Recently, I got this book from Book Sneeze, the Thomas Nelson publishers blogger book review program. (You can click the link in my sidebar for more info about Book Sneeze.) To be quite honest, I chose this book for one reason alone.
I've never read any Christian fiction novels set in an Amish community. I've seen quite a few on the market, but I've never chosen them because I've felt like I wouldn't enjoy them. This one was free (to me) so I figured if I didn't like it, I hadn't lost anything. Boy am I glad I chose it!
An Honest Love is a great book! I was touched by 2 sweet love stories that include honesty & virtue and integrity without anyone having to rip their clothes off to get their point across. Kathleen Fuller is a fabulous writer. I have no ideas if the story in this book is true as far as the Amish traditions & language & such, but if it's not Ms. Fuller did a great job of convincing me.
There are two stories running side by side throughout the book. A quick synopsis of the two:
1. Anna has been heartbroken by the man she was engaged to marry. After a failed wedding, she & her mother move to town to escape it all & start fresh. Her uncle's recent back injury gives them a good reason to move in with him & care for him while opening an Amish goods store in town. Anna feels like she can hide all her problems, including her physical ones, from the world in her new hometown, but when Lukas enters the store, and her life, her heart changes. In an effort to keep from having her heartbroken again, she puts off Lukas's attempts to court her for a long time, but eventually falls in love and they are married. Anna's physical problems include those of the feminine nature, which will render her infertile. Will Lukas still love her when he realizes she can't have children? Read the story to find out....
2. Elisabeth realizes she is not much of a woman that any man would want. She can't figure out what to do with children, she's not much of a cook, she's outspoken & loud and not exactly graceful. As she stumbles through early adulthood, feeling insecure & uncertain of herself, her brother Gabe offers her a job in his blacksmith shop as the bookkeeper. But Elisabeth finds herself more interested in one of the blacksmiths than the books. Aaron Detweiler has his own insecurities, though. Having strayed from the church and sewn his wild oats, so to speak, he got into drugs & landed himself in jail before realizing the wrong of his ways. He moves back home, gets back in church & starts working for Gabe at the blacksmith shop before Elisabeth shows up in his life. Initially quite annoyed by her, Aaron finds himself falling for her as she befriends him and shows him that she cares & can see past his past if he'll just open his heart & let her in.
While the storylines seem a bit like one of the quirky, romantic comedies that I love to watch in a movie so much, the truth is that they're very different. After all, when is the last time you saw a CLEAN, sweet love story in a movie? With a horse & buggy and prayer coverings involved?
I enjoyed this story so much that I've already found the book that came before this one in the series online & bought it. I can't wait for it to arrive!
Thank you, Book Sneeze, for offering this book! I loved it!
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