The Atonement by Beverly Lewis

Beverly Lewis is a household name for those who enjoy Amish fiction. She always writes her stories in such a way where the readers is instantly hooked on the book and has to finish it with late nights! Or at least that's how I feel about her books. She's one of the few authors that keep me up late at night. One particular thing I like is the fact that she uses shorter chapters. It makes it so much easier to set the story aside when I need to, but it also makes it easier for me to say "just one more chapter..."

The Atonement is a beautiful story of grace vs. works. Lucy thinks that she can work her way to forgiveness for her sins. She also thinks that God could never possibly forgive her for the sins that she has committed. She feels so unworthy of a young man she has long loved but who seems to have it all together. Then she meets an Englisher and realizes that she could possibly make the same mistake once again.

Restoration stood out to me throughout this story. I saw her struggle with forgiveness and especially with forgiving herself. However, the ending chapters were beautiful as you saw restoration in relationships and time redeemed. I also loved the story of the "couple on the bridge."

The characters were very easy to like and I enjoyed reading about each one. I don't think there was one that I disliked at all. I could feel the pain of her father and the fear of her mother, as well as the deep grief from Lucy.

Dale was a character that I respected. I was very impressed with him and how Beverly Lewis chose to write his story. I loved it.
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I received this book free from Bethany House Publishers in exchange for my honest opinion of this book.

The Photograph by Beverly Lewis

I have never read a book by Beverly Lewis that I haven't anticipated or disliked! Sometimes authors who have written many books fall into a rut and don't improve after their first couple of books. Beverly Lewis is quite the opposite, in my opinion. She seems to keep building on her previous books and each book that I read I say is my "new favorite."

I could not imagine the heart-wrenching pain when Eva looses her sister because she has chosen to run away. The pain is very easy to relate to as a reader because we all have experienced something similar in our own families, I'd be willing to guess. I'll be honest... Eva's brother got on my bad side at the start because of how he talked to Eva and his sisters and how he made them make choices they shouldn't have had to make.

I absolutely love Jed and how he is introduced to Eva for the first time. That was such a wonderful idea to write into the story. It was beautiful!

As always, I didn't want to see this book end. I finished the last page already anxious to start another book by Beverly Lewis. They just never seem to last long enough!

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I received this book free from Bethany House Publishers in exchange for my honest opinion of this book.

The Secret Keeper by Beverly Lewis

Beverly Lewis holds a special place on my shelf because she was the first author I ever read Amish fiction by.  She was also someone that I remember my mom reading as I was growing up.  That said, I am always first in line to read a new book by her.  I've never read a book by her that I haven't liked.  This series, the Home to Hickory Hollow series, has been one of my favorites.  I think I say that about each of her series, though.

I feel at home in Hickory Hollow.  I love everything about, from the place to the characters.  I like the flip in this book with the storyline.  Usually much of the Amish fiction have to do with someone in the Amish community leaving and turning to the world.  However, I liked the flip of an English woman wanting to become Amish.  I could see myself in this a little because of my longing to live simply.  After watching Jenny though, I'm not certain I'd ever make it!  I forget all of the ways that modern technology is actually helpful.

The part that I like the most in this series is that there's a secret.  I feel like that's where the big suspenseful moments come from, which carries the book through to the end.  In this book, Jenny is told a secret and she has to keep it.  As if learning the Amish ways isn't enough to deal with at this time in her life!

As always, I'm anxiously awaiting another book by Beverly Lewis.  Hopefully I won't have to wait too long!
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I received this book free from Bethany House Publishers in exchange for my honest opinion of this book.

The Guardian by Beverly Lewis

I am a huge fan of Beverly Lewis and have been anxiously awaiting this book in her Home to Hickory Hollow series.  This book took a totally different turn than I ever expected.  The first two books were great but I felt like I knew what had happened or was going to happen.  However, I was pleasantly surprised that was not the case in this book.  I didn't suspect the story to be more about 2 families than it was a girl.

I like how she brought two totally different women together all because of one little girl.  It was a beautiful story of setting aside differences and loving each other despite those differences.  We all go through grief and to see how they each dealt with it and how they came to terms with it was part of the larger story.  I think that's the part the readers can most relate to because we all face grief and hard problems.  We do have a choice in how we deal with the grief, as these two women demonstrated.

I am anxiously awaiting September so I can read the fourth book in this series!
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For more info:

This week, the Christian Fiction Blog Alliance is introducing The Guardian Bethany House Publishers (March 26, 2013) by Beverly Lewis

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Beverly's first venture into adult fiction is the best-selling trilogy, The Heritage of Lancaster County, including The Shunning, a suspenseful saga of Katie Lapp, a young Amish woman drawn to the modern world by secrets from her past. The book is loosely based on the author's maternal grandmother, Ada Ranck Buchwalter, who left her Old Order Mennonite upbringing to marry a Bible College student. One Amish-country newspaper claimed Beverly's work to be "a primer on Lancaster County folklore" and offers "an insider's view of Amish life."

Booksellers across the country, and around the world, have spread the word of Beverly's tender tales of Plain country life. A clerk in a Virginia bookstore wrote, "Beverly's books have a compelling freshness and spark. You just don't run across writing like that every day. I hope she'll keep writing stories about the Plain people for a long, long time."

A member of the National League of American Pen Women, as well as a Distinguished Alumnus of Evangel University, Lewis has written over 80 books for children, youth, and adults, many of them award-winning. She and her husband, David, make their home in Colorado, where they enjoy hiking, biking, and spending time with their family. They are also avid musicians and fiction "book worms."

ABOUT THE BOOK

When schoolteacher Jodi Winfield goes for a morning run, the last thing she expects is to find a disheveled little girl all alone on the side of the Pennsylvania road, clad only in her undergarments, her chubby cheeks streaked with tears. Jodi takes the preschooler home with her, intending to find out where she belongs. But Jodi is mystified when no one seems to know of a missing child, and the girl herself is no help, since she can't speak a word of English. It's as if the child appeared out of nowhere.

As the days pass, Jodi becomes increasingly attached to the mysterious girl, yet she is no closer to learning her identity. Then an unexpected opportunity brings Jodi to Hickory Hollow--and into the cloistered world of the Lancaster Old Order Amish. Might the answers lie there?

If you would like to read the first chapter of The Guardian, go HERE.

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I received this book free from Bethany House Publishers and CFBA in exchange for my honest opinion.

The Bridesmaid by Beverly Lewis

Beverly Lewis is one of my favorite Amish fiction authors.  Somehow she manages to get me loving her new characters more than I thought that I ever would.  I have been drawn into Hickory Hollow and it seems like such a quaint place to live and is one that is easily pictured in my mind.

Joanna Kurtz is an endearing character who has a love for writing fiction.  Her submissive spirit and her willingness to give up her love of writing was beautiful.  I'm not sure I could have done that!  I loved the story about her namesake and the quilt.  I was sad that Eben and Joanna couldn't get married and just couldn't really see how they could get together because of their location differences and family responsibilities.  I loved the ending, even though I was a little sad for Eben's family and what they had to give up.

This is the second book in the Home to Hickory Hollow series.  You don't have to have read the first book in the series in order to know the characters in this book.  It does use, as the main characters, one family from the first book.  I can't wait until April 2, 2013 when the third book, The Guardian, comes out!

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I received this book free from Bethany House Publishers in exchange for my honest opinion of this book.

The Fiddler by Beverly Lewis

Beverly Lewis has kicked off what is sure to be a wonderful new series called Home to Hickory Hollow series.  This book had all of the elements that I love about Beverly's writing, but she came at a different angle as her plot. 

Amelia is a fiddler....well, technically, she's well-known for being a professional violinist.  Her life is wrapped up in her violin, but she longs to explore more of the fiddling.  However, her father and her agent think that it's ridiculous to fiddle and that it would ruin her reputation as a world-famous violinist if she were to be seen on a stage playing the fiddle.  Desperate to play, Amelia changes her name to Amy and that's how she's known to the fiddling nation.  But to the rest of the world, she is still classy Amelia.  On her way home from a fiddling competition, her car breaks down, her phone ends up in the water, and she finds herself on the porch of a house in which resides an Amish man. 

Michael has been wrestling with whether or not to leave the Amish community.  He doesn't completely believe all that they do and he doesn't want to make the confession until he knows for certain that he can hold his vow.  He got into a fight with his dad and went to a house near the mountains.  Good thing, too, or poor Amelia would have been out of luck on that rainy night!

Michael convinces Amelia to come experience the "simple life" for a day or so and she agrees.  She ends up staying with the family of one of Michael's friends.  She loves it and becomes close friends with the daughter.  She extends her stay several times but eventually the times comes when she must leave.

But will she come back or will Michael follow her into the English world?  Can they meet halfway and compromise?

I'm really excited for the next book in the series already!  Hope we don't have to wait too long!

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I received this book free from Bethany House Publishers in exchange for my honest opinion of this book.