Book Reviews

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by: Cindy Woodsmall
Publisher: WaterBrook Press
Published: August 9, 2011
Format: Paperback (352 pages)
ISBN: 9781400073986
SERIES: Ada's House Series
Origin: Publisher

***Though the publisher provides the free book, I offer the opinion.***

My Look:

The betrayal of a sister who marries the man Sylvia Fisher loved gets even more complicated. Years later, Sylvia indulges her sister's husband in an adulterer's kiss, and she must give up her family. She takes a job on a farm, the Blank's farm.

Cara Moore is discovered living with her daughter in Ephraim's barn. Alone with her daughter, Cara's background is heartbreaking; her mother died and her father left her alone at a bus station. She's an abandoned child whom Social Services takes into foster care. After knowing her plight, Ephraim Mast takes care of them and endures a shunning for refusing to make her seek help elsewhere. Now, she's in love with Ephraim and dedicated to become an accepted member of the Amish community. However, her father comes back.

Meanwhile, Aaron Blank's parents will not answer his letters from rehab, but that's not going to stop him from going home. He's going to take care of his parents, and Aaron has a plan. Putting money down on business, he goes home intending to do the right thing for them. Can he make amends? Aaron wants to take care of his parents, but it was only months earlier that he had left them alone on a dairy farm.

Lena Kauffman is in love with Grey Graber, but she's prepared to wait for his official mourning period to end. Grey is a widower and wants to do right by his first wife's family. How would they feel having their daughter replaced too soon? Will time do more than keep them these two apart?

THE HARVEST OF GRACE delves into the lives of these and others characters. However, the most central theme is the family struggles and rejection is a large part of these stories.

Cindy Woodsmall demonstrates that hurt begets hurt and forgiveness needs to follow. She does not concentrate on the Amish themes; she zeros into the characters, their flaws, and the many human emotions that we all share.

My Take:

I recommend THE HARVEST OF GRACE!

Cindy Woodsmall writes from a background with a strong Amish connection, but she writes about non-traditional Amish issues in this book and will keep you turning pages.

She provides more than just a love story and does more than teach you about the Amish traditions, Cindy Woodsmall writes about issues that face all of us and shows us all forgiveness is possible.

This is a stand-alone novel, but is part of a series. You will want to catch up with the other titles in the Ada's House series. They are THE HOPE OF REFUGE: ADA'S HOUSE BOOK 1 (August 2009), THE BRIDGE OF PEACE: ADA'S HOUSE BOOK 2 (August 2010), and THE CHRISTMAS SINGING (October 2011).

Through WaterBrook Multnomah's Blogging for Books Program, I received this book for free in exchange my honest review.

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