As the coldest winter on record blows into Sugarcreek, will three hearts have the courage to discover the life that God wants for them?
In the small Amish town of Sugarcreek, Ohio, Joshua knows what’s expected of him: to work at the family store and to finally marry Gretta, whom he’s courted for years. But when a new English family moves in next door—and their teenage daughter catches his eye—Joshua wonders if his future plans are too firmly set in stone.
Gretta is shocked by the sudden change in Joshua. Their arguments followed by tense silences feel too much like the frosty atmosphere at home between her parents. When Roland begins to take an interest in her, she considers what her life might be like with Joshua out of the picture. With Roland, Gretta would have steady, kind companionship…although she knows she could never love him.
When Lilly moved to Sugarcreek, she never imagined she’d be enamored with the Amish way of life—and especially with her handsome new neighbor, Joshua. But she guards a secret that will surely drive him away, one that compelled her family to leave their old home and move to Sugarcreek in the first place: Lilly is pregnant.
My Comments: Loved this book – I could honestly relate to the characters and I enjoyed them. Even the “English” neighbors were sweet and a good family. I love a book that makes me cry! Because I’m not naturally a crier, I find this a release. I cried through the last part of this book.
Tim Graber arrives in Sugarcreek to help his aunt and uncle with spring planting. At first, Tim does’t fit in with his many cousins and their crowded lifestyle. But when he meets Clara Slabaugh, the local school teacher, he understands why the Lord brought him to Sugarcreek. Clara is shy and quiet. Scarred from a fire when she was small, Clara has resigned herself to living alone and caring for her mother, who tells her that no man will ever see past her scars, and that Clara needs to keep teaching in order to make ends meet. Her father passed away years ago, and her mother depends on her. But the scars mean nothing to Tim. He appreciates her quiet nature and her wonderful, loving way with children. Yet Tim has a sweetheart back home in Indiana. As these two hearts struggle to determine their path, tragedy strikes, and every other worry seems insignificant in comparison. Though they now face a life they never imagined, will Tim and Clara have the faith to step out and risk everything for a chance at true love?
My Comments: This is a great book – it gives the kind of feeling you want to have escaping into a good book. The characters grow and change quite a bit, and Clara, the main character is quite admirable and someone I would like to have been like. I especially would have loved her as a friend and as a teacher. I would have liked to teach WITH her! Tim grows up quite a bit and learns to understand himself and his feelings. Many emotions rose to the surface while reading. This is the first book of the series I read and I had to get the others!
Some promises are meant to be broken. . . .
Until Robert Miller met Lilly Allen, his world had been dark. A widower after only two years of marriage, he’d been living in a haze, feeling that, at twenty-four, his life was already over. But thanks to his friendship with Lilly, he now has new reasons to wake up each day. He knows his connection to her doesn’t make sense. She’s only nineteen, with a past the whole town talks about. Even more, she’s not Amish, like Robert. A marriage between the two of them could never happen.
Lilly’s heart is drawn to Robert, not to his faith. No matter how much she admires his quiet strength and dependability, she doesn’t think she could ever give up her independence and reliance on the modern world. Is their love doomed before it even begins?
My Comments: I also enjoyed this book, however, not too sure of the realism of it. I love the theme of true love conquers all, but I wonder if two people who truly love each other CAN overcome all their differences. Marriage is difficult enough without beginning with two strikes against you. However, that being said, the book kept me engaged. I liked the characters. I love the Amish community and the way they care for each other and worry about each other. Both main characters went through a time of deep grieving and hurt; I think this is what drew them together more than anything else. They wanted to be happy and feel like they belonged again.
My Comments about the series: Although I read this series out of order, I would not recommend that. The books build. I still enjoyed it even though I kind of knew what was going to happen from reading out of order 
I’m looking for more from this author.
