The Sound of Sleigh Bells (book review & giveaway)

I have had the privilege to read another one of Cindy Woodsmall's books, and I could not put it down. I just love Cindy's books, and I find myself really enjoying my hobby of reading again. I got the book: The Sound of Sleigh Bells, and it is a great book! Cindy does such a great job with drawing the reader right into the character's lives. The Sound of Sleigh Bells is a story of Beth Hertzler, who is a young girl who is haunted by the death of her fiancé. She carries the weight and guilt of how he died, and keeps it secret. Beth works alongside her beloved Aunt Lizzy in their dry goods store. She is a go-between for Amish craftsmen and Englischers who want to sell the Plain people’s wares. Out on one of her business trips she discovers a large, intricately carved scene of Amish children playing in the snow, and she is so captivated by the carving. She desperately wants to find this artist and encourage the carver to sell their work in her store.
She doesn’t know if her bishop will approve of the gorgeous carving , because it may be a sign of idolatry.
Beth's family and aunt Lizzy would love to see Beth return to her wonderful, loving self. Still after a year, she still wears black (a sign of mourning). Lizzy sees how the carvings affect the very heart of Beth, and stirs her. Lizzy is encouraged at how Beth lights up when she talks about the wood carving. So, on a mission to get the "old" Beth back, Lizzy travels to meet the carver. Finding Jonah, the artist, Lizzy comes up with a plan. Will her plan work like she wishes, a plan to reintroduce her niece to love work/life and love, or will it turn her hurting niece more away? Will Jonah be able to offer Beth the sleigh ride she’s always dreamed of and a second chance at real love–or just more heartbreak?
Author Bio:
Cindy Woodsmall is the author of When the Heart Cries, When the Morning Comes, and The New York Times Best-Seller When the Soul Mends. Her ability to authentically capture the heart of her characters comes from her real-life connections with Amish Mennonite and Old Order Amish families. A mother of three sons and two daughters-in-law, Cindy lives in Georgia with her husband of thirty-one years.

You can find this book online at Amazon or Randomhouse.

Enter to win a copy of this great book! This giveaway is open to residents of the USA (bloggers/non-bloggers), and will end on October 30th, 2009. To enter, just leave a comment about something you have always wanted to do~ maybe even since childhood. You can come back once each day throughout the contest and enter again by just leaving a friendly comment relevant to the contest.**For extra chances you can: blog this contest, add my button to your site, subscribe to my blog, twitter this contest, and/or visit everyday and add another friendly comment. Lots of chances to win! Don't forget to put the extra comments for the "extra" work. Good luck!**
This review was sponsored by Multnomah Books, a division of Random House. They have supplied me with a book to review and keep for my personal opinion and option to share with my readers. I was not compensated for my time or written review. I was sent an extra copy to giveaway as a prize for my readers.