Follow Your Heart, movie review

Movie description:


Kathy Yoder is a travel writer who has left her Amish ways behind, but when she returns home to settle her father’s affairs, she is tempted to return to her former lifestyle. Starring Galadriel Stineman, Kevin Joy, and Jonathan Patrick Moore.

My review:

  I don't often get the chance to review movies, and often I am not interested. This one caught my attention since it is a Hallmark movie and has to do with the Amish.

 I did not receive a physical copy of the movie, but was provided with a link to view it......and I really enjoyed it. The acting was well done, with no cheesy factor. I liked the plot, though it was a bit predicable.....and the movie didn't end the way I thought it might. I thought the Amish and their way of life was well represented, and the actors played their roles very well and were well suited for the roles. 

 As one might assume about a movie like this, it is squeaky clean with no bad language. I definitely recommend it, and can say it will be an enjoyable experience to view it.

More about the movie and actors here: Follow Your Heart

And here.

Thanks to Frontgate Media for the review opportunity.

Movie Trailer:

The Christmas Swap by Melody Carlson

 

Book description:

All Emma Daley wants this holiday season is a white Christmas. But the young teacher and struggling musician sure can't find that in sunny Arizona. Luckily, there's someone living in a perfect mountain home in the Colorado Rockies looking to make a vacation trade.

West Prescott is an in-demand songwriter and talented musician who put his own singing career on hold to write songs for celebrity acts to perform. When his mother convinces him to do a vacation trade for Christmas, he never imagined one of the houseguests would be so sweet--or so strikingly pretty. Naturally, he decides to stick around, and to get better acquainted, he poses as the caretaker of his own house. But when Emma's friend Gillian discovers his true identity and sets her sights on him, things get . . . messy.

My review:

  Melody Carlson has been writing Christmas books every year for several years. I have been reviewing them as long as I have reviewed books, and she has never disappointed. Each book is totally different than the others, yet is always a delightful read. The Christmas Swap is another great read, yet different.

  This book is a little more lighthearted than some, and is pretty much a straightforward romance around Christmas. I loved the two main characters, West and Emma. West especially is an awesome character as he slightly misleads the guests in his house to his true identity, yet his reasons are totally understandable.

  The Christmas Swap is a simple story of boy meets girl, and their romance is almost thwarted by girl's shallow best friend. Though fictional, the book does show how some people are so easily drawn to others because of who they are, and not drawn to the person of their own personality. Emma was drawn to West because of the kind of man he was, but Emma wasn't drawn to him until she found out who he really was.

 I thoroughly enjoyed The Christmas Swap, and it is another Christmas novel the author can be proud of. And yes, it put me in the mood for Christmas.

I was provided a copy of this book for review purposes. All opinions in this review are my own.

About the author:

Melody Carlson is the award-winning author of over 200 books with sales of more than 7 million, including many bestselling Christmas novellas, young adult titles, and contemporary romances. She received a Romantic Times Career Achievement Award in the inspirational market for her many books, including Finding Alice. She and her husband live in central Oregon. Learn more at www.melodycarlson.com.

The Christmas Swap is available from Revell, part of the Baker Publishing Group.

Airborne by DiAnn Mills

Book description:

Heather Lawrence’s long-awaited vacation to Salzburg wasn’t supposed to go like this. Mere hours into the transatlantic flight, the Houston FBI agent is awakened when passengers begin exhibiting horrific symptoms of an unknown infection. As the virus quickly spreads and dozens of passengers fall ill, Heather fears she’s witnessing an epidemic similar to ones her estranged husband studies for a living—but this airborne contagion may have been deliberately released.

While Heather remains quarantined with other survivors, she works with her FBI colleagues to identify the person behind this attack. The prime suspect? Dr. Chad Lawrence, an expert in his field . . . and Heather’s husband. The Lawrences’ marriage has been on the rocks since Chad announced his career took precedence over his wife and future family and moved out.

As more victims fall prey days after the initial outbreak, time’s running out to hunt down the killer, one who may be closer to the victims than anyone ever expected.

My review:

  DiAnn Mills has become a favorite author, so I was happy to have an offer to review her newest book, one that was on my to-read list when it comes out.

 Reading Airborne at this time was especially interesting since it deals with a virus, and we have been dealing with the Covid virus for several months now.

  Airborne was a lot different than Mill's other books. A lot of the story took place on a plane, and the main character was quarantined for most of the book. Mills did an awesome job of describing the effects and fallout of such a virus.

 Heather made an awesome main character, dealing with the breakup of her marriage, being on a plane where a virus had been released, and knowing her husband was the main suspect in the attack. I found myself liking her husband and hoping he was innocent, and that they would get back together. (You'll have to read the book to find out).

 One thing that really impacted me was the spiritual journey of one of the characters in the book. An atheist slowly found himself believing the Bible, and finally coming to know Jesus. The author wrote about this journey in such a way that it really moved me and has been on my mind. God does use Christian fiction.

  I figured out fairly early who the bad guy was, but was not expecting the twist when it became clear.

  Airborne was an awesome read that was full of suspense and non stop dram and action one can expect from Mills' books. It had a great ending, and I appreciate the unapologetic Christian part of the story. I highly recommend this book.