ADORING ADDIE, by Leslie Gould

 Addie Cramer has a tough row to hoe. Literally. As the only girl in a family of boys, she's expected to do the cooking, cleaning, gardening, and laundry. Her overweight mother spends her days writing chore lists for Addie.
 If all that weren't enough, her parents expect her to marry Phillip Eicher, a staid young man who is considered a "good catch" in their Amish community.
 Although she has huge doubts, Addie is swept along in their plans until she meets Jonathan Mosier at a farmer's market. He has all of the caring qualities that Phillip lacks, and it doesn't hurt that he's handsome, to boot. Unfortunately, the Mosiers and the Cramers are feuding. Both sets of parents refuse to consider the match. Addie and Jonathan are at a loss unless they can bring their two families together.
 I enjoyed Leslie Gould's take on this timeless story. Her plot and characterizations lift Adoring Addie from a sweet Amish romance to a contemporary novel about dysfunctional families. Their story could take place anywhere, not just in Lancaster County.
 I give Adoring Addie two thumbs up! After you've read it, I'd love to know your opinion.

My thanks to the author and Bethany House for providing my review copy.

THE DANCE, by Dan Walsh and Gary Smalley

Jim Anderson is stunned when he arrives home from work after a busy day and discovers his wife is missing. His shirts aren't ironed. Dinner isn't on the stove. How could she do this to him?

After twenty-seven years of being Jim's version of a perfect wife, Marilyn Anderson has had enough. She leaves Jim a note telling him not to contact her, then settles into an apartment with a girlfriend.

Finally free to do what she wants for a change, Marilyn finds a job and fulfills a lifetime dream by signing up for dance lessons.

As it turns out, Jim is the only one who's clueless about why she left. Their children are not surprised and tell him so. At this point in The Dance, I have to confess that Walsh did such a good job of portraying Jim as a jerk that I was hoping Marilyn would just run far away and leave him forever. However, the focus of this story is restoration.

As the days of Marilyn's absence mount up, Jim slowly recognizes that he's to blame for the crumbling of his marriage, but has no idea what to do to win her back. How will he change a lifetime of putting himself first? And how can he expect to heal his marriage when Marilyn won"t even talk to him?

The Dance is the first in The Restoration series. Walsh and Smalley have written a remarkable novel that will impact readers as they take the journey of restoration along with the Andersons.

The Dance is a skillfully told story. I give it two hearty thumbs up!

My thanks to the author and Revell for providing me with a review copy.

CONTEST WINNERS!

Thanks to all who entered the Tea With Rosemary Consolation Contest!

The scavenger hunt phrase was "Can Cassie cook?"

Can she? That phrase is a clue to the next book in the Sisters at Heart series. Release date is early 2014. In the meantime, I hope you've enjoyed Rosemary's story in When the Heart Heals.

Congratulations to LINDA, CINDY, and BONNIE! Your teas will be on the way to you soon!