I received a complimentary copy of this book from BookLook Bloggers 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 Cengage Gale on February 3rd 2016
Genres: Fiction, Christian, Romance, Amish & Mennonite
Pages: 399
Suggested Age: 12+
An unwed Amish woman yearns for real love and a family. The only thing in her way is the shame she’s been carrying for half of her life.Thirty-one-year-old Carolyn Lapp has never been married—but she’s been a mother for fifteen years. In a community with strict standards and a long memory, Carolyn knows she might never find a man who will have her and her son, Benjamin.
Carolyn’s family tries to marry her off to a widower with a daughter who needs a mother. A marriage of convenience doesn’t sound so bad, yet despite her loneliness, Carolyn knows what she really wants: a traditional Amish family and a marriage for love.
When Benjamin gets into trouble at an auction, he finds himself beholden to a handsome horse breeder named Joshua Glick. Joshua and Carolyn feel an instant attraction, and soon a romance is budding between them. The trouble is Joshua believes Benjamin is Carolyn’s nephew, not her son.
After years of shame and loneliness, Carolyn suddenly has two men vying for her attention. Can either man give her the family—and the unconditional love—she longs for? Or will her past once again sabotage the future she wants?
“. . . will leave readers craving more.” —RT Book Reviews, TOP PICK!, 4 1/2-star review
I’m going to be honest. I was not overly fond of the first book in this series. I was upset that Hannah left her child because I had became emotionally invested in the characters. I suppose this is both a good and bad thing. It is good when an author can pull a reader in and play on their emotions.
Despite being upset with Hannah, I wanted to see how the rest of the characters were faring. That emotional tie to the family that was left behind left me wanting to make sure they were at least…okay.
Well, I’m really glad that I gave this second book a chance. I really enjoyed it! I found the characters to be pleasant and enjoyable to spend time with. I was eager to see how they would work through their differences and their circumstances.
As I mused on all of this, I will admit that I felt a little bit silly to have a grudge against Hannah but I suppose that just makes me a bit more of a booknerd than I thought I was.
If you were like me and thought the first book was upsetting, read this one. I am very pleasantly surprised and it does make me rethink my initial reaction to the first book!
This book follows along with some of the same characters as book one. Pretty much the only character I really liked from book one was Joshua. So, I was eager to get to know more about him.
When Joshua meets Carolyn Lapp, it seems like there’s an instant attraction but Carolyn has a secret and it could destroy their budding friendship and relationship. This isn’t a little secret, it’s a pretty big one, one that brings shame to not only Carolyn but also to her family and potentially to the man that chooses to marry her.
I thought this book had some great themes of forgiveness, both the forgiveness we find in Christ but also in forgiving ourselves. So many times we ask for Christ’s forgiveness and though he grants it…we beat ourselves up and live in constant misery because of one little mistake.
Overall, this book is great and I have a sneaky suspicion that Josh and Carolyn’s story may not yet be over and will continue in book three. The author pretty much dangled a bone, a juicy and potentially drama-filled bone right in front of my face. I went from disliking book one to being scared to read book two…all the way to being downright hopeful and eager for book three!!! Sometimes you just have to trust the author on these things because now I view the first book in a completely different light|Excerpt
About Amy Clipston
Amy Clipston has been writing for as long as she can remember. Her fiction writing “career” began in elementary school when she and a close friend wrote and shared silly stories. She has a degree in communications from Virginia Wesleyan College and is a member of the Authors Guild, American Christian Fiction Writers, and Romance Writers of America. She is the author of the bestselling Kauffman Amish Bakery series with Zondervan, which is part of HarperCollins Christian Publishing. Amy lives in North Carolina with her husband, two sons, mother, and four spoiled rotten cats.
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