About the book: When Grace Sings (WaterBrook Press, March 2015)
When trouble roars into quiet Arborville, Alexa and Anna-Grace find themselves the target for discord and exposed secrets. Can they continue to seek the God of all grace amidst the fog of confusion?
Alexa Zimmerman wonders if the Old Order Mennonite community in Arborville, Kansas will ever fully accept her. Her family roots here aren't what anyone thought when she first arrived, but she is hopeful that her culinary and hospitality skills will win the skeptics over. The bed-and-breakfast she's operating needs to succeed so Alexa agrees to allow Briley Forrester, the hotshot reporter from Chicago, to stay as a long-term boarder not knowing his real motives for being amongst the Plain folk.
But when Alexa agrees to host her cousin Anna-Grace Braun, the presence of extended family brings out Alexa's insecurities and sets Briley on the trail to uncovering a web of hidden truths.
Plans for a secure future and the sweetness of young romance hang in the balance when Alexa and Anna-Grace have to face that their secrets are interconnected, binding the two in ways they could not have imagined. They must trust in a loving, heavenly Father and His plan for their futures.
My review:
I really enjoyed this story with an interesting mix of Amish, Mennonite and English characters. There's also some intrigue and scandal as a twenty-year-old secret threatens to be exposed. I admired Alexa a lot for her determination to make the bed-and-breakfast a go and for how she endeavored to treat Anna-Grace with love even though she struggled with jealousy. I liked Briley, too, even though he was more of a rogue. It was fun to watch him get tamed and and learn more about what faith in God really means. It was nice to get so many points of view in the story, from Alexa and Briley to Anna-Grace and Steven. They had such different backgrounds from each other, not to mention the secrets they were keeping, which made for interesting conflict. I was a little frustrated with Steven and how he wouldn't be up front with his parents or Anna-Grace about what he wanted to do with his life. Faith was a very important element to the story, both for the ones who believed in God to trust Him, pray for wisdom and obey and for Briley to understand for the first time what all of it meant. I did feel a little lost about Alexa's past and how she ended up in Arborville since I hadn't read book one, so I would recommend reading these in order. There are some cute romantic moments, along with some amusing ones. I would definitely recommend this book, especially if you like Amish or Mennonite stories.
I received a free copy of this book from Litfuse Publicity in exchange for an honest review.
Purchase a copy: http://bit.ly/1FBvcM5
About the author: Kim Vogel Sawyer
is the author of twenty-nine novels, including several CBA and ECPA
bestsellers. Her books have won the ACFW Book of the Year Award, the
Gayle Wilson Award of Excellence, and the Inspirational Readers Choice
Award. Kim is active in her church, where she leads women's fellowship
and participates in both voice and bell choirs. In her spare time, she
enjoys drama, quilting, and calligraphy. Kim and her husband, Don,
reside in central Kansas, and have three daughters and nine
grandchildren.
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