Lisa Jones Baker’s heartwarming series continues as a new generation inherits precious hand-carved chests that bring blessings of faith, love, and happiness . . . When Jessica Beachy temporarily moves into the home of her late great-uncle, Sam Beachy, she merely plans to remodel, sell, and head back to the city. She’s used to busy St. Louis and can’t imagine how she’ll spend her time in the … imagine how she’ll spend her time in the quiet Amish countryside. But the carpenter she hires, Eli Miller, doesn’t think selling Sam’s home is a good idea. And while he’s steadfast in his Amish faith, he’s instantly drawn to Jessica’s vivacity and unexpected caring—especially as peaceful country ways make her question the dream she thought she wanted . . .
But a lucrative offer to turn the house into a vacation retreat confronts Jessica with a heartbreaking choice. It will take trust, perseverance—and discovering a hope chest thought forever lost—for Jessica and Eli to boldly face obstacles and embark on a joyous future together . . .
“The heart of this romance goes far beyond stereotypes . . . providing an unusual and welcome level of insight into the characters’ inner lives.”
—Publishers Weekly on Rebecca’s Bouquet, STARRED REVIEW
“A sweet tale. . . . Forgiveness is a key theme, as is the concept that life is a combination of good and bad situations that make us who we are.”
—RT Book Reviews on Annie’s Recipe
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This book was great. Eli was so confused over his feelings for Jessica. He struggled over his feelings for her and his faith. He knew the city girl didn’t even believe in God Meanwhile Jessica was struggling because she knew her feelings were growing for Eli and that she had to remember she was only living there while her Uncle’s house was being fixed up to sell. She also began searching her mind about God loving her. The book had a happy ending.
Sweet story.
Loved the characters, setting and storyline.
Secret at Pebble Creek is my first book to read by Author Lisa Jones Baker. This book is well-written and showed mystery, romance and most of all faith. I became involved into the storyline by the author’s superb writing. I was so involved in the book I didn’t want to stop reading until I was finished. I highly recommend reading Secret at Pebble Creek by Author Lisa Jones Baker. I believe you will enjoy this fantastic book like I did.
I received a copy from the publisher, but was not required to review it. This review is one hundred percent my opinion.
This is book four in The Hope Chest of Dreams Series but I had no trouble reading it as a stand-alone. It is full of hopes, dreams, inspiration, and family. Jessica is struggling with stress and panic attacks when she is given a gift from her great uncle, Sam. Will she open her heart to the legacy of love he has left her? You will have to read to find out. This is a story of a young woman trying to find a place in life and her journey to a relationship with the Lord. It is an easy read and has a different perspective on the Amish lifestyle.
This is a new author to me and I enjoyed her characters and theme. I hope to read more of this series.
I received a complimentary copy from the publisher. The honest review and opinions are my own and were not required.
Author Lisa Jones Baker does a great job of getting her readers involved in the story. Of course Pebble Creek is real. Weren’t you there while you read the book? And the characters are so well developed that they become your friends.
Full of hope and the love of God, this sweet story will encourage you to share your faith while accepting and loving people where they are. I highly recommend Secret at Pebble Creek.
I received a complimentary copy of this book but was not required to leave a review.
Jessica Beachy lives in St. Louis. She is lives in a bad area, an hour away from the restaurant where she is employed, as she is unable to afford housing nearer her job. Where she lives, as well as the commute, are both sources of stress for Jessica.
Then, she learns of a great uncle, whom she never met, in Illinois, who has passed away and left his home and property to her. So, she takes time off work with plans to have some remodeling done on the house so she can sell it and buy a home close to her job in St. Louis.
What she wasn’t prepared for was the beauty and serenity of Pebble Creek, her great uncle’s property. Jessica suffers from anxiety from the turmoil of her childhood, but soon realizes she has very little at Old Sam’s place. As remodel is going on at the house, she finds herself loving the peacefulness of being there and the Amish neighbors nearby.
Eli is a neighbor she has hired to do the remodel. From Eli, she begins to learn and feel like she knows her great uncle. She asks Eli to tell her more and to help her know the great uncle she never met. Old Sam had words of wisdom and helped many in the community over the years. They all miss him dearly and love sharing their stories.
Eli is dismayed when he learns that Jessica doesn’t believe in God. How can someone not believe He exists, Eli wonders? Eli grew up Amish and belief has always been there. He never doubted. He makes it his goal and prayer to show Jessica that there is, indeed, a God.
She learns that her great uncle, Old Sam, made hope chests and they were shipped all over the country to buyers. What made them so special was the intricately carvings on the lids. Many had a story behind the carvings.
Jessica finds an old key with a riddle for Old Sam’s deceased wife and she is determined to find what the key fits into. Eli helps her in her mission.
I found it unusual that Eli spent so much time in her company, outside of the remodel, and his parents didn’t question it or caution him. Remember that he is Amish and Jessica is Englisch. From what I’ve read about the Amish, they are cautious of outsiders.
Aside from that, it is a wonderfully sweet story. You’ll love the ending.
I received a complimentary copy of this book from Kensington through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.
Secret at Pebble Creek was the best of the series. It’s the fourth book in the series. A little sad that Old Sam is no longer with us but he leaves many memories behind. He also left his home to his great niece Jessica whom he has never met and who is English. She comes to her great uncle’s home with the intention of fixing it up and selling it. Amish carpenter, Eli and his younger brother do the remodeling. Eli tells Jessica stories about her great uncle and what he is known for. Old Sam was a hope chest maker with a lot of wisdom. He made hope chests for people all over the world. The more stories Eli told, the more it was harder for Jessica to leave her great uncle’s home. It is delayed a little longer when she finds a key and a note that was intended for Old Sam’s late wife. Jessica had to find out what Old Sam was going to give to his wife with that key. With Eli’s help and her determination, she finds what she was looking for. But does it change how she feels about Pebble Creek? You have to read the book to find out. I love this book and I highly recommend anyone to read it. The author has written an excellent series.
This is the fourth book in the Hope Chest of Dream series. I really enjoyed it. This book is about Sam Beachy’s niece Jessica Beachy. Jessica was not raised plain. Her father left the Amish ways and married a Englisher. When her uncle dies she is notified that he left his home to her. She moves in just to have it fixed up and for her to sell it. After she hires Eli Miller to do the work on the home they click immediately. Sam and his family tell Jessica all about her Uncle and his beautiful Hope Chests. When Jessica finds a note that leads her to a Hope Chest can she sell the home? Another beautiful book in this series.
Lisa Jones Baker has written a beautiful love story between a husband and wife that touches many generations. Old Sam and Esther spent almost 60 years as husband and wife. Their devotion to one another rested on their deep faith and following the Word of God throughout their lives. When Old Sam is called to his Heavenly home to join his wife, those left behind reflect on a life that impacted a community. Old Sam leaves his home and property to a niece he has never met, from the Englisch world, only to open up her eyes, heart, and soul to the legacy he has left behind.
Lisa Jones Baker’s book showcases the power of prayer and how it can open the heart to experience the true love and mercy of God. This is the fourth book in the series and can be read alone, however I encourage you to read the first three. You will get to see how important old Sam was in the lives of others. This book is set to be released this August. I highly recommend it!
Secret at Pebble Creek by Lisa Jones Baker is the fourth novel in Hope Chest of Dreams series. Jessica Beachy has come to Arthur, Illinois to fix-up the house she has inherited from her great-uncle, Sam Beachy. Jessica was surprised by the inheritance since she had never met Sam. She has managed to take four weeks off from work to fix up the house and get is listed for sale. Jessica needs a carpenter to work on the house and Eli Miller was recommended. Eli is surprised to learn that Jessica is going to sell the property because it has special meaning for his family. Eli shares the story of how his parents fell in love on the property and the special place on the hill where they talked for hours. While working on the home, Eli shares stories of Sam and his strong faith in God. Jessica had not had a relationship with God and asks Eli questions. Eli is drawn is to Jessica, but, as an Englisher, she is off limits to him. While cleaning the cottage, Jessica finds a hidden envelope. Inside is a letter from Sam to his wife along with a key. It seems he had made a special gift for their sixtieth wedding anniversary, but Esther passed away before the occasion. Jessica sets out on a quest to find the handmade gift and learns so much more along the way.
Secret at Pebble Creek can be read alone. The other characters from the series are mentioned along with Sam Beachy, the hope chest maker. The author provided their backstories, so readers will not be lost. Jessica learns about God while fixing up the cottage. The stories from Eli about Sam helped to teach Jessica about God and being a Christian. Eli’s strong faith and that of those in the community played a big part. Lisa Jones Baker has a nice writing style that makes Secret at Pebble Creek easy to read. I did feel the pace was too slow. But part of it was a lack of solid content. The story is very light. The attraction between Jessica and Eli was instantaneous (of course). The romance portion of the story was predictable. It was obvious how this pair’s tale would play out. The Christian element was abundant with numerous scripture passages (too many) along with discussions about God, faith, love, hope, importance of family and good friends. I wish the author had taken the time to establish the characters (give us more background on them). Jessica was a hard character to like. She has trouble handling stress, frequent panic attacks and has yet to address the issue of growing up with an alcoholic father. I did like how Jessica came to know God and develop a relationship with Him. My rating for Secret at Pebble Creek is 3 out of 5 stars. Secret at Pebble Creek is a simple yet sweet romance novel that will appeal to a younger audience or those looking for a nice escape novel.