WHAT I'M READING

THE WAITING (LANCASTER COUNTY SECRETS #2) by Suzanne Woods Fisher (2010)

About the book:

Jorie King's life is on hold. She has been waiting for Ben Zook to return to Lancaster County. Waiting for him to settle down and join the church. Waiting to marry him.

But when news arrives that Ben has been killed, Jorie is devastated. She finds unlikely comfort in the friendship of his brother Caleb. Friendship ripens into love, and two broken hearts plan for a life filled with the promise of a fresh beginning -- until their worlds are turned upside down.

With her realistic characters whose weaknesses develop into strengths, Suzanne Woods Fisher offers a reading experience that rises above the others. You will love growing in spirit with these complex people living the simple life as The Waiting transports you into a world where things aren't as simple as they seem.

My thoughts:

Like the previous book I read in the Lancaster County Secrets series, this started out very s-l-o-w. Again, I felt like not reading it, putting it down, saying this wasn't the book for me. But I stuck with it and about 1/3 of the way in I could not put this book down. Raced through it wanting to find out what would happen next. And the end... well, I just could not predict it. So surprising and unexpected. So once again a book that I started out not wanting to read turned out fantastic.

WHAT I'M READING

A COUSIN'S PROMISE: INDIANA COUSINS BOOK 1 by Wanda E. Brunstetter (2009)

Love is a promise -- for better or worse.

 

When a group of eight cousins and friends leaves their Indiana Amish community for a weekend getaway, a horrific accident brings them home forever changed.

 

Permanently disabled by the accident, Wayne Lambright struggles to take care of himself. He can't imagine being able to be the kind of husband his fiancee, Loraine Miller, needs. Determined to acrifice his happiness to give her a better life, he breaks their engagement.

 

Loraine refuses to believe Wayne doesn't love her anymore. But when her old boyfriend Jake Beechy returns from exploring the English world, Wayne does everything in his power to help Jake regain Loraine's love.

 

For better or worse, Loraine wants to be Wayne's wife, but if he won't agree, should she promise her love to Jake? How will God work to bring Loraine the true desires of her heart?

 

My thoughts:

 

Another good book by Wanda E. Brunstetter although I felt it was a slow read. The story is good, but I just thought it wasn't as true to life as it could have been. I'm still interested in reading the rest of the series, though. It does show the strength of the human spirit and how people can overcome their disabilities.

WHAT I'M READING

BLOOD OF THE PRODIGAL by P.L. Gaus (2010)

About the book:
The Amish, or "plain people," and English, or "vain ones," share a home country in the pastoral hills of Ohio. As summer approaches, boyhood friends and lifelong residents Pastor Caleb Troyer and Professor Michael Branden anticipate a season of fishing for bass, until a ten-year-old boy disappears from the home of the Amish bishop who had exiled the boy's father a decade earlier.

"Say little. Listen a lot." are Troyer and Branden's simple watchwords as they begin, at the behest of Bishop Eli Miller, to work the case. Following the bishop's mysterious strictures, the pair is plunged into the traditionally closed Amish society whose followers, innately suspicious of English ways, have been suddenly made vulnerable to the dangers of the world. When the man suspected of seizing the boy turns up dead, Sheriff Bruce Robertson takes up the investigation -- only to uncover truths that many, especially the Bishop, would prefer to leave undisturbed.

Deeply atmospheric and morally complex Blood of the Prodigal is the first in a riveting series that explores a fascinating culture of a people set purposely apart from mainstream America.

My thoughts:
I picked up this book thinking it was another of my favorite Amish fiction. Instead I got a mystery/suspense novel equal to the writings of James Patterson. It was a dark, heavy story but very intriguing. Reading it you forget that one man is English and one man is Amish. These are people. People with feelings, beliefs, doubts. I wasn't even close to the figuring out the killer.

It took me much longer to read this book than I thought it would, but it was worth the time I invested in it. I am looking forward to reading the rest of this series.

WHAT I'M READING

THE SEARCH (LANCASTER COUNTY SECRETS)

  

About the Book:

When worlds collide can the truth set two young women free?

     As a child caught up in a crisis, Lainey O'Toole made a split-second decision with far-reaching effects.  Fifteen years later, when her car breaks down in Stoney Ridge -- the very town in which that decision was made -- she is forced to face the past and discover how her decision has impacted so many.

     Bess Reihl is less than thrilled to be spending the summer at Rose Hill Farm helping her intimidating grandmother Bertha recover from surgery.  It doesn't take long for Bess to realize that her grandmother coaxed her to Stoney Ridge for an entirely different reason.  But once Bess meets hired hand Billy Lapp, the summer starts to hold some promise.

     Lainey and Bess's worlds are about to collide, and the secrets that come to light will shock them both.

     Beautifully written, The Search is a skillfully woven story that takes you through unexpected twists and turns on the long country road toward truth.  Immerse yourself in this heartwarming -- and surprising-- tale of young love, forgiveness, and healing.

My thoughts:

     I love Lancaster County.  After being out there so much I have gained a great appreciation for the Amish community.  They are a peace-loving, hard-working people.  We have much to learn from them.

     And so I am also fond of Amish fiction.  It is a fast-growing genre among authors today.

     Suzanne Woods Fisher is a new author to me.  This book was suggested by my friend and I am so glad she did.  It is a fast read.  The story is true to the characters (they are fleshed out beautifully) and is completely believable.  Although the story has some twists and turns, it is the surprise ending that will have me going back to read the rest of the Lancaster County Secrets series.