A Dream of Miracles

Amish widow Mattie vows never to love again . . . until a suspicious outsider with a shadowy past comes crashing into her fragile world.
Mattie Diener can barely keep it together. A young Amish widow and mother of two young children, she faces the lingering heartbreak of lost love, her son’s mysterious illness, and a torrent of accusations that threaten to undo her.
Bo Lambright is a fast-rising social services investigator whose high-society mother won’t rest until she finds his Mrs. Right. Despite Bo’s worldly success, the raw ache of a shadowy past and a series of unsettling dreams have left him reeling.
When Mattie and Bo cross paths, all signs point to disaster. Yet as they face a crucible of trials and tragedies together, longings begin to stir that seem destined only to end in more heartbreak. Is a miracle possible—not only of healing but of forbidden love? What secrets lie in Bo’s dreams? And will Mattie find the courage to face her uncertain future . . . or will she simply run away?

My thoughts: It's been a while since I have been truly excited about a book in the Amish fiction section, but this story has broken that stretch of time! A lot of Amish fiction is sweet or filled with drama, but this one was an excellent blend of well developed characters and an interesting plot. I thought it was interesting to explore the idea of an Amish family being under inspection by social workers, since I can imagine that a lot of their way of life would be strange and totally different from what they are used to dealing with. I also enjoyed some of the twists to the story!
If you are looking for an excellent story outside of the norm, then I highly recommend this one!
I received this book from Litfuse in exchange for my honest review.

The Five Times I met Myself

What if you met your twenty-three-year-old self in a dream? What would you say?

Brock Matthews’ once promising life is unraveling. His coffee company. His marriage.

So when he discovers his vivid dreams—where he encounters his younger self—might let him change his past mistakes, he jumps at the chance. The results are astonishing, but also disturbing.

Because getting what Brock wants most in the world will force him to give up the one thing he doesn’t know how to let go . . . and his greatest fear is that it’s already too late.

My thoughts: I will be honest, there were times when I didn't like the females in this story, since it felt like they were the ones being pretty selfish (like, bailing when the money threatened to no longer be there), but I wound up being happy with where the story ended up. I thought the story was an interesting "what if?" style, being able to change the course of our life through our dreams. The book is well written and hard to put down, as well as contains a great message!
I received this book from Lit Fuse in exchange for my honest review

Rise of the Fallen

A six thousand year war rages and now the demonic Fallen are coming for him—the one man shrouded in mystery. Only Validus stands in their way.

Validus is the last and least of God’s angels, but he’s seen much across the millennia since his creation. Empires have risen and fallen as angelic and demonic forces battle in a raging war that will determine humanity's fate – and the fate of his defeated brothers.


Eventually called to be an earth-bound warrior, Validus rises to a position of power and respect, commanding legions of angels through impossible battles and overwhelming odds. But when orders arrive from the Creator's most elite Messenger, he finds himself suddenly demoted to a task of apparent insignificance considering the fierce war they are waging against the demonic Fallen – the covert protection of one unbelieving man.


Validus soon finds himself on a mission that will push him beyond his abilities as he battles to protect Drew Carter, for the Fallen are coming for him. Legions of them.

As Validus races against time to discover why Drew is so important to humanity's survival, can he stand between Drew and all who would destroy him?

My thoughts: In some ways, I was kind of surprised by this story, since it didn't pick right up where the first book left off. It starts out telling Validus' story, so readers can catch a few on the history behind this Spiritual battle that wrecks havoc all around us. While I was anxious to get back to Drew's story, it is fun to read more about the authors view on Spiritual warfare. I love that each chapter has scripture verses to back them up, giving the reader a lot to ponder. This book is fiction at it's best, since it gets the reader to think and motivates Christians out of their apathetic stupor. While I don't know that I agree 100% with the authors views, it has encouraged me to do some research of my own. It has also reminded me that we do not wrestle against flesh and bones, but against principalities and rulers of darkness who want to consign humanity to endless torment with them.
I highly recommend this book!
I received "Rise of the Fallen" from Blogging for Books in exchange for my honest review.