying to help the beaten man. The injuries sustained are too much for the man, however, and his last words are, "They didn't get me coin."

Hugh goes on a quest to find out what happened to the man, who happened to be a chapman selling goods. When the search gets personal, though, Hugh realizes that he must protect his family.

If you would like to read the first chapter of this novel, Mel has a copy that you can read here.


About Mel

Mel Starr was born and grew up in Kalamazoo, Michigan. He graduated from Spring Arbor High School in 1960, and Greenville College (Illinois) in 1964. He received an MA in history from Western Michigan University in 1970. He taught history in Michigan public schools for thirty-nine years, thirty-five of those in Portage, MI, where he retired in 2003 as chairman of the social studies department of Portage Northern High School. Mel married Susan Brock in 1965, and they have two daughters; Amy (Kevin) Kwilinski, of Naperville, IL, and Jennifer (Jeremy) Reivitt, of Portage, MI. Mel and Susan have seven grandchildren.



I received Unhallowed Ground as a complimentary gift in exchange for review from Kregel Blog Tours. My comments and opinions are my own.

Praying With the Grain - a Kregel Review

Praying With the Grain by Pablo Martinez is a fascinating read! As you can see, the subtitle says, "How your personality affects the way you pray". It uses Carl Jung's psychological types to show how individuals with those typologies tend to pray. As a psychology junky, this greatly snagged my attention, and it was a book I just had to read. If you're familiar with the Myers Briggs personality test, then you know what I'm talking about. If you're not familiar with what this is but you've seen or heard people say, "I'm a ESFP" or "I'm an INTJ" (or something similar), then you're one step closer to knowing how this book relates.

This book is a short read--at 175 pages, including Notes--and was so interesting to me that it was read in just a little over an hour. Prayer is the focus of this book, and more specifically, how our personalities define how and where and with what frequency we pray. If we're more interested in being alone to pray, whether we are encouraged by praying in groups, etc.

The first portion of the book (Part I) talks about the eight groups of personalities (based on Sensation, Intuition, Thinking, and Feeling) and what their good points and bad points are. The author also mentions several famous people (including some Biblical familiars) who may have endowed those personality types.

The second portion of the book discusses overcoming problems with praying. We all have our hangups when it comes to praying; sometimes even getting started can be a problem for some. Maybe it's hard to pray aloud, maybe during prayer it's easy to get distracted, or maybe God seems far away. No matter what the problem, the author gives some suggestions for overcoming individual difficulties with prayer.

The last section deals with the value of prayer to the individual--a way to develop a strong relationship to God so that prayer life can be rich and fulfilling. Here's a portion of that section that particularly drew me in and made me think of scripture:

We cannot limit the concept of prayer to words, no matter how important the words may seem. Talking with God is only one of the dimensions of this dialogue. . . . There exists an unspoken language: the language of intention, of desire, of the heart. We see this very thing in daily life. The husband - or vice versa - can transmit much to his wife even if he speaks very little, because there is a type of dialogue that is non-verbal, that involves gestures of tenderness, a loving look, positive attitudes, a dialogue whose rich shades and dimensions escape the realm of words. So we cannot impoverish prayer, limiting it exclusively to verbal communication.

That portion brought to my mind the verse in Romans 8:26 that says, "Likewise the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities: for we know not what we should pray for as we ought: but the Spirit itself maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered." Sometimes there are times in prayer when we just can't find the words to speak what's in our hearts. When grief assaults or there's a need so large that you just can't find the words to accurately portray what we really need God to hear, the Holy Spirit takes charge and reveals to God the essence of our need.

At the end of Part I is a Question and Answer section. Part II covers two chapters: Is prayer a psychological illusion and are all prayers alike--comparing Christian prayer to Eastern prayer.

Now, I know you might wonder what my own personality type is. Well, from what I can gather, my closest guess is ISFJ, which stands for Introverted, Sensing, Feeling, Judging (or Introverted-Sensing in Jung's way of analysis). While I'm definitely Introverted, I am barely "Sensing"--the difference between my Sensing and Intuitive scores only vary by 3%, and my score difference between Feeling and Thinking was only 5%. I'm glad that I'm able to have a pretty close balance with those two portions of the personality types.

And how does my personality type affect my prayer life? Well, I'll let you figure that out. :D I love this book!

I received Praying With the Grain as a complimentary gift in exchange for review from Kregel Blog Tours. My comments and opinions are my own.

Unhallowed Ground - a Kregel Review

Unhallowed Ground, the fourth book in the Hugh de Singleton series, was written by Mel Starr.

Unhallowed Ground continues the story of Hugh de Singleton, a surgeon and bailiff in 14th Century England. When an enemy of Hugh's suddenly is found swinging from a tree, Hugh finds himself investigating the situation. When everyone in town assumes that Thomas atte Bridge has committed suicide, Hugh is not so sure upon investigation. Though atte Bridge was an enemy, Hugh finds himself in the middle of a suspicious situation when he finds clues that lead him to believe that Thomas was murdered. What makes the investigation most difficult is that Hugh wasn't Thomas' only enemy; he had made many during his life.

Hugh is plunged into a lengthy investigation that leads to many dead ends along the way!

I loved this story, and I was thrilled to be allowed to review this book. I also have reviewed one of Starr's books before, and you can read that {here}. Starr puts incredible detail into his books, and it's obvious that he has done a wealth of research on Medieval England. In the front of the book, you will find a glossary of words that Starr uses in the story, as well as a map of the setting of the story. His weaving of the personality and character of Hugh de Singleton is wonderful, and I truly enjoy reading this series.

If you are interested in reading an excerpt of this story, you can go to {this} link, which will take you to Kregel Publications where you can download a pdf copy of Chapter 1. You can also go to Mel's website to read about the other books he has written, and about the fifth book that is planned for this series.

I received Unhallowed Ground as a complimentary gift in exchange for review from Kregel Blog Tours. My comments and opinions are my own.

Refuge on Crescent Hill - a Kregel review

Refuge on Crescent Hill is a Christian mystery written by Melanie Dobson. Set in a small town called Etherton, the story revolves around Camden Bristow, a broke, homeless and jobless photographer who decides to return to her grandmother with the hopes that things will get better for her. Crescent Hill, a mansion on a crescent-shaped hill, is where her grandmother lives. When Camden arrives home and finds that her grandmother has died and she's the estate beneficiary, she finds that the situation is not as easy as she thought. When mysterious sounds and a mysterious woman are found in the house and items turn up missing, Camden finds herself in a tailspin to figure out what's going on. What she doesn't realize is that she's not who she thinks she is, and that another family in town is just dying to get a hold of treasure that is supposedly hidden on the property.

Alex Yates, in charge of bringing new businesses (and profits) to the small town, finds himself involved when the city decides that Crescent Hill mansion was falling apart and is in need of condemning. Drawn by Camden and her family's history (and moved by Alex's own sad family history), he decides to help her in any way that he can, even if it means he loses his job.

This story kept me on the edge of my seat, and the characters drew me in. The intrigue was really good; at times when I thought I had the story figured out, I later discovered I was wrong. I love it when that happens! Refuge on Crescent Hill also was inspired by a real mansion. You can view the pictures at Ms. Dobson's website here.

I received Refuge on Crescent Hill as a complimentary gift in exchange for review from Kregel Blog Tours. My comments and opinions are my own.

Across the Wide River - a Kregel Review

Across the Wide River, written by Stephanie Reed, is an inspiring tale (based on real individuals and real events) about a young boy and his family's experiences as pro-abolitionists. This story is earmarked for teens, but honestly it could be read by younger children and adults can certainly appreciate it as well.

In Across the Wide River, main character Lowry Rankin, an ordinary boy yet extraordinary in character, finds himself in situations where he witnesses the plights of slaves. Having watched his own black friend nearly beaten to death, Lowry finds himself in agreement with his family that slavery is wrong.

Lowry, as an adolescent, struggles with his own problems with self-esteem because of being bullied by those who disagreed with him and his family's beliefs in abolishing slavery. Lowry battles between acting on what was right or whether to turn a blind eye to slavery.

This book was thought-provoking and moving. I highly recommend this book to all teens and adults who appreciate historical fiction. If you're interested in more information about the real Rankin House and story, click {here}.

I received Across the Wide River as a complimentary gift in exchange for review from Kregel Blog Tours. My comments and opinions are my own.