Tuesday, April 14, 2015

A Simple Prayer book review

One thing I love about Virginia is the changing of the seasons!  It is truly majestic here.  The thing I don't love is that everyone around here gets sick at the changing of the seasons! Normally I manage to stay healthy, but unfortunately I have succumb to a nasty virus.  

I hate being sick!  But while I'm down for the count I get to do one of my favorite things.  Read!  I am sitting in bed surrounded by tissues, meds, clear liquids and lots of books!  I'd take a picture but I have been quarantined in my room and I don't think you want to see my piles of tissues, lol.   

While my new Kindle is fired up and at the ready I still find myself reading "real" books.  There is something very comforting about the feel of a good book on your lap and a cat curled up on your toes when you are sick. 

My book of choice the past few days has been A Simple Prayer by Amy Clipston.  This is the 4th book in The Hearts of Lancaster Grand Hotel Series.  

Here is the book Blurb: Life has taken much from Linda Zook. Now she dares to hope for a chance at love and a new beginning.Linda Zook, 32, works part-time at the Lancaster Grand Hotel. As the sole survivor of a buggy accident that left her orphaned at age four, she was raised by her unwilling Uncle Reuben. Linda longs to be worthy of someone, but the life-long effects of her injuries and her upbringing under the care of her embittered uncle have destroyed her self-worth.Aaron Ebersol, 32, left the Amish community 17 years ago when he could no longer bear the restrictions or the constant tension with his father. He d written too many unanswered letters to his mother and found himself incapable of putting down any roots in his new home in Missouri. Success in work could not replace the family that denied Aaron, even after all of these years.Aaron hastily returns to the Amish community of Paradise, PA, after receiving word of his mother s stroke. Hesitant to get too close to the family he was once a part of, he decides to stay at the Heart of Paradise Bed & Breakfast. He soon encounters Linda, working there part-time, and they begin to develop a friendship.Aaron s return allows him to reconnect with his family as he jumps into home improvement projects, hoping to make his parents house more accessible to his handicapped mother. But before long, he is enraged to learn that his brother, Solomon, had hidden all of Aaron s letters to their mother.
Linda and Aaron must each learn to forgive the family members who have deceived and forsaken them. And Aaron must also show Linda that she is worthy of his love.

I really enjoyed this book.  Being part of the Bakery Bunch I got provided with an advanced reader copy.  Plus lots of time to read it!  

Amy does a fantastic job with her research and presenting the lives of the Amish.  Linda was someone that you cheered for the whole time.  She works hard and is treated horribly by her uncle.  She feels alone and unworthy of love and attention.  

Aaron left the Amish after he made an awful mistake.  He spent years writing to his family only to find out that the letters had never been received.  He comes back home after his mom becomes ill and is greeted with a lot of tension and resentment from his brother.  

Aaron and Linda meet at the Bed and Breakfast and form an instant connection.  They are both experiencing heartache over the way their families are treating them.  They find friendship, forgiveness, and well, you're just going to have to read the book yourself to find out the rest! 

There were many things I liked about the book.  As with all of Amy's books you can read them in a series or as a stand alone.  She does a good job on researching the Amish way of life as well!  The characters were well thought out and the story moved at a really good pace.  This book was a fantastic read and it will be available around the beginning of May. Pick up your copy today and happy reading!