When I began reading this, I honestly didn’t care much for it. I found it boring, and I wasn’t really connecting with the characters. But I felt I was also at a disadvantage since I did not read the first book in the series. Word of caution–it is better to read the first book in the series before reading this one, but as you will see, I absolutely fell in love with this book in spite of this oversight.
About halfway through the book, I suddenly found myself drawn into this book, and it was all I could do to put it down. Sadie is an amazing heroine, and when the truth was discovered about the main situation in the book, I was amazed. I did not expect it. And the author continued to surprise me as the story went on with Gid and Will sparring for her affections.
I cannot believe how much I have come to love Amish fiction, and Suzanne Woods Fisher is a master at it. The intricacies of the love stories, and the little surprises she delights in inserting throughout the writing truly captured and kept my attention.
The best part of this book was the ending. No, not because it was done, but because you, as the reader, are left hanging. The ending is not assured. I can see it going several different ways. One love story is tied up, but the other is not. And I did not find myself upset or disconcerted. My initial thought was “I will have to read the next book!”
The spiritual messages throughout the book are wonderfully woven into the framework of the story. It is the simple faith of the people that impresses me so much. And the spiritual journey of Will and his father could certainly speak to many who have left the church and wondering if they should go back. I was also glad to see that in every occurrence, the right thing was done.
If you like clean Amish romances, this is definitely the book for you. Read the first in the series, and then read this second book, and I think you will connect with this book even more than I did.
I was sent a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. I was not financially compensated, and all opinions are 100 percent mine.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Suzanne Woods Fisher lives with her family in the San Francisco Bay Area.
Suzanne graduated from Westmont College in Santa Barbara, California, and was a free-lancer writer for magazines while her children were growing up. A former contributing editor to Christian Parenting Today, Suzanne’s work has appeared in many magazines, including Today’s Christian Woman, Worldwide Challenge, and Marriage Partnership.
Her first novel, Copper Star, a World War II love story, was published by a small press (Vintage Inspirations) and received three literary awards. It opened the door to a literary agent, Joyce Hart. The agent knew of Suzanne’s connection to the Plain People—her grandfather was raised Plain—and introduced her to an editor at Revell, a division of Baker Books. Amish Peace: Simple Wisdom for a Complicated World was the result of that first conversation. It was an 2010 ECPA Book of the Year finalist…and it is the book Suzanne wants to be buried with.
And that was over thirty books and one million sold copies ago! So it seems things are working out pretty well.
