Published by Bethany House Publishers on February 1, 2013
Genres: Amish & Mennonite, Fiction, General
Pages: 358
The Covenant began the saga with Sadie’s resistance to the Plain Life and its tragic consequences. The Betrayal continues the journey, with Leah and her beloved Jonas now separated by hundreds of miles. But more than time and distance are conspiring to keep them apart…
The Betrayal is book two in the Abram’s Daughters series and continues where The Covenant left off. The storyline picks up in the midst of Sadie’s grief following the premature birth and death of her illegitimate child. A burden she is mostly carrying alone as the only ones even aware that Sadie had given birth is her sister, Leah, her aunt, Lizzie and the doctor who helped with the delivery. Ironically, Doctor Schwartz also happens to be Derry’s father and he pieces together that the child that he has delivered is actually his grandson. There is a mystery surrounding the baby’s birth (and death) but for now that has not really been explored in the storyline.
When Jonas gets a chance to go learn carpentry in another state, he jumps at the chance, begging Leah to go with him but she politely declines because she fears leaving Sadie alone in her depression which is becoming more apparent to her family with every passing day. Eventually, she gets the idea to send Sadie in her stead and then confesses to her parents about the awful secret she has been hiding from them. The secret of Sadie’s pregnancy and that the poor babe died before he ever had a chance to live. It’s around this time that we find out some shocking news about Leah and her father spills his own secrets to Jonas in an attempt to drive a wedge between them.
Once Sadie arrives in Ohio she learns of Leah’s confession, her sins have been found out and the church is demanding a kneeling confession from her or she will be shunned.Sadie is furious and refuses to repent and is of course, shunned. Bitter at her sister, she steals letters written by Leah to Jonas and plants the seed of doubt in his mind. Making Jonas question if Leah is cheating on him with Smithy Gid. Leah is heartbroken and confused by the turn of events as Sadie also intercepts Jonas’ letters and Leah is left in the dark about why Jonas has given up on their relationship. As Leah learns secrets about her own life that have been hidden from her and with her love life in shambles, she turns to God. Seeking peace from the turmoil and strife that threatens to tear her world apart.
With Sadie gone and Leah grieving the loss of greatest love, we start to learn more about the younger Ebersol girls, the twins, Mary Ruth and Hannah. Hannah is quiet and a lot like Leah while Mary Ruth is outspoken and dreams of being a schoolteacher and out from under the confines of the Amish faith which just adds insult to injury given all the problems the family is enduring over Sadie. More of their struggles will be explored in the next book which I will be reviewing soon.
I cannot put these books down! I think this is my new favorite series by Beverly Lewis and I cannot wait to finish reading them although I am going to be a little sad to say goodbye to Abram’s family when the time comes! To see my review of Book one in the Abram’s Daughters series, Click Here
About Beverly Lewis
Beverly Lewis, raised in Pennsylvania Amish country and both a schoolteacher and an accomplished musician, has been an award-winning author for over a dozen years. Her acclaimed novel, The Preacher’s Daughter, was a 2006 Quill Book Award finalist in the romance category. Her books have appeared on numerous bestseller lists, including USA Today and The New York Times. She and her husband, David, live in Colorado.”
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