This week,the

Christian Fiction Blog Alliance

is introducing

Lydia’s Charm

Barbour Books (September 1, 2010)

by

Wanda E. Brunstetter

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

A Note From Wanda:

Ever since I was a child, I wanted to be a writer. When I was in the second grade, I wrote my first poem about a moth. Luckily, I received encouragement from my teacher. During my teen years, I wrote skits that my church teen group performed during special holidays.

It wasn’t until 1980, that I took a course on writing for children and teenagers. I became serious about a career as an author. Soon after that, I began to write stories, articles, poems, and devotionals, which appeared in a variety of Christian publications. Later, I had 5 books of puppet/ventriloquist scripts published. *These books are currently available by contacting me. (wanda@wandabrunstetter.com)

My first novel was released by Barbour Publishing’s book club, Heartsong Presents, in Dec. 1997. I have now written nearly fifty books, with over 4 million books in print. Many of the novels I’ve written are Amish-themed.

ABOUT THE BOOK:

Widowed and jobless, Lydia King moves her son and herself to Charm, Ohio, to be close to her mother and help with her grandfather. Menno Troyer, a furniture store owner, is also recently widowed and the father of four energetic boys.

Levi Stutzman, another newcomer to the area, is the only one in his family not handicapped by dwarfism and has dedicated his life to caring for them. As fall colors the countryside, will anonymous gifts left for Lydia bring her hope for a new life and romance, or will another tragedy flood her with infinite despair?

If you would like to read the first chapter of Lydia’s Charm, go HERE.

Watch the book trailer:

MY REVIEW:

Lydia’s Charm is yet another Amish novel in a market that seems to be saturated with them. While not my favorite genre, I don’t mind ‘bonnet fiction’ and usually gain something from each book I read. Lydia’s Charm is somewhat different than many I have read in that it is more character driven and not so focused on the Amish lifestyle and religious rules. With just a few basic changes, this book could have taken place anywhere with other characters.

The three primary characters, Lydia King, Levi Stutzman, and Menno Troyer all live with difficult situations. Lydia and Menno have both recently been widowed and Levi is the only normal sized member of his family. Lydia struggles to get along with her difficult mother, Menno desperately needs someone to help keep house and take care of his four sons, and Levi is afraid that if he ever marries he will pass along the hereditary dwarf gene to his own children. Both men are drawn to Lydia – but for entirely different reasons.

Which man will be there for Lydia as she endures even more difficult times in her life? Will Lydia and her mother discover the person who has been leaving them mysterious gifts just when they need them most? Will there be a happily ever after for any of them?  I won’t tell. You will have to read Lydia’s Charm for yourself.