Amish Promises - Neighbors of Lancaster County 1 - by Leslie Gould

About the book:

Journey Down a Quiet Lane in Lancaster County Where Love and Heartache and Friendship and Healing Meet
When Joel and Shani Beck arrive at their new home, they're looking for peace. Shani is thrilled to have Joel back from Iraq, but he needs time to heal, and the quiet of Lancaster seems just the place. They can't imagine any trouble with their Amish neighbors, the Lehmans, but things get off to a rocky start when their son is involved in an accident that injures one of the Lehman boys.

Eve Lehman has run her brother's household ever since the death of his wife, but Tim's a stern patriarch. Despite his protests, she's drawn to the new neighbor, Shani, and the two begin to form a strong friendship forged on faith and family. Things seem like they've quieted down until Joel's single and handsome army friend Charlie catches Eve's attention--a man unlike any Eve has ever met. Suddenly life for both families becomes more complicated than any of them could have ever imagined.

My review:

I enjoyed this interesting story with real flawed characters.  It was tough to watch what some of them went through, from Joel's PTSD to Eve's being stuck under her brother's controlling thumb.  I found myself getting frustrated with Joel and Tim especially, though I felt sorry for Joel and the traumatic experience he went through.  I liked Shani and Eve a lot and admired how they kept everything together and took care of everyone.  Eve, however, blamed herself for what happened with her sister-in-law and didn't feel worthy of love.  She believed in God's grace, but had a hard time accepting it.  There were some comments about faith and a conversation Eve had with Tim's mother-in-law had some great Scripture verses we all need to hear. Charlie was an amazing guy.  He had a strong faith and it was wonderful to see how he took care of Joel, Shani and Zane.  He really went the extra mile.  I wished for more interactions with Charlie and Eve.  It didn't seem like there was much to their relationship.  It also felt like there was a little too much detail in the day to day happenings of life, such as where each of the children were or who rode with whom.  It was interesting to see what a soldier struggling with PTSD and a physical recovery can go through and how it impacted his family.  I liked the dynamic of the Amish and English intersecting and the impact they have on each other.  I'd recommend this story if you like Amish stories or ones that deal with some tough issues.

I received this book free from Bethany House Publishers in exchange for an honest review.

 The Author

1. 

   Leslie Gould

   Leslie Gould is the author of the bestselling Courtships of Lancaster County series and coauthor, with Mindy Starns Clark, of the #1 bestselling The Amish Midwife. She holds an MFA in creative writing from Portland State University and has taught...
   

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