Review: The Missing

The second book in the Beverly Lewis series Seasons of Grace The Missing answered a few questions that still lingered for me from the first book The Secret. Still away from her family in Ohio, Lettie Byler is looking for answers. Forced to give away the child she had as a teenager, Lettie stumbles upon an Amish woman her takes her into her home. There in Baltic, Ohio she is able to find the midwife that helped her deliver her baby. The midwife isn't able to give her any of the answers she is looking for other than that she should contact the doctor who arranged the adoption.

Back at home in Bird-In-Hand, Pennsylvania, Grace must deal with her mother's absence by picking up the extra weight at home. After the end of her engagement, Grace is unsure where her love life should go. When Yonnie, a young man who has recently moved from Indiana, begins to help out on the family farm. Yonnie is different than other Amish boys. He is outspoken and believes in a sort of equality for man and wife. This interests Grace, but her best friend's feelings for Yonnie may get in the way. Yonnie also tells Grace that a family member saw her mother at an Amish home in Ohio. Grace is excited by the news and knows she must head to Ohio as soon as possible.

 Heather is an Englisher who is visiting seeking alternative treatment for her cancer. While visiting she strikes a friendship with Grace. Both girls soon realize that they have a special bond. When Heather over hears the conversation between Grace and Yonnie about the discovery of her moth, Heather realizes she must offer to drive Grace to her mother. Grace quickly accepts the offer.

Is there another reason why Grace and Heather have a strong connection? Will Heather's father accept her illness and the form of treatment she has chosen?

I look forward to reading the conclusion to this series and am excited to see how Grace's mother will accept her arrival. I am also interested to see how Heather's treatment ends up. I thought this book was good, but not the best Beverly Lewis book I've read.

Review: The Secret

Was pretty sick earlier this week, so my reading's been a little slower than normal, but I did finish The Secret by Beverly Lewis. This is the first in the Seasons of Grace trilogy and is centered around the disappearance of Lettie Byler. For the past few months, Lettie has been seen leaving the house late at night and acting rather depressed. Everyone in her family has noticed, but most of her family thought it may have something to do with the death of her sister, Naomi, a few years prior. Lettie's daughter, Grace, is most profoundly affected by her mother's disappearance. Not only are her responsibilities at home increased, but her mother's goodbye letter was written directly to Grace. Grace is unsure why her mother has left, or wrote the letter to her, but she is determined to come to the bottom of her mother's strange disappearance.

Judah, Lettie's husband, knows that he hasn't been the best husband, but had no idea that his wife would take off in the middle of the night. Not only is he feeling pressure from the church as to why she has disappeared, but Lettie's mysterious withdraw of $5000, has not made life on the farm any easier, especially during the difficult time of lambing on the Byler farm.

Heather, an Englisher, has just discovered she has been diagnosed with cancer, the same disease that took her mother 18 months before. Unsure what to make of the diagnosis, she decides to go against the advice of the doctor and refuse traditional treatment. Instead, she makes the bold move of taking homeopathic treatment in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, a place close to her and her mother's hearts. When her fiance breaks off their engagement from Iraq, she knows that this is the perfect opportunity to get away from her hectic life. She seeks refuge in an Amish home, neighbor's to the Bylers.

What will happen to Heather's health, and will she finally tell her dad of her terrible diagnosis? Will Grace be able to find her mother and the potential secret she is carrying? Will Lettie be able to find some peace? Read this novel and the rest of the Seasons of Grace trilogy to find out.

I enjoyed the beginning of the Seasons of Grace series. There are a lot of questions that are unanswered for me so I am excited to read the other two novels. I liked that there are a couple of stories going on to keep me interested and while I had a good feeling about Lettie's secret, I am unsure what will become of Heather, as well as Grace's love life. I liked that a love story wasn't the main theme of this book, but that it was intertwined as more of a back story. I think that because the story was not about a "perfect" Amish family it kept me engaged even more. Hope you enjoy!

Review: The Thorn

Just finished reading Beverly Lewis' newest novel The Thorn. This book is the first in the trilogy and centers around the family of Rose Ann Kauffman in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania. Much of Rose's young life revolves around caring for her mother who was involved in a tragic buggy accident years prior and has since been in a wheel chair. When she's not caring for her mother, Hen is often found helping take care of the families horses with the adopted Bishop's son, Nick, who works for Hen's father. Nick is still resistant after many years of living in the Amish community and while many in the community feel he will never be Amish, Rose feels a strong friendship with Nick. Could this relationship threaten her relationship with her new beau Silas?

Rose's sister Hen, leaves the Amish to marry an Englisher, but when her own daughter, Mattie Sue, takes up some not flattering habits, Hen wonders what her life would have been like if she had been raised Amish. Hen makes the difficult decision to move home with her daughter to sort out her feelings. Will she be able to mend the relationship with her husband?

I enjoyed this book, but felt the beginning was a little slow. I felt that there were a few good story lines beginning, but it took awhile for things to happen. The end of the story picked up pace, and left me wanting to know what is going to happen to the characters. I'm anxious to read the next book in the series, too bad it's not released until April 2011.