Sometimes God has different plans for us than what we wanted. The story is amazing and finding a long lost item will change the live of both characters.

A clean, sweet read that makes you believe in the innocent love that so many of us have lost... I loved this story. It had real heart and a cast of characters that made me fall in love. Looking forward to more from this author. I recommend this to lovers of Debbie Macomber!!

**Thanks to Zebra for the ARC**

I really liked this book. It is part of a series but even if you haven't read previous books in the series, you will not be lost. This is a bit of an usual Amish story and does have a bit of mystery included. I found it a bit repetative in a few spots but not enough to keep me from reading it easily and rather quickly. Look forward to more I the series. Thank you to the publisher and netgalley for providing mrle with an arc of this book, the review is my honest opjnion

A lovely story about a young woman who finds faith, hope, and love where she least expects it. Jessica survived an abusive childhood and has made a new life for herself in St. Louis. As she makes decisions about what to do with the land she unexpectedly inherited at Pebble Creek, she discovers a faith in God that will transcend anything she’s ever known.

This is quite a different type of Amish story. Jessica comes to Pebble Creek knowing nothing at all about God. She’s not even sure He exists. As the Millers, an Amish family, reach out to Jessica, they find they are struggling with ways to share their deep faith with her. I enjoyed that aspect of the story, and the way the Miller family’s love helped point Jessica to belief in Christ. The romance that develops between Eli and Jessica is sweet and adds a gentle love interest to the storyline. This is a sweet, clean, and enjoyable book.

I received a copy of this book from the publisher. All opinions are my own.



.

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.

Although I felt that things were repeated a bit and it dragged in places, this was a different take on an Amish novel. You get to follow the journey of Jessica as she moves from the city to the Amish home she inherited from a great uncle she never knew. You also follow the Miller family, especially Eli as he works not only on Jessica's home (so she can sell it), but also on her heart. A very tender book.

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.

This is the fourth book in this series, but this one can be read alone, and while Sam is no longer with us, and the young girls have grown up and have families of their own, his legacy lives on.
We meet part of Sam’s family that left the Amish and has come, oh no, to sell Pebble Creek. What starts out as a done deal, well now you will need to read this heartwarming story to find out the rest.
Will the beautiful gift Sam made his wife be found? What will become of the now modern Amish home?
A sweet a delightful quick read, with a little romance thrown in, and welcome to a less stressful life.

I received this book through Net Galley and the Publisher Zebra, and was not required to give a positive review.

Englisher, Jessica Beachy, has inherited her late great uncle's Amish farm in Illinois. She makes the journey from St. Louis, MO to sell the property but one thing she did not expect was to fall in love, with the memory of her late great uncle, the property and the handsome Amish carpenter, Eli. As Eli remodels the house for Jessica to sell, he tells Jessica stories of her great uncle and the loves found at Pebble Creek. Will Eli lose his heart to Jessica?

This was my first visit to Pebble Creek and I am absolutely smitten. Lisa Jones Baker does an incredible job in making the reader feel as if Pebble Creek is a real and magical place. I am afraid of heights and would never in my right mind climb a ladder into a hay loft but she made me want to when reading about the view of Pebble Creek from Old Sam's hayloft.

It was beautiful to read about the witnessing Eli does with Jessica. A non-believer learning about our beautiful God and coming to the realization that Jesus died for you to have eternal life with him in the kingdom of heaven is a miracle. Lisa Jones Baker did just this in a subtle but powerful way.

I would recommend this book to any fan of Christian and/or Amish romance. It is definitely safe for a young teenage girl ready to read clean romance novels. No sex, foul language or violence.

I received a complimentary copy of this novel from Kensington through NetGalley. Any and all opinions expressed in the above review are entirely my own.

I really enjoyed this story and loved the series loved the characters and settings ad cover. She's a very good author highly recommend this book I could get in to it the beginning to the end!

Great conclusion to a four-book series, but easy to read as a stand-alone book. Jessica inherits a home and property from her Amish unknown uncle. When she visits the inheritance and remodels with the intention of selling, she quickly meets many from the mostly-Amish community and learns much about her Amish uncle as a result. Romance, friendships, and love mingle together in this very interesting and hard-to-put-down novel.

Secret at Pebble Creek is a beautifully written romance. I enjoyed the plot and the well developed characters. This author is new to me and I will definately be reading more of her books. My thanks to the publisher and Nethalley for my advance ebook. This is my unbiased review.

Jessica is the sole heir to her great uncle's estate so she travels the Amish country to get the house ready to sell. Since she knows nothing about her Amish uncle, this is an eye opening experience. She's never thought about God but now thrown into the midst of her loving neighbors she begins a journey to faith. A wonderful inspirational book!

The fourth book in the Hope Chest of Dreams series is so filled with hope and inspiration. Even though this is part of a series it can easily be read as a stand alone. Very uplifting,quick and easy read, the words just flew by. Very inspiring to see a nonbeliever Englisher become a believer by the faith filled messages of an Amish man. A sweet tale that takes us inside the minds of the main characters as one struggles in disbelief that the other is a nonbeliever and the nonbeliever struggles with wanting to be a believer but not knowing how to. It gladdens my heart to see this nonbeliever come to know God and discover who she really is as well.
Beautiful story I highly recommend to readers of clean inspirational fiction.
Pub Date 28 Aug 2018
I received a complimentary copy of this book from Kensington Books through NetGalley. All opinions expressed are my own.

Secret at Pebble Creek is a touching novel about Jessica Beachy, who inherits the home of a great uncle she never knew about while growing up. When she comes to see the home to prepare it to sell, she begins to learn what a very special and incredible gentleman her Amish great uncle was. Eli, the local carpenter who starts to work for Jessica to prepare the house for sale, shares with Jessica how her uncle Sam was a confidante for his mother and her friends in their teens, and how many sought his wisdom. Jesssica is also fascinated and awed by her great uncles talent with the hope chests he built and engraved. She sets out to find a hidden one that he created before his wife's death, in the hope of learning more about him. As the story evolves, she and Eli grow to be close friends, which creates the complication that he is Amish, she is English. Jessica starts to feel drawn in by the warmth of the Amish, as it takes away her loneliness.
Secret at Pebble Creak is a book I highly recommend- Lisa Jones Baker is a newer author in the Amish genre, and I look forward to more of her novels.

Lisa Jones Baker has written a series of Amish fiction that is fun, enlightening, and easy to follow. The newest one in this series is Secret at Pebble Creek. It dates chronologically after one of the returning characters has passed away.

Jessica inherited Sam's house and figures she can fix it up to sell and then she would be able to move closer to her job. Eli, her next door neighbor, comes to do the remodeling on the house she wants and he finds there needs to be some remodeling on her heart.

Using the wisdom she poured into her other books, Lisa speaks Sam's wisdom through the people who knew and loved him. Jessica soaks up this wisdom and Eli prays for her. In the meantime, he's falling in love with her.

This is a five star book, two thumbs up, and a hidden secret just waiting to be found.

I want to thank Zebra Publishing for allowing me to read and review this book.

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.

Secret at Pebble Creek is book four of the Hope Chest of Dreams series by Lisa Jones Baker and in my option the best in the series.
Jessica Beachy has been raised in a modern, dysfunctional home in St. Louis, MO. When she inherits her late great-uncle Sam’s farm in the middle of Amish county in Illinois, she is quick to think about how fast she can flip the property to improve her life in St. Louis. What she didn’t know is that God plays a hand in everything in our lives.
I especially loved how Lisa wrote about the love Old Sam shared with his wife of 60 years. As Jessica learns about her beloved uncle, God opens her eyes to His love which in turn causes Jessica to desire the relationship her uncle had with God.
I really enjoyed this story immensely and think it is her best work yet. The one true gift we can give to others is God’s love and Baker portrayed this beautifully in the way Old Sam, and the Millers loved and opened their hearts to others. I only hope that my life reflects this kind of love and I can rely on God to direct my path.
For those who have not read the rest of the series, fear not as this can easily be read as a stand-alone novel.
I received an advanced copy of this book from the author, Kensington Books, and netgalley.com in return for my honest opinion. All comments are my own.

This is my first novel to read in this series and by this author. This is a beautifully written story the melds together the "Englisher" and "Amish" worlds in a lovely heartwarming way . It's a must read for anyone who loves a sweet, inspirational romance.

I received an Advance Copy from NetGalley and was not required to write a review. All opinions and expression are me own.

I would give this 3.5 stars. Jessica moves to the small town to the inherited farm she was given by her great uncle. She is from St. Louis, and is a modern woman, whereas her great uncle was Amish. Deciding to modernize the place and fix it up for sale, she hires Eli and his brother and friends to do the construction. Overall, the concept of the story is fine, but tended to get a little too didactic for my taste. I have no problem with religion in stories, but an not overly fond of having it shoved at me at times. A fair story, but felt it could have been stronger if more plot than preaching. Would still recommend.