When Elizabeth Kaufman received the news of her husband’s death at the Battle of Vicksburg in 1863, she felt only relief. She determined that she would never be at the mercy of any man again, even if it meant she would never have a family of her own. Then Aaron Zook comes home with her brother when the war ends two years later.Despite the severity of his injuries, Aaron resolves to move West and … and leave the pain of the past behind him. He never imagined that the Amish way of life his grandfather had rejected long ago would be so enticing. That, and a certain widow he can’t get out of his mind.Yet, even in a simple community, life has a way of getting complicated. Aaron soon finds that while he may have left the battlefield behind, there is another fight he must win–the one for the heart of the woman he loves.Welcome back to the Amish community at Weaver’s Creek, where the bonds of family and faith bind up the brokenhearted.
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Softly Blows the Bugle by Jan Drexler
(The Amish of Weaver’s Creek, #3)
When Elizabeth Kaufman received the news of her husband’s death at the Battle of Vicksburg in 1863, she felt only relief. She determined that she would never be at the mercy of any man again, even if it meant she would never have a family of her own. Then Aaron Zook comes home with her brother when the war ends two years later.
Despite the severity of his injuries, Aaron resolves to move West and leave the pain of the past behind him. He never imagined that the Amish way of life his grandfather had rejected long ago would be so enticing. That, and a certain widow he can’t get out of his mind.
Yet, even in a simple community, life has a way of getting complicated. Aaron soon finds that while he may have left the battlefield behind, there is another fight he must win–the one for the heart of the woman he loves.
Welcome back to the Amish community at Weaver’s Creek, where the bonds of family and faith bind up the brokenhearted.
This is Elizabeth Kaufman and Aaron Zook’s story.
Life and knitting. Each one goes along smoothly, needles and events gliding against each other to form a seamless whole, until the day you look back and see the one missed stitch that has affected the entire fabric.
Elizabeth Kaufman dropped the ruined sock into her lap and closed her eyes, leaning her head against the back of the rocking chair on the shaded front porch. A bird sang somewhere above the roof, its fluid call carrying through the quiet afternoon air like an autumn leaf falling. It rose, then paused. Rose again, then swooped down only to end on a high trilling note.
A shriek from inside the house brought an abrupt end to the birdsong. Katie Stuckey’s feet pounding on the stairway and more shrieks brought Elizabeth to her feet, her knitting falling to the porch floor.
“He’s coming!” Katie slammed the wooden screen door open and grabbed Elizabeth’s arms, spinning her in a circle. “I saw him from the window! On the road!”
Jonas propelled her toward the door. “I left Aaron in Mamm’s hands, the poor fellow.”
A lean man sat at the kitchen table, a spoon halfway to his mouth. Jonas had been right. Mamm had dished up a bowl full of chicken and noodles for the stranger, and he had already finished most of it. He put his spoon down when he saw Elizabeth and rose to his feet.
Elizabeth forced herself not to stare as the man grabbed a pair of crutches and hobbled toward her, one trouser leg pinned up at the knee.
“Aaron Zook,” he said, thrusting a hand toward her. “Jonas told me about his family. I’m guessing you must be Elizabeth.”
I highly recommend reading.
Softly Blows the Bugle by Jan Drexler is a wonderful well written 5 star book.
I am looking forward to reading more books by Jan Drexler.
I received this book through Net Galley and the Publisher Revell.
Beautifully written Amish story with unexpected twists and turns I’ve never read before.
My heart broke for Elizabeth and what she had gone through in her last marriage. Her and Aaron shared a history of brokenness and that was one of the things that brought them together.
Both of them needed healing and to find the love of God again and the author wove a beautiful tale around it with mystery, suspense and the beautiful Amish flavour of family and faith.
God heals the brokenhearted and this book is a beautiful reminder of that.
I received a copy of this book and this is my honest opinion.
As much as I enjoy Amish fiction it’s been a while since I dived into one, so I was excited to pick this one up. I read the first book in this series around the time it released but missed the second. Although this is the third book in the series it could easily be read as a standalone. I loved the plot in this one and it easily held my attention and kept the pages turning. Elizabeth was a likable heroine and it didn’t take long for me to connect with her and feel drawn to her journey toward healing and love. It was also easy for me to root for Aaron, who was broken and angry but underneath was just looking for a place to belong. There were so many things to love in this story and absolutely adored it. I will most definitely be reading more from this author in the future.
*I received a copy of this book through JustRead Tours. Thoughts and opinions expressed are mine alone.
Every now and then I read a book that just takes my breath away. This book was one of those. Oh my, this was a late night reading book because I absolutely could not put it down. And as much as I wanted to find what happens, at the same time I never wanted it to end! It was THAT GOOD!
I am not going to “re-write” the book in this review, because you can read the book blurb. I am going to say it was excellent. This author has moved right up the ranks of my favorite writers! It was a historical suspense and romance with twists and turns that just surprised me. There was not a dull moment in this exciting historical Amish fiction.
The characters were captivating, including the bad guy! The writing was believable and held my interest throughout. I could easily picture myself in the settings of the book and the time period. The excellent writing would make a great movie!
I received a complimentary copy of this book from Revell Publishing and NetGalley. All thoughts are my own.
May 1865, Weaver’s Creek, Ohio.
After the war, Elizabeth Kaufmann’s brother, Jonas, come home with a friend, wounded prisoner, Aaron Zook.
Aaron has no plan and no future hopes.
Elizabeth is a widow of a no-amish, dangerous, bad man, with no luck with men, a large farm and lovely friends.
The book is easy and fast to read, with interesting topics: war and slave, amish life, importance of the family…
I recommend it, I’m sure you’ll have a pleasant time reading it.
#Softly blows the Bugle # by Jan Drexler is an Amish Fiction book. This book is the third in the the Amish of Weaver’s Creek series. Jan brings a wonderful perspective to her writings with her Amish and Mennonite back round. The book is beautifully written. It has romance , suspense, and action. The Amish values are woven in a beautiful way into this book. The book takes place in 1863. The book is written from Elizabeth Kauffman’s perspective. She strives to be kind, loving, honest in her dealings with others. The themes are : forgiveness, steadfast love, faithfulness, loss. , resilience . I like Aaron as a character in the book. He was in the Battle of Vicksburg. . He lost his leg. There is a scene in the book when one of the young children are at risk from a bull hurting him. Aaron puts his body over the child to protect him and prevent him from getting hurt. Aaron already has his own challenges getting around one one leg. How many people would be so caring and self sacrificing for others. Thank you to the author, the publisher, netgalley for allowing me to read and review this book. I really enjoyed the book. I hope it is very successful. the opinions are my own.
This is the third book in this series, and yes, it can be read alone. If you have followed this series you already know about Ruben, and now I was cringing that Elizabeth was going to make the same mistake again!
The Civil War is now over, and we have a new arrival in this community in Ohio, Aaron Zook, an Amish name, but?
This story is so good, and will quickly have you page turning, and looking for answers. Who can Elizabeth trust? Surely one of her own, not a newcomer?
Secrets are revealed, and you will cringe, but the loving aspect of this community will warm your heart!
I received this book through Net Galley and the Publisher Revell, and was not required to give a positive review.
Since I couldn’t wait for the print copy to come out I borrowed a copy from Netgalley.
This book was awesome and I finished it one day! I mean, I couldn’t help myself and Amish fiction is truly a delight to read.
I love Drexler’s books! I love how her character’s feelings come out to me through the story. So many emotions among a few other things. She also does an excellent job of including some mystery, not so favorable characters and a little bit of romance.
I think my favorite character is still Katie. She’s so full of energy, love and I love her outlook on life. She never seems to let anything get her down and in turn it makes me happy too. It makes me happy because she reminds me of God’s love for us all and not to let anything get us down no matter what it is.
I did however find myself rooting for Elizabeth. She’s just truly an amazing woman. Yes, we all have fears in life too. She deserves a second chance just like we all do! Especially if it’s God’s will.
The one character I didn’t like was Sammuel. He rubbed me the wrong way.
I will say that I highly recommend this book! It’s post Civil War Amish fiction but oh my! It’s still a wonderful read! I