The Waiting by Suzanne Woods Fisher

This is the 2nd book in the Lancaster County Secrets series. You don't have to read the first one in the series, this book could be considered a stand-alone. And as far as amish fiction goes, it was decent.

Jorie King is quite content on her grandparent's Percheron farm. Her one love, Ben, went off to war to be a conscientious objector and she hasn't felt compelled to date anyone else. Her friend Maryanne lives near by with Ben's brother Caleb and she enjoys the children that inhabit the house there, so is especially pleased when she is selected to be the schoolteacher. Not everyone is happy with this decision though and Jorie must deal with the sharp insults and sting of disapproval from some of the Amish.

Jorie is a strong character. She is still very Amish, but with an independent streak. And I liked that she valued education highly. She's the type of woman that knows what she wants and is patient enough to get it. Caleb, the neighbor and minister, is a little more confused. He has a good heart but is unable to focus with everything going on in his life. I do think that he recovers from some strong emotions a little too quickly, but it's hard to say if it's authentic as different people feel things differently. There were a lot of other characters, but I do have to say that I thought the character of Sylvia was treated unfairly. She was clearly the "bad guy" in this book and it just seemed as if all the negative aspects were pinned on her.

The plot was ok. Since it takes place in the Vietnam war I expected there to be a whole lot more mention of it and how it changed the Amish's lives. Especially considering some of them were drafted for it. But aside from the mentions of Ben, and the other brother working in a hospital, there was surprising little of it. A cougar actually got more book time. And there was a tiny plotline of a black man becoming the veterinarian during such turbulent times, but it was so downplayed I'm not even sure it really effected the book too much. I just don't think with it being the time period that it was that a lot of the book stuck true to what actually happened. It just didn't seem authentic.

Overall though it was a quick read and I did like the small love story that played out. I won't go rushing back to get more books by Fisher, but if some happen to slide their way into my to-read pile, I wouldn't turn them down.

The Waiting
Copyright 2010
Large Print 438 Pages

A Perfect Square by Vannetta Chapman

**This review is part of the Amazon Vine program**

Ok, first off I have to say that this is not the first book in this series. I wasn't aware of that, and there isn't any indication on the cover or back cover description that would alert to that. It's not that you can't read this book without reading the others per say, but it would help the reader to understand a lot of what happened that is alluded to in this book.

Callie has settled in in Shipshe, selling quilts in the shop she inherited and solving crimes. This time, it's a local Amish man who has been convicted of murdering a young girl. He won't say a word in his defense, and Callie, her friends Deborah and some other Amish women know that he isn't capable of murder. But since he won't help them figure out what really happens they have to attempt to discover it on their own. Add to that an older Amish man who suffers from dementia and is claiming that Callie can help him find his missing daughter, and Callie's got a lot on her plate. She's also confused by three men who seem to pop in and out of her life, and her feelings towards each of them.

I like Callie. She's a pretty rounded character, doesn't know everything, and can take instruction with Grace. Sure she gets herself into trouble sometimes, but its a murder mystery, the main characters do usually get themselves into trouble investigating. Her Amish friends are nice too although they seem very outspoken and from the limited contact I've had with Amish women, it just doesn't seem natural to me. But I could be very wrong about that. The policeman, Shane, was a little harsh, and I didn't understand his character at all, but I suppose that could be because I hadn't read the other book(s) in the series and may have missed some background there.

I thought the premise behind this book was very confusing. I couldn't understand why the Amish man Rueben wouldn't help himself. The characters seemed to understand why he did what he did, but it wasn't clear to me at all. And the plot started off almost too slow, and then rushed by haphazardly at the end. I suspect that that contributed to my confusion as well. It wasn't terrible, but it wasn't well paced by any means. I did like the way the scenes unfolded and the setup for the investigation. That part of the book seemed very plausible. And since this is an Amish romance it can be considered Christian fiction, but it wasn't too preachy. There were some mentions here and there of following the will of a higher being, but it didn't go on and on about it.

An ok Amish fiction mystery. I wish I would have read the first book first, but I'm sure I'll get around to it at some point.

Christmas in Sugarcreek by Shelley Shepard Gray

Finally, an Amish Christmas book that actually involves more than a few pages of Christmas in the entire novel. While it wasn't a great book, it was an easy nice read and did have that Christmas feel to it.

This book somewhat centers around three different couples. The main couple, Ben and Judith, are thrown together when he comes to work at her store. Initially wary of him because of his past teasing in school, Judith isn't sure what to think but working with him starts to change her feelings. And Ben, well he's always thought Judith was perfect. To a smaller extent, there were two other couples featured as well. Rebecca is being pursued by Judith's brother Caleb, but she has a secret she isn't so sure she wants him to know. And finally, Lilly and her new husband are adjusting to life as Mennonites, a compromise between her Englisher and his Amish heritage. But she always feels like she isn't good enough for him, and knows that his family doesn't like her as well. But she wants so desperately to have a happy Christmas.

The characters were average in this book. I liked Judith but wasn't as thrilled with Ben. Sure he seemed compelling with his dark past, but he actually wasn't all that interesting. I just couldn't see the spark between them at all even though I was rooting for them to get together. The other characters in the other stories were also a little underdeveloped, and to be honest, I had trouble keeping them straight sometimes.

There was a lot going on in this book with the three different romances. In fact, it got confusing and I would have much preferred that the book focused only on Ben and Judith. There was enough material to work with that Gray could have written three books if need be. And there's was the most compelling romance. To throw them all together just wasn't a wise choice in this case. But they were nice heartwarming stories, and the writing was easy to read. Since it was Amish fiction it had just a touch of religion in it and you can be sure there wasn't anything offensive. A pretty tame read in other words. Which is nice sometimes. I do also like how Christmas was incorporated into this book. Too often its titled as being involved but then never really gets put into the story.

A nice read. Very pleasant and easy going. Its a good book for if you just want to relax or have some brain candy to take your mind off things.

Christmas in Sugarcreek
Copyright 211
245 pages

A Plain and Fancy Christmas by Cynthia Keller

I'm a big fan of Amish novels. I've even read one of Cynthia Keller's other works. And I find it funny that while both involved Christmas in the titles, there are barely any Christmas scenes in either of them.

A Plain and Fancy Christmas is the story of two Rachels. Switched at birth, they find out what really happened around their thirtieth birthdays. Curiosity overcomes both of them and Ellie, the Rachel raised in New York City, decides to go visit her birth family. The Amish Rachel isn't sure what she wants but she feels unsettled at how her family seems to like Ellie better than her and decides to visit her birth family in the city and takes her daughter Katie with her. As the two become more familiar with their families they decide to trade places for awhile in an attempt to figure out who they really are.

There wasn't very much to these characters. They had a few base attributes that were played on rather heavily such as Rachel being out of place no matter where she goes and Ellie being liked and good at everything where ever she goes. It just didn't seem fair to poor Rachel. And then there was Leah King, the Amish mother. She was very hard to like and went through such a change in personality towards the end with weird motivations that I just couldn't like her very much. The New York City mother was a much better character in comparison because at least she was kind to everyone.

I did like the plot and the concept of two very unlikely family's having babies switched at birth. It played into the whole nature vs nurture aspect of raising a child and what would they be like if circumstances were very different. The writing was easy to read and follow even though there was a great amount of characters involved and Keller has a knack for telling a story simply. As stated before, for being a novel that is titled with Christmas, there was barely any Christmas in this story and that was disappointing. I was kind of hoping for some nice holiday cheer.

An ok book. Not the best Amish fiction out there but a nice quick read for anyone who likes Amish fiction or culture.

A Plain and Fancy Christmas
Copyright 2011
323 pages

Allison's Journey by Wanda E. Brunstetter

Ah Amish romances, I don't think there's anything better for lifting my spirits a bit while I'm down. This one wasn't too bad, it had some plausible conflict but still was a nice gentle story.

Allison has been sent to live with her cousins for the summer. The reason being is that her dad felt she was becoming too tomboyish and that she could learn to be a proper lady there since she wasn't learning it from her crabby aunt's teachings. Once she reaches her cousins, she discovers she likes it there and starts learning different things. She also makes new friends and even sparks the interest of Aaron, who previously never had anything to do with girls. But as much as Allison would like to stay, there are duties that call her back home to her father's.

Allison was a great character. It was refreshing to see an Amish girl be a tomboy for once in a novel and like things that boys should like. Aaron wasn't quite as nice of a character, he had a lot of conflicting emotions and I couldn't quite figure out where they all came from. The side characters were all nice too and it was nice to see that they weren't all wise leaders, that some of them had problems of their own as well.

For a plot I thought this one was nice. It kept to something that could definitely happen in an Amish community and also explored them moving to different communities. That was something I haven't seen much written about before. Since this is Amish fiction it can be considered Christian fiction. It was pretty light in the first part of this book but got heavier later on. And that's where I ran into a problem with the book. It seemed that as soon as Allison found herself, she was desperate to go rescue everyone else. It just seemed like maybe she should have reflected on her own beliefs and changes before rushing out to save others.

A very nice Amish fiction book. I'll definitely check more out by Brunstetter.

Allison's Journey
Copyright 2008
284 pages + recipe for peanut brittle

Sarah's Garden by Kelly Long

I'm a pretty big fan of Amish fiction. That being said, sometimes they can fall flat. Which is what happened with this one. A nice story to be sure, but the characters were lacking quite a bit.

Sarah has always enjoyed working in her garden, and she's fantastic at it. But then someone new moves in next door and helps to distract her from the wonderful plants she grows. But Dr. Williams is an Englischer veterinarian and loving him would mean losing her community, family, and all that makes her Amish. A sacrafice that Sarah is not willing to make. To make matters worse, the previous owners of William's farm have been coming around making trouble for Sarah and her family. All she wants to do is garden, but even there she is having trouble finding peace.

The characters, in my opinion, were very weak in this novel. Sarah was just a little too perfect and innocent, even if she was Amish. It was actually wearisome hearing how nice and calm she was all the time. Grant Williams on the other hand actually creeped me out a little bit. He too was a bit too perfect and nice, but some of the things he said actually came off as icky instead of romantic. The side characters too were a little off. Especially the one boy causing trouble and blaming it on Sarah's family, there wasn't any motive that I could see for doing this and while the author alludes to it, she never comes out and really says why.

The plot was actually good. I enjoyed reading about tending the garden and the roadside stand. It was also nice to hear about the baked goods and I wish some recipes would have been included within the book. The writing was nice and homey and described a wonderful way of looking at the Amish life. Since it is Amish fiction it could also be considered Christian fiction and this book was a bit preachy. Normally they're not so bad but this one took it a little over the top to me.

Not the best Amish fiction but it wasn't terrible. If you're a fan of the genre you might as well give it a read.

Sarah's Garden
Copyright 2010
300 pages

Treasuring Emma by Kathleen Fuller

**This review is part of the Amazon Vine program**

I really like the genre of Amish romance. I read them quite often. That being said, I wasn't really impressed with this one. It had some good elements, but largely just fell flat for me.

Emma has just lost her mother to cancer, and living with her grandmother, is often quite lonely. Since her true love left the community two years ago, she has given up hope of being a wife or mother and has instead settled into her role of taking care of her grandmother and assorted pets. Her sister Clara is a little more ambitious and she and her husband have great plans for the old workshop on Emma's property. They are hurting for money and need it even more so when a cousin of Clara's husband comes to town. But he's not the only person visiting. Emma's old love Adam is also back in town, still struggling with his feelings towards the Amish and whether or not he wants to be a part of the community. Adam also doesn't like the cousin (Mark) as he thinks there is more to the guy than meets the eye. But Emma only sees someone who is attracted to her and won't see his faults.

The characters to be honest, were kind of week. None of them had very strong convictions and they fluctuated quite often. Emma herself was rather dull and spent a lot of time not being sure of anything. Understandable since she was in grief, but she let herself get walked on too much. I was a bit taken aback at how often she was described as fat and ugly as well. I was pleasantly surprised to see an Amish character cast as a bad guy. Usually they can be stern or just cold, but this one actually was extremely evil. Not the usual character for these types of novels.

The plot was slow moving and honestly, despite the bad guy in the novel, not very exciting. Sure it had its moments but it was pretty tame for about 90% of the book. Since it is Amish fiction it could also be Christian fiction as God and other religious elements are discussed in the book. This one had more discussion of that than normal, but it still wasn't overbearing. In all, it was a pretty easy book to read and I found myself finishing it quickly. I do have to say (even though I don't usually comment on them) that the reader's guide was kind of pitiful as far as discussion questions go. Not a lot of deep thought generating ones.

Not the best of Amish romances. I might try more by Fuller but not anytime soon.

Treasuring Emma
Copyright 2011
300 pages

An Amish Christmas by Beth Wiseman

There's something about Amish romances that are just so comforting. I try to read everyone I can get my hands on and have read many. This book actually was three novellas in one, written by different authors, but all about the same groups of people and they intertwined with each other.

In A Miracle for Miriam, Miriam has resigned herself to being a bit alone. After all, even for the plain people she is rather plain. But a boy who broke her heart and spirit when she was fourteen has just returned after an accident in the Englischer world. Seth isn't the mean boy he used to be, but he's having trouble convincing Miriam of this.

A Choice to Forgive follows widow Lydia who after the death of her husband, has been alone for awhile. But then when her first true love, his brother, comes back to rejoin the community she has trouble accepting the feelings that come back. She is still very hurt by his leaving her, but she still feels quite a bit of emotion for him as well.

One Child follows Sarah and David as they cope with the first anniversary of her miscarriage. On a snowy Christmas they have even more surprises as an English couple is stranded in the storm and takes refuge at her house. The woman is very pregnant and worries that early labor will come on while they are trapped by the snow. And Sarah isn't sure how she feels about helping this woman with her child when she so desperately wants one of her own.

All the characters, like most Amish romances, were a little too perfect to be believable. While they had some hardships and flaws, they were still written to be a most wondrous of people. And while I know some Amish myself and don't doubt their general goodness, I know that they have more flaws than often what these books show. Still, all the romances were very nice and I thought all the couples were cute and meshed well together. Some of the side characters I would have liked to see more about, but alas, there were only three novellas in this book so it didn't happen.

For plots they were all pretty standard. Since they were shorter stories the issues resolved pretty quickly and there wasn't a whole lot of serious problems. Still, they were nice charming quick reads and I enjoyed them. I'd have to say my favorite was probably "One Child" and my least favorite was "A Choice to Forgive." I just found the story more compelling for the one and the story I didn't like was kind of hurried. Since these are Amish fictions they could be considered Christian fiction and religion is a strong element in them. Since these were about the same groups of people, I thought for having three different authors the stories and characters were kept well in sync with all the different details.

Not a bad collection of stories. If you like Amish fiction, you'll probably like these.

An Amish Christmas
Copyright 2009
440 pages including recipes and reader's guide

Wanted by Shelley Shepard Gray

My grandma and I seem to pass Amish books back and forth and when she gave me this one I was more than happy to start reading. A light Amish romance it has the usual components of these novels, but still is a lovely read. Technically the 2nd book in the series, you don't really need to read the first book first, as this one stands alone quite well.

Katie has some dark secrets in her past; things that she has done that she is not proud of during her time of rumspringa (Amish teens chance to see the English world). But she's put that behind her now and has nursed a secret crush on handsome widower Jonathan. He still pines away for his wife but when an opportunity arises for Katie to stay and take care of his children, things brew between the two of them that are unexpected. Katie knows she wants him, but isn't sure that he is ready to love her in return.

Katie's a great character. A bit dramatic at times but I realize that in my view, things the Amish view as very bad really aren't so bad at all so I need to think about that while reading. Jonathan I didn't find as likable of a character but he served his purpose as Katie's love interest. I did like his two daughters, they had a lot of personality and really added to the book, giving small problems here and there to keep it interesting.

The plot was actually pretty standard, I've seen the same in other Amish books. But there were enough little differences to make it seem its own and I still enjoyed it quite a bit. There were a couple of little plot twists that were resolved far too easily in my opinion, but I do have to keep in mind that this is a romance. Like most Amish books out there, it could be considered Christian fiction but it was not overly preachy and more used the nuances of religion as describing the Amish way of life.

Not a bad Amish book. I'll definitely check out more by this author.

Wanted
Copyright 2009
241 pages

Lilly's Wedding Quilt by Kelly Long

***This review is part of the Amazon Vine program***

I've been gobbling up the Amish fiction books lately, and I have to say that I did enjoy this one. It had a nice storyline, was a bit more realistic than others I've read, and had enjoyable characters.

Lilly has loved Jacob from afar for many years now. Too bad his sights are set on Sarah. But then Sarah gets married to another man and while trying to cover up his stealing a horse, Lilly and Jacob inadvertently become engaged. Lilly's glad for what she can get, but will she ever have true love with Jacob? An even worse though, will he be able to stand her mother who has become quite strange after the death of her father? They will have to work hard at their relationship if they ever expect it to survive.

Lilly was a nice character. She was her own self while still following Amish tradition. Jacob was the same way although a bit more of a rebel. I like how in this book the author makes the Amish real people with flaws and secrets and not blindly following their faith without thinking for themselves. It is very refreshing and more realistic. Lilly's mother was a bit odd but I think its nice to show that even the Amish have mental problems although its not as prolific as it is in the Englischer world.

For a plot it probably could have been a little better. It basically outlines the strife in Lilly's relationships but never really has anything pressing going on. Its a simple story. But it is still a good writing of relationships and how to have open communication. Since this is Amish it could probably be considered Christian fiction as there is religious attributes and the characters call upon God quite a bit in the book. It also doesn't contain anything real offensive but unlike most Amish books, while this one doesn't have graphic scenes, it does mention more physical contact than most Amish books do.

Not too bad and if you're a fan of Amish fiction you'll probably like it. I definitely will check out more by this author.

Lilly's Wedding Quilt
Copyright 2011
310 pages

Plain Proposal by Beth Wiseman

*** This review is part of the Amazon Vine program***

So I've been getting into the Amish fiction. They are usually nice simple stories that help the reader realize a simpler way of living, yet still show the intricacies within the Amish community. In short, they are just plain interesting. This book is no exception and turned out to be quite the nice read.

Miriam is excited that her cousin is coming to stay for the summer. Despite the fact that her cousin is of the "English" world, she feels that they will become good friends. Other thoughts distract her as well as she continues to have a crush on Saul Fisher, the boy she wishes to marry one day. She could have any man in the community, but mysterious Saul is the one for her. Her parents disapprove though and Saul has some secrets of his own. Secrets that could change her views, like his plan to leave the Amish community. Miriam must decide what it is in life that she wants. On the other side, Shelby, her cousin, isn't sure what to do in this strange new life. Her parents are embroiled in a bitter divorce and send her to live with her Amish relatives after she gets into some trouble. She's confused about her feelings and where she is wanted in life.

For characters these weren't too bad. I actually found Shelby a bit unbelievable as I think she adjusted rather quickly for a disobedient teenager. I myself love all the domestic arts the Amish practice and would probably be very out of place in such a life so for her to adjust quickly makes me question the characterization. Miriam I liked and thought that she was a very strong independent woman who knew what choices she wanted for her life. She flip flops at times but it mirrors the indecision we all have at points in our lives. The rest of the characters were minor but they all seemed rather vital to the story.

Since this is Amish fiction it is appropriate for everyone and doesn't contain anything offensive. It offers the usual lessons on simplicity and the Amish way of life. I should let those know who are like me and don't research a book, that this is Christian fiction and it is a very strong theme. It can get preachy at parts which I think distracts from the novel, but overall it doesn't distract bad enough to lose the plot. However, these strong themes may be off-putting for some readers. The plot wasn't overly common for an Amish novel, but it does contain a love story which is always great for those who like romance.

A good Amish fiction book I would read this again. I also intend to make good use of the Amish recipes at the end as they sounded absolutely scrumptious

Plain Proposal
Copyright 2011
296 pages including recipes and Dictionary

The Secret by Beverly Lewis

I like Amish books. And I like the ones that Beverly Lewis has written (with the exception of a few). But this one, it was just average for me. It had a good plotline, but there were some things I just didn't like.

Grace Byler is a young Amish woman whose family is your typical Amish family. Or at least so she thought. Her mother has been acting strangely lately, her father is as quiet and stern as ever, and she is too busy being courted to really be concerned. But then, her mother goes missing in the middle of the night and the family is turned upside down. Grace sets out to try to figure out where her mother is gone, but everyone seems pretty close-lipped about it. Meanwhile, in a shorter side story, Heather is a young modern woman who has just found out she has cancer. With her mother having died from cancer a little over a year previously, she is scared and turns down the thought of modern medicine. Instead, she packs up for the summer and decides to live the simple life with the Amish and try to recover naturally.

I liked Heather the best of all the characters. Maybe its because I could connect better with her being modern. She had the most interesting story as well. Grace was nice, but a little too perfect. Of course she made up for her flighty mother and her stern seemingly unloving father. The other characters were good, and had distinct personalities.

The writing was nice. Obviously suspenseful as it was somewhat a mystery type of book. But it didn't feel complete. I know its part of a series (although I'm not sure what the next book is) but it didn't have any resolution what so ever. Honestly, this kind of annoyed me as there is no way you could read just this book if you want to know anything that's going to happen. She cut it off in a bad stopping point too which just furthered this feeling. Stepping aside from that, this book does have religious overtones because it is a book about the Amish. It is not very preachy though and more serves to show how the Amish live their lives.

I'll probably read the next one just because I want to find out what happens. It is certainly an interesting story and probably well worth finishing.

The Secret
Copyright 2009
362 pages

An Amish Christmas by Cynthia Keller

***Review is part of the Amazon Vine Program***

This was a very charming story. It had some unbelievable elements, but by and large it really resonated with the way the world is today and the difference between standard culture and that of the Amish. It is a fictional story, so not everything is accurate, but it is a feel good type of story.

Meg Hobart is a housewife who's days are filled with her three kids activities, caring for their exceptionally large home and expensive things, and playing second to her busy businessman husband. Well, she's these things until Thanksgiving Day her husband decides to spring on her the fact that he lost his job back in August and only was pretending to go to work, and he lost the rest of their money, home, and cars in faulty investments. The only thing they own to their name is his old mustang and whatever money is in their wallets. Angered at first, she silently seethes as they make plans to go live with her parents (cold distant people)and break it to their spoiled bratty kids (with the exception of the youngest, he's a cutie). Things don't go to plan with this either though, on the way through Pennsylvania in the countryside they get lost and then in a car wreck trying to avoid a buggy on the road. The man who owns the buggy invites them back to his home for the night and when they learn their car will take awhile to repair extends that invitation to stay longer.

The kids hate it, and with the exception of Sam the youngest, are terrible and bratty while there. James and Meg struggle with their thoughts and feelings toward each other after such a big break in trust. The Amish family is very curious back and welcomes them easily into their home though, and they start to wonder, were they truly missing out by not enjoying the simple things in their life and spending more time as a family. And this is only a blip in their time before they have to figure out how to recover and find a new way for themselves to survive independent of Meg's parents.

The characters in this all tended to the extremes but they were well developed. Lizzie, the daughter I found especially annoying. First thing I would have done with that kid is toss her in an unmucked stall. The youngest was charming in only the way the young can be and he was ok. Meg was a bit too perfect at times and often played the martyr from the way the book was written while James was blamed for everything (even if he is a jerk it's never all one person's fault). The Amish I was happy to see were not portrayed as perfect, but were genuinely nice people with small problems of their own.

The writing was well done, not overly descriptive, but enough so that you got a great sense of the Amish farm. It was a bit slow going at first and then rushed at the end though. I almost would have wished to see it go the opposite way. There were a couple unbelievable moments in the plot which threw me off until I just learned to ignore it as it is fiction. While this isn't Christian fiction like a good portion of the Amish novels out there, it is very unoffensive and shouldn't be a problem for anyone to read. My only real big problem with this book is that it's titled Amish Christmas, but the actual Christmas part of the book is barely over a page. A more appropriate title might have been "An Amish Lesson."

It's a very hopeful type of story and I enjoy Keller's writing. I definitely plan on checking out more of her work.

An Amish Christmas
Copyright 2010
239 pages

Plain Secrets by Joe Mackall

Having grown up near the area this book takes place in, I was very interested to read it. About the Amish, most specifically about the Swartzentruber sect of Amish, it is of the author's experience and interaction with one particular family. He manages to grow close over a period of years and really see what life is like in the most strict of the Amish sects.

Mackall manages to become a close trusted friend of the Shetlers (names changed to protect privacy) an Amish family who moves in near him and becomes his neighbors. Over the course of the years he visits with them and their children, learns their ways and about their family, and even trades favors with them. Because of this relationship, when he asks if he can write a book on their family, they agree. There isn't really a timeline to the novel, it covers a forward moving piece of time in which a young boy leaves the order and his struggles with becoming "English" and the book also covers the life of Samuel Shetler and his immediate family.

Mackall details the house Samuel is building and what his family does day to day. He touches on some of the religious aspects and rules the Swartzentruber's have for their order. He also offers his opinion on everything he sees. This author does not sit back and tell about the family, he immerses himself in their life and comments on what he thinks about it. He tells you what he thinks is good, what is bad, and what areas are just shaded grey.

Mackall has a clear writing style and he does a great job at describing the people he's writing about. I did find some fault however. It seems that he might have written this book in parts, and as such, there are many trivial details that are repeated throughout the different chapters. Most of this is needless because the reader isn't reading one chapter every month or so and doesn't need to be reminded of these details. Also, his opinions are very waffling. He constantly can't decide whether their life is good or bad or if ever approached if he would help one leave the order. While these are all good thoughts and opinions by him, they take up quite a bit of space in the book sometimes.

I did enjoy reading about the Amish and this particular family. It was a great glimpse into the life of the Amish. Even knowing a couple Amish I had never realized just how rule bound their life was or even some of the more simple day to day things they had to do. This is a great book for learning a bit more about some of the most intriguing people in America.

Plain Secrets
Copyright 2007
248 pages

The Reckoning by Beverly Lewis

The Reckoning is the third book in Beverly Lewis' Heritage of Lancaster County series. While I loved the first book, and abhorred the second, I have mixed feelings about the third.

The story starts with Katherine becoming accustomed to life at the mansion after her biological mother's death. Just as she is settling in and getting used to things, Daniel, an old boyfriend whom she thought dead shows up on her doorstep begging forgiveness. Its a little more than Katherine can handle and she send him away.

Meanwhile, to fill her time she dates the charming painter Justin and volunteers at a hospice where she makes friends with a young boy dying from terminal cancer. She also hosts a quilting class in her home with several friends and also some newer friends, local amish people.

Something is missing from her life though and as the ban on her shunning is partially lifted she returns home to talk with her family and friends and somewhat misses the Amish even though she has found a new religious relationship.

The ending came as quite a surprise for me. While I had a suspicion that it might end up the way it did, I never imagined the destination to be what it was. It was as if Lewis changed her mind literally between paragraphs to a different ending and followed through with it.

While I was pleased to see the development of characters improve in this novel over the second, I have some reservations about the novel. There seemed to be a quite open agenda throughout the entire novel, a theme if you will. While I realize Beverly Lewis' writings are technically classified as Christian fiction, this book was so blatant about its proselytizing it was almost off-putting. While I love reading about the Amish and their culture, the constant references to being saved by Jesus in the Mennonite and regular Christian churches Catherine attends was heavy handed.

Lewis still offers a lot of detail in her writing and a nice history of the Amish. While most of it is written in the 3rd person, the prologue and epilogue are written through Katherine's eyes. It brings a nice change and divide in the novel.

The Reckoning
Published in 1998
281 pages

The Confession by Beverly Lewis

I greatly enjoyed the first of this series "The Shunning" by Beverly Lewis. However, this one failed to grab me. It seemed like it was a very rushed novel, yet, despite this, not much was done in it.

It takes off where the last book left it, Katie (now known as Katherine) is staying with some Mennonite relatives and is searching for her birth mother. She finds what she thinks is her mother only to encounter a rough time with her husband, Dylan Bennet who is waiting for his wife to die so he can inherit her wealth.

Katherine leaves her relatives and goes to her mother's house, only to find that another Katie Lapp has appeared there and has been welcomed as her mothers daughter. While she was debating going, Dylan had hired an actress to fool his wife by thinking the girl was her heir.

Katherine, unsure of what to do, takes a position as a maid at the household and hopes to get close to her mother. Being that her mother plans on announcing the inheritance at Christmas, the next day, time seems to run short for her. Especially when Dylan finds out who she really is.

It sounded like a promising sequel when I read the summary of it. However, the reality wasn't as promising. Lewis hurries the story along but its so boring and inconceivable (who would let a deception like that take place knowingly?) that I didn't have much patience with it and was glad it didn't take long to read.

While Lewis' writing is always pleasant and authentic, it just didn't make up for the story line.

The Confession
Copyright 2008
288 pages