Psalm 27:1

The Lord is my light and my salvation—
whom shall I fear?
The Lord is the stronghold of my life—
of whom shall I be afraid?

www.biblegateway.com


Thursday, November 29, 2012

Christmas in Apple Ridge Book Review

Three-in-One Collection:
The Sound of Sleigh Bells
The Christmas Singing
The Dawn of Christmas

     Beth Hertzler is unable to let go of a past tragedy, but when she discovers a large, intricately carved scene of Amish children playing in the snow, something deep inside Beth's soul responds.  Determined that her niece meet the gifted artist, her aunt tracks him down, but it's not that simple - will Jonah be able to offer Beth the sleigh ride she's always dreamed of and a second chance at real love?

     Mattie thought her childhood sweetheart adored her until he abruptly ended their engagement on Christmas Eve.  Brokenhearted, Mattie moves away and pursues her longtime dream of becoming a cake decorator, and even finds a new beau.  But when Mattie is forced to return home three years later, will learning the truth behind Gideon's rejection restore her Christmas joy - or open the door to even deeper heartbreak?

The Dawn of Christmas
     Sadie enjoys her freedom away from home and her missions trips to Peru, but after four years, her Old Order Amish family insists it's time to come home and settle down.  Levi, a bachelor who distrusts women after a family heartbreak, also has no desire for romance.  To keep their families from meddling in their lives, Sadie and Levi devise a plan - but soon discover that the walls around their hearts are breaking down.  Can they let go of their prejudices, learn to trust each other and embrace a future together?

REVIEW:  Since I have already reviewed the first two books, I have added the links to those reviews to the titles above.  Just click on it and you will go to that review.  This post will deal mainly with the last book, The Dawn of Christmas, and the book as a whole.
      Sadie is a great character.  She has become somewhat independent living with the Mennonite community for the last four years.  She doesn't want to get married and resists her mom's attempts to set her up on her visits home.  She is determined to stay with the Mennonite community but when the couple she works for decided to sell their store, Sadie has to decide if she wants to go to Peru to work with the locals or if she needs to move back home.
     After seeing his brother hurt when his wife left him and his friend Daniel jilted the evening before his wedding, Levi decides he does not ever want to get married.  His mom has other ideas and keeps trying to arrange dates for him.  I like Levi.  He is loyal to his family and friends.  He helps Sadie as she tries to decide what to do by helping her sell her homemade candles and soaps in the local store.
     This is a great story.  Sadie and Levi work together to help each other out and, in doing so, end up falling in love.  This novel goes great with The Sound of Sleigh Bells and The Christmas Singing.  Cindy Woodsmall's characters from The Scent of Cherry Blossoms even figure briefly into the storyline.  This book is a great read!!

This book was provided by Waterbook Multnomah for review without compensation.

Cindy Woodsmall is a New York Times and CBA best-selling author of ten works of fiction and one work of nonfiction, whose connection with the Amish community has been featured widely in national media and throughout Christian news outlets.  She lives outside Atlanta with her family.

1 comment:

Diane Estrella said...

Great review. I ranked it for you. Have a super week. :O)f