Book Spotlight: Amanda Weds A Good Man by Naomi King

AMANDA WEDS A GOOD MAN:

Amanda Lambright loves Wyman Brubaker, and after four years as a single mother, she is grateful for his support and for this new chance at happiness as his wife. She’s confident that their children will get along just fine. But once Amanda’s clan moves into Wyman’s home, the tight quarters and Wyman’s reluctance to make changes to accommodate Amanda cause friction. The older kids are squabbling. The little ones are frequently in tears. Tiny Alice Ann isn't speaking at all. Amanda and Wyman can’t find any privacy. And Amanda wonders if she’ll ever have a chance to pursue the pottery making that means so much to her.

Amanda believes that family lies at the center of any well-lived Amish life. Can she find the wisdom to guide the reluctant members of her new extended family toward the love that will bind them together?

Purchase your copy:

AMAZON

Title: Amanda Weds a Good Man
Author: Naomi King
Publisher: NAL Trade
Genre: Amish/Inspirational Romance
Pages: 336
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0451417879

ISBN-13: 978-0451417879

About Naomi King:

I've called Missouri home for most of my life, and most folks don’t realize that several Old Older Amish and Mennonite communities make their home here, as well. The rolling pastureland, woods, and small towns along county highways make a wonderful setting for Plain populations—and for stories about them, too! While Jamesport, Missouri is the largest Old Order Amish settlement west of the Mississippi River, other communities have also found the affordable farm land ideal for raising crops, livestock, and running the small family-owned businesses that support their families.

Like my heroine, Miriam Lantz, of my Seasons of the Heart series, I love to feed people—to share my hearth and home. I bake bread and goodies and I love to try new recipes. I put up jars and jars of green beans, tomatoes, beets and other veggies every summer. All my adult life, I’ve been a deacon, a dedicated church musician and choir member, and we hosted a potluck group in our home for more than twenty years.

Like Abby Lambright, heroine of my Home at Cedar Creek series, I consider it a personal mission to be a listener and a peacemaker—to heal broken hearts and wounded souls. Faith and family, farming and frugality matter to me: like Abby, I sew and enjoy fabric arts—I made my wedding dress and the one Mom wore, too, when I married into an Iowa farm family more than thirty-five years ago! When I’m not writing, I crochet and sew, and I love to travel.

I recently moved to Minnesota when my husband got a wonderful new job, so now he and I and our border collie, Ramona, are exploring our new state and making new friends.

You can visit her website at www.NaomiKingAuthor.com

Guest Post by Naomi King

I would like to welcome author Naomi King to the blog. She is one of my favorite authors and I am so thrilled to have her here today! Please join me in welcoming Naomi to the blog. Thank you, Naomi, for joining us. Having enjoyed your Cedar Creek books I am looking forward to hearing about how Amanda Weds A Good Man came about. 

A Good Man by Author Naomi King

You know that passage from Proverbs 31:10,  “A good woman who can find? For her price is far above rubies?” Well, the same can be said for finding a good man! I know, because I married one more than 38 years ago—and without his support during my 20+ years as a writer I simply would not be writing these Amish stories today. Emotionally and financially, I have made it through some years when the soup would have been mighty thin (or nonexistent), had Neal not been willing to pay the bills so I could write. These days, writing two series for two different publishers—when Amish books are such a hit—are the frosting on the cake for me. AMANDA WEDS A GOOD MAN comes out on Neal’s birthday, and I would be remiss if I didn’t give him a little plug here, and a big birthday kiss!

As for my new book, AMANDA WEDS A GOOD MAN, it has an interesting story! Do you remember the TV series, The Brady Bunch?? It was a story about a gal with kids who married a guy with kids, back in the day when blended families were more the exception than the norm they are today. Of course, the episodes were funny and highly idealized, and the Brady Bunch solved their problems by the end of each weekly episode.

My editor and one of the reps who sells for my publisher, NAL approached me with this idea: you know Amish widows and widowers with kids remarry and combine their families, yet they hadn’t seen any books with this premise—would I want to write one? When someone hands you a fun idea like this, the answer is always yes. My challenge was that I was already two books into my At Home in Cedar Creek series, and I had readers clamoring for the day when Abby Lambright and James Graber finally get married! I could not let that story go untold.

So I had to figure out a way to work Amanda and Wyman’s story into the world I’d already created. Don’t be confused about the new series name One Big Happy Family, which is on the cover! The marketing department is calling this a “sub-series,” thinking it’s a new way to improve sales. I’m not so sure about that, as I’ve gotten lots of notes from readers who think I’ve abandoned my original Cedar Creek characters. Not so! But in order to write the “Brady Bunch” idea, I had to go along with the “sub series” idea.

I believe I’ve created a wonderful new family—Amanda is Sam Lambright’s cousin, so she’s related and lives in Bloomingdale—that adds more drama and interest to the folks you’ve come to know and love in this Cedar Creek series. Wyman Brubaker is indeed a Good Man, but it’s up to Amanda (and Abby!) to show him how he must change to create the big, happy family he and Amanda envision when they marry. It’s much more than just taking Amanda, her mother-in-law, and her three daughters into his home with his five kids—which becomes very crowded, and only has one bathroom! It takes a lot of adjusting and loving and seeing things from other family members’ perspectives—and a devastating storm, and a really cranky bishop—to bring the newly blended Brubaker family to a better place.

And I must admit that Wyman makes these changes more willingly than a lot of real-life Amish husbands might. He gives up a lot to make Amanda happy because, in the end, he believes that loving his wife well is akin to loving the Lord—no matter what his bishop tells him!

The Brubakers do live happily ever after—and they will appear again in EMMA BLOOMS AT LAST, which comes out in the fall of 2014! I’m writing this book right now, and I’m delighted that because Amanda’s family has come into this series, James’s sister Emma has found someone to love. So stay tuned!

 

  

Wow! I am so excited about Emma's story coming next fall! It is also a relief that Abby, and all the characters I loved from that book, will still be around. Thank you so much for stopping by my blog, Naomi King. 

Thank you blog friends for stopping by. Please check out Naomi King on her website at http://www.naomikingauthor.com/ and if you're on Facebook like her page. It is a wonderful way to stay up with all that is coming up for Naomi. https://www.facebook.com/NaomiC.King

Review of Amanda Weds A Good Man

AMANDA WEDS A GOOD MAN

NAOMI KING

*I received a copy of this book for review purposes. All opinions stated are my honest feelings about the book. I was not compensated for the review. *

I reviewed one other book by this author, Abby Finds Her Calling, which I loved. I was so excited to be able to review another book by her. The reason for this is that Naomi King is a quality writer. She writes with knowledge. There are many books about the Amish, (this I know because every winter it is to Amish romance and Christmas stories I cuddle up with). If you read enough of them you know that finding an author who writes with knowledge about the Amish is difficult.

Amanda Weds A Good Man was everything I hoped it would be ...and more. I was pleasantly surprised to find that the author kept the story very real. Amanda has children. The man she marries, Wyman, also has children. Blending families is a difficult task no matter the circumstances. Yet somehow we think for the Amish it may be different. They lead, what one imagines, very peaceful lives with obedience being a major factor. I think we do that because in our lives everything is hurried and electronic. We stress ourselves out. Then we see the Amish and we think how great it would be to live life so peaceful and slow. We forget they are just people like us, with the same emotions, thoughts and similar issues. The author brings that into focus in this book. It is what I enjoyed most about it. We hear the story from multiple views so we experience the love and joy but we also get the doubts and the fears. We see the blending of the family and the issues. We also experience the blurring of worlds. Wyman has friends who are Mennonite. He is from a strict community while Amanda is not. Seeing them question things and stay true to their relationship with God is inspiring and realistic. I was also very happy to see Abby and so many friends from that book play major roles in this one. You do not need to read the other book to enjoy this one, (I believe they are 2 different but related series), but I would recommend it...for your enjoyment.

Other books by Naomi King:

  

Naomi King has also written under the name Charlotte Hubbard. These books are available as ebooks. I am not certain if they are all available in print. I just realized I also reviewed Summer of Secrets. No wonder I loved the writing. LOL

  

   

The following books were written prior to the author's move into faith based books. They are for adults who are looking for something a bit more exciting. I have a Kindle and know these are available for it. 

  

  

You can hook up with Naomi King on her website, which also contains recipes. I love recipes and there are some amazing ones on her website!  

                                            http://www.naomikingauthor.com/

She also has a Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/NaomiC.King

Review of On the Isles of Mozambique

On The Isles of Mozambique by Mila A. Ballentine
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Wow. This book was so interesting!I was expecting a story about travel and the sights of an isle, like what you would find in a travel magazine. This book is so much more. It is filled with heart pounding adventure and a bit of romance. My heart broke in parts of Samira's story. I cried both sad and happy tears through out the book.
I have read several books by this author. Each book was a surprise. The author enjoys writing in different genres. What remains consistent is the author's ability to tell a story. She researches her stories and has a vivid imagination. She writes a perfect mix of reality and fantasy. This book does not disappoint.

View all my reviews

Jubilee's Journey Review

Jubilee's Journey by Bette Lee Crosby
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I loved Jubilee's Journey. I came across it on GR and was intrigued by the synopsis. I had not heard of the author before coming across the book. After listing the book "to read" I received a message from the author stating I may want to read Book 1 first, Spare Change. I took her advice and read it. I was not certain if the characters I knew from Spare Change would be a part of Jubilee's Journey, so I was delighted to find them included in a big way. It is for this reason I would recommend reading Spare Change first. It is not necessary but I found knowing Ethan Allen's story enhanced my enjoyment of this book.
In this book Jubilee and Paul are children who come to Wyattsville after losing both their parents. Something happens upon their arrival and suddenly they are in trouble. Ethan, a child who not long ago was alone and in a jam, is determined to help Jubilee.
I love that the author has children who are strong, resilient and kind. Though bad things have happened to them they are capable of loving, caring and trusting. They believe in each other and refuse to give up. There are a few adults who do bad things but most of the adults are kind and caring. I like how the author keeps things real with characters who make mistakes and may judge badly yet are able to change when they find the truth. It is the kind of story that takes you back in time and makes you long for days gone by. It tells us bad things can happen to good people but if you keep faith and keep going, good things are possible. Good people are out there. It is this message that makes this book uplifting. I wish I could give it more than 5 stars.


View all my reviews

Other books by Bette Lee Crosby:

                                                   

You may find more information on this author on her website: http://betteleecrosby.com/

I enjoy her website very much. You will not only find information on her books but also recipes and other fun and interesting things. Check it out!

She is also active on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/bettelee.crosby

Google+ : https://plus.google.com/u/0/101009794357210106588/posts

Twitter: https://twitter.com/betteleecrosby

Pinterest: http://www.pinterest.com/bettelcrosby/

Shelfari: http://www.shelfari.com/betteleecrosby

GoodReads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/3222582.Bette_Lee_Crosby

Living Separate Lives

Living Separate Lives by Paulette Harper Johnson
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Interesting novella about 4 friends from college who get together for a weekend reunion years later. It is advertised as Christian so expect that, please. It does have a mature theme to it and is intended for adults, I believe. The 4 friends were at different places in their lives, some married, some successful, others not and each was at a different level of belief. The story is told from each woman's view of things. It is a novella so it was hard for me to connect with any one person. However I was invested in the story and it did hold my attention. It even left me wanting more. I was able to figure out where the story was headed but not how the author would handle it. I was impressed that she kept that real. There was not a holier than thou attempt at forgive and forget. Real reactions played out. Even a time frame for healing. No one was miraculously healed overnight. I really appreciated that. I think it gives readers a realistic look at being a Christian faced with a painful situation. You need to work at relationships, you need to work at forgiveness. You can be hurt, angry, lose it and still be a Christian. I think that is the power in this short story. You will make mistakes, you will hurt, you will fall as a Christian and you will get back up, be forgiven and grow as a Christian.

Disclosure: I was given a copy of this book for review purposes. I review a wide variety, mostly non Christian books. This review contains my honest impression of this title. My beliefs are my own and may or may not be Christian. I received no compensation for this review.

View all my reviews

Oh So Hot!

swingers by Abyrne Mostyn
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Wow! I think my Kindle nearly set on fire! This was my first read by this author and of this...umm...type. I have read erotica before just not this...situation. It was oh so steamy. It is short - the story spans one night. It is told from several POV's and that worked great! Very fun and interesting look into a swinger party. It was perfect for the now chilly nights of Alaska. If you are looking for something short, (but to read slowly and perhaps aloud with someone), hot and juicy to heat up your night, (day?), this is your book. I am definitely looking forward to more by this author.

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