Book Review - Words from the Heart by Kathleen Fuller

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Ivy Yoder is the oldest daughter in her family and she is still single. She feels like is destined to be alone when she met a charming young Amish man who promised to write her but never did. Stung by his broken promise and her lack of prospects, she is delighted when a quirky older woman asks for Ivy's help. However, the task comes with one eccentric requirement; both she and Cevilla's nephews must do the chore together.

Noah Schlabach is Cevilla's beloved nephew and is dedicated to his family. When, his aunt asks him for help, he doesn't hesitate to agree even with the weird requirement of working with Ivy. He works as an auctioneer and is also excited to see if can unearth any antique items. The duo comes across a pile of mysterious love letters written during the Korean War. They find themselves entranced by the couple even when they both believe they are destined to be alone. Will Ivy and Noah learn to put the past behind them and fall in love? Why did Cevilla ask them to work together? Why were the letters hidden away?

If you are a fan of Kathleen Fuller or Amish romances, you will enjoy this novel. Fans might notice characters from her previous novels. I found the story an engaging and delightful read while eager for the couple to find their path. A definite treat and I can't wait to read her other novels.

**Disclosure - I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest opinion**

Book Review - All Things Now Living (Seventh Daughter, #1) by Rondi Bauer Olson

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Amy doesn't like to see any animals suffer or die. She refuses to hurt animals, but she can't see herself feeling sorry for the abominable inhabitants of New Lithisle. The dome the inhabitants built to shield themselves from diseases is predicted to collapse and Amy was taught this is God's will. 

While on a trip with her father, Amy becomes trapped New Lithisle. She is kept hostage where she meets, Daniel. He is beautiful and Amy is attracted to him, but he has been modified. Amy is conflicted upon saving New Lithisle and its inhabitants or standing by idly while the residents suffer through God's curse. Will Amy help save the New Lithisle? Will Amy be able to see the humanity in all of God's creatures?

The story had an interesting premise, but I couldn't get into the story. I found the characters confusing and have conflicting ideas. For example, Amy doesn't like to see animals die, but doesn't care about the people about New Lithisle. She constantly judges them by their exterior even though they go out of their way to help her. Daniel is conflicted about doing what Amy wants and what is best for the New Lithisle. He trusts some people, but the others, he judges harshly. He was afraid of Leroy and wanted to leave him behind, but when Scout threaten Amy, he had no problem having Scout tag along with them. The characters all have a strange dynamic with each other. One minute, they trust each other the next they are shooting the other person.

I also found the story to be confusing and convoluted. I had to re-read several sentences and I still couldn't follow. I felt that some of the story could have used more details or backstory. Like more about Amy's sisters and why there are seven of them along with why Amy has a bounty on her. They keep mentioning them, but they never come into contact with each other.  Also, what is this pandemic, they keep talking about since they became immune to the swine flu. What happened to her scientist mother? The dialogue felt a bit weird and not authentic. I have read a few dystopian novels and while I am not a fan of the genre, I do generally like them. However, this one doesn't keep my attention for very long.

**Disclosure - I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest opinion**

Book Review - The Crooked Path by Irma Joubert

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**May Contain Spoilers**

Lettie compared to herself to her "beautiful" friends always feeling like an outsider because she perceived she is lacking. She is short and on the chubbier side while her friends are richer, the other is beautiful or called each other best friends. However, she doesn't let her "shortcomings" hold her back and becomes a doctor like her father. Marco lived through a war that robbed him not only the love of his life but also his health. He moves to South Africa since he can no longer bare the winters in Italy. He becomes one of Lettie's first patients and their relationship grows as she tries to nurture him back to health. Will the duo be able to love again?

The cast of characters appeared in The Child of the River, but I didn't find it necessary to read the first book to enjoy this book.  While, I enjoyed the a book I felt like it wasn't as enjoyable as it could be. The book was divided into four "life" events and the first two spoke about Lettie's and Marco's lives before meeting each other. These chapters were filled with details and consistent in timing while the later chapters had just pertinent details and, sometimes, it was vague how much time passed between pages. For example, Lettie cries about over her beloved's friend's death, but they mentioned her parents' death in passing. I felt like when they were talking about Lettie's and Marco's soul mates, they spent a lot of time going into the story and building the ambience.

There were a few things that bothered me about the story. Lettie is portrayed as the chubby and lovable friend (I sometimes find her petty) and she gets jealous over her friends' happiness, money, beauty, relationships, and children. However, I am surprised she  never felt like a part of Macro's heart will always be with Rachel (his first love). She just loves him blindly even though she notices that he doesn't speak much about Rachel. Another thing is when she realizes that she is falling in love with De Wet again, why does she hesitate? She knows that he likes her and she likes him but plays this "Oh, I don't know" game, but craves his attention. After all this talk about crooked paths, shouldn't she know that her crooked path is leading her to De Wet especially, since she has been in love with him since childhood.

**Disclosure - I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review**