Thursday, November 22, 2018

About the Book

Book: Love’s Christmas Blessings

Author: Laura V Hilton, Rachel J Good

Genre: Christian Fiction, Amish, Christmas

Release Date: November, 2018

Publisher: Celebrate Lit Publishing

Winter’s Treasure

Paris Kauffman believes she is about to embark on her family-tradition birthday treasure hunt, but for the first time ever, her daed is sending her to various businesses and homes in the community. Little does Paris expect that when she enters the bakery to collect her gift, the bus will drop off none other than her old crush, Aquila Stutzman, the man she’d done everything except cartwheels and handstands to get his attention. And failed. Of course, Quil doesn’t remember her.

Quil was offered employment working on his grandparents’ new tree farm in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. Since he’s recovering from a broken heart when his longtime girlfriend Priscilla up and married his cousin, a move Quil never saw coming, he decides to take the job. This will give him time to separate himself from the hurt and maybe, eventually, move on.

Paris and Quil have sparks from the beginning, especially since his appearance causes a vicious rivalry between friends. But who can resist when a chance meeting beginning with donuts and coffee ends with a missing person, puppies, a skunk, and a sleigh ride—not to mention a trip the Amish young people plan to Niagara Falls. Could it also involve falling in love?

Mistletoe and Miracles

Daniel Graber has spent years caring for his aging parents. Now Daed’s in rehab with a broken hip and a bad case of irritability. He snaps at the workers and complains about doing physical therapy, so Daniel is grateful for the new aide, Fern Chupp, who uses her sweetness and charm to convince Daed to cooperate. Turns out, Daed isn’t the only one she charms.

As a widow, Fern is grateful for her new job at Fairview Rehab Center, even though it meant relocating to Ephrata, Pennsylvania, with her nine-year-old daughter, Lyddie. But Lyddie is grieving the recent death of her grandfather and dislikes leaving her Ohio home. Lyddie’s shyness also makes it difficult to make friends or recite school lessons.

When her class goes to the rehab center to interview patients, Lyddie’s too scared to do her assignment, so she runs away. During the hunt for her missing daughter, independent Fern learns to accept and appreciate Daniel’s help and support. By the time they discover Lyddie, she’s made a very unusual friend, and Fern and Daniel have developed a . Can four lonely heart create special bonds to make it a Christmas to remember?

Click here to purchase your copy!

About the Authors

Laura V. Hilton is an award-winning, sought-after author with over twenty Amish, contemporary, and historical romances. When she’s not writing, she reviews books for her blogs, and writes devotionals for blog posts for Seriously Write.

Laura and her pastor-husband have five children and a hyper dog named Skye. They currently live in Arkansas. One son is in the U.S. Coast Guard. She is a pastor’s wife, and homeschools her two youngest children.

When she’s not writing, Laura enjoys reading, and visiting lighthouses and waterfalls. Her favorite season is winter, her favorite holiday is Christmas.

Inspirational author Rachel J. Good writes life-changing, heart-tugging novels of faith, hope, and forgiveness. The author of several Amish romance series, she grew up near Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, the setting for many of her stories. Striving to be as authentic as possible, she spends time with her Amish friends, doing chores on their farm and attending family events.

Rachel’s Amish series include Sisters & Friends (Charisma House & Harlequin), Love & Promises (Hachette/Grand Central), Hearts of Amish Country (Annie’s Book Club), and the forthcoming Surprised by Love (Kensington). She also has several anthologies in print as well as the Amish Quilts Coloring Book.

To learn more about Rachel, visit her at www.racheljgood.com.

Coconut Potato Fudge Recipe:

Ingredients:

1/2 cup plain, mashed potatoes, either instant or one medium potato, cooked

1/8 cup finely chopped (or crushed) almonds (optional)
3 cups powdered sugar
1 cup shredded coconut
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
3 ounces semi-sweet baking chocolate
give3 tablespoons butter

Instructions:

Beat powdered sugar and coconut into warm potatoes; then add the vanilla extract and almonds.

Press into a lightly-greased 8-inch square pan; set aside.

In a saucepan over low heat, melt chocolate and butter, stirring occasionally. When melted, pour over top of the potato mixture.

Refrigerate until set and then cut into squares.

Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator.

The book is a wonderful collection of stories that bring hope, blessings and love at Christmastime. I really enjoyed each story and thought the characters were well written.

Winter's Treasure by Laura V. Hilton

Paris is a charming character and I loved the idea of the treasure hunt for a birthday. The adventure was fun to follow and I thought the author did a good job of taking Paris to different stops to show how much she was loved by friends and family. I didn't like Sarah at all and I couldn't believe how jealous she was of Paris. Sarah was downright spiteful to Paris and caused some misunderstandings. Quil is the ideal man for Paris and I loved reading how their relationship developed. It wasn't rushed and it made the story more interesting. One of my favorite parts of the story was the visit to Niagara Falls. I have never been, but with the help of the author I felt like I was there on the trip with everyone.

It is a great story that captures how jealousy can make someone bitter and unhappy. Telling lies to belittle someone always backfires. The Bishop shared great wisdom with Paris and made her realize how loved she was by her adoptive parents. We all have things from our past that hurt, but God showed Paris that she is not defined by her past. Will Sarah get over her jealousy of Paris? Can Paris and Quil find happiness with each other? The answers are in the story that is fun and full of surprises.

Mistletoe and Miracles by Rachel J. Good

Oh my I loved this story so much. The characters are wonderful and feel my eyes with tears. Fern is a sweet woman working at the rehab center trying to make ends meet. When she encounters Moses, he is a handful. Her gentle and tender heart really helped a grumpy old man start to peel away his hardened heart. Add to the mix in the story is Daniel. He is Moses's son and meets Fern as she is taking care of his dad at the center. Their attraction is nice and I loved how they respected each other and took things show.

The star of the story for me was a sweet, shy, charming little girl named Lyddie. There is such an innocence about her. Her shyness keeps her from making new friends, but one day while at the center she finds herself in Moses's room. The friendship that develops is one that made me cry. The story is a lesson in friendship and getting rid of sadness. Moses and Lyddie make my heart sing. I love that the author shared a story about four lonely people who are looking for acceptance. The times in the center brought back memories of the time my mom spent in one. It was hard to visit her, but she was so lonely I hated to leave her. Thank you for writing a story that reminds us that there are lonely people out there of all ages.

I received a copy of this wonderful book from Celebrate Lit. The review is my own opinion.