Tuesday, January 22, 2013

BOOK REVIEW: A PROMISE FOR MIRIAM by VANNETTA CHAPMAN






A Promise for Miriam

by

Vannetta Chapman


  • Paperback 
  • 342 pages
  • Published July 1st 2012 by Harvest House Publishers
  • ISBN: 0736946128 (ISBN13: 9780736946124) 
  • series: The Pebble Creek Amish #1


 about the book . . . 



A Promise for Miriam, the first book in a brand-new romantic series from popular author Vannetta Chapman, introduces the Amish community of Pebble Creek and some of the kind, caring people there. As they face challenges to their community from the English world, they come together to reach out to their non-Amish neighbors while still preserving their cherished Plain ways. 

Amish schoolteacher Miriam King loves her students. At 26, most women her age are married with children of their own, but she hasn?t yet met anyone who can convince her to give up the Plain school that sits along the banks of Pebble Creek. Then newcomer Gabriel Yoder steps into her life, bringing his daughter, an air of mystery, and challenges Miriam has never faced before. 

Will Gabe be able to let go of the past that haunts him? He thinks he just wants to be left alone, but the loving and warm community he and his daughter have moved to has other plans for him. After a near tragedy is averted, he hesitantly returns offers of help and friendship, and he discovers he can make a difference to the people of Pebble Creek?and maybe find love again.  (Goodreads)



 A Promise for Miriam by Vannetta Chapman book trailer


about the author . . .          

Vannetta Chapman writes inspirational fiction full of grace. She has published over one hundred articles in Christian family magazines, receiving more than two dozen awards from Romance Writers of America chapter groups. She discovered her love for the Amish while researching her grandfather’s birthplace of Albion, Pennsylvania.

Her novel, Falling to Pieces, was a 2012 ACFW Carol Award winner for best mystery. All of her books have been Christian Book Distributor bestsellers. She currently writes Amish fiction for Abingdon Press, Zondervan, and Harvest House. Chapman lives in the Texas hill country with her husband.

For more information, visit her at www.VannettaChapman.com or blog with her at http://vannettachapman.wordpress.com/. She can also be found on Facebook .


Reader Review . . .
In Miriam's Amish community, for a woman to be unmarried at twenty-six years of age is almost unheard of.  But she loves teaching the schoolchildren and refuses to marry for less than love.  But when widowed Gabe Miller moves to Pebble Creek with his daughter, Grace, Miriam finds herself involved in their lives.  While Gabe faces the possibility of letting someone into their lives, Miriam has to decide if she wants that level of involvement, or if she wants to continue her life as before.
As an avid reader of Amish-themed novels, I can say that this is the best I've read in this genre in the last couple of years.  Often, it seems that cliches and sappy sentimentality fill the holes of a poorly-written plot.  This is, happily, not the case with Ms. Chapman.  She has a strong storyline, three-dimensional characters, and realistic issues facing the Amish community of today.  I thoroughly enjoyed the novel and will be looking for the rest of the series.
Recommended for adolescents and up.
5 stars
Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher through the Goodreads First Reads book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 <http://www.access.gpo.gov/nara/cfr/waisidx_03/16cfr255_03.html> : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

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2013 A-Z Reading Challenge

 


Do you love to read?  You know I do!  Escape with Dollycas Into a Good Book is hosting a reading challenge for 2013.This challenge will run from January 1st, 2012 until December 31st, 2013.

You can join anytime. It’s an alphabet challenge!!! The challenge is to read one book starting with every letter of the alphabet. 


So there are two different ways you can set up your own A-Z Reading Challenge.


A -  Make a list on your blog from A-Z. Throughout the year, as you go along, add the books you are reading to the list. Towards the end of the year, you can check and see which letters you are missing and find books to fit.


OR


B - Make a list now of 26 books, picking one for each letter of the alphabet. For example: A – The Azalea Assault B- Blue Monday C – Crops and Robbers D – A Deadly Grind etc.



Books can be read in any order and all formats – print – e-book – audio – are acceptable for this challenge!
Ready to join?? 
Sign up at Escape with Dollycas Into a Good Book and grab the button.  


Non-bloggers you can join too! Just keep track any way you wish and enter a link below if available or sign up in the comment section. You can even set up a special shelf on Goodreads to help you keep track!


Need some help finding titles to match the alphabet –
Jandy’s Reading Room has a wonderful list to get you started.

Here is my list:  
A        AN ANGEL BY HER SIDE - RUTH REID - 4 stars
B       
C        CHRISTMAS WITH THE FIRST LADIES - COLLEEN CHRISTIAN BURKE
D        THE DILEMMA OF CHARLOTTE FARROW- OLIVIA NEWPORT
E       
F        

G       
H       
I        ICONIC SPIRITS:  AN INTOXICATING HISTORY - MARK SPIVAK
J       
K       
L        TO LOVE A WOLF - BK WALKER
M       
N        NEVER LET YOU GO - ERIN HEALY
O       
P        PERIL:  FROM JACKBOOTS TO JACK BENNY - PEARL GOODMAN - 4 STARS
Q        QUEEN OF THE AIR:  A TRUE STORY OF LOVE AND TRAGEDY AT THE CIRCUS - DEAN JENSEN
R        RAISING CUBBY-JOHN ELDER ROBISON
S       
T        THE POSTMISTRESS-SARAH BLAKE
U        UNCONQUERED:  THE SAGA OF COUSINS JERRY LEE LEWIS, JIMMY SWAGGART, AND MICKY GILLEY - J.D. DAVIS
V        VANISHED-IRENE HANNON - 5 STARS
W       
X       
Y       
Z       

I will be updating my list and will keep it posted on here.  Check back to see what I've read, and comment and let me know when you join the challenge.  Here's to a year of good reading!


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"Cats are designated friends."    -Norman Corwin


 

4 comments:

Teddy Rose said...

I haven't read any Amish books. I think I would be most interested in non-fiction study of Amish life.

Unknown said...

If you're interested, a good nonfiction book to start with is "A History of the Amish" by Steven Nolt. It's available on Amazon. They have an interesting history and are nothing like those gosh-awful reality shows on TV.

Nightly Cafe said...

I love Amish stories. This sounds fantastic and I loved the review. Thank you for sharing :)

Michelle Cornwell-Jordan said...

Amish culture has always intrigued me...I will have to give this a try!

Thanks for sharing:)

Michelle

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