The Angel of Forest Hill by Cindy Woodsmall
Published by WaterBrook on October 4th, 2016
Genres: Amish & Mennonite, Christian, Contemporary, Fiction, Romance
Pages: 208
A time of anticipation. A season of miracles.
Because of Joel’s impossible situation, twenty-one-year-old Rose must sacrifice everything. As days pass into years in the midst of the beautiful hills, the laughter of children, and God’s providence–is it too much for Rose to hope for love in return?
An amazing journey toward love and belonging, filled with the wonder of the season of Christ’s birth.
When Old Order Amish Rose Kurtz is asked to leave her family, travel deep into West Vir-ginia, and help Joel Dienner with his children in the wake of tragedy, the quiet young woman recognizes a home where she might find kindness instead of criticism and hope replacing harsh words. She agrees to stay in Forest Hill and become Joel’s wife for the sake of his family needs, but their marriage is to be a partnership, one built from need, not love and affection.
As the years pass, Rose continues to beckon Joel to join life again, to take joy in his growing children, and to awaken his heart to the possibility of new love. Joel hopes that Rose can move beyond deep-rooted hurts to see the beautiful Christmas ahead, their season. But will the arrival of a beautiful widow and a series of misunderstandings reverse how far Rose and Joel have come?
This book was one big pile of sadness, humor, and romance that was wrapped up in a pretty little bow—literally. As in, my mom bought it for me for Christmas and she really put a big red bow on it. I know, that doesn’t really matter. So, let’s talk about what does!
The Romance:
Novellas often fall short of pulling off a believable romance. Boy meets girl, there is instant-love. With a little Christmas magic they are deeply in love and married in under 100 pages. It’s a hard sell and often my pet peeve when it comes to novellas.
Cindy bypassed all that by introducing us to a couple that marries out of convenience. I admit that the time shifts momentarily disrupted the pace but it also helped me understanding Joel and Rose. I really got a feel for their budding friendship and those little hints of romance made my heart thrum along happily.
The Magic:
I use the term “magic” lightly here. I’m talking about the kind of magic that occurs when a broken woman finds love, acceptance and healing. The ghosts of Christmas past who whisper to our hearts and pulls us to the loving embrace of Christ.
The Hope:
This book covers hard topics—child abuse, the death of a spouse and depression. How does one learn to move on after losing a spouse? How does a person who feels unloveable learn to accept that they are worthy of love? This book deals with all that and more.
Final Thoughts:
These were characters that I loved. Elements that made me feel the magic and love of Christmas. It was everything that I love in a Christmas book. Honestly, I think this is one of the best that I’ve read in a long while. I’m considering rereading it again before Christmas this year. I really loved it that much!
If you love sweet Amish romance and Christmas angels…you will love this book! I can’t recommend it enough.
About Cindy Woodsmall
Cindy Woodsmall is a New York Times and CBA best-selling author who has written nineteen (and counting!) works of fiction and one of nonfiction. She and her dearest Old Order Amish friend, Miriam Flaud, coauthored the nonfiction, Plain Wisdom: An Invitation into an Amish Home and the Hearts of Two Women. Cindy’s been featured on ABC Nightline and the front page of the Wall Street Journal, and has worked with National Geographic on a documentary concerning Amish life. In June of 2013, the Wall Street Journal listed Cindy as one of the top three Amish fiction writers. – Learn more about Cindy at: http://www.cindywoodsmall.com
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