The Widow's Unexpected Suitor by Lenora Worth

 The Widow's Unexpected Suitor

Book Summary

She thought she’d never find love again

Until he built a foundation for it…

Amish widow Lilah Mehl wants to make sure her daughter has the wedding she’s always dreamed of—even if it means building a new gazebo. Hiring widowed carpenter Noah Lantz to work on the project is easy, but ignoring their attraction proves more challenging than expected. As the gazebo takes shape, so do new feelings…but is love more than they bargained for? 

From Love Inspired: Uplifting stories of faith, forgiveness and hope.

My Thoughts

The Widow’s Unexpected Suitor by Lenora Worth is a story about love, hope, family, second chances, and faith.  I enjoyed getting to know the characters.  Sarah could be a tad overwhelming at times (I believe Lilah overindulged her since the death of her husband). I thought the characters were developed.  I enjoyed the Pinecraft setting.  It is different from other Amish communities (no horse and buggies, church services are not held in the home).  The plot is thought out and the story moved along at a good pace. Lilah and Noah are both missing loved ones which gives them a connection. The construction of the gazebo will give them time to get to know each other.  Of course, the weeks leading up to a wedding are a busy time.  I enjoyed the descriptions of the gazebo (I want Noah to build me one).   The ending left me smiling.   The Widow’s Unexpected Suitor is a sweet, uplifting story. 

The Widow's Unexpected Suitor can be ordered from Amazon*.  The first book in the Pinecraft Seasons series is Pinecraft Refuge.  You can find Lenora Worth's other novels here.  Thank you for joining me today.  I am sorry the links are in odd colors today.  Blogger decided not to cooperate.  It was acting oddly (would not allow me to add links, change the color of words, and so much more).  I will return on Tuesday, June 4 with The Amish Book Cellar by Tracy Fredrychowski. The heat and humidity are causing me more discomfort than normal (fibromyalgia and heat do not mix well).  I hope that you have a jolly weekend.  Take care and Happy Reading!

Kris

The Avid Reader

*I voluntarily read an advanced copy of this book.  I am not required to leave a review.  The comments and opinions expressed are strictly my own. 

A Louisiana Christmas to Remember by Betsy St. Amant, Morgan Tarpley Smith, and Lenora Worth

 A Louisiana Christmas to Remember

Book Summary

A Rare Snowfall Leads to a Christmas to Remember

Three heartwarming, interconnected stories of faith, love, and restoration, brought to you by three Louisiana-native authors. Will a rare snowy Louisiana Christmas bring restoration and hope to the hometown and hearts of three women from the town's founding family?

In A Louisiana Snow by Morgan Tarpley Smith, meet Mattie: A passionate visionary who learns to forgive and finds love in unexpected places...

In Restoring Christmas by Betsy St. Amant, meet Jolene: An artist and prodigal daughter who discovers love exists in the very place she once called home...

In A Christmas Reunion by Lenora Worth, meet Adale: A beautiful widow who finally dares to love again...

And don't forget Granny, whose feisty spirit, blunt dialogue, and quirky ways play an important and endearing role.

My Thoughts

A Louisiana Christmas to Remember contains three Christmas romance stories by Betsy St. Amant, Morgan Tarpley Smith, and Lenora Worth.  I like how the stories are tied together with the same town, characters, and season.  We get to visit Moreau, Louisiana in December as they are preparing for various events that include the Christmas Market, an eightieth birthday celebration for the town’s matriarch, and the Christmas Eve ball.  We get to learn about Louisiana’s traditions and some of its history.  We get to meet some interesting characters with my favorite being Granny.  Granny is astute and spunky.  She enjoyed meddling in her daughter and granddaughter’s lives.  I did find the stories to be predictable especially when it came to romance.  

Faith was nicely woven into the story.  There were some insightful nuggets in each novella. Each lady needed to overcome an emotional obstacle before there could be a happily ever after.  There are good life lessons.  A control-oriented individual gets to learn that some things are beyond their influence.  Forgiveness, regrets, hope, healing, and second chances are other themes.  I liked the festive Christmas atmosphere, especially the snow.  Christmas is a magical time of year when the impossible is possible if you believe.   A Louisiana Christmas to Remember contains three heartwarming tales that will have you singing Christmas carols and dragging out your Christmas tree.

A Louisiana Christmas to Remember comes out September 1, and it can be preordered from Amazon*.   Thank you for joining me for the last day of August.  It was one hot month.  I have never been so grateful for air conditioning.  My mother and I made it through the hurricane safely for which I am very grateful.  I know others were not as fortunate.  You would think science would have found a way to dispel hurricanes.   I hope everyone has a happy and safe Labor Day. I will return on Tuesday with my thoughts on Witches Get Stuff Done by Molly Harper.  Take care and Happy Reading!

Kris

The Avid Reader 

*This post contains affiliate links.  As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.

The Memory Quilt by Lenora Worth

 The Memory Quilt

Book Summary

Running a historic Inn on beautiful Shadow Lake is a satisfying life for the Amish King sisters. Until love stirs a longing for more . . .

 

When Abigail King stumbles upon a man lying on the beach near her family inn, her every instinct says to help the stranger. With his memory gone, “Jonah” is reluctant to contact the authorities, so Abigail offers him shelter, despite her sisters’ reservations.  As she nurses him back to health, Abigail helps him recover his lost past, creating a quilt from images of the shattered fragments he recalls. But with every square Abigail adds, she wonders if she is falling for a man who can never truly be hers . . .

 

Jonah feels at home at The Shadow Lake Inn with the lovely Abigail, at peace with the Amish lifestyle she lives.  But as the pieces of his past are sewn together, the mystery only deepens—until he knows the only way forward is to turn himself in to the police, to finally discover the truth of who he really is.  For the one thing worse than not knowing his past, is not knowing what the future holds for him and Abigail . . .

My Thoughts

The Memory Quilt by Lenora Worth takes us to the Shadow Lake Inn on the shore of Lake Erie in Pennsylvania.  Abigail King is taking a walk along the shore when she spots a man laying motionless on the beach.  Abigail notices that he is bleeding.  She enlists her sisters’ help to get the man back to the guesthouse at the inn where she hides him from her parents.  The man awakens, but he cannot remember anything about himself.  As Jonah, as Abigail dubbed him, recovers, he remembers fragments.  Abigail sketches his disjointed memories which she begins making into a quilt.  The more time Jonah and Abigail spend together, the more the come to care for each other.  They both know it is not possible since they are from two different worlds plus Jonah does not know how he ended up injured in the lake.  The last thing Jonah wishes to do is bring harm to the King family.  How can Jonah discover the truth about himself?

The Memory Quilt by Lenora Worth is a sweet story.  I thought the story contained good writing with developed characters.  We get to know the King family who run the Shadow Lake Inn.  Abigail’s parents have given Abigail the running of the inn because they have health issues.  I did find it curious how Abigail was able to spend so much time caring for Jonah when she was responsible for a busy inn.  There is a mystery regarding Jonah’s identity and how he ended up injured.  No one seems to be looking for him either.  There is some suspense near the end.  I wish there had been more clues for the reader so they could try to solve the mystery before the reveal (I love solving mysteries).  I would have liked a little more action as that would have increased the stories pacing.  There was also repetition of information.  I enjoyed reading about Abigail’s unique quilt. The King family were a close-knit unit with caring parents who wanted to make sure their daughters stayed on the straight and narrow.  They did not want to risk gossip about their girls or that one of them would jump the fence.  The descriptions of the area around the inn sounded beautiful.  It would be a wonderful place to go on vacation.  The Memory Quilt is a unique Amish novel with fragmented memories, considerate sisters, apprehensive parents, a compassionate maedel, an upsetting situation, and a sticky situation. 

The Memory Quilt is available from Amazon*.  You can find Lenora Worth's other novels here. Lenora has Christmas K-9 Protectors (a Love Inspired Suspense) out now.  Thank you for reading my review today.  Tomorrow I am sharing my thoughts on Petals and Poison.  It is the debut of A Flower House Mystery series.  I hope that you have a merry day.  Take care, be kind, and Happy Reading!

Kris

The Avid Reader 

*This post contains affiliate links.  As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.