Book Review (and a Giveaway!): Plain, Everyday Heroes by Hilton, Good & Nye

GENRE: Inspirational Amish Fiction
PUBLISHER: Celebrate Lit
RELEASE DATE: July 4, 2018
PAGES: 197

Playing With Fire

Arie Zimmerman has been in love with Noah Behr from almost the moment they met, but after a devastating wildfire destroys the community, everything changes. Noah questions how a loving Gott could allow such things to happen. As Arie and her family struggle to rebuild their home and lives, Noah escapes to California to fight another off-season wildfire—and maybe find Gott in the process.

When Noah returns, he promises Arie the prize money if she will help him with a chili cook-off to fund the fire department. Of course, in order to spend more time with the girl he loves, he’s also willing to pitch in unloading the new furniture and animals her daed bought at an auction. He’ll even help Arie slice and dice vegetables if he can taste test the recipes.

More than just the kitchen heats up as they spend time together. But will Noah find a still missing Gott in the process and discover there’s more to life than what he initially believed?

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

An Unlikely Hero

Mysteries intrigue secondhand shop owner Benuel Miller. Although strangers may think a blind man would be easy to cheat, those who know Benuel realize he’s honed his other senses to pick up clues his eyes don’t see, making him a savvy business owner. When a stranger enters Benuel’s secondhand shop, the man is shocked by Benuel’s accurate assessment and unsolicited advice. Wary, he hopes Benuel won’t find out his true intentions, but the shopkeeper is already on the case.

Later, Mari and her twin sister, Frannie, stop in Benuel’s shop with Frannie’s three-year-old son, and Benuel senses trouble. His hunches have never led him astray, but is he misreading something here? He can’t help being drawn to Mari, yet is she as sweet and loving as she seems? Or is she hiding a deep, dark secret?

One explosive night when tragedy strikes, Benuel risks his life to find out the truth. Can he unmask the stranger from his shop to foil a sinister plot? And will what he discovers destroy his only chance for love?

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Racing the Slow Girls

A recipe for fast-paced, comical, Amish adventure— Ingredients: Three fun-loving teenage boys on bicycles. Mix in an adorable little girl on a pony, a few spunky teenage girls, and a hint of romance. Directions: Place the characters in a beautiful setting, such as Holmes Co. Ohio. Roll in the boys on bikes. Stir up a few harsh words spoken carelessly. Add plenty of retaliation by the girls. Place in the heat of a family emergency until everyone is completely undone. Sit back and enjoy an Amish adventure with a cup of coffee.

Other Books In This Series

What a treat to be able to read a new Laura Hilton story twice in one week – and then the added enjoyment of one by Rachel J. Good and Thomas Nye too!

In my review of Firestorm, I said I was looking forward to seeing where Hilton took the secondary characters in future stories. And in my mind I really meant Noah lol. He grew on me almost immediately in the beginning of that novel, and then by the end he had so many complicated emotions to sift through that I really wanted to see what happened with him. Much to my delight, Noah is the hero of Playing With Fire so I didn’t have to wait long! His character has some honest questions about God and in his own words he has “lost” God. Fortunately, God hasn’t lost him, and I loved so much the role that Arie’s dad plays in helping Noah find his faith again. It was also interesting to catch up with the community’s rebuilding a little bit down the road from the end of Firestorm and see their resiliency in the face of hardship. The rekindled romance between Arie and Noah is full of sparks and sizzle, but also a gentle affection of friendship. And poor Noah and the hot peppers and the even hotter chili! I didn’t mind chuckling at his expense a bit 😉 I thought it ended a bit quickly, a little rushed, but it’s still such a great story.

Rachel J. Good’s An Unlikely Hero introduced me to Benuel, a secondhand shop owner who also happens to be blind. I’m not sure if he has appeared in her other stories, but he quickly became one of my favorite Amish fiction heroes! Gentle, intuitive, and highly savvy, Benuel doesn’t let being blind stop him – and in fact has sharpened his other senses in such a way that allows him to ‘see’ things that others miss and to do things that even a sighted person might be too afraid to do. I really loved his character, and Mari is a perfect complement to him. Frannie, I wanted to purse whomp something fierce. But Mari’s sweet heart shined even brighter against her sister’s shrill hysteria. A bit of instant love, perhaps, but it just seemed to fit with these characters. Highly enjoyed this story too!

Racing the Slow Girls is a cute story with an adorable little girl who stole my heart – and the hero’s too. Libby is precocious and endearing, with her dolly and her pony and the way she always seems to be crossing Daniel’s path. The development of their friendship was my favorite part of the story, and Libby of course steals every scene she’s in. She becomes integral to the plot in many ways and she’s the source of plenty of cuteness. The protagonists in this story are older teenagers, so while there’s a little romance it still carries the undertone of youthfulness with it. This is a fun story that reminds me why I don’t want to relive my adolescence any time soon haha!

Bottom Line: Each of the three novellas is well-written and reflects the writing talent represented by their authors. There’s something for everyone here, and a great way to sample the three authors’ writing styles and perhaps find a new fave! Each hero grows during their respective story, coming closer to God or finding strength or maturity they didn’t know they had. The stories are entertaining and sweet, with humor and heart aplenty. I very much enjoyed this collection & look forward to more from each author.

(I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book which i received from the publisher. All views expressed are only my honest opinion.)

My Rating: 4 / Love it!

KissingBook Level: 3 / May forget to breathe on occasion

Laura V. Hilton is an award-winning, sought-after author with almost 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 and Putting on the New.

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.

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Rachel J. Good is the author of several Amish series in print or forthcoming—Sisters & Friends, Love & Promises, and two books in theHearts of Amish Country series—as well as the Amish Quilts Coloring Books and the contemporary novella, Angels Unaware, part of the Hope Chapel series.

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Thomas Nye writes novels about horses and Amish life, with a touch of romance, and a foundation of faith in Christ. He and his wife, Shari, live on her family farm where they raised five children. Their six grandchildren love to visit Karma and Karla, a team of draft horses which Thomas purchased from an Amish friend.

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Other Books By These Authors

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What about you? Who is an ‘everyday hero’ in your life?