Emma Blooms at Last ~ Naomi King ~ Goddess Fish Blog tour with review and giveaway

File Size: 1969 KB

• Print Length: 315 pages
• Page Numbers Source ISBN: 0451417887
• Publisher: NAL (November 4, 2014)
• Sold by: Penguin Group (USA) LLC
• Language: English
• ASIN: B00INIJJA8

Purchase Emma Blooms at Last here.

Publication Date: November 4, 2014

Romance is in the air during the fall wedding season in the Amish community of Cedar Creek. But while one loving couple prepares to tie the knot, Amanda and Wyman Brubaker’s large family faces a threat from outside their happy circle...and must learn to pull together.

Recently wed Amanda and Wyman Brubaker are thrilled that their children from previous marriages have blended together to form a strong family. But when the construction of Wyman’s new grain elevator is delayed, making the project more expensive than anticipated, Amanda’s determination to rally the kids into taking on work to improve the family’s finances comes into conflict with Wyman’s sense of responsibility as head of the household....

Meanwhile, as James Graber and Abby Lambright prepare for their long-awaited nuptials, folks gather from far and wide. Amanda’s nephew Jerome has long been smitten with James’s sister Emma and wants to seize this chance to woo her. But Emma’s been burned once and is twice shy of trusting the fun-loving, never-serious Jerome. As Emma and Jerome struggle to understand each other, and find the courage to make a leap of faith, the Brubakers face a bigger challenge than they first anticipated and begin to discover just what it means to fight...the Amish way.

My take on this book:
Emma Blooms at Last pulled me right into the heart of a big family, allowing me to reconnect with  characters from a previous series. It was like catching up with old friends. While there are several secondary stories going on the heart of the book revolves around Emma, who has always taken care of her parents, or at least that is her excuse for guarding herself. Things are really about to change though, beginning with the marriage of her brother James to Abby Lambright, and the plan that Abby has to open her shop in Emma's parents home allowing Emma some free time,hinting that perhaps Emma will now make time for Jerome Lambright. It seems after all that everyone is trying to pair them together, and while Emma notices him, she is a bit hesitant because he isn't a member of the church yet, and he also has two broken engagements. Will Emma ever open her heart and allow Jerome in?

While this book is the second in the One Big Happy Family series it actually connects with the series Home At Cedar Creek. It was so nice to catch up with the characters from the former series and see how their lives were going. Emma was a character that really was letting life pass her by. It was so nice to see how the relationship that developed also allowed her to grow and change as well. I really do feel like I become part of a big happy Amish family whenever I read a book by Naomi King because she always draws me right into the midst, bringing the day to day living to life allowing me to experience the extraordinary days of the characters lives. While this book can be read as a stand alone work, anyone who enjoys Amish fiction that provides faith, romance and family will want to read the Home At Cedar Creek series along with the One Big Happy Family series! This book makes a wonderful holiday read because it wraps up right at Christmastime!

EXCERPT

It’s been way too long since I hitched up a sleigh,” Jerome said as he lightly clapped the reins on Sparky’s back. “I don’t think this one’s seen the snow since Uncle Atlee passed, and that’s a shame. Are you warm enough?”

Emma burrowed deeper beneath the quilts Jerome had draped over them. Now that she was settled on the plush old seat, leaning into Jerome as the sleigh tilted slightly on the downhill lane, she felt happier than she had in a long time. The full moon was beaming down from a blue velvet sky dotted with diamond stars, making the snow-blanketed pastures glimmer all around them.

“I’m cozy. And I’m having a really gut time,” Emma replied with a contented sigh. “Night rides are the prettiest, especially now that the wind has died down.”

“Jah, it’s a perfect evening,” Jerome replied softly. “I’ve been hoping for more time alone with you, well—since the day we went shopping, Emma.”

As she thought back to that day she’d spent trying to escape Jerome’s attentions, Emma let herself relax . . . allowed the breeze from the accelerating sleigh blow away her former objections to the handsome man who was driving it. The clip-clop of Sparky’s hooves on the snow-packed road settled her heartbeat into its rhythm while the warmth they shared beneath the quilts soothed her after a day of surprising guests and revelations. “Denki for giving me another chance, Jerome,” she murmured. “You were right at the wedding. I’ve missed out on a lot of opportunities to go out and have fun.”

Drawing upon her experiences in Jamesport, the largest Old Order Amish community west of the Mississippi, longtime Missourian Naomi King writes of simpler times and a faith-based lifestyle in her Home at Cedar Creek/One Big Happy Family series. Like her series heroine, Abby Lambright, Naomi considers it her personal mission to be a listener—to heal broken hearts and wounded souls—and to share her hearth and home. Faith and family, farming and frugality are hallmarks of her lifestyle: like Abby, she made her wedding dress and the one her mom wore, too! She’s a deacon, a dedicated church musician and choir member, and when she’s not writing, Naomi loves to travel, try new recipes, crochet, and sew. Naomi, whose real name is Charlotte Hubbard, now lives in Minnesota with her husband and their border collie, Ramona.

Prizes for the tour are as follows:
• One randomly chosen winner via rafflecopter will win a $50 Amazon/BN.com gift card.
• One randomly chosen host will receive a $25 Amazon/BN.com gift card.

https://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/28e4345f386/

November 10: My Devotional Thoughts
November 10: Unabridged Andra's
November 11: Books and Other Spells
November 12: Bunny's Review
November 12: A Book Addict's Delight
November 13: SBM Book Obsession
November 14: Undercover Book Reviews
November 14: MAD Hoydenish
November 17: Queen of All She Reads
November 17: Amish Reader
November 18: Rachel Brimble Romance
November 18: Shhh... Not While I'm Reading
November 19: Coffee Books and Art
November 20: Splashes of Joy
November 21: Marlow Kelly
November 24: Laurie's Thoughts and Reviews
November 24: Long and Short Reviews
November 25: Melina's Book Blog
November 26: Books & Benches
November 26: Straight from the Library
November 27: Alaskan Book Cafe
November 28: Lisa Haselton's Reviews and Interviews
November 28: Reading, Writing, and Me
December 1: WV Stitcher
December 1: Southern Gal Loves to Read
December 2: The Certifiable Wenches
December 3: Maureen's Musings
December 4: Untamed Spirit
December 4: Blackandoutspoken
December 5: Brooke Blogs

Follow the entire tour and comment; the more you comment, the better your chances of winning. The tour dates can be found here:

http://goddessfishpromotions.blogspot.com/2014/09/vbt-emma-blooms-at-last-by-naomi-king.html