Sweet romance . . . with complications -- Amish Sweethearts

Leslie Gould has once again done a great job of crafting a sweet romantic story under very complicated circumstances in Amish Sweethearts, the second book in her Neighbors of Lancaster County series.

While containing many of the expected elements of an Amish story, Amish Sweethearts is not a cookie-cutter, only the predictable outcomes kind of story.  Much of the story revolves around questions that have no easy answers as Zane, Lila, and their friends and family deal with issues of love and war.  Joining them on their complex journey makes for a very engaging read.

Fans of great Amish fiction will surely enjoy this story.  And I'm certainly hoping there is more to come in this series!

Thanks to Bethany House for providing a copy of Amish Sweethearts in exchange for my honest review.

About the Book:

Their Two Worlds Couldn't Be Further Apart.  Can Anything Bridge the Divide Between Them?

For years Zane Beck and his Amish neighbor Lila Lehman were best of friends. But just as Zane gathered the courage to discover if their friendship could develop into something more, her controlling father arranged for her to be courted by their bishop's son. Zane, heartbroken and frustrated, joined the Army, running away from his shattered dreams.

The passing of time and the distance between Zane and Lila haven't been enough to halt their--now completely hidden--feelings for each other. Any hope for their love grows even more impossible though as Zane's service takes a dangerous turn when he's deployed to Afghanistan. Being on the frontline, confronted with the hard choices of war, has him questioning everything, including whether he can continue to serve or not. But all choices have consequences, and with Lila preparing to marry another, will these one-time sweethearts ever find the life together that they both still long for?

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.