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.
Nice mixture of focusing on the "Englisch" - Shani, Joel, Zane and Charlie and the Amish, Tim, Eve, Daniel, Simon, Lila, etc. There's not too much on one side or the other. And I like how she worked their stories together. Living closely to a family who's lifestyle is so completely different than your own must be challenging but Ms. Gould showed how each could learn from the other and make some changes that help you to grow while keeping true to your own beliefs.
Tim and Joel were, at times, both frustrating to read about. But the thing is, the issues they had are real and living those things out have to be frustrating. This book touched on a number of things you don't really often have in Amish fiction - there was abuse and PTSD but there was also love and caring. People trying to do the right thing for the ones they love - even when they felt like things would never change and when circumstances went from bad to worse.
Wonderful debut for a new series - and I can't wait to see which of the scenarios I have playing in my mind find their way in to book two!
Jody
My copy of this book was graciously provided by Bethany House publishers for my honest review.
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