On Her Own

From GoodReads:Barbara Zook was devastated when her husband David was killed. Will she be able to raise their four young boys and manage her beloved David's harness store on her own? When harness maker Paul Hilty arrives in Webster County, Missouri, he finds himself agreeing to help run Barbara's shop. Things are going fairly well until widower Bishop John Frey comes a-courting Barbara, and Paul's jealousy takes everyone by surprise. Will Paul try to beat out the competition or end up hightailing it back to Pennsylvania? Will Barbara marry for love or be forced to enter into a marriage of convenience?

My Review: This is a romance set in the Amish Community and with a Christian bent.

I felt sorry for Barbara  when a much older bishop started trying to court her. I did not blame her for resisting his advances. I also got mad when he stated that he wanted her so she could give him more kids. The whole thing reeked of being taken advantage of. Like all things in this kind of book though things worked out. The bishop decided he liked a woman his own age better and so ended up with her. Barbra who resisted Paul (who was her own age) advances. All she wants to do is raise her kids and work in her harness shop.

She is weak from giving birth so she accepts Paul’s help. The book goes on about how he tries to win her heart and how both wrestle with their feelings for each other then finally they end up together.

I have to admit. I felt like whacking Barbara over the head and telling her to spill her guts to Paul. I mean what's the worst that can happen? Then again I am not Amish so maybe I am missing something here. Maybe in Amish culture a woman cant be as forward with a man. While reading I did get frustrated. Other than that the book was ok. If you like romance and/or Christian books you will like this book.

Review: A Cousin’s Challenge

This is the third and last book in the Amish Indiana Cousins Series.
This book I was looking forward too as it had a Deaf main character and I am Deaf myself. Granted the woman in the book lost her hearing after she was in a van accident and I was born Deaf but I will take a deaf character where I can find them. Especially if they are positively portrayed like they are in this book.
Jolene lost her hearing in a Van accident and had went to PA to live with her aunt to learn to sign. She is back in Indiana to teach two deaf children. She also teaches some adults in the community. Lonnie becomes deaf after getting hit in the head with a fence post. Yeah, that was stretching it a little far even for me but I am willing to suspend my disbelief for the sake of the story. His girlfriend breaks up with him after he becomes deaf and he thinks he cant be a good husband because he cant hear. Throughout the whole story I kept wanting to push these two together. I know that they had to grow and the author was showing authentic relationships but honestly Jolene and Lonnie was so perfect that each time they did not end up together I just wanted to scream in frustration.
The story throughout the three books really draws you in and you can see how all of the characters grow. I became attached to the characters and was rooting for them. The story drags at times but looking back I can see it was necessary for the characters to go through what they did to complete to growth.

Review: A Cousins Promise

 From Goodreads:Willkumm to the Amish country, where a tragic accident and an old beau complicate the lives of two young lovers.

My Review: A friend lent me this book. I normally would not pick up Amish Fiction but I have to say I am glad I did. This book is the first book in a trilogy. It starts with a car accident and goes on to explore what happens when a normally abled bodied person become disabled.

I liked this aspect of the book. It showed a realistic grieving process while at the same time keeping with the faith and lifestyle of the Amish community.

This trilogy was given to me because all three deals with disabilities and in one book there is a Deaf person in the storyline. I haven't gotten to that book yet but if the first book is any indication I am looking forward to the next two books. I feel it is important to portray disabilities in books as they happen. Here the man who lost his leg in the car accident did not all of a sudden come to terms with it. The grieving process was accurately shown. While I wanted to slap the main character Wayne a few times the reader comes to understand that accepting becoming handicapped takes time and even with a person of supposedly deep and unwavering faith you can still make what seems like stupid decisions. In the end though one must accept what has happened and go on to live the best life possible. This is exactly what happens.

Review: Spring’s Renewal

When I said I like all sorts of books. I really meant all sorts. I have always been interested in how people of other sub-cultures live. When I saw this on a friends book shelf I knew that I had to borrow it. After all one way to learn about different people is to read about them right?

Tim is visiting his Uncles farm in Ohio. He did not want to go at first but his family encouraged him to go. He had a sweetheart he left back in Indiana so he wasn’t looking for anyone to love. Until he met Clara. Clara is different in that as a child she was badly burned. Many people in the community look down on her or pitied her but not Tim. He wonders why no one is courting her. As they get to know each other Tim must make a decision. Will he continue with his sweetheart Ruby Lee back in Indiana or will he go to Clara?

As a deaf reader I could sympathize with Clara. I know how well meaning people can make you more self-conscious about something than not.

I had to admit I was surprised by some of the things in this book. Like the romance part. I guess I had stereotyped the Amish into one big group with all adhering to ridged values instead of a group with its members having varying degrees of which they conform. Which is a mistake that a lot of people tend to make.

The romance in this book however was much more believable than romances in other books the author showed the up and downs a couple has before they finally realize their true feelings. I like the breadth that she took to show this.

Clara is shown as a strong woman in her own way. She made peace about her disfigurement and did not let it interfere with her love of teaching. This is a vital message for anyone that has something different about them. Through Clara we could see that what is “wrong” with you does not necessarily have to define or limit who you are.

This is not the only theme in this book although it is the main one there are many other side stories to hold and grip the readers attention. I will defientily be pick up the other books in this series.