I received a complimentary copy of this book from Bethany House Bloggers and was under no obligation to post a review. No compensation was received for sharing this review and all opinions are my own.
Series: The Courtships of Lancaster County, #2
Published by Bethany House Publishers on May 1st 2013
Source: Bethany House Bloggers
Genres: Amish & Mennonite
Pages: 352
When Addie Cramer’s mutter and daed decide Phillip Eicher is the man for her to marry, they claim she must honor them by obeying their wishes. But then she falls in love with Jonathan Mosier–part of the family with whom the Cramers have a long-held grudge.
With the help of others in her community who long to see the quarrel healed, Jonathan and Addie struggle to continue their relationship against both sets of parents’ wishes. But when one of Addie’s vengeful brothers harms a member of the Mosier family, Jonathan intervenes and is banished from Lancaster County.
A distraught Addie determines to find the true reason for the grudge between the two families, hoping to tear down the animosity of the past. Can their love for each other bridge the divide between their families? Or are they destined to remain apart forever?
Book two in The Courtships of Lancaster County series by Leslie Gould is another wonderful Amish Rendition of a Shakespeare tale!
These books are stand-alone so I wouldn’t worry much about which order to pick them up though I’ll say I really enjoyed this book more than Courting Cate.
Both books were really good but this one was simply my favorite of the two. The characters were enjoyable and easy to relate to.
Addie Cramer’s parents are set on her marrying Phillip Eicher and are furious when she begins to show an interest in Jonathan Mosier. I have to admit that Phillip drove me nuts. He was annoying and just irritated me. This of course was the desired emotion the author obviously wished to invoke.
The Cramer’s disdain for Jonathan stems from a decades old feud between the Mosier and the Cramer Family. Their hatred clouds their mind and skews their ideas about Jonathan, who actually is a really stand up kind of guy and a great Christian to boot!
The real reason for the feud is discovered by Addie and it’s a very tricky situation to deal with. This leads to a good bit of soul searching and thought on Addie’s part on how to best deal with and diffuse the feud—bringing peace and healing to both families.
This book deals with situations of alcoholism and depression that will really make you connect with these characters. They seem so lifelike!
I’ve read a good bit of skepticism about how one can retell such a tragic story such as Romeo and Juliet in a lighthearted Amish tale but the author captured the tale perfectly!
I am very eager to pick up the entire series. Most retellings are typical and annoying. These are a bit unique as they’re in an Amish setting and they’re much more lighthearted than secular tales.
About Leslie Gould
Leslie Gould is the coauthor, with Mindy Starns Clark, of the #1 CBA bestseller, a 2012 Christy Award winner, The Amish Nanny, and The Amish Bride. She is also the author of numerous other novels, including Garden of Dreams, Beyond the Blue (winner of the Romantic Times Reviewers’ Choice for Best Inspirational Novel, 2006), and Scrap Everything. She holds and MFA in creative writing from Portland State University and has taught fiction writing at Multnomah University as an adjunct professor. She and her husband and four children live in Portland, Oregon.
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