Taryn Clark thought she’d outgrown the need to find her birth mother. She thought that a successful career and a comfortable life in the city were enough to be happy. Did she really need to know about the woman who had given her away? Adopted at birth, her first few years were happy. It hadn’t mattered that she didn’t know her heritage; she had parents who loved her and wanted her. But divorce, … divorce, and then death, ripped their tiny family apart, and at the tender age of six, she entered the foster care system. Over the next dozen years, she shuffled from home to home. Finding her roots seemed an impossible dream.
But dreams are resilient. An unexpected discovery awakens old yearnings of belonging to a family, of being part of something bigger than herself. Finding the brief, ambiguous note from her birth mother is enough to unfurl the ribbons of hope still binding her heart.
Her quest takes her to Lancaster County, Pennsylvania and the heart of the Plain community. Aided by her unique eye color, a healthy dose of luck, and the private investigator she hires, Taryn finds her birth family easily enough, but finding the truth is another matter. In all her musings, she never imagined a scenario where her mother might be Amish. She never imagined that the fabric of her life might be a patchwork of faith and fear, stitched together with a dark family secret.
Taryn is determined to trace her roots, even if it means digging in the mud to do so. Now she’s caught in the quicksand of a shocking discovery and the consequences of choices made, almost forty years ago. She’ll risk everything to uncover the truth and to claim the family—and the roots—she so desperately craves.
A heartwarming story of family, forgiveness, and finding a place to belong.
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An emotional and lovely read.
Taryn is a woman looking for her past. She was given in adoption and she is now trying to find her roots. She employs Bryce, a private investigator who helps her in the search. The search takes them to the heart of the Amish community.
Here the story is woven around the secrets of Taryn’s natural family and a little crime.
The story was an emotional roller coaster which had it all as Taryn comes to know of who she really is.
Lovely read.
Taryn Clark wasn’t aware of how much she wanted to find her birth mother until she comes across a note. This sends her looking for the mother and family she never knew. Her search leads to an Amish community, but getting the truth may even harder than she anticipated. Can she reunite with her family or are the secrets too dark and buried too deep?
This contemporary mystery is set in a place where privacy is important and secrets are kept hidden. The setting is unique in that it is an outsider trying to get information from within the closely knit community of the Amish. The characters are well defined, interesting and have distinctive personalities. The mystery of her mother is fraught with obstacles, surprising discoveries, unexpected dangers and her dogged determination that keeps you involved in the story. The writing is excellent, creative and interesting as the author weaves the needs of the characters from different communities together looking for a common outcome. I enjoyed the way the past was presented in journals and letters. It is a highly enjoyable mystery that puts you through an emotional rollercoaster as the characters deal with their internal issues and external obstacles. It is a great read.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
An absolute joy to read and twists and turns that make it so you won’t want to put it down. The author has done a fantastic job writing the story so it holds your interest from beginning to end. Highly recommend!
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
A must read!
Can you imagine how it would feel to grow up in foster care then having fate step in and you start the search for your family. Taryn has help finding them, but what she finds is so much more than she expected. This is a very real story there is good and bad with happy and sad mix into this beautifully written story. The title is right on! This is a book that I consider a must read I highly recommend it. I did receive a free copy of this book and voluntarily chose to review it.
Taryn Clark was adopted and she always knows that.
She doesn’t know her roots,her past and also how her future will be.
Read the book, discover with Taryn a new ‘world’, simple, hard work, forgiveness, plain kind people.
The book is easy, fast, interesting to read, page turned, well written.
Sure I would love to read other books of Becki Willis.
A woman on a quest to find her family. Taryn is a successful woman, but discovering a letter/note from her birth mother sends her on a quest to find her mother and her family. Taeryn’s determination is what really pushes her to keep moving forward even with the small amount of information that she has. She has a difficult journey ahead, but it is a journey worth taking.
Plain Roots by Becki Willis is the first book that I have read by this author but it is a story that I truly enjoyed. That author builds a beautiful story about a young woman who discovers a note from her birth mother. She then embarks on a journey to discover who her birth mother was. Taeryn ends up stumbling on a serious mystery as her mother went to great lengths to remain hidden. The author builds layers of mystery into the story that keep the reader engaged and wanting to discover as much as the main character, why the mother did what she did. Taeryn is an interesting character. The author gives us some reflective moments, but if you’re expecting to find Taeryn enjoying her life and THEN discovering the note…you’ll be disappointed.
There really isn’t anything that I don’t like about this book. The author does a good job making sure that the book is free of as many errors as possible. The characters are engaging and interesting. I appreciate how true to life each of the characters is in the story.
I am rating this book 5 out of 5 stars. It’s a beautifully done story about a young woman looking to find her family and with the help of certain people she meets she’s able to do exactly that. There are layers to the story and so it is sure to keep the reader engaged and enjoying the story as it reveals itself a layer at a time.
This was full of action but slow in places. Taryn was adopted and after her parents die she goes in search of her birth mother. A well written perfectly paced story pulling you in from the start. Bryce is hired as a PI to help Taryn locate her mother.
Lovely Amish story with great likeable and believable characters. Romance, a bit of suspense with a lot of heartwarming moments. I fell in love with Taryn , her grit in rising above her sad childhood. I was given a free ARC by the author. My review is freely and honestly given
Taryn has been on her own almost all her life. Been adopted at birth and going to foster care at five years old, she doesn’t have any family. When she discover a letter from her birth mother and a receipt from a Hospital in Lancaster county, she knows that she has to try and find her family. But little she knows that the truth about her that she will find it’s going to put her in danger but also will provide her with a huge and loving family and even perhaps a happily ever after.
Plain Roots – This is my favorite book so far by this author. Well written, well planned and well executed, this story is difficult to put down, especially when the storylines come together. The story gathers mass and velocity as the pages go by. Emotions run the gamut; trust and love grow through the story gathered together in a richly woven fabric of descriptions and discoveries.
Heartwarming and heartbreaking, happy and sad results from the different meanings of family depending on the viewpoint of the characters . Most of the characters are likable and believable and interesting. The dialog is realistic. Intrigue and suspense range freely throughout the story. I contacted the author to review her work. 5*
Inn the Spirit of Legends – This is an interesting story filled with good locations; good, bad and bumbling characters; and well thought out storylines. Sometimes this author writes unrealistic happenings or dialog, but with this book she’s done an excellent job. Ms. Willis does well with her descriptions of the locations and histories, along with her interesting characters, which run the gamut from intelligent to dufus to transparent. There’s humor and misunderstandings but the story flows quickly and keeps the reader interested. 5*
Chicken Scratch #1 – This is my first book by this author and I was greatly surprised at how well written, well thought out and laced with humor and intrigue; this little gem is packed. The area is near and dear to my heart since I was born in the area. The people, while not as easily identifiable as in a Jeff Abbott novel, are locals I know. The Texas speak is just as if Ms. Willis and I were at the Creamery (TAMU) sharing milk shakes and local gossip. The kinks and knots in the plot made it hard to put down the book, even to get a tea refill. You can’t help but like the characters and root for them. The story, filled with life stories, is actually pretty substantial, not fluff, and Ms. W is an entertaining storyteller. 5*
I’ve been a fan of Becki’s books for a few years and she never fails to deliver interesting stories. This book takes place in Amish country and I’ve been fascinated by the Amish since I had a quick vacation to Akron, Ohio, and saw the Amish, their horse and buggies, and the land they live on. Taryn is looking for her birth mother after finding a letter hidden in a jewelry box that managed to stay with her while being moved from one foster family to another. It leads her to Lancaster County. After tracking down her birth nurse, Taryn finds more clues to her beginning. Renting a room from an Amish family during her search makes her long for a family of her own, watching them work and play together. She hires a PI to help find her mother, but she does a good job on her own. Spoiler Alert – there is an HEA ending. I received an ARC and have chosen to review it. Definitely recommended along with all Becki’s other books too.
this is a wonderful story, Taryn is looking for information on the woman who gave her up for adoption . when she get to town she hires a pi, Bryce. she check out a few places and when she goes to get a room for the night, the girl tells her the are full but when she looks at her eyes she tells her of a place that rents a room. if you like suspense and romance, you have to read this story. I was given a copy of the book but this is an honest review if you have read any of Becki’s books you will love this story.
Awesome read! A woman’s search for her past finds her in unfamiliar territory. She finds herself in danger, dependent on a stranger and her desire to survive.
This is a very engrossing book, yes even compelling! I was hooked from page 1. I love the characters and felt emotions along with them as the story unfolded. I highly recommend this.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
This is the second book by this Author that I have read. I found this story to be well written wit suspense, drama, danger, twists, turns, secrets, a mystery, a villain, and romance. Taryn Clark goes to Lancaster County, Pennsylvania to find her roots she meets private investigator, Bryce who she hires to help her. I enjoyed how their story came together. I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review