I have a confession to make….I love Amish stories, so I was thrilled to read another great book, only this story incorporated the Amish countryside of Missouri as its setting. Patchwork Dreams, written by Laura V. Hilton, is her first book in The Amish of Seymour series. One reason I wanted to read this book is that I live fairly close to Seymour, Missouri, so I was kinda curious to see how the story would go.

This book tells the story of how two people fell in love, pretty much from the moment they set eyes on each other. Jacob had been sent to Missouri on false pretenses, mainly so his father could get him away from his girlfriend, an influence who wasn’t the greatest for a man about to commit to the Amish church for life. Even though he’s upset, he’s instantly intrigued by Becky, or Bex as he nicknames her. Becky has enough heartache of her own and has pretty much resigned herself to being an old maid for life. You see, her reputation had been tarnished within the community when she’d made a mistake not so long ago. It’s uncanny how circumstances throw these two together, and as you read, you get to share in their roller coaster ride of emotions, obstacles, and life issues that seem to get in the way of their love for each other.

Reading this story, I felt like I got to know each character on a deeper level, as the author really has a way of describing each character and taking the reader along for the ride. The story was really a simple love story, but it had enough human emotion and real-life scenarios that it was easy to identify with on a human level. The book was interesting and kept me wanting more. In fact, I’d love to see a second book come out.

You can purchase Patchwork Dreams for $6.99 on Amazon. You can also read the author’s blog, Lighthouse-Academy.

Great news! You can enter to win a giveaway hosted by KCWC. All you have to do is leave a comment below, and you’ll be entered to win the Grand Prize, an Amish Gift Set ($50 value).  I will be randomly choosing, via random.org, a finalist’s name to send to KCWC, and they will then pick the final winner of the grand prize on June 20. The gift set includes the following:

(Disclosure: I received Patchwork Dreams, free of charge, from KCWC, free of charge, for the purposes of this review. All views/opinions remain solely my own.)

Congratulations to Aaron Matthews, from A Disciple’s Guide to Common Sense, on winning a copy of The Life Ready Woman.

Thank you to all who entered. Have a wonderful day!

The Life Ready Woman, written by Shaunti Feldhahn & Robert Lewis, is a guide for moms that helps them with Thriving in a Do-It-All World. Lately, I’ve personally been so overwhelmed by everything that at times, things aren’t getting done because I just can’t handle it all. There’s too much going on at once. We moms have a hard time understanding that we can’t do it all; we need the guidance of our Heavenly Father to even make it through one hour, let alone a whole week.

In this book Shaunti really examines what the Bible says about our lives as women and the responsibilities we have both toward our God and our families. She examines women and their roles throughout history, as well as myths and things we tend to take to heart. She examines all of this from a Godly perspective, really digging into Scripture to guide us along with her, in a totally non-threatening, non-judgmental way.

One reason I really like this book is that it’s written partially by Shaunti, a woman who struggled with the juggling act herself. I like that she’s been where I’m at….she’s lived this balancing act called motherhood. I also like that she makes the tips and guidance she gives very easy to apply to your own life by giving hands-on things we can do to examine our own situations, our own lives.

You can purchase The Life Ready Woman for $9.64 from Amazon. You can also read more reviews on Litfuse.

About The Life Ready Woman:

Are you a ‘Doing it all’ or ‘Do what matters’ woman?

Whether a stay at home; or working mom, an airplane-hopping executive, an empty-nester caring for multiple generations or a single juggling high demands of career and personal life, today’s fast-paced modern world leaves women gasping for balance. We as modern Christian women want to look to the Bible for guidance on how to manage our lives — but because the world of women looks so different today than it did when the Bible was written, it is hard to find chapter and verse that seems to apply to our situation today.

Thankfully, God has given us exactly that timeless, unchanging guidance for how to find peace, clarity, and God’s best for our lives once we know where to look! The Life Ready Woman: Thriving in a Do-It-All World, reveals a profound biblical roadmap for how each of us can find the abundant life we are longing for, rather than the stressful, torn, how-do-I-balance-it-all life we often feel like we are trying to keep up with today. Actually being a LifeReady Woman means that you are clear about your life, bold in your faith, and able to find God’s best for you, and the end result will be that you not only survive but thrive in our do-it-all world.

God has given every wonderfully unique woman different skills and abilities, different desires, and different temperaments — and every woman around the planet and through the ages is certainly living in different circumstances. But no matter what a woman’s life looks like, the Bible says that God has an individual mission and plan that He’s carefully designed for each of us. And He wants us to find it. Starting January 2011, The Life Ready Woman and the Life Ready Woman Video Series will help every wonderfully unique woman to thrive as she identifies and courageously pursues God’s unique design and callings for her. LifeReady Woman puts you on a roadmap to make decisions that will lead to relief, delight, and fulfillment instead of regret.

About Shaunti Feldhahn:

Shaunti Feldhahn is a former Wall Street analyst, best-selling author of the book For Women Only, national speaker, and regular commentator in the media. She has been featured on The Today Show, PBS, TNT and Fox News- to name a few. You can learn more about her many activities by visiting her website Shaunti.com or get some great mom advice from her at MomLifeToday.com. She and her husband live with their two young children in Atlanta, Georgia and enjoy every minute of living at warp speed.

About MomLife Today:

At MomLife Today you will enjoy community with real moms experiencing every age and every stage of MomLife—right alongside you.

Moms need friends we can walk through life with, but more importantly we need friends who will encourage us and equip us in our role as moms in an honest and transparent way … and that’s just what you’ll find by becoming part of our MomLife Today community! We believe that every MOMent counts!

We admit it, being a mom 24/7 is not easy. Rather than lament the role of motherhood, however, we choose to embrace that role and learn from each other how to make it through each day with the right attitude. Come share the joys, sorrows, insanity, and special moments of motherhood with us as we live it and candidly write about it…we’ll have lots of fun along the way! Join us, and do tell… What’s happening in your MomLife Today? www.momlifetoday.com

In celebration of Shaunti Feldhahn’s Life Ready Woman, MomLife Today is giving away 2 Weekend To Remember Gift Packs and much more!

Weekend To Remember Get-Aways offer marriage-changing principles that you can take home and apply to your daily lives to strengthen your marriage. Whether you are newly engaged or have been married for 50 years, you will find value in the tools provided at the getaway.

Don’t miss this opportunity to receive a conference registration for you and your spouse … and more! MomLife Today will be randomly selecting NINE lucky recipients to receive one of these great gifts:

1. 2 Weekend To Remember Get Away conference registrations for two. $259 value each pair (Two couples will receive this.)
2. 2 Life Ready Woman DVD packs. $149 value each (Two different people will receive this gift.)
3. 5 The Life Ready Woman books. (Book will go to 5 people.)

To enter click one of the icons below then tell your friends. Winner will be announced on March 2nd on the MomLife Today website.

(Disclosure: I received a copy of this book, free of charge, from Litfuse, for the purposes of this review.)

Congratulations to Elisa on winning the Choccreate Giveaway!

Thank you to all who entered. Have a wonderful day!