The Amish Midwife by Mindy Starns Clark & Leslie Gould

The Amish Midwife by Mindy Starns Clark

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(From Back Cover)

A deathbed Confession...
A dusty carved box containing two locks of hair...
A century-old letter about property in Switzerland...

Nurse-midwife Lexie Jaeger's encounter with all three rekindles a burning desire to meet her biological family. Propelled on a personal journey of discovery, Lexie's search for the truth takes her from her home in Oregon to the heart of Pennsylvania's Amish country.

There she finds Marta Bayer, a mysterious lay-midwife who may hold the key to Lexie's past. But Marta isn't talking, especially now that she has troubles of her own following the death of an Amish patient during childbirth. As Lexie steps in to assume Marta's patient load and continues the search for her birth family,  a handsome local doctor proves to be a welcome distraction. But will he also distract her from James, the man back home who lovingly awaits her return?


From her Amish patients, Lexie learns the meaning of the Pennsylvania Dutch word demut: "to let be." Will this woman who wants to control everything ever learn to depend totally on God? Or will her  stubborn determination to unearth the secrets of the past at all costs only serve to tear her new found family apart?

A compelling story about a search for identity and the ability to trust that God securely holds our whole life - past, present, and future.


I give this book ★★★★★


My Thoughts:


I enjoyed reading "The Amish Midwife" so much that I couldn't put it down and so I finished it in one night. I would highly recommend this book to anyone who either likes Amish or historical books. It was very well written and a pleasure to read.

Psych: A Fatal Frame Of Mind - William Rabkin

Psych: A Fatal Frame of Mind by William Rabkin

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(From back cover)

Trained to be a detective by his father, blessed with astounding powers of observation and deduction, and cursed with a refusal to take anything seriously, Shawn Spencer has convinced everyone he's psychic. Now, with his best friend, Gus, he's either going to clean up...or be found out.

When the Santa Barbara art museum unveils its newest acquisition, the long-lost masterpiece by Pre-Raphaelite painter Dante Gabriel Rossetti isn't the only surprise behind the red curtain - the museum's curator is there too. Dead. And posed just like the figure in the painting.

The case has everything Shawn likes - it's bizarre, it's baffling, and there's a snack bar at the crime scene. But the investigation gets a lot less fun as Gus and he begin to realize that the clues are leading them toward a centuries-old cabal desperate to hide a terrible secret - and more than willing to kill the two detectives who are trying to reveal it. Shawn and Gus need to unmask a secret society as old as the Templars, as mysterious as the Rosicrucians, and as deadly as the yakuza - before they become its next victims.


I give this book: 3 Stars


My Thoughts:
If you like the television show you should find "Psych: A Fatal Frame Of Mind" somewhat enjoyable; otherwise, it's not that great. The three of William Rabkin's Psych books that I have read seem to place the focus more on Gus and very little, if at all, on Shawn. I find this very odd, because the show focuses the most on Shawn Spencer and very rarely on Burton "Gus" Guster or anyone else. So if you can't wait for more Psych, these books will help - but be warned they are not nearly as good as the show itself. 

A Hope Undaunted by Julie Lessman

A Hope Undaunted by Julie Lessman

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(From Back Cover)

What happens when the boy she loved to hate becomes the man she hates to love?

The 1920s are drawing to a close, and feisty Katie O'Connor is the epitome of the new woman---smart and sassy with goals for her future that include the perfect husband and a challenging career in law. Her boyfriend Jack fits all of her criteria for a husband---good-looking, well-connected, wealthy, and eating out of her hand. But when she is forced to spend the summer of 1929 with Luke McGee, the bane of her childhood existence, Katie comes face-to-face with a choice. Will she follow her well-laid plans to marry Jack? Or will she fall for the man she swore to despise forever? 

I give this book: 5 Stars




My Thoughts:


Katie O'Connor is a spunky young woman with high standards for herself and the man she will marry. But when she breaks her father's curfew with Jack one too many times she finds herself punished for the summer. Her punishment is to work as a summer volunteer at the Boston Children's Aid Society, which she finds makes her childhood nemesis Luke McGee her boss.


I LOVED reading "A Hope Undaunted" and I eagerly await the next book in the series, "A Heart Revealed", which will be about Sean O'Connor, Katie's oldest brother and a confirmed bachelor.


"A Hope Undaunted" is the first book in the "Winds of Change" Series, which is the second series about the O'Connor Family. The first series is the "Daughters Of Boston", which is about Katie's three older sisters (Faith, Charity & Elizabeth) and their journeys to find love. I highly recommend both of these series, and I would love to know your thoughts on these books when you read them. So feel free to leave a comment!


Daughters Of Boston Series:

1. A Passion Most Pure (Daughters of Boston, Book 1)
2. A Passion Redeemed (The Daughters of Boston, Book 2)
3. A Passion Denied (The Daughters of Boston, Book 3)

Pemberley Ranch by Jack Caldwell

Pemberley Ranch by Jack Caldwell

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(From Back Cover)

Frankly, Mr. Darcy, I don't give a damn!

When the smoke has cleared from the battlefields and the civil war has finally ended, fervent Union supporter Beth Bennet reluctantly moves with her family from their home in Meryton, Ohio, to the windswept plains of Rosings, Texas. Handsome, haughty Will Darcy, a Confederate officer back from the war, owns half the land around Rosings, and his even haughtier cousin, Cate Burroughs, owns the other half.

In a town as small as Rosings, Beth and Will inevitably cross paths. But as Will becomes enchanted with the fiery Yankee, Beth won't allow herself to warm to the man who represents the one thing she hates most: the army that killed her only brother.

But when carpetbagger George Whitehead arrives in Rosings, all that Beth thought to be true is turned on its head, and the only man who can save her home is the one she swore she'd never trust...


I give this book: 2 Stars


My Thoughts:


While "Pemberley Ranch" was enjoyable to read, I didn't like much about it. The way Jack Caldwell changed the characters, you wouldn't even recognize them if it were not for their names being similar to those from Pride and Prejudice. I disliked the way the character of Will Darcy behaved (to me he seemed nothing like Mr. Darcy from Pride & Prejudice), in fact he was so different that he seemed almost like George Wickham from P&P. The only character that seemed about the same was Mr. Charles Bingley but even he was changed a lot. All in all, I would not recommend this book.

The Girl In The Gatehouse by Julie Klassen

The Girl in the Gatehouse by Julie Klassen

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(From Back Cover)

Mariah Aubrey lives in seclusion with her secrets. Will an ambitious captain uncover her identity...and her hidden past?

Banished from the only home she's ever known, Mariah Aubrey hides herself away in an abandoned gatehouse on a distant relative's estate. There she supports herself and her loyal servant the only way she knows how---by writing novels in secret.

When Captain Matthew Bryant leases the estate, he is intrigues by the beautiful girl in the gatehouse. But there are many things he doesn't know about this beguiling outcast. Will he risk his plans---and his heart---for a woman shadowed by scandal?

Intriguing, mysterious, and romantic, The Girl In The Gatehouse takes readers inside the life of a secret authoress at a time when novel-writing was considered improper for ladies and the smallest hint of impropriety could change a woman's life forever.

I give this book ★★★★★


My Thoughts:


I just love reading a book by Julie Klassen, because I know it will become a favorite. Her books are always enjoyable, excellent, exciting and very well written. When I read a book from Julie Klassen, I know it will transport me into the story that she tells so well. I loved the whole story of "The Girl In The Gatehouse" and I think you will love it too.




Other great books by Julie Klassen:

• Lady of Milkweed Manor
• The Apothecary's Daughter
• The Silent Governess

The Matters at Mansfield (Or, The Crawford Affair) by Carrie Bebris

The Matters at Mansfield: Or, The Crawford Affair by Carrie Bebris

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(From Inside Cover)

After their recent adventures with hidden treasure and secrets from the past, Elizabeth and Fitzwilliam Darcy are looking forward to enjoying a quiet spell at Pemberley with their new daughter, but their hoped-for peace is short-lived.

Darcy's aunt, Lady Catherine de Bourgh, is eager to arrange a lucrative and socially acceptable match for here daughter, Anne. Of course, Lady Catherine has not taken into account such frivolous mattes as love or romance, let alone the wishes of her daughter. Needless to say, there is much turmoil when the young bride-to-be elopes.

In pursuit of the headstrong young couple, the Darcys speed to Mansfield Park - where the usually intricate game of marriage machinations becomes even more convoluted by lies and deception. The Darcys know that love and marriage can be a complex and dangerous business - one that can even lead to murder.

Anne's betrothal is further complicated by codes of honor, rival lovers, and mistaken identity. The Darcys must sort out the matters at hand in a manner that is quiet enough to avoid a scandal - yet swift enough to avert disaster.

The Darcys take center stage as the Regency era's answer to The Thin Man's Nick and Nora, searching for truth between teatimes, amidst the social whirl of Jane Austen's England.


This book is the fourth book in "A Mr. & Mrs. Darcy Mystery" series. 


I give this book ★ ★ ★ ★ ★


My Thoughts:


I love how this series keeps getting better and I can't wait to read the next book. This story is focused on Anne de Bourgh, daughter of Lady Catherine de Bourgh. "The Matters At Mansfield (Or, The Crawford Affair)" was an excellent book and I would highly recommend that anyone that has read the others in this series would make sure to read this one. It seems that with every new book I read in "A Mr. & Mrs. Darcy Mystery" series from Carrie Bebris the more I look forward to the next one. If you haven't read any of the books in this series, you should definetly start at the beginning.


 "A Mr. & Mrs. Darcy Mystery" series:

1. Pride And Prescience (Or, A Truth Universally Acknowledged) by Carrie Bebris
2. Suspense And Sensibility (Or, First Impressions Revisited) by Carrie Bebris
3. North By Northanger (Or, The Shades of Pemberley) by Carrie Bebris

Plain Perfect by Beth Wiseman

Plain Perfect by Beth Wiseman

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(From Back Cover)

On the rolling plains of Lancaster County, PA., Lillian Miller is searching for her grandparents' house.... and so much more. After years of neglect and abuse, she's turning to a lifestyle of simplicity among the Amish to find herself.

As she discards the distractions of her former life, she befriends the young boy working on her family's farm and his attractive widowed father, Samuel Stoltzfus. Despite Lillian's best efforts to the contrary, her feelings for Samuel---and his for her---deepen. Will Lillian find her faith in Plain living, or will she be forced to return to her former life?

I give this book ★★★☆☆


My Thoughts:


I am a person that loves Amish fiction and while "Plain Perfect" was enjoyable, a part of me couldn't really get into the story. I thought the characters were underdeveloped and that the story line was predictable. The Amish books by Marta Perry, Amy Clipston and Beverly Lewis are much more enjoyable and very well written. I still plan to read the rest of a "Daughter of Promise" series, but if you are someone who only reads a few books I wouldn't recommend this one.

This is the 1st book of the "Daughter of Promise" series.

North By Northanger (Or, The Shades of Pemberley) by Carrie Bebris

North By Northanger by Carrie Bebris

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(From Inside Cover)

After the intrigues and excitements of their time in the city, the Darcys are more than prepared for a bit of peace and quiet at Pemberley. This is time that they can spend together as Elizabeth settles into her pregnancy. However, such serene solitude is not meant to be.

First, a letter from Lady Anne Fitzwilliam Darcy, long deceased, is discovered. The contents are both mysterious and prescient for the new Mrs.  Darcy. Then, a summons to Northanger Abbey involves the young couple in intrigues that threaten not just the Darcy legacy and good name, but Darcy's freedom as well. And to make matters even worse and more uncomfortable for the expectant mother, Darcy's overbearing aunt, Lady Catherine de Bourgh, arrives on the scene to further bedevil Elizabeth.

Add to this rumors of treasure and past scandals, and it becomes obvious that peacefulness is not at home in Pemberley but secrets and spirits of the past are, and their revelations can have a most chilling effect on both the Darcys and their family to come.


I give this book ★ ★ ★ ★ ★


My Thoughts:


Yet another great book by Carrie Bebris, I really have been enjoying reading the books in "A Mr. & Mrs. Darcy Mystery" series. I think "North By Northanger (Or, The Shades of Pemberley)" has been the best one yet. I loved that this had Lady Catherine de Bourgh in it and that quite a lot of the story took place at Pemberley. If you love sequels to Pride and Prejudice, these books by Carrie Bebris are best I have found. I cannot stress how much I LOVE these books. Read them, you won't be disappointed.


This book is the third book in "A Mr. & Mrs. Darcy Mystery" series. 

• Book 1 - Pride And Prescience (Or, A Truth Universally Acknowledged) by Carrie Bebris
• Book 2 - Suspense And Sensibility (Or, First Impressions Revisited) by Carrie Bebris

A Place of Peace by Amy Clipston

A Place of Peace by Amy Clipston

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(From Back Cover)

Miriam Lapp, who left the Amish community four years age, is heartbroken when she finds out her mother has died suddenly. Traveling home to Gordonville, Pennsylvania, she comes face-to-face with the pain of her past, including the rift with her family and the breakup of her engagement with Timothy Kauffman.

Her emotional wounds are reopened when her family rejects her once again and she finds out Timothy is in a relationship with someone else. Miriam returns to Indiana with her heart in shambles, leaving her to question her place in the Amish and her faith in God.

Will her world continue to unravel? Will she find the love and sense of belonging she craves---or will her wounded past confine her to a painful future?

I give this book ★★★★☆


My Thoughts:


After reading the first two books in the series I was eager to read "A Place Of Peace" but I was slightly disappointed in it. I thought the way Miriam and Timothy acted seemed very repetitive, almost to the point of being annoying. Besides that, the story and characters were very enjoyable. If there is to be another book in the series I will read it.


This is the third book of the "Kauffman Amish Bakery Series"

Suspense And Sensibility (Or, First Impressions Revisited) by Carrie Bebris

Suspense and Sensibility by Carrie Bebris

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(From Inside Cover)

Fresh from the curious and unsettling matter of Caroline Bingley (as related in Pride and Prescience), Mr. and Mrs. Darcy have every intention of enjoying their still newlywed status at Pemberley, until they are confronted with another mysterious situation, one of...

Suspense and Sensibility

Elizabeth Darcy and her beloved husband, Fitzwilliam, are taking on the responsibility of finding a suitable suitor for Elizabeth's younger sister, Kitty, thereby assuring her a proper place in society.

The angels smile on the young, a perfect match is found, and wedding plans are soon under way. Suddenly a change in personality occurs in Kitty's soon-to-be model husband--- a change so striking as to jeopardize not just the Darcy's social standing but their lives as well.

A mysterious mirror, an insidious reprobate from the past, and matters far beyond the social circles around Pemberley all come into play in a dangerous puzzle, where the consequences may be the exchange of a soul for a soul.

Once again the Darcys take center stage as the Regency era's answer to The Thin Man's Nick and Nora, searching for truth between tea times, amid the social whirl of Jane Austen's England.


I give this book ★★★★☆


My Thoughts:


After reading Pride & Prescience, I quickly got started on reading the second book in the series. "Suspense & Sensibility" is another great book from Carrie Bebris. I love how she is  continuing the story of Pride & Prejudice in the "Mr. & Mrs. Darcy Mystery" Series while also incorporating the other stories written by Jane Austen. 


As I am sure you can tell from the title this book is based loosely on Sense & Sensibility. When Kitty Bennet meets the young Harry Dashwood it is almost love at first sight. But almost as soon as Kitty becomes engaged to Harry Dashwood, he begins to act very strange. He gives a very close friend the "cut direct" outside Boodle's Club, speaks very crudely to Kitty, gambles away most of his money and starts to pal around with some less than gentlemanly men.


I would have given this book five stars if not for all the supernatural aspects. If you have read my review on "Pride & Prescience"or have read the book yourself, then you know the first book had this as well. 


I recommend "Suspense & Sensibility" unless you don't like reading about supernatural aspects, but if you do or you can overlook them I think you would really enjoy it.


This book is the second book in "A Mr. & Mrs. Darcy Mystery" series.

Gold of Kings by Davis Bunn

Gold of Kings: A Novel by Davis Bunn

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(From Inside Cover)

A dealer in art and antiquities, Storm Syrrell arranges her life as she does her work - into neat, orderly categories. But when her grandfather is murdered, all certainties are crushingly replaced by suspicions. She struggles to understand his death - and decipher the frayed leather journal she finds hidden in his vault. Storm soon realizes that, far from being simply a discreet art broker, Sean Syrrell was a trusted go-between in the highest ranks of business and government in Europe, Africa, and the Middle East.

But not all of Sean's associates were quite so lofty. Enter Harry Bennett, a scruffy professional treasure hunter just released from a Caribbean jail, followed by Emma Webb, a US government lawyer with links to Interpol. Storm pushes her doubts aside, locks the door to her Palm Beach art gallery, and opens herself to the quest begun by her grandfather.

Their trail leads them ever farther afield-London, France, Istanbul, Cyprus-and ever deeper into danger. The thrill of the search is haunted by Storm's determination to bring Sean's murderers to justice. Storm and Harry in turn are targeted by an unknown  assassin and saved from death only by Harry's split-second reactions.

Their quest homes in on the Copper Scroll of Qumran and controversial claims made by the Jewish historian Josephus. Hidden beneath the dust and mysteries of two thousand years lies the reason behind Sean Syrrell's murder and the find of a lifetime: a fortune in gold of great historical significance. Storm begins to grasp the potential magnitude such artifacts will have on contemporary religion and politics-especially the competing historical claims to Jerusalem. Some seek to claim the gold for the treasure it represents; others are determined to destroy it. With the tangled motives of greed and power now in focus, old allies become new enemies. Through this, something unexpected tugs at Storm. The sacred relics represent a formidable metaphor to an ancient faith; will her search include a renewal of her own faith?

I give this book ★★★☆☆

My Thoughts:

While I enjoyed "Gold Of Kings" and plan to read the sequel, I thought quite a few parts were very boring, monotonous & unbelievable. The book started off great and held my interest very well. Towards the middle it started to get dull and became a struggle for me to keep reading it but I am glad I did. The last 100 pages were very exciting and I thought it ended very well.

Pride And Prescience (Or, A Truth Universally Acknowledged) by Carrie Bebris

Pride and Prescience: Or, A Truth Universally Acknowledged by Carrie Bebris

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(From Inside Cover)

Mr. & Mrs. Darcy, the joyous newlyweds from Pride and Prejudice, have not even left for their honeymoon when they find themselves embroiled in a mystery involving one of their wedding guests.

The lovely Caroline Bingley is engaged to marry a rich and charismatic American. Unfortunately, this whirlwind courtship is marred by many strange events: nocturnal wanderings, spooked horses, carriage accidents, and even an apparent suicide attempt. Soon the whole Bingley family seems the target of a mysterious plot.


Only the Darcys recognize the danger as the Austen genre of Regency romances mixes with the unearthly gothic threats of Ann Radcliffe and the Brontes. Dark forces are afoot and the Darcys must get to the bottom of the plot before the blushing bride descends into madness or worse.

In Pride and Prescience, the Darcys take center stage as the Regency era's answer to The Thin Man's Nick & Nora, in search of the truth, universally acknowledged and otherwise.

I give this book ★ ★ ★ ★☆


Once I began to read "Pride and Prescience" I couldn't put it down. The story was interesting and I loved how even though Elizabeth and Darcy differed on the reasons for what was happening, they still worked together to solve the mystery.  I enjoyed reading this book and can't wait to start reading the next book in the series. My only objection is about the supernatural aspects but I still would recommend "Pride And Prescience". If not for the supernatural aspects I would've given it 5 stars.


This book  is the first book in "A Mr. & Mrs. Darcy Mystery" series.