Christopher Marshall is a weary and wounded ex-soldier who just wants some peace in his life.  He met Jenny in the hospital and later corresponds with her.  When he visits her and Matthew, he envies them their happiness.  Then he meets Matthew’s sister, Hannah Bontrager, and there’s a clash of cultures and values between the former career military man and the gentle, pacifist Amish woman.  Yet there also is a deep attraction between them, and they fall in love.

Born and raised on a Kansas farm, Christopher finally finds peace in this simple community helping Matthew with the crops. Christopher expects resistance to his presence from the Amish but is appalled when he and Hannah experience threats. He has no fear for himself.  But to protect Hannah, he resolves to leave everyone and everything he has come to love in this place he calls “God’s country.”  When he discovers who his enemy is, he realizes he must stay and reveal a secret that has sent him into a different world than he has ever known.

My Comments: I found this book a great mix of the military and the Amish (which seem to not mix at all, actually).   Hannah is a great female character – somebody to admire.  A Time to Heal is another story where an English man becomes interested in joining the Amish faith.  This story makes it believable because Chris came from a farming and simple background.  He found the Amish life peaceful and he made wonderful friends.  The Amish seem amazingly hospitable to strangers.  They welcome everybody in – even those who live a lifestyle they don’t necessarily agree with.

This book is the second in a series, and I have enjoyed both books!  I look forward to the third and final book, A Time for Peace, as well.   A Time to Heal has a new to me author and publisher.  I enjoy reading future books by both!

This entry was posted on Saturday, January 22nd, 2011 at 2:47 pm

This post was written bySally and is filed under Christian Fiction, Women's Fiction. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.