Initially borrowing a plot idea from Shelley Shepard Gray’s The Survivor, King’s first novel quickly becomes a confusing mishmash of platitudes and good people dealing with a bad situation on a surface level. Readers should know from the beginning that the Abby of the title is only a peripheral part of the central love story,…
Like the Amish lifestyle at the heart of the story, Perry’s fifth book in the Pleasant Valley series ambles along, letting readers savor nuances and appreciate subtleties as it wends its way down the path of love. Always with an eye to God’s master plan, Katie’s Way exudes compassion and warmth as it tackles gossip…
The author’s exploration of Amish culture ventures into realms not often traveled by other writers: Spousal abuse in a closed community. As the first book in her new series of families of honor, I wonder if the subject matter of the other books will be as topical as this one. I hope so. With stars…
I owe Sharon and Tom Curtis a great debt. Their romance classic The Windflower is my absolute favorite romance, and I have read it many, many times over the years both for entertainment and for comfort. Sunshine and Shadow I have read twice – once right after I discovered their writing ten years ago, and…
Forgiven is an inspirational romance set among the Amish – a popular trend for inspirationals lately. It’s also the third book of the Sisters of the Heart series, and if I had realized that, I might not have bought it because I so often get lost in series. At times, it was hard to keep…
In the interest of full disclosure, let me get something out of the way. Unless you had a similarly unorthodox childhood, I don’t think many others will pick up something that affected my overall impression of Sandra Hill’s Pearl Jinx. The Amish play a large part in this novel; their customs, religion, and beliefs all…
Some time ago a friend of mine recommended A Crime of the Heart as a good cry-your-eyes-out kind of read. I am only occasionally in the mood to cry my eyes out, so this one has sat neglected in the TBR for at least a year. But as I was picking out books to read…
Rachel Mast is a young Amish widow struggling with a very fundamental problem. While she loves and reveres her tight-knit community, she’s frustrated by its unwillingness to allow a woman to be independent. One year after her husband, Sam, was crushed and impaled by the hay hook in their barn (all together now: eeeeuww), Rachel…
The Plain People are a religious group, similar to the Amish or the Mennonites. A member of their sect, “Plain” Rachel Yoder, lives peacefully on her Montana ranch, tending to her sheep and enjoying her “straight and narrow” way of life. She is not truly happy, though, and every time she looks at her ten-year-old…
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