I received a complimentary copy of this book from BookLook Bloggers, Netgalley and was under no obligation to post a review. No compensation was received for sharing this review and all opinions are my own.
Series: Amish Mercies #1
Published by HarperCollins Christian Publishing on July 4th 2017
Source: BookLook Bloggers, Netgalley
Genres: Amish & Mennonite, Christian, Clean & Wholesome, Fiction, Romance
Pages: 352
Faith faces an impossible situation: Should she do the right thing and bring heartache to nearly everyone she knows or deny her true self and always wonder . . . what if?
Sixteen-year-old Faith has worked full-time in her parents’ restaurant since she finished eighth grade. She loves her Amish community—and the romantic attentions of her longtime friend, Gideon.
When her sister seems to be getting too friendly with Englischers, and her parents are in a buggy accident, Faith wants to escape into her dream of joining the church and getting married.
But then a local newspaper runs a story about a child named Adriana who was kidnapped fifteen years earlier, and everything Faith has held true comes into question.
Suddenly the community Faith has known her whole life seems unreal. Can she even trust her own family? And how will she ever find home again if she no longer belongs in the world she knows best?
Abiding Mercy is the first book in the Amish Mercies series by Ruth Reid. One thing I can say that I love about Ruth Reid’s books is that they have elements that are unique to the Amish genre. She includes angels, sometimes demons and miracles. Which is different and I’ve not seen this from any other authors and I read a lot of Amish fiction. So, if I’m saying unique—just trust me.
I’ve had the pleasure of reading every book from Ruth, starting with her debut novel, The Promise of an Angel in 2011. I enjoy her works and I knew I wanted to read this book.
This book again has subtle angel undertones and I really enjoyed that. But, I felt that this story was a bit predictable. I figured out the plot from the beginning and that kind of disappointed me. I think we were supposed to know the plot but I’d have loved for a last-minute plot twist where I could have said, “I didn’t see that coming!”
I also felt that certain elements were rushed to tie this story up. The birth parent’s feelings, Gideon’s love for Faith—it was all rushed. I felt like the ending was fairly anticlimactic and I would have liked to have seen more emotional depth from Faith in particular.
Despite a few misgivings, the story is solid. It’s a book I could pick back up and read again. I look forward to the rest of the series. This is also a book that I would be proud to have on my bookshelf. The Amish Mercies series is off a great start!
About Ruth Reid
Ruth Reid is a CBA and ECPA best-selling author of the Heaven on Earth series. She’s a full-time pharmacist who resides in Florida with her husband and three children.
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