 |
| Unbreakable |
Bethany House, 2013
Reviewed by Diana Flowers
5 stars*****
*No Spoilers!*
Heart
Pounding Mennonite Suspense!
In Unbreakable, the heart pounding sequel to Inescapable, we are again swept away to the
lovely, little Mennonite town of Kingdom; with its quaint shops, cafes, and the
smell of honeysuckle permeating the fresh air...a special place, safe and
protected from the outside world. That is until an unexpected threat of evil
arrives in town, leaving the peaceful residents wondering if life in Kingdom
will ever be the same again.
Hope Kauffman is proud of her
Mennonite heritage and contented with her life in Kingdom where she runs a
quaint quilt shop. Engaged to the shy, unassuming Ebbie Miller, Hope is stirred
and confused by emotions brought on by the handsome, blue eyed, Jonathon Wiese.
Jonathon is a young Mennonite
newcomer to Kingdom and when someone purposely tries to run Hope's buggy off
the road, it is he who saves her life and the chemistry between them
begins to grow. As new incidents and attacks occur on Kingdom's residents, and
Ebbie, seeing the attraction between the two breaks off their engagement,
Hope's world is turned upside down. Soon she begins to question everything she
has been brought up to believe in.
Who is attacking the townsfolk
with a vengeance...and why? And should the residents of Kingdom give up their
pacifist ways to defend themselves or simply trust God to protect them through
it all? Jonathon and Ebbie are both handsome, godly men willing to do
anything to protect Hope -- but which one holds the key to her heart?
Nancy Mehl has written a heart
pounding, realistic, romantic, suspense story that will keep the reader turning
those pages till the exciting, climactic conclusion! I admired the central
characters who were not afraid to show their human frailties and need for
forgiveness. I especially loved the fact that I had no clue which man Hope was
going to choose until the last few pages of the book. I fell in love with both
of these wonderful heroes! As always, I enjoyed the cozy, small town atmosphere
and camaraderie of the townsfolk in Nancy Mehl's books. Although this
is Book Two in The Road
To Kingdom series, it can easily be read as
a stand alone, but I highly recommend both of these books to all!
I received a copy of this book
from Net Galley in exchange for my honest opinion.
Giveaways: Nancy has
graciously offered to give away a copy of Inescapable and Unbreakable this
week. OWG will give away an ebook copy of any of Nancy's books, also, this
week.
Question: What
are the pros and cons of living in a small town like Kingdom where
everyone knows everyone else?
Oh oh, you fell in love with two men? ;)
ReplyDeleteThis sounds like a great read, Diana. I have the first book in this series on my Kindle. When I have time I'll read it...
Ja, I really did! I wasn't sure which one she would choose so I played it safe, so I wouldn't be disappointed should she choose the other! lol
DeleteHope you enjoy it, Marian. Thanks for stopping by!
DeleteSounds like an exciting and really interesting story DIANA, great review!
ReplyDeleteI can see how there would be pro's and con's but even if they came out even, I don't think I'd choose it willingly... I like a bit of privacy and anonymity... which you see, is exactly why I decided not to go down the road of Hollywood stardom. ;)
But you could be making the big bucks, NOELA! What were you thinking? LOL I lived in a small, gossipy town for about 11 yrs. Not all of them are like that, but this one was awful...that was a looooong 11 years!
DeleteI've lived in big towns all my life, Noela. I love writing about small towns because it's what I want. I love people, but having neighbors so close that I know their business (and they know mine) has gotten old. Give me an acre or so - and some space! LOL! That's our plan when we move to rural Missouri. I can hardly wait!
DeleteWell you know DIANA, I just thought that sometimes there are things more important than money. Lol! Ugh, I do not fancy the sound of a small gossipy town at all! So were you kicked out or left willingly? Lol, joking!!
DeleteNANCY... an acre or so sounds heavenly!! How exciting to actually have that on your horizon!
Very willingly! lol We lived on 9 green acres of land and I DO miss that. But we live in a very nice neighborhood with good Christian neighbors all around us and it was worth the move for sure. Paul missed the land more than I do. We had to mow it with a tractor!
DeleteLoved Inescapable & would love to win Unbreakable. Thank you for the opportunity.
ReplyDeleteLORRAINE, please leave your email addy for us. :) Thanks for coming by!
DeleteThanks for your kind comment about Inescapable, Lorraine. I hope you enjoy Unbreakable as well. :)
DeleteI would dearly love to win Unbreakable. Thanks for a chance at winning
ReplyDeleteHi, JUANITA! Thank you for showing an interest in Nancy's book! Please return and leave your email addy in case your name is drawn. Thanks! :)
DeleteGood luck, Juanita!
Delete**FRIENDLY REMINDER** Please don't forget to leave an email addy and answer the simple question in red to be entered. Thanks all! :)
ReplyDeleteGreat review Diana.
ReplyDeleteI'd like very much to win this book.
Thanks for the chance.
Carolyn Jefferson
carolynj63@att.net
Forgot. I grew up in a small town where we knew everyone. It seemed like we were all family, we each helped one another.
DeleteCarolyn J.
carolynj63@att.net
CAROLYN, welcome to OWG today! That is the way it should be and you are blessed to have grown up in a town like that!
DeleteThat's what I want, Carolyn. To walk into a store and know everyone's name. To feel like family. Too cool. :)
DeleteI think living in a small town like knowledge would give both pros and cons to being in a small town which is all about the people knowing everything about everybody. That can be both good and bad because if everybody knows everything you have nothing that is left sacred or personal, at the same time if you need something or if you have a time of great personal need, people there for you. That in itself can be a great blessing. I think that you are very kind to give on of us the opportunity to win one of these two Amazing books! I would like to put my name in the running,
ReplyDeleteMy name is Jennifer Dove
my email is JDovefamily@Gmail.com
Have a great day blessings!
JENNIFER, thank you so much for coming by! There are pros and cons to living in a small town as you mentioned -- the good part being there is someone to help you in time of need!
DeleteGreat answer, Jennifer. And great name, too. I love it!
DeleteGreat review Diana...I'm reading this right now and it really is an interesting read.
ReplyDeleteI think one of the good things of living in a small town is everyone tends to be like family and are willing to help each other when the needs arises. Then again on that same thought there would be the ones that would want to give you a lot of "friendly" advise that might not be so friendly. lol I am happy where I live, it's a quiet neighborhood in a suburb.
My large family is like a small town, TERESA, as far as the advise thingy! lol Nah, they are not bad even though we all live in close proximity! Inescapable is about a stalker and you'll enjoy that one, too!
DeleteHi, Teresa!
DeleteYes, I've thought about the "advice" part. I guess there could be some negatives along with the positive attribute of a small town. :)
Growing up in a small town was great, family nearby, we had cousins to play with anytime, and I realize now that it is small-town America at it's finest. It was a simpler time, that's for sure. I don't think there are many small towns now, not many that thrive, people have to go where the jobs are.
ReplyDeleteLove to read both of these books, but they would have to be paperback. <3
Loretta
LORETTA, I agree with you about small towns. There are certainly few "Mayberrys" left. :(
DeletePlease come back and leave your email addy for us so we can contact you if you are one of our blessed winners! :)
I think you're right, Loretta. Fortunately for me, I can write anywhere! That makes it possible for me to move to a smaller town. And I hope it will make housing more affordable too. :)
DeleteI would love to have this book. I am new to the author. Sounds fascinating. Shirley Culpepper bluebell5071@yahoo.com
ReplyDeleteYou will enjoy Nancy's books, SHIRLEY! Do you have an answer to the question I posed above? :)
DeleteWhat are the pros and cons of living in a small town like Kingdom where everyone knows everyone else?
ReplyDeleteThe pros would be that folks would likely be more eager to help in times of need.
The cons would be that you wouldn't have any privacy.
cindialtman(at)gmail(dot)com
CINDI, exactly! I lived in one and everybody knew everybody else's business...whether it was true or not! lol
DeleteGREAT review--as if I expected anything less. ;-) Hmm, living in a Mayberry type town. I would LOVE that kind of town, where everyone is like family, you sit on the front porch a7 wave as people pass by your house and maybe even a little conversation. Yes, there can be a bit (or sometimes a lot...) of gossip, but if you "keep your nose clean" you can usually know that if someone "shared something bad" about you, your true friends would never believe it. Unfortunately there is a lot of this in both large cities and small towns--I guess you have to live your best and pray others will respect that. Now, on the other hand--I would STILL need there to be a good shopping area available to me as well, but I would be willing to drive a bit to have the comfy "home-town feel".
ReplyDeleteVicki OWG
vmarney(at)hotmail(dot)com
Why, thank you, VICKI! I love Nancy's books b/c the small town atmosphere is so cozy! But they have their problems in Kingdom one with another, too. lol
DeleteYou're right about that, Diana! LOL! If the folks in Kingdom didn't have problems, I'm afraid my story would be a little...boring! (Grin)
DeleteSo true, NANCY! LOL
Deletethe pros and cons off living in a small town is that just living there can have pluses and minuses. Everyone seems to know your business and the gossip can be horrendous! But on the plus side knowing a lot of people the can really come together when someone is in need
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing with us, ELLEN! I wonder if the pros outweigh the cons? I will live in Nancy's small towns...via her books to play it safe. haha
DeleteELLEN, I need your email addy for the drawing. Thanks so much!
DeleteWould love to win Inescapable. I have read Unbreakable, and it was so good, I had a hard time putting it down. Barb Gauthier. Bgauthier49@live.com.
ReplyDeleteBARB, I will be reviewing INESCAPABLE Thurs...so come back and enter on it as well! Thanks for coming by!
DeleteThank you so much, Barbara. I really appreciate it. And you. :)
DeleteI used to live in a town so small, you could walk from one end to the other and not break a sweat. The Jones family (especially the boys)were well known in that town...not always for good. I couldn't wait to move out of there. I ended up marrying one of the Mitchell boys(the other well known family)and after a few years, we moved away. We've moved a couple more times since then, but each time was farther away from our hometown.
ReplyDeleteCHAPLAINDEBBIE, your response tickled me. I can totally identify...the further the better. lol
DeleteHi, Debbie! Good to see you here. I remember you from the kickoff of the Suspense Sisters!
DeleteThe pros - everyone knows everyone and they are there to help you if you need them.
ReplyDeleteThe cons - everyone knows everyone and all of you business there are no secrets.
Thank you for the chance to win. griperang at embarqmail dot com
ANGELA, thank you for sharing and the luck of the Irish to you in the drawing! :)
DeleteGreat review, Diana! I am from a small town. The advantages are many. Adults and kids do more things together across all age levels. That notion of "it takes a village" was really true in my hometown. You don't see that in the cities or big suburbs. Disadvantages are that you often can break out of who people think you are. And of course economic and career opportunities are diminished.
ReplyDeleteI agree with you, CARRIE, on every level. My hubby was making terrific money in CA and when we moved to SC yrs ago he couldn't find a job that paid anything. So he started his own business, working for wealthy people who didn't mind paying what he asked. There are wealthy people in small towns...doctors, bank presidents, etc. lol And true, you don't see that comeraderie in a big town.
DeleteHi, Carrie.
DeleteI can't get the idea out of my head that somewhere out there is a Mayberry waiting for me. Of course, I probably need a bit of a reality check. LOL! But sitting on my front porch, playing my guitar while Andy and Barney sing along... Wouldn't that be wonderful?
NANCY, can you imagine my disappointment when we moved to a small town in the South 24 yrs. and it definitely was no Mayberry? I was heartbroken! Really! No Andy and no Barney, and definitely no Aunt Bee's! So happy when we moved from there.
DeleteI would love to be the winner of her books although I have not read any of her books I am very interested since my friend and great author Sicily Yoder likes them I am sure I will. I Love to read and do very frequently.
ReplyDeleteThanks for stopping by Cindy! Do you have an answer to the question at the bottom of the review? And if the girls don't know your email, you'll need to leave that as well. Thanks! :)
DeleteWell, I have lived in several small towns, and liked it. We did have people who gossiped, but they were well known and most people just took it with a grain of salt, as they used to say. I think the good way outweighed the bad. Wasn't as much bad news happening every day like in the city. You could count on someone helping you when it was needed, and I never felt like others knew all of your business unless you were bad to talk about it. It was also a less scary place to raise your kids. I would like to win Nancy's book. Maxie mac262(at)me(dot)com OWG
ReplyDeleteAlways great to hear from you MAXIE! Here's hoping for a win for you! :)
DeleteYou highlighted a lot of great reasons for living in a small town, and it sounds like you lived in some special places too. I like the idea of being able to count on people when needed... these days we're all SO busy or live too far away. And the traffic can be a nightmare as well! I think I might have to change sides, lol!
Hi, Maxie! Good to see you here. {{{{Hugs}}}}
DeleteI would love to read this. I went to the party last night no such luck so maybe I will here. Good day to you ladies.
ReplyDeleteBlessings
joeym11@frontier.com OWG
I wish I could have been there! And I'm sorry you didn't win. :( Wishing you the luck of the Irish, Diana!
DeleteThank you for your kind offer. I will be buying both of these books shortly. I am just finishing up my last book from Vannetta Chapman then it will be on to both of these. I find nothing more wholesome than reading an Amish book and I thank you for the opportunity to possibly win one. God Bless.
ReplyDeleteAlyson King Jenkins
Alyson_jen@msn.com
ALYSON, wouldn't it be wonderful if you won one of them here?! I love Amish/Mennonite books too, but there are so many out there I simply can't keep up! So I tend to stick to my fav authors of which Nancy is one of them!
DeleteThis book sounds soooo good!!!!! I love page turners and the suspense in which the main character has to choose. I'd love to find out! I also love, love, love reading both Amish and Mennonite Fiction but this is the first time I have ever heard of you and I would love, love, love to win one of your books! I am always on the lookout for new Christian authors and am so happy when I find more. Thanks for this opportunity! God bless!
ReplyDeleteMary Lou flowersmarylou85@gmail.com
MARY LOU, I'm so thrilled you have discovered Nancy via my review! She is an awesome author, and I'm convinced you will love her books! Throwing your name in the hat! :)
DeleteI am excited to read this author. I can't wait to get the books whether I win or buy them. I love Christan fiction.
ReplyDeleteShirley Culpepper bluebell5071@yahoo.com
There's nothing like Christian fiction, I agree SHIRLEY, and the authors are the nicest people, especially Nancy Mehl!
DeleteI will start will the cons first in living in a small town -- everyone knows your business!!! But the pros are that people are there for you!! Love Nancy's books! Thanks for the chance to win one!
ReplyDeleteTAMMY, that seems to be the general consensus! Please come back by and leave your email addy in case you are one of our blessed winners, ok? :) Thanks so much for coming by!
DeleteSince I have never lived in a small town. The only con I can see is that when you know everyone. It seems everyone knows each other's business. The pro of living in a small town everyone who lives in that town protect each other and watch over each other. I live in a big city, where no one really knows anybody. I see small towns as quaint. Linda Ortiz (strgth4yu@hotmail.com)
ReplyDeleteYou will love Kingdom in Nancy's series, LINDA. It is very quaint and the people do watch over one another! Thanks for dropping by OWG!
DeleteThe pro of living in a small town is the support- everyone knows eachother and is there to help when someone is in need!
ReplyDeleteLisa Medeiros
Deiselbuffs@yahoo.ca
LISA, welcome to OWG! You will love reading about the small town of Kingdom and the people there -- they have their trials, but love always wins over all!
DeleteI think that in a small town people do tend to look out for each other. The downside is everyone knowing your business.
ReplyDeleteOWG
marypres(AT)gmail(DOT)com
Yep, MARY, or they THINK they know your business! ha! I lived in one for over 10 yrs and if they didn't know your business they would make up something -- usually not so good. :( Lots of luck in the drawing!
DeleteI would love to win. I haven't read any of her books and this one sounds very good. I also think living in a small town everyone would know your business but on the other hand everyone would be looking out for everyone. Abel.barb@Yahoo.com
ReplyDeleteABEL.BARB, thank you for your input! Good luck in the drawing!
Delete