A story of renewed love, boundless hope, and a little help from angels above. He lost her once to a rash decision. He will not lose her again. On the eve of a new year, Catherine Glick is expecting her bu of five years to propose. Instead, the unexpected arrival of an old boyfriend, Elijah, sends her life spiraling out of control. When a rash decision damages her current relationship, Catherine … relationship, Catherine leaves for Florida to work in her cousin’s bakery–anything to flee the source of her shame.
Elijah Graber knows he hurt Catherine when he left their Amish district six years ago. He’s determined to explain his actions, even if it means accompanying her to Florida. Perhaps their two-day bus trip together will provide enough time for him to win her back.
Just when Elijah is starting to tear down the walls Catherine has built, their bus skids on an icy road–and amid the mayhem and tragedy that follow, Catherine disappears. Elijah’s friends urge him to prepare for the worst, but Elijah holds on to his hope in God and refuses to give up his search for Catherine. With supernatural nudging from the most unexpected places, Elijah sets out to find the love he once lost–no matter the cost.
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Arms of Mercy by Ruth Reid is the second An Amish Mercies Novel. Catherine Glick is hoping her boyfriend of five years, Zach will propose to her on New Year’s Eve. Her old beau, Elijah Graber arrives bringing up old feeling in Catherine along with resentment and anger. When her cousin from Sarasota writes about needing help in the bakery, Catherine decides it is providence. Elijah knows that he has hurt Catherine and he would like the opportunity to explain his actions. The bus trip will allow them time to talk and hopefully rekindle their relationship. Elijah has never stopped loving Catherine. Just when they start to grow closer, an accident tears them apart. Elijah is determined to find Catherine and prays for God to assist him in his venture.
Arms of Mercy may be the second book in An Amish Mercies Novel series, but it can be read alone. I thought the book was well written and it had an interesting scenario. My attention was captured and held until the middle of the book. The pacing is good in the beginning, but it slows down considerably in the middle. I was glad when the pacing increased towards the end and I was once again invested in the story. Do you believe that God would send one of his angels to assist you? I believe that God guides us, and it is not beyond belief that in challenging situations, he would send an emissary. It is a thought-provoking concept. Ruth Reid does a beautiful job at weaving Christian beliefs (prayer, having faith, forgiveness) into the story. At times, though, I did feel that there was too much scripture (felt preachy). It is amazing how a lack of communication, misunderstanding and miscommunication can change a person’s life. I could feel (and understand) Catherine’s frustrations with Zach as he continued to drag out their courtship and focused on his watch/clock business. Five years is a long time to wait for a person to commit. The ending did feel a little rushed after the long search (the area that dragged for me), but I appreciated the epilogue. Arms of Mercy is an intriguing story. I am rating Arms of Mercy 4 out of 5 stars. This is a story that will stay with you after you finish it.
Another lovely and compelling story from the wonderful Ruth Reid! I had a hard time putting this one down, as Catherine was immediately likable and I wanted her to find happiness so much. What can an Amish young lady do when she wants to marry, but has waited too long for her boyfriend to propose? When she has had enough waiting and wondering, she takes matters into her own hands, which only makes the gossip and her reputation suffer, so she makes a change and takes a chance. As always, I wonder why Amish women are so constrained when all they want is to have a measure of control over their lives, but Catherine finds her way around those restrictions with the help of her trust in God and in her heart. Highly recommend for fans of Amish and Christian fiction.
What a great book!
I believe I reviewed this after I read it.
It was unique and touching, and certainly captivating. It is faith filled as well and suspenseful. A great read..couldn’t put it down.
Touching
I received a copy of this book from The Fiction Guild and I was not required to give a favorable review. This was a beautiful story of how faith and love can bring two people back together. Catherine was in love with Elijah but he left the district and then married someone else because he felt he owned the family and she was dying. Now he back for his grandmother’s birthday. Catherine has been courting with Zach for 3 years and he still hasn’t proposed, she proposed to him and he turned her down. When she had the opportunity to go to Florida and help her cousin she takes it, and little did she know that Elijah decided to go with her. Thank you for that because of a bus driver passing away and then a really bad accident that landed them both in the hospital. He was the one who kept looking for her because he really did love her. She lost her memory, but with help she was getting it back. This was such a touching story.
The author has a beautiful way of taking a story and bringing it full circle with a depth of emotions that you feel in your heart. I loved how the author allowed readers to experience what it is like to find your faith again and reach out for mercy and hope. Catherine is a great character who I think perhaps acted impulsive when she decided to go to Florida. Her decision made, she gets on the bus timidly ready for her adventure.
I liked that the author had Elijah on the same bus as Catherine. I didn’t think Catherine was thrilled with him being there, but his presence plays a big part in the story. I remember a few months back riding a bus that took me to a town three hours away. I was scared the whole trip because I didn’t know anyone. These thoughts kept running through my mind, “What if the bus crashes?” What did I forget to bring with me? I left my faith behind and allowed the enemy to have a field day in my mind.
I was alarmed at all the tragedies that Catherine and Elijah endured. The first one was enough to send me back home. When the next one hit, I was beside myself. The story takes on a theme of a roller coaster ride as two people try to find their way back to each other .Elijah’s determination to not give up just gave me chills. I didn’t like the lawyer in the story at all. He was a person who preys on other people’s tragedies for money. It just reminds us how some people are selfish and only looking out for themselves.
The story flows very well and blends two characters together as they find their purpose in life. They each travel to places that are not familiar but find hope along the way. The journey is filled with disappointment, hope, and above all mercy.
I received a copy of this book from the author. The review is my own opinion.
Classifying a Ruth Reid book as ‘Amish Fiction’ or ‘Amish Romance’ doesn’t begin to scratch the surface of what this woman brings to the pages. I mean, yes it is about the Amish. Yes, it is fiction. Yes, it’s got romance. But, but, but. . . There are so many more layers of depth and sub-genres and even sub-sub-sub genres of plot in each of her books. She gives me intrigue without suspense or mystery. She brings subtle spiritual depth that if you don’t know what that is you will miss it entirely and still have read an amazing book. Sometimes, if you are lucky, you can see behind the ‘mysterious’ ways God works in our lives. Reid simply takes that sometimes and weaves it into amazing ‘Amish Romance Fiction’.
As the second book in the Amish Mercies series, ‘Arms of Mercy’ takes us back to the Amish Table in Michigan. Same setting, new community thread, and completely stand alone (but do read ‘Abiding Mercy’ because Ruth Reid!). Let’s get really honest here. The only, I mean ONLY, thing I didn’t love about this book? The purple cover. Well, there was a bit of a pacing issue the late middle part of the story where time suddenly stopped and drug on for a bit before finding it’s grove. Nope, gotta go purple. I am probably the only person on the planet that doesn’t like purple. I don’t mean it’s not my favorite color, I mean I just don’t like it. Period. Done. I do not own nor plan to own so don’t bring me something purple. It’s not my thing. My style. It doesn’t fit on my color palette. Sorry for the fiddy-badillon people out there who claim it as their favorite color. You can have it. All of it. No strings attached.
OK, now that I have effectively alienated myself from every single other inhabitant of this planet (and possibly beyond – do aliens like purple?) let me tell you why I loved this book. Remember how I always complain about books that give me a too perfect jumbo oversized neat little bow? Well. . . Remember just a little scroll up where I mentioned that sometimes, if you are lucky, you get a glimpse of God’s ‘mysterious’ ways? Yeah, so um. This book gives me both of those things, I get the glitter sparkle bow because of the mysterious ways. Parts of the book feel unbelievable and almost trite but for those ‘mysterious’ ways. I would love to give an example or twenty but well, spoilers. This book is grounded in authentic faith that feels natural and embracing. I could gush on or I could just tell you to hurry up and read the book yourself. I mean it came out on Tuesday already!
I was provided a complimentary copy of this book by NetGalley. I was not compensated for this review and all thoughts and opinions expressed are my own. I was not required to write a positive review.
Beautifully broken…..beautifully written! Catherine is heartbroken again and decides to take control of her life and leave Michigan to help her cousin in her bakery in Florida. Elijah, her ex has just returned and decides to follow her to right the wrongs he has caused in the past. What ensues keeps you on the edge of your seat and unable to put down as you must discover the outcome. Be prepared to stay up late to finish. Ruth Reid has a way with words that draws you in from the beginning and the power to take an Amish story to new heights. I loved Book I in this series, Abiding Mercy, but this one measures up to the bar it set. The cover is lovely and depicts the lilacs that play an important part of this story. Ms. Reid handles the appearance of an angel in a delicate manner and keeps you guessing until the end. Even if you are not a fan of Amish fiction you might want to give this series a try, as it worth stepping out of your favorite genre for. Perfect example of God giving beauty for ashes.
I received a complimentary copy from the author/publisher. The honest review and opinions are my own and were not required.
If it can go wrong it did in this story. Author Ruth Reid keeps the reader in suspense and even includes…..an angel? You’ll have to read it to figure that out.
It was interesting to see the courting of this couple after five years. Why in the world isn’t he proposing? And then Catherine reconnects with an old friend who she thought was long gone. Reid leaves us wondering what will happen and with whom.
The characters are believable and the descriptions throughout the story helped me to see what was happening. The trauma from the accident is so realistic you can tell the author did a lot of research.
If you enjoy a sweet romance with suspense written in, then you will enjoy Arms of Mercy.
I received a complimentary copy of this book but was not required to leave a review.