The Proving by Beverly Lewis

The Proving by Beverly Lewis - 342 pages


Amanda Dienner hasn't seen her Old Order family in five years when she receives word that her mother has passed away and left her Lancaster County's most popular Amish bed-and-breakfast. Now an Englisher, Mandy is shocked: Her twin sister should have been the obvious choice! What's more, the inheritance comes with a catch: The farmhouse inn will only truly be hers if she is able to successfully run it for twelve consecutive months.

Mandy accepts the challenge even though it means returning to Gordonville and the painful memories she left behind at eighteen. Still, she's determined to prove she is more than capable of running the bed-and-breakfast, no matter that its loyal clientele are expecting an Amish hostess! 

The inn isn't Mandy's sole test, however. Rubbing shoulders with her married twin sister reopens wounds that Mandy isn't ready to forgive. And an Englisher guest with a difficult past of her own just complicates matters. 

Can Mandy fulfill the terms of her inheritance? Or will this year in Amish country prove a dreadful mistake?

The House of Hades by Rick Riordan

The House of Hades by Rick Riordan - 596 pages
Heroes of Olympus #4

Percy and Annabeth are in Tartarus making their way to the Doors of Death.  In the mortal world, the others are being led by Nico to The House of Hades to those same Doors of Death.  There they hope to meet up and close the Doors -- if only they can make it there.

I thought this was a very slow read.  Usually Rick Riordan's books are fairly quick to read and very engaging.  This book took a lot of time to draw you in.  Still, I'm anticipating the final book in the series coming out in September.