MY REVIEW:
All three Stoltzfus brothers had left their Amish home due to conflicts with their father. When older brother David moves back home and marries her sister, Mary Elizabeth hopes that Sam, the brother she loves, will soon follow. When he tells her otherwise, Mary Elizabeth decides she needs to move on with her life and there just happens to be a new resident in the community who is all too willing to court her. But nice as he is, her heart just isn’t in it.
I really liked the way “Seasons in Paradise” was written with emphasis on other aspects of characters’ lives other than their love life. Of particular interest to me was the way Mary Elizabeth and her sisters worked with the Englisch women’s shelter by teaching the women to quilt and donating food, supplies, and their time to help them. I really enjoyed reading about the Amish and Englisch working together to help their community.
The story was well developed with an interesting plot and characters. I was not so certain that I liked Sam at first but as I grew more familiar with him I decided he was a pretty good fellow. On the other hand, I never did quite trust the other man who was interested in Mary Elizabeth and applauded the caution she used in her interactions with him.
All-in-all, “Seasons in Paradise” is an enjoyable story. Although it is the second in the series, I had not read the first book and found that this one could easily stand on its own. I now really want to read the third volume in order to find out how things turn out with the “bad boy” Stoltzfus brother.
A copy of this book was provided for review by Amazon Vine.
ABOUT THE BOOK:
Sam Stoltzfus left the Amish community and followed his older brother, David, into the Englisch world, walking away from a chance for love. Sam had clashed with his father, but is there more to his leaving the community than what he says?
Mary Elizabeth, the woman he was starting to love before he left, is determined to find out the reason and bring him back into the fold in time for Christmas.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Barbara Cameron has a heart for writing about the spiritual values and simple joys of the Amish. She is the best-selling author of more than 40 fiction and nonfiction books, three nationally televised movies, and the winner of the first Romance Writers of America Golden Heart Award. Her books have been nominated for Carol Awards and the Inspirational Reader’s Choice Award from RWA’s Faith, Hope, and Love chapter. Barbara resides in Jacksonville, Florida.
Find out more about Barbara at BarbaraCameron.com and Amishliving.com.
