A Simple Prayer Book Review

Hearts of the Lancaster Grand Hotel

Book Four

SUMMARY:  Linda is no stranger to hardship.  Now she dares to hope for a chance at love and a new beginning.

     As the sole survivor of a buggy accident that left her orphaned at age four, Linda Zook was reluctantly raised by her Uncle Reuben.  She longs to be worthy of someone, but the lasting trauma of her injuries and embittered upbringing have destroyed her self-worth.  When Hannah Peterson asks her to work at the Heart of Paradise Bed & Breakfast, she's finally able to realize some confidence.

     Aaron Ebersol left the Amish community seventeen years ago when he could no longer bear the restrictions or the constant tension with his father.  Despite years of unanswered letters to his parents and the roots he's put down in Missouri, Aaron rushes back to the Amish community of Paradise, Pennsylvania, after receiving word of his mother's stroke.  Hesitant to get too close to the family he was once a part of, he decided to stay at the Heart of Paradise Bed & Breakfast.  Talking with Linda allows him to explore his feelings about his family and his position in the Amish community.

     As Linda and Aaron open up to each other, their feelings for one another turn into more than friendship, and Aaron must make a decision about his future as an Amish man.

     Can Linda and Aaron forgive the family members who have deceived and forsaken them?  And will Aaron be able to convince Linda that she is worthy of his love?

REVIEW:  This book is about forgiveness and loving those who have hurt you.  It is a wonderful picture of Christ welcoming us home after we've made mistakes and asked for forgiveness.  Aaron made LOTS to mistakes as a teenager and hurt his family and community.  But, when he returned to his family, most everyone had forgiven him, even those in the community he had wronged accepted him back.  Linda has been hurt by family whose dreams were shattered so they took their hurt out on her.  As she forgives them, the lives of both Linda and those she has forgiven change for the better.

     Even though this is the fourth book in this series, I was not lost at all, even though I've only read one other.  The books are self-contained and, when something from another book is mentioned, it is explained briefly.  This is a wonderful book that I thoroughly enjoyed reading.

This book was provided by BookLook Bloggers and Zondervan for review without compensation.

Amy Clipston is the author of A Gift of Grace and four additional novels in the bestselling Kauffman Amish Bakery series.  She lives in North Carolina with her husband, two sons, and four spoiled-rotten cats.