Finding Us by Tracie Peterson

                                                                            

This was an e-book I won but listened to it via audio. This story begins in 1909 on board a ship called "The City of Canton" heading to Seattle Washington. The main characters at this time are William Reed, his brother Wallace, and Wallace's Wife, Amelia who is 8 1/2 months pregnant. William has been called to minister to the people in Alaska and is traveling along with Wallace and Amelia until their baby is born. Wallace is heading to Seattle to complete a book he is working on and to obtain proper care for Amelia for the birth before heading to Alaska when they run across an evil man who wants to do them harm. While en route to Seattle, the ship is caught in a major storm and they get separated. When they reach shore William and Wallace fear they have lost Amelia and the baby to the sea.

Wallace becomes very bitter with God and his life starts to deteriorate while William finds love and hope for the future. As time goes by the brothers find that what they feared with Amelia is not true and they try to find her. Meanwhile, Amelia tries to live her life as best she can with her new baby thinking her brother-in-law and husband had perished in the storm.

The story is full of twists and turns which flow together very smoothly. The story keeps you guessing as to what will happen next and when you least expect it to turn out one way, it turns out another. I found this to be both a mystery and romance story full of adventure and chaos. It was very well written and I read it from front to back without being able to put it down. If you like suspense and mystery novels that make you think and keep you involved in finding out what comes next, you will love this book. Excellent story.

Stitches In Time is the second book in the triology of "The Decon's Family" so I waited to read the whole set before starting. I really enjoyed the storyline. The story mainly revolves around two foster teens Luke and Izzy and their time in the Amish community of Stoney Ridge Farm. The stories tells of their adventures both seperately and togeher and the people who helped to shape their lives. It is heartwarming and rewarding to be invited along side these two young adults as they find their way in the world and learn to turn their misadventures into lifelong lessons that help them become whole. A story that takes tragity and turns it into triumph. Loved the series. Can't wait to read the rest of

the series by Suzanne Woods Fisher.

 

A NOBLE MASQUERADE

BYKRISTI ANN HUNTER

 This is a story about a young woman named Miranda who is way ahead of her time. Although on the outside she is an obedient daughter learning the lessons her mother teaches her on how a young lady must act to be able to fit into society on the inside she yearns to break free. Having no one in which to confide her deepest woes, she pretends to write to a young man whom she has never really met ,The Duke of Marshington,an aquaintence of her brother. She never really mails the letters but conceals them in a trunk for safe keeping. When her brother's new valet mistakenly mails one of her letters it turns her whole world upside down. As Miranda becomes more intrigued by this new valet she also becomes curious when her mysterious man, the Duke of Marshington, starts writing back to her. Miranda then finds she is attracted to both men. One man she may never meet and the other man who is way below her station. Adventure begins when a dark plot to harm her family is discovered and "both" men become a part of the plot. In this story Miranda not only gains the excitement she longs for but also falls in love with the man of her dreams.

 Survival of the Caregiver

By Janice Hucknall Snyder

Having first-hand knowledge of being a caregiver this book hits it right on the head. I found this book very helpful in learning to care for my loved one and myself. Caring for oneself is very difficult when every hour is taken caring for someone else but I learned that caring for myself is essential in being a better caregiver. the information coming from someone who has been a caregiver was like having someone walking by my side helping me through some of the tough stuff.

The Emotional Journey of the Alheimer's Family 

By Robert B. Santulli, MD and Kesstan Blandin, PhD

The Emotional Journey of the Alzheimer's Family by Santulli & Blandin is the most informative book I have read regarding Alzheimer's and dementia. After dealing first-hand with a loved one with dementia I found the information extremely helpful. This book not only describes the disease but goes into great length to give examples of situations in which a person might be going through. It also gives very helpful tips on how to help those with the disease and also the caregiver. I found that reading this book made me feel as if someone finally understood what  I was going through. As if I had someone who could walk me through the tough times. I only wish I would have had this book while I was caring for my loved one with dementia. I believe it would have made life a whole lot easier on us both. I recommend this book not only for those who are caring for someone with the disease but also for doctors and therapists who help care for the caregivers and their loved ones. The more we understand what happens during this scary time the smoother and more joyful the process can become. 

You Are Not Forgotten    By Bryan Bender

 I was privileged to be able to have not only the written book but also the audio version as well. The man who reads the story did an excellent job. He read with feeling and made the story come alive. The story itself had an enormous amount of detail in some parts of the book which made it kind of dry at times but all in all the story was a good one. I found it fascinating that it is a true story and that I could actually look up the characters on google and read more in depth about them. It brought to my attention the amount of work that was done in order to find the lost servicemen's remains. Some of the characters in the story are still alive today and I really enjoyed reading about their adventures.

Throne of Grace By Cecily K. Wolfe

This a story about a lovely young girl from Rhode Island who works for a rich family and finds forbidden love. She faces the challenge of knowing her place in society or fighting for what her heart wants. Does she dare to think she is worthy of the wealthy gentleman who has stolen her heart? This was an audio book. I would give this an over-all score of 3 stars only due to the person chosen to read the story.. Although her voice was a pleasant one it was without much feeling. It was very hard to tell between the different characters when she read and the excitement and emotion was very minimal. The story was a good story and I think If I could have read it myself it would have come across much stronger. I felt the book dealt more with the build up of the relationship between the main characters than it did with the actual relationship itself. It just wasn’t the best experience to me. Being that I am a read-a-holic having to listen to a book read from someone in a mundane voice was hard to deal with. I believe I will buy the book and reread it to give it another chance. I believe it deserves that.