Could God be oÂffering Charlotte a second chance at true love? CharloÂtte Dolinsky needs time to recover after breaking up with her boyfriend, Ryan. But when a surprise visitor shows up on her doorstep in Texas, she’s forced to put aside her own worries to help her Amish friends in Lancaster County. Soon she is entangled in a web of deception–and this time, she isn’t the only one keeping … keeping secrets.
Daniel Byler struggles each day in his Amish community to heal from his fiancée’s betrayal. When he discovers that a member of his family is in danger of being shunned, his pain turns to fear. His only way to help is by partnering with CharloÂtte, a woman he barely knows who has already deceived them all before.
CharloÂtte begins building a friendship with Daniel that she’ll need to lean on when more surprises surface from her past and she once again finds herself torn between two worlds. Will Charlotte’s friends in the Amish community be able to show her the power of redemption and lead her home? And can she help young Jacob realize that God offers second chances at happiness when she isn’t even sure herself?
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Good book. Though it is the second in the series, it can be read as a stand-alone. I have not read the first book, but the references to it were well done, and I did not feel lost. I was immediately drawn into the story and quickly became interested in the characters’ lives.
After the events in the first book, Charlotte returned home to Texas, but her life is still in turmoil. A breakup with her boyfriend leaves her feeling adrift, and financial difficulties compound the problem. She needs time to get her head and heart back in order and decides to return to Lancaster County and the friends she made there. But when one of her Amish friends shows up in Texas, Charlotte does her best to help him before leaving, even though it leaves her in an awkward position. When she makes it back to Paradise, she is amazed at the warm welcome she received after the deceptions she carried out before. Now she is determined to make amends and in doing so finds herself drawn into the unexpected drama.
Jacob, who showed up in Texas, feels trapped by the restrictions of his Amish life. He longs to experience the wider world and left family and fiancée without a word. I liked how Charlotte helped him, but also tried to make him see the perils of the Englischer world. Meanwhile, things are going on back in Pennsylvania that could have a profound effect on his plans for the future. His fiancée, Annie, has a secret that could see her shunned if Jacob doesn’t return soon. Charlotte soon finds herself playing go-between among the various factions. She is helped in her efforts by Annie’s brother, Daniel.
Daniel is wary about trusting Charlotte after the way she deceived everyone during her previous stay in Paradise. It doesn’t take too long for him to see that she has changed. As they spend time together trying to help Jacob and Annie, they develop a strong friendship. I liked how Daniel began to understand the demons that drove Charlotte to her previous actions and supports her in the changes she attempts to make in her life. That friendship deepens into something more, though both try to resist it. Charlotte is not Amish, and Daniel is.
When someone from Charlotte’s past shows up in Paradise, the faith that she gained from her time, there plays a big part in the way she faces it. I loved her strength, her determination, and her newfound ability to forgive. She also gets an unexpected show of support from one of the people she had wronged before. It was an emotional and heartwarming scene.
There is a lot going on in this book. Forgiveness, redemption, secrets, love, and fear all have their moments. I liked seeing the growth that Charlotte experienced and how she took control of her life. I liked how Daniel learned to look past the surface of Charlotte’s deception to the vulnerable woman behind it. Annie and Jacob are young and have the insecurities and youthful mistakes common to that age, with the added complications of their Amish world. By the end, I felt that Annie had matured, while Jacob had not. Both Annie and Charlotte have understandable misgivings about Jacob’s actions and what they will mean to him.
I received this book for an honest review from the Fiction Guild. This is a wonderful continuation of the story of group. Charlotte’s boyfriend breaks up with her and things are just slowly falling apart for her. She had been with Amish community in a previous book but ended up helping the family in different ways since. And now Jacob King has shown up on her doorstep and she takes him in but knowing that she will be going to PA she tries to get him to go back to his family. When she arrives there the King family welcomes her with open arms. Even though Jacob didn’t come back with her she told them she tried. But little did they know that Jacob’s betrothed is pregnant. Charlotte is going to sell her brothers home. But get involved with both families and Annie’s older brother Daniel doesn’t trust her but sees that she is trying to help, so he helps her. I love this story and with many twist and turns. I hope that Jacob comes to his senses before he comes to harm in Pittsburgh and Charlotte becomes Amish.
(spoiler ahead) It was refreshing to read an Amish novel that didn’t follow the typical plot line of boy meets girl, encounter challenges, resolve and live happily ever after. Instead Charlotte learns about herself, her relatives, the family that treats her as a daughter, and her faith. Beautiful story, well-told, and great set up for future books. 🙂