Amish fiction with a different direction -- Amish Promises

Leslie Gould's Amish Promises goes a little different direction from typical Amish fiction.  The fact that there is a strong military element presents an interesting and unexpected tension to the story.

There are several strong characters in the story, with a wide range of backgrounds and experiences.  The struggles both the English and Amish individuals experience provide a very intriguing story, with several twists and turns that keep the interest level high.  Friendship, faith, and true love are important themes throughout.

The story contains many difficult moments and at times moves a little slowly.  And it takes a little effort to get to know and keep up with all the characters and their place in the big picture.  But all in all, it is a very good story that I would recommend to fans of Amish fiction or Christian fiction in general.

Thanks to Leslie Gould and Bethany House for providing a copy of Amish Promises in exchange for my honest review.

About the Book:

Journey Down a Quiet Lane in Lancaster County Where Love and Heartache and Friendship and Healing Meet

When Joel and Shani Beck arrive at their new home, they're looking for peace. Shani is thrilled to have Joel back from Iraq, but he needs time to heal, and the quiet of Lancaster seems just the place. They can't imagine any trouble with their Amish neighbors, the Lehmans, but things get off to a rocky start when their son is involved in an accident that injures one of the Lehman boys.

Eve Lehman has run her brother's household ever since the death of his wife, but Tim's a stern patriarch. Despite his protests, she's drawn to the new neighbor, Shani, and the two begin to form a strong friendship forged on faith and family. Things seem like they've quieted down until Joel's single and handsome army friend Charlie catches Eve's attention--a man unlike any Eve has ever met. Suddenly life for both families becomes more complicated than any of them could have ever imagined.

About the Author

Leslie Gould is the author of the bestselling Courtships of Lancaster County series and coauthor, with Mindy Starns Clark, of the #1 bestselling The Amish Midwife. She holds an MFA in creative writing from Portland State University and has taught fiction writing at Multnomah University as an adjunct professor. She resides with her family in Portland, Oregon.