Murder Freshly Baked by Vannetta Chapman

Overview: When delicious baked goods become lethal, a trail of poetry leads to a sweet-toothed killer.

Don’t taste it. Don’t share it.
Just throw it away.
If you try my bakery pie,
You won’t live to see another day.

The Amish Artisan Village of Middlebury, Indiana, might be the last place you would ever expect to find a murderer. But Amber has been managing the Village for decades and there’s nothing she hasn’t seen. Or so she thought.

When poetic notes begin appearing around the bakery, warning that some of the pies have been poisoned, Amber is as confused as she is concerned. Who poisons pies? And more to the point, who leaves poems of warning after they’ve done it? When Amber decides to help the police track down the sweet-toothed saboteur, she enlists Hannah Troyer for another round of Amish-style detective work.

Can Amber and Hannah help the police before the Poison Poet strikes? Both women will need to draw on their faith to preserve the peaceful community they’ve built in Middlebury . . . and to protect the girls who work in the Amish Artisan Village.

ISBN-13: 9780310322177 | Publisher: Zondervan | Publication date: 6/9/2015

Series: An Amish Village Mystery Series

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My Review: I absolutely devoured this book. From the very beginning, I was hooked and I had a hard time putting it down. I think this is my favorite of the three books in the Amish Village Mystery Series because it has it all. Heartfelt romance, simple and sweet friendships, honest and humble faith, and loads of intrigue and mystery. I was guessing right along with Hannah, Amber, Preston, and Pam until the very end. 

I especially loved getting a bigger glimpse into the friendship that Hannah and Amber share. It's interesting to me to see how the Amish and English interact, but I love how Vannetta Chapman writes her characters lives and friendships. Though each woman is different in dress, their faith, love, and loyalty are the same. Hannah and Jesse are the cutest couple. I'm so glad we got a glimpse into their future lives. I also loved hearing more from Hannah and Tate. Preston had me from his role in the second book, Murder Tightly Knit. I have a soft spot in my heart for soldiers. His suffering and the work the ICAN and other VA organizations was accurately portrayed, in my opinion. 

Most of all, I loved the faith based message of the story. Hannah and Amber both worry about their friends and family. God is trying to teach them not to worry, but instead to cast their cares upon Him and worry no more. Simple in words, difficult in action. Vannetta Chapman has a way of writing in the message of the book, making it a part of the story, and fitting in the perfect ending.

Overall, I was highly satisfied with the conclusion of the Amish Village Mystery series. I really cannot wait to read more from the amazing author. If you're looking for simple faith, heartwarming romance, and appetizing mystery, pick up this book today!

*I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher through the BookLook blogging program in exchange for my honest review.*

About the Author: Vannetta Chapman holds a BA and MA degree in English and has published over one hundred articles in Christian family magazines, receiving over two dozen awards from Romance Writers of America chapter groups. She discovered her love for the Amish while researching her grandfather’s birthplace in Albion, Pennsylvania. She published a novel with Abingdon Press called A Simple Amish Christmas in October of 2010. Her first Quilt Shop Murder Mystery, Falling to Pieces (Zondervan) was released in September of 2011 and received the 2012 Carol Award for best mystery. She currently lives in the Texas hill country.

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It Had To Be You by Susan May Warren

Overview: Eden Christiansen never imagined her role as her younger brother Owen’s cheerleader would keep her on the sidelines of her own life. Sure, it feels good to be needed, but looking after the reckless NHL rookie leaves little time for Eden to focus on her own career. She dreamed of making a name for herself as a reporter, but is stuck writing obits—and starting to fear she doesn’t have the chops to land a major story. If only someone would step up to mentor Owen . . . but she knows better than to expect help from team veteran and bad-boy enforcer Jace Jacobsen.

Jace has built his career on the infamous reputation of his aggressive behavior—on and off the ice. Now at a crossroads about his future in hockey, that reputation has him trapped. And the guilt-trip he’s getting from Eden Christiansen isn’t making things any easier. But when Owen’s carelessness leads to a career-threatening injury and Eden stumbles upon a story that could be her big break, she and Jace are thrown together . . . and begin to wonder if they belong on the same team after all.

ISBN-13: 9781414378428 | Publisher: Tyndale House Publishers

Publication date: 1/17/2014 | Series: Christiansen Family Series, #2

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My Review: I'm so glad I picked up the Christiansen Family Series. Susan May Warren is an amazing writer. It takes skill to pack such emotionally charged characters into a story that is compelling and interesting. It Had to be You makes you examine your own life and the relationships in it. I was invested in Eden's story from page one, and couldn't wait to see how it would end.

I can relate a lot to Eden. There was a time in my life where I put my hopes, dreams, and future on hold to help my sister until I realized I was on the sidelines of my own life. That's why I like Eden so much. She is kind, caring, compassionate, fiery, and loyal. Jace Jacobsen comes off to me as a first class jerk in the beginning. Throughout the story, however, I learned to love him as a normal guy with normal issues hiding behind a tough exterior. For Eden, it had to be Jace who could help her realize her potential as a writer and reach into the recesses of her heart. For Jace, it had to be Eden who made him see that God loves him despite his faults or failures and break the tough-guy, bad boy barrier to see the real him.

The message of the story, as I learned in researching the book for review, is about letting go. Sometimes, the best way to help someone is to let them go. Let them make their own mistakes, so you can make yours. I think that's why God allows situations to come into our lives. If we let go of ourselves and stop trying to fix it on our own, then God can step in.

Overall, It Had to be You was the perfect addition to the Christiansen Family series and I'm super excited to start the next book. 

About the Author: Susan May Warren is the RITA award-winning novelist of over thirty novels. A five-time Christy award finalist, a two-time RITA Finalist, she’s also a multi-winner of the Inspirational Readers Choice award, and the ACFW Carol Award.

A seasoned women’s events speaker, she’s a popular writing teacher at conferences around the nation and the author of the beginning writer’s workbook: From the Inside-Out: discover, create and publish the novel in you!.

She is also the founder of www.MyBookTherapy.com, a story-crafting service that helps authors discover their voice. You can find her online atwww.susanmaywarren.com.

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