Abingdon Press (April 2012)
Barbara Cameron is the author of more than 30 fiction and nonfiction books, three nationally televised movies (HBO-Cinemax), and the winner of the first Romance Writers of America Golden Heart Award. Her two novellas won the 2nd and 3rd place in the Inspirational Readers Choice Contest from the Faith, Love, and Hope chapter of RWA. Both were finalists for the novella category of the Carol Award of the American Christian Writers Award (ACFW).
When a relative took her to visit the Amish community in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, she felt led to write about the spiritual values and simple joys she witnessed there. She currently resides in Edgewater, FL.
ABOUT THE BOOK:
Mary Katherine is caught between the traditions of her faith and the pull of a different life. When Daniel, an Amish man living in Florida, arrives and shares her restlessness, Mary Katherine feels drawn to him and curious about the life he leads away from Lancaster County.
But her longtime friend Jacob has been in love with her for years. He’s discouraged that she’s never viewed him as anything but a friend and despairs that he is about to lose Mary Katherine to this outsider.
Will the conflicted Mary Katherine be lost to the English world, or to Daniel, who might take her away to Florida? Or will she embrace her Amish faith and recognize Jacob as the man she should marry and build a life with?
If you want to read the first chapter of Her Restless Heart, go HERE.
Learn more about Barbara and her books on her Website.
MY REVIEW:
Her Restless Heart features Mary Katherine, a young Amish woman who is uncertain about who she is and where she belongs or whether God even cares. An overly stern father whom she could never please has left her untrusting of all men and undecided about making a commitment to Amish life. Her friend Daniel is in love with her but finds Mary Katherine unreceptive to his overtures. Can he break through her walls and convince her to take a chance on him or will she be lured away to Florida by an old friend who has suddenly reappeared in their lives?
Her Restless Heart is a bit different than many of the other Amish novels I have read. Instead of the wise and loving father portrayed in most of them, Mary Katherine’s father is shown with realistic flaws and weaknesses without actually demeaning him. Mary Katherine’s best friend is an Englisher who is a bit strange even by worldly standards. I loved the fact that it was her influence that encouraged Mary Katherine to make the right decisions about her faith even though she was the one everyone thought was a bad influence. Several examples of the power of forgiveness and changed lives make this novel a pure pleasure.
