I received a complimentary copy of this book from 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: Peace in the Valley #3
Published by Harvest House Publishers on August 1st 2017
Source: Netgalley
Genres: Christian, Fiction, Romance
Pages: 352
How to Heal a Broken Heart
Mary Yoder's life couldn't get much better. She's engaged to be married, spring is in the air, and love is in her heart as she looks forward to the fall wedding she's always dreamed of.
Six months later on a crisp November morning, Mary awakens in a lovely little valley near the Adirondack Mountains on what was to be her wedding day, heartbroken and alone.
Her sister, Betsy, tries to protect Mary from the romantic overtures of Stephen Overholt, a longtime Amish bachelor. Betsy is considering jumping the fence for the Englisha world and encourages Mary to follow.
Meanwhile, Mrs. Gabert, an elderly Englisha grandmother, launches her own matchmaking effort on behalf of her grandson Willard, who is a missionary to Kenya and nursing his own broken heart. She hopes that Willard and Mary can find comfort in one another despite the fact they come from two different worlds.
As Mary struggles to accept the Lord's will, she must determine whether or not one of her potential suitors can give her the future that was denied her.
Mary’s Home is the conclusion of the Peace in the Valley series by Jerry S. Eicher. All three of the books in this series read as standalone novels—a point that you may be curious about since I didn’t care for book one and two.
This book displayed the storytelling capabilities of other books that I’ve read by Eicher. There were still some minor issues with characters being overly excitable. But, the story was solid.
One thing that I found interesting about this book was the inclusion of mission efforts. I thought it perhaps odd and even simplistic that the children in Kenya were sniffing glue in epic proportions. So, I decided to google out of curiosity. Apparently, this is an epidemic in Kenya. I found articles as recent as 2017 discussing this. Yes, I knew that people did this but I was not aware of this epidemic in Kenya. I appreciate when a book challenges me to educate myself. My goodness, if only there were a way to help!
I would absolutely suggest this book to readers of the Amish genre. This story was heartfelt, with a strong emphasis on following God’s will for one’s life. While the minor issues with dialogue and rushed relationships gave me pause, this book is still a solid four-star read.
About Jerry S. Eicher
Jerry Eicher’s bestselling Amish fiction (more than 210,000 in combined sales) includes The Adams County Trilogy, the Hannah’s Heart books, and the Little Valley Series. After a traditional Amish childhood, Jerry taught for two terms in Amish and Mennonite schools in Ohio and Illinois. Since then he’s been involved in church renewal, preaching, and teaching Bible studies. Jerry lives with his wife, Tina Eicher, and their four children in Virginia.
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