Becoming Bea by Leslie Gould

I have enjoyed everything about this series, from the look of the covers to the story inside. I'll admit that Bea was one that took me a bit longer than the others to enjoy, only because I had read the previous books. I was kind of surprised to find myself liking Bea more and Molly less in this book! I never would have thought that would happen.

I had to laugh at the competition between Ben and Bea because of the things they argued about. The spelling competition had me laughing because it was definitely a unique idea. I thought the whole poetry parts were sweet, though, even if Ben liked to use it to antagonize Bea.

Ben was one that I liked, despite knowing how he was treating Bea. I could tell that he just didn't quite know, and wasn't for sure, how to express himself to not only her, but to himself. In his own way, he was pretty sweet.

Knowing this is book 4, I don't know there will be any more in this series. I have enjoyed reading about the Courtships of Lancaster County. I can't wait to see what plans Leslie Gould has for her next book!

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I received this book free from Bethany House Publishers in exchange for my honest opinion of this book.

Becoming Bea by Leslie Gould

I have enjoyed everything about this series, from the look of the covers to the story inside. I'll admit that Bea was one that took me a bit longer than the others to enjoy, only because I had read the previous books. I was kind of surprised to find myself liking Bea more and Molly less in this book! I never would have thought that would happen.

I had to laugh at the competition between Ben and Bea because of the things they argued about. The spelling competition had me laughing because it was definitely a unique idea. I thought the whole poetry parts were sweet, though, even if Ben liked to use it to antagonize Bea.

Ben was one that I liked, despite knowing how he was treating Bea. I could tell that he just didn't quite know, and wasn't for sure, how to express himself to not only her, but to himself. In his own way, he was pretty sweet.

Knowing this is book 4, I don't know there will be any more in this series. I have enjoyed reading about the Courtships of Lancaster County. I can't wait to see what plans Leslie Gould has for her next book!

Read more reviews on this book at http://litfusegroup.com/books/becoming-bea.

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More about Becoming Bea}

Becoming Bea | The Courtships of Lancaster County series
Can Bea and Ben Turn Rivalry Into Romance?
Beatrice Zook knows God wants her to learn patience toward others. When assisting a family overwhelmed by triplets proves surprisingly successful, her confidence in dealing with others, both young and old, grows.
One person she’ll never be able to find peace with though is Ben Rupp. They’ve known each other forever, and Ben understands precisely how to antagonize her. What neither she nor Ben will admit is that beneath all their bickering, attraction awaits. When friends decide to try and bring the couple together, will the pair be able to find true love? Or will they damage their relationship beyond repair?
Learn more and purchase a copy at Leslie’s website.

{More About Leslie Gould}

Leslie Gould is the coauthor, with Mindy Starns Clark, of the #1 CBA bestseller “The Amish Midwife,” a 2012 Christy Award winner; ECPA bestseller “Courting Cate,” first in the Courtships of Lancaster County series; and “Beyond the Blue,” winner of the Romantic Times Reviewers’ Choice for Best Inspirational Novel, 2006. She holds an MFA in creative writing from Portland State University and has taught fiction writing at Multnomah University as an adjunct professor. She and her familyl live in Portland, Oregon.Learn more at www.lesliegould.com.
Find out more about Leslie at http://www.lesliegould.com/.
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I received this book free from Bethany House Publishers and Litfuse Publicity Group in exchange for my honest opinion of this book.

Minding Molly by Leslie Gould

I really like this series, The Courtship of Lancaster County.  Minding Molly is the third book in this series.  After reading the previous two books, I think I easily related to Miss Molly. I have a tendency to want to be in control of things and it reminded me constantly of how purposeful I need to be to continue to hand it over to the Lord.

I also liked the part about Mary and Martha. I had never thought about them in the same way as this book mentioned, but I'm so glad this was brought out.  Then it hit me.... how often do I do the work for myself or for others and complain instead of doing it for the Lord.  I appreciated that very real visual in a fiction book.

I really liked the ending and although I had suspicions about how it would end, I was glad it ended the way I wanted it to.... yikes... is that another control issue?  I liked both Mervin and Leon, but I did have my favorite of the two.  I can't say who or it will give it away, though!

Another thing I appreciated in this book is how she tied in Cate and Addie.  I already felt like I had known them well, so it was nice to have them involved in this book, too.

I was reading the acknowledgments and found it fascinating that this book (and the other 2 in this series) was inspired out of Shakespeare's plays.  I never would have guessed, although I haven't read Shakespeare since high school. 

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I received this book free from Bethany House Publishers in exchange for my honest opinion of this book.

Courting Cate by Leslie Gould

I know not to judge a book by its cover, but I must say that this cover caught my eye and I immediately wanted to read it.  The cover is beautiful and quite attractive.  That goes for the back cover, too.  Most of the books don't carry over their beauty from the front of the book to the back, but I found that was just another part that made this book so desiring for me to read before I even opened it to the pages.  I also really like the slick feel of the book.  It's very clean cut and I actually liked taking it with me places because other people asked about it's beautiful cover.  It reassured me that I wasn't the only one who hadn't seen such a beautiful cover in a while!

As I started the book, I was immediately drawn to Cate.  I enjoyed reading about Cate in first person because I could envision myself as being her.  I think of it as I'm reading a play part and playing a character.  I was able to get into the character of Cate quite easily.  I liked her spunk at first and how opinionated she was.  However, as the story went on, she kind of got on my nerves a bit.  I felt that she was very bitter and it annoyed me that she didn't want to just let it go that she had been hurt before.  I did like how she went to Pete's house after they were married and slowly, she began to change.  Her old self was chipped away into something beautiful.  I would absolutely love to see how marriage changes her in future books.  Her sister, Betsy, was very manipulating and I couldn't figure out my thoughts on her.  Even now as I've finished the book and have pondered on it a day, I just can't seem to form an opinion on her.  Pete was very sweet and he captured my heart from his first entrance.  He seemed to be very devoted and had morals.  He also seemed up to the task of convincing someone who didn't want to be loved that she did, in fact, need to be loved. 

I was very glad at the ending and glad things happened as they did.  At the rate Cate was going, I don't think she would have pursued marriage on her own!  I'm looking forward to the next books in the series and would love to see updates on Cate and Betsy.  There were parts of this book that I laughed out loud because of something Cate had said or thought.  I loved the lightness of this book, yet it held some deeper thoughts of forgiveness and choosing your attitude and moving past circumstances.  Any reader of Amish fiction will definitely want to add this to their bookshelves.

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To read more reviews on this book, go to http://litfusegroup.com/author/LGould

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I received this book free from Litfuse Publicity Group and Bethany House Publishers in exchange for my honest opinion of this book.