"The Calling" by Suzanne Woods Fisher

About this book:

  “Twenty-year-old Bethany Schrock is restless. Her love life has derailed, her faith hangs by a thread, and she is spending the incredibly hot summer days wading through a lifetime’s accumulation of junk at the home of five ancient Amish sisters. About the only thing that holds her interest is the spirited and dangerously handsome Jimmy Fisher–and he seems bent on irritating her to no end.
   When the sly old sisters and a guest at the Inn get Bethany involved in running the local soup kitchen and starting a community garden, she suddenly finds herself wondering, Shootfire! How did that happen? Despite her newfound purposefulness, a gnawing emptiness about a childhood mystery continues to plague her. Encouraged by Jimmy Fisher, she will seek out the answers she craves–and uncover a shocking secret that will break her heart, heal it, and point her to love.”

Series: Book #2 in “The Inn at Eagle Hill” series {Book #1, “The Letters”, Here! and the novella, “The Rescue”,Here!} {Also, I have not read the series, but it looks like the series "Stoney Ridge Seasons" by this same author has a tie-in with this series.}

Spiritual Content-  Many Prayers & Scriptures are said; Geena is a Youth Pastor & witnesses and talks about God; Naomi says that a “man is possessed” and that he casts two shadows; Talks about God & His plans for us.

Negative Content- Minor cussing including: a ‘dadgum’, a ‘crummy’, a ‘biddy’ and many ‘shootfire’s; A dog gets hit by a car and dies :( (Semi detailed).

Sexual Content- a few not-detailed kisses and two semi-detailed kisses; Love & Falling in it.  

-Bethany Schrock
                      P.O.V. switches between Bethany (age 19), Mim (age 14), Geena & Naomi.                                                         320 pages (With a recipe in the back! :) )

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Pre Teens-

New Teens- 

(and a half)

Early High School Teens-

Older High School Teens-

My personal Rating-

{Not for sensitive animal lovers; See Negative Content.}

While I liked “The Calling” better than book #1 in this series, “The Letters”, the doggie part was hard to read & not to dwell on it.

See y'all tomorrow with the review of the final book in this series, "The Revealing"! 

 

*BFCG may (Read the review to see) recommend this book by this author. It does not mean I recommend all the books by this author.

"The Rescue" by Suzanne Woods Fisher

About this book:

  “He's taking a chance on love . . . and there's no plan B.
   Will Stoltz has returned to Stoney Ridge with a clear plan. He's opening a wild bird rescue center and is determined to rekindle his fizzled romance with Jackie Colombo, the veterinarian who stole his heart. But nothing is working out as Will planned. The leased building for the rescue center is a disaster, his funding is rapidly dwindling, and Jackie Colombo has disappeared without a trace.
   When an injured eagle is found in a pasture near the Inn at Eagle Hill, Will is desperate to prove to himself, to his skeptical father, and to everyone else that his mission has not been in vain. But as his best-laid plans begin to fail, Will discovers something more valuable.”


 Series: Here’s the tricky thing, Goodreads says it’s Book #0.5 in “The Inn at Eagle Hill” series, (This is considered a novella) so I read this one before book #1, “The Letters”, {Review Here!} and sadly, it gave most of the first book away so I would recommend to read this book after “The Letters”. :)   

Spiritual Content- Will says he believes in God but was afraid that God might change him and make him do things he doesn’t want to do; Rose tells Will about Jacob & Rachel; Will prays.  

Negative Content- Birds die (no details) and one ate something poisonous (semi-detailed).   

Sexual Content- Will is pretty obsessed with finding Jackie

-Will Stoltz
                                         P.O.V. of Will
                                                        27 pages (e-book only)

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Pre Teens-

New Teens- 

(and a half)

Early High School Teens-

Older High School Teens-

My personal Rating-

Of course, it being a novella it was very short—this one being very, very short. Like I said the Series: Here’s the tricky thing, Goodreads says it’s Book #0.5 in “The Inn at Eagle Hill” series, (This is considered a novella) so I read this one before book #1, “The Letters”, {Review Here!} and sadly, it gave most of the book away so I would recommend to read this book after “The Letters”. :)

 See y'all tomorrow with the review of book #2, "The Calling"! :)

*BFCG may (Read the review to see) recommend this book by this author. It does not mean I recommend all the books by this author.

*I received this book for free from the Publisher for this review.

"The Letters" by Suzanne Woods Fisher

About this book:

  “Welcome to a place of unconditional love and unexpected blessings
   When widow Rose Schrock turns her Amish farmhouse into a bed and breakfast, she expects there might be problems. The reaction of her cantankerous mother-in-law for one. Disapproval from the church for another. But what she doesn't expect is that the guests at the Inn at Eagle Hill will spill their problems into her life and into her heart. She also never expects the kind of help and support she gets from Galen King, the quiet and rugged horse trainer next door. Love, Rose discovers, can bloom in the most unexpected ways.”

            Another description is:

   “Rose Schrock is a plain woman with a simple plan. Determined to find a way to support her family and pay off her late husband's debts, she sets to work to convert the basement of her Amish farmhouse into an inn. While her family, especially her cranky mother-in-law, is unhappy with Rose's big idea, her friend and neighbor, Galen King, supports the decision and he helps with the conversion. As Rose finalizes preparations for visitors, she prays. She asks God to bless each guest who stays at the Inn at Eagle Hill. As the first guest arrives and settles in, Rose is surprised to discover that her entire family is the one who receives the blessings, in the most unexpected ways. And she's even more surprised when that guest decides to play matchmaker for Galen King.”


 Series: Book #1 in “The Inn at Eagle Hill” series {There is a #0.5, but I’ll talk about that one tomorrow! ;) } {Also, I have not read the series, but it looks like the series "Stoney Ridge Seasons" by this same author has a tie-in with this series.}

 

Spiritual Content- Scriptures & Prayers are said; Talks about God, handing things over to Him, & Trusting Him.

Negative Content- Minor cussing including: a ‘dang’, two ‘sissy’s and a few ‘shootfire’s; Bethany says “You, Mr. Irresistible, can just take your buggy and—“ (and does not finish as she gets interrupted); Jimmy kills & dresses some geese (semi detailed);  Rose worries about the coyotes getting her sheep and paints some semi-detailed and not-detailed pictures about what could happen; Jimmy says “an unrepeatable word that he saved for emergencies” (written just like that, the word is not said or hinted at); Vera says she feels like “a hen caught in the middle of a killing neck twist”.

Sexual Content- a ‘bimbo’; A couple not-detailed kisses; Delia’s husband had an affair (there are no details); A stallion runs off and the owner says that the horse probably got a “whiff of a mare in season”; A drunk man flirts & pinches Bethany’s bottom; Bethany says her & Jake “had kissed quite a bit”; Love & Falling in it.  

-Rose Schrock
     P.O.V. switches between Rose (age 36), Bethany (age 19), Mim (age 13), Delia, Vera, Jimmy, & Galen.
                                                        307 pages (With a recipe in the back! :) )

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

 Pre Teens-

New Teens- 

(and a half)

Early High School Teens-

Older High School Teens-

My personal Rating-

{Not for sensitive animal lovers; See Negative Content.}

I’ve never read an Amish book like this one! While I liked it the animal parts were a bit much for me.

See y'all tomorrow with another review! :)

*BFCG may (Read the review to see) recommend this book by this author. It does not mean I recommend all the books by this author.

“China’s Reforming Churches” edited by Bruce P. Baugus

So, I don’t think I’ve ever read & review a Non-fiction book on here before...I’ve done a biography about a model and a devotional for Moms but never a non-fiction. Today will be the first!  

“China’s Reforming Churches” edited by Bruce P. Baugus

About this book:

“China is now home to more evangelical believers than any other nation, and the church continues to grow and make inroads in every level of Chinese society. Such dramatic growth, against the backdrop of modern China, has produced profound and urgent church development needs. As faithful Chinese ministers strive to meet these needs, an increasing number are discovering the rich biblical and theological resources of the Reformed tradition and Presbyterian polity. This is a critical moment in the life of China s reforming churches and the Presbyterian and Reformed mission to China. This book provides both a historical look at Presbyterianism in China and an assessment of the current state of affairs, orienting readers to church development needs and the basic outlines of Reformed Christianity in China today. While laying out the challenges and opportunities facing the church, the authors argue that assisting this reformation in China should be a central objective of the Presbyterian and Reformed mission to China in this generation.”

My thoughts:

For those who don’t know, I’m learning Mandarin. When this book popped up for review I jumped at it! “China’s Reforming Churches” is in four parts; Here’s my thoughts on each part:

Part 1: The History of Presbyterianism in China.

As I posted on Goodreads for a status update: So. Much. History. A good amount went over my head, only unless I was 100% focused on what I’m reading. It was very interesting to read about all the people witnessing in China. 

Part 2: Presbyterianism in China Today.

For some reason, I thought this whole book would be like Part 2…just about China today. So, needless to say this has been my favorite part. (Next to the great map of China in the front! All the major cities and Provinces. So very neat!)    

Part 3: Challenges and Opportunities for Presbyterianism China.

This is the part I’m currently in. While I like it, it does talk about things that are not going well in China…which is hard for me to read. :(

Part 4: Appropriating a Tradition.

Haven’t got to this part yet, but it sure sounds interesting!

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

 Pre Teens- 

{It would be over heads very much}

New Teens-

Early High School Teens-

Older High School Teens-

My personal Rating-

“China’s Reforming Churches” is 336 pages and I’m currently on 177. Since my review is now posted, I’m going to take my time reading and try to adsorb everything it's talking about. :)

See y'all everyday next week with a review!! :D

*BFCG may (Read the review to see) recommend this book by this author. It does not mean I recommend all the books by this author.

*I received this book for free from Cross Focused Reviews for this review.