Hannah's Courage by Molly Jebber: Recipe, Review and Giveaway!

About the Book

Book:  Hannah’s Courage

Author: Molly Jebber

Genre:  Amish Historical Romance

Release Date: January 28, 2020

A loaf of fragrant cinnamon bread for breakfast . . . a sweet and creamy custard pie for dessert. In 1912 Ohio, the Amish Charm Bakery has something to delight locals and visiting Englischer alike. And within this warm, welcoming community, there’s always room for love to grow . . .

Hannah Lapp’s life, like a long-cherished recipe, is satisfying just the way it is. She enjoys whipping up desserts at the bakery, tutoring local children, and socializing with dear friends. One of those friends, Timothy Barkman, has made his interest in Hannah clear, but she’s been in no hurry to change her circumstances.

No sooner does she feel ready to grow closer to hard-working, handsome Timothy than Hannah finds she may have waited too long. Charlene Shetler intends to become Timothy’s fraa. It’s little wonder he’s attracted to such a pretty, forthright young woman, but is the newcomer all that she seems? Only when Hannah is willing to confront some difficult truths can she move bravely toward a life of abiding faith and love . . .

Click here* to get your copy!

About the Author

Molly Jebber’s Amish Historical Romance books have been featured on Publisher’s Weekly’s Best Ten Recommended Reads, in USA Today’s HEA, Romantic Times and many other media sites. She’s tours and speaks for Stonecroft Ministries – Women’s Christian Connection, and about Amish history/traditions, writing, marketing, publishing, and her books. She loves God, her family, and friends. She enjoys swimming, golf, reading, and says yes to butterscotch pie and parasailing, but no to coconut and skydiving! Visit http://www.mollyjebber.com for a complete list of her books and speaking events.  You will find Molly on Facebook here.

More From Molly

I related to Hannah in this book where I had to find the courage to make some hard decisions. Maybe you’ve had some hard choices to make and finding the courage to follow through has been difficult for you.

Have you had a bad day where nothing goes right? We’ve all had those. Hannah’s has many days like this, and she is torn about what to do from one problem to the next in her life. She makes some snap decisions, and faces life-altering challenges. You’ll laugh and want to stomp your feet at the twists and turns in this story.  She’s good at giving her friends advice, but has trouble following it. I can relate to this in my life at times. Maybe you can too.   

The Sheriff and Dr. Harrison are still regular customers at the bakery where she whips up mouth-watering desserts. She and her friends cry, laugh, and offer each other advice. I love time with girlfriends, and Hannah’s no different. You’ll relate to her, root for her, want to reach in the book and shake her at times (I’m sure my friends have wanted to do this with me a time or two!), and wonder how what the future holds for her. 

I hope you’ll follow my blog tour (schedule below) and enter for a chance to win the Grand Prize at the end of the tour. The more you enter, the more chances you have of winning!

Thank you so much for your support and encouragement. Your Facebook comments help me to get to know you better, and I appreciate it so much!

Here’s a recipe Hannah’s whipped up for you. And there are more in the back of Hannah’s story.

A Cake Recipe from Hannah

• 2 ½ cups all-purpose flour


• ¾ teaspoon baking soda


• 1 ¾ teaspoons cinnamon


• ½ teaspoon nutmeg


• ½ teaspoon salt


• 1 ¼ cups vegetable oil


• 1 ¼ cups granulated sugar


• ½ cup brown sugar


• 3 eggs


• 1 ½ teaspoons vanilla


• 3 large apples, peeled and cut into large pieced

Glaze

• 3 tablespoons butter


• 3 tablespoons brown sugar


• 3 tablespoons granulated sugar


• 3 tablespoons heavy cream


• ¼ teaspoon vanilla

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Grease 9 x 13 pan with butter and coat with 2 tablespoons of flour


2. In a large bowl, sift together flour, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt. Sift two additional times and set aside.

3. In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine oil and both sugars, and mix until well blended.


4. Add eggs one at a time, mixing thoroughly after each addition. Add vanilla and mix again.


5. Add the sifted dry ingredients to the batter and mix thoroughly. By hand, fold in apples and walnuts and mix until evenly combined.


6. Spoon the batter into the prepared bundt pan. Bake for 1 hour and 15 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean.

7. Remove cake from the oven and allow to cool in the bundt pan for 20 minutes.


8. While the cake is cooling, prepare the glaze. In a saucepan, over medium heat, combine all of the glaze ingredients. Bring to a boil and allow the mixture to boil for 1 minute.


9. Remove the cake from the pan, onto a serving plate. Spoon the glaze over the warm cake.


10. Cool for a little longer before serving.

My Thoughts

Hannah’s Courage by Molly Jebber takes us back to May of 1913 in Charm, Ohio.  Hannah Lapp and Timothy Barkman have grown up together and have become close friends.  The relationship gradually changed, and they began courting.  Whenever Timothy would bring up their future, Hannah would change the subject.  Hannah is not one for change.  Seeing her best friend, Ellie Wenger happy with marriage has Hannah realizing she is ready to tell Timothy how she feels about him.  When Timothy enters Liza’s Amish Charm Bakery where Hannah works, she is delighted to see him until she notices the pretty woman on his arm.  Charlene Shetler is new to town and was quick to latch onto Timothy.  It seems that Hannah has waited too long to tell Timothy how she feels.  Charlene has no qualms about letting Timothy know she likes him and desires a future with him.  Timothy is uncomfortable with Charlene’s forthright manner, but he knows he needs to move on since Hannah does not reciprocate his feelings.  Matters can certainly go awry when we fail to communicate.  

Hannah’s Courage by Molly Jebber is the third book in The Amish Charm Bakery series.  It can be read as a standalone, but I recommend reading this charming series in order.  Hannah’s Courage is nicely written, and the story moves along steadily.  The author made me feel like I was visiting Charm and could smell the delectable items that are whipped up at the bakery. I also liked that we get to see things from Hannah and Timothy’s perspective with the alternating chapters.  The characters are realistic.  We get to see them go through their daily lives where they have struggles as well as joyful moments.   The Amish community in Charm is close, and they help those in need.  They have a kindly and caring bishop.  Hannah works at Liza’s Amish Charm Bakery with her friends Ellie and Magdalena.  I like that we get to catch up with Liza and Ellie to see how they are doing.  Maryann and Rachel join the bakery ladies and they are a welcome addition.  The friendship between these ladies is heartwarming.  They are good friends who support each other.  Hannah is a kind woman with a strong faith who dislikes change (I can certainly relate).  I enjoyed seeing Hannah grow as a person and in her faith.  Charlene is a character that you love to dislike (she reminded me of Nellie Olson).  Aaron, Timothy’s brother, is a special individual.  Hannah is a patient teacher who helps Aaron to learn.  She can see the potential in him, and she encourages Aaron.  There is a special moment when Timothy makes a realization about Aaron that I find particularly touching.  I like how the author captured the time period by having the sheriff and the local doctor share the latest news each day.  I especially enjoyed the sheriff’s story (I do not want to say too much and spoil it for you).  Hannah’s Courage is a heartfelt Amish story about love, faith, forgiveness, second chances and courage.  

Giveaway

To celebrate her tour, Molly is giving away a Molly Jebber grand prize collection that includes a handmade quilt and Amazon card.  Be sure to comment on the blog stops for nine extra entries into the giveaway! Click here to enter.  Good Luck!  You can purchase a copy of Hannah's Courage here*.  I hope you enjoy reading this inspiring tale.  The other two novels in An Amish Charm Bakery series are Liza's Second Chance and Ellie's Redemption.  Thank you for stopping by today.  I plan on sharing my review of Shall We Dance? by Shelley Shepard Gray tomorrow.  I hope that you have a splendid day.  Take care and Happy Reading!

Kris

The Avid Reader

Tour Participants

The Avid Reader, January 30

Genesis 5020, January 30

Debbie’s Dusty Deliberations, January 31

Texas Book-aholic, January 31

Batya’s Bits, February 1

Quiet Quilter, February 1

She Lives to Read, February 2

Happily Managing a Household of Boys, February 2

Bigreadersite , February 3

Abba’s Prayer Warrior Princess, February 3

For Him and My Family, February 4

deb’s Book Review, February 4

Inklings and notions, February 5

Jeanette’s Thoughts, February 5

Pause for Tales, February 5

Older & Smarter?, February 6

Library Lady’s Kid Lit, February 6

Blossoms and Blessings, February 7

Lighthouse Academy Blog, February 7 (Guest Review from Marilyn Ridgway)

Babbling Becky L’s Book Impressions, February 8

Christian Bookaholic, February 8

For the Love of Literature, February 9

Truth and Grace Homeschool Academy, February 9

SusanLovesBooks, February 10

Adventures of a Travelers Wife, February 10

Connie’s History Classroom, February 11

SPLASHES of Joy , February 11

Locks, Hooks and Books, February 12

Vicky Sluiter, February 12

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