I received a complimentary copy of this book from The Publisher and was under no obligation to post a review. No compensation was received for sharing this review and all opinions are my own.
Published by Crown Publishing Group on September 9th, 2014
Source: The Publisher
Genres: Amish & Mennonite, Christian, Contemporary, Fiction, Romance
Pages: 336
A husband and son abandoned to forge a path alone.
A young woman who sacrificed her dreams.
How will the God of grace and hope help them find their way?At nineteen years old, Old Order Amish Jolene Keim was on the brink of happily-ever-after when everything changed, stealing the future she expected and burdening her with an unbearable decision. For the next ten years, Jolene throws herself into family life—and then she meets Andy Fisher. The horse trainer and father to a sweet nine year-old challenges her and holds up a mirror to issues Jolene has been unwilling to face.
Andy is cautious about his deepening friendship with Jolene, but he believes she knows the truth about him – that he is a grass widower. As a man whose wife has abandoned him six years past, he is unable to divorce or remarry according to the Amish ways. Andy has wrestled with God concerning his reality, and he had found peace with the solitary future facing him…until he met Jolene.
As Andy and Jolene find themselves confronted by difficult choices, will they trust in God's guidance—or will the allure of their deepening friendship only lead to further temptation?
Andy’s in a pretty unique situation among the Amish, he is a man who has been left by his wife, which is virtually unheard of. As the Amish do not believe in divorce—Andy is not free to open his heart to anyone. For six years, Andy has been raising his son alone and he’s had no problems keeping his marital vows—that is, until he meets Jolene Keim.
Jolene knew love once upon a time as well. At nineteen, she was set to marry the love her life. Then, tragedy struck. Jolene’s parents were killed in a terrible accident and Jolene stepped in as a parent to her siblings. The problem is that her beau wasn’t ready for a ready-made family and he and Jolene ended up splitting up.
Jolene thought she would never love again, until she met Andy. She assumes that he is simply a widow. Once his situation comes to light—Jolene and Andy both try to put some distance between each other so that no one in the community can accuse them of adultery.
Unfortunately, some busy-body sticks her nose in where it doesn’t belong and nearly shatters the reputations of these two. It seems hopeless. This romance is simply forbidden. In the eyes of the community and of God, Andy is married. Will Andy and Jolene be able to resist one another or will they put their faith and trust in the Lord?
What do you think about Andy’s situation? Do you think it is fair that a spouse is unable to remarry if his partner walks out on him? Do you agree that he should be held to his vows or do you think divorce should be allowed in these circumstances?
About Cindy Woodsmall
Cindy Woodsmall is a New York Times and CBA best-selling author who has written nineteen (and counting!) works of fiction and one of nonfiction. She and her dearest Old Order Amish friend, Miriam Flaud, coauthored the nonfiction, Plain Wisdom: An Invitation into an Amish Home and the Hearts of Two Women. Cindy’s been featured on ABC Nightline and the front page of the Wall Street Journal, and has worked with National Geographic on a documentary concerning Amish life. In June of 2013, the Wall Street Journal listed Cindy as one of the top three Amish fiction writers. – Learn more about Cindy at: http://www.cindywoodsmall.com
This looks really good!! So doesn’t seem fair that she left him and oh well for him…..gonna have to read it to see how it turns out;)
I think you would love this one!