On This Foundation {Book Review}

***I received a free copy of this book by Bethany House Publishers in exchange for my honest review.

source

I love anything that Lynn Austin writes. I think I've read every single one of her books. Some multiple times. This summer I got on a kick and read several of my favorites one after another. Lynn Austin is a wonderful storyteller and her characters are well developed. Once I start one of her books I usually can't put it down until I'm done. This new one didn't disappoint. 

On This Foundation is the third book in the Restoration Chronicles series. (I've reviewed both book 1 and book 2 on my blog.) I usually tend to stay away from Biblical fiction (because it feels like a whole lot of fiction and not much Biblical fact) but Lynn Austin's Biblical fiction I find different. She quotes from scripture as often as possible. I also like that she includes a list of scripture references in the back of the book for further reading. 

This third and final book focuses on Nehemiah, King Artaxerxes' cup-bearer, who found permission to rebuild Jerusalem's crumbling walls. While in Jerusalem, he was made governor of Judah. The book also tells the story of Chana (whose betrothed was killed due to the lack of walls surrounding the city), Malkijah (a man who lost his first wife and is hoping to find love again) and Nava (a young girl who became a bondservant to save her father's land during a drought). All three along with the rest of the people of Jerusalem and the surrounding areas do their part to help Nehemiah rebuild the walls of Jerusalem in a staggering 52 days. But amongst the people are spies working for enemies in the surrounding provinces who want to hinder and harm the Lord's work being done. Nehemiah's life, and those of his workers, are in danger. 

This is a thick book but one that is worth taking the time to read. It did not disappoint. 

The Photograph {Book Review}

***I received a free copy of this book by Bethany House Publishers in exchange for my honest review.

source

I enjoy reading books by Beverly Lewis. They are always easy to read and I fly through them. She is a good storyteller. Whenever I see a Beverly Lewis book available for review through the Bethany House blogger review program, I get excited! 

This book was about Eva Esch, a young woman whose parents have died. She and her sisters are living in their parents' house until their brother and his family are ready to move in. When one of her sisters runs away to the English world, Eva and her other sister try to keep things going at home while they search for her. Meanwhile, an Amish man from Ohio, Jed, comes to the area to learn buggy making techniques and the two are immediately attracted to one another. But when Eva discovers a photograph of her runaway sister in Jed's wallet, things change between the two of them. 

While I thoroughly enjoyed this book, it wasn't my favorite. The story was good. She always makes her books interesting by adding little bits of excitement in the plot. I appreciate that Beverly Lewis has a lot of knowledge about the Amish that comes through in her books. It was neat to get a look at two different Amish districts and how each district varies slightly.

If you haven't read anything by Beverly Lewis, I would definitely recommend reading one of her books. If you have, what was your favorite?