Hello! A Thief Consumed by Heather Sunseri comes out on October 11. It is the second book in the International Thief series. Due East, Beasts and Campfire Feasts by Erin Johnson will be published on October 13. It is the seventh tale in Spells and Caramels series.
The Sound of Distant Thunder by Jan Drexler is the first story in The Amish of Weaver’s Creek series. Katie Stuckey is seventeen years old in 1862
and lives with her family on their farm near Millersburg, Ohio. She is ready to
marry Jonas Weaver, but her father wants her to wait until she is
eighteen. Jonas begins work on their
home in his spare time. The Civil War is
raging on and Jonas is against slavery. He knows the stance of the church on fighting,
but Jonas has yet to be baptized.
Conscription is enacted and the names for their county are drawn. Jonas is
spared, but his married brother, Samuel is on the list. Samuel has a choice of paying the $200 fee or
get a substitute. Samuel does not wish
to pay the fee because the funds would go to the war effort nor is he
comfortable with having someone go in his place. Jonas takes matters into his own hands and goes
in Samuel’s place. He leaves a letter
for his family, Katie and his friend, Levi.
He asks Levi to keep an eye on Katie for him while he is away. Can Jonas and Katie’s love survive the choice
he made and the separation? Join them on
their journey in The Sound of Distant Thunder.
The Sound of Distant Thunder
takes us back to April of 1862 to an Amish settlement in Ohio. I felt the author captured the time period with
the viewpoints of the characters and the description of their everyday lives as
well as their homes, clothing, literature, conveyances, and methods of
construction. It must have been a
difficult time to be a pacifist with the Civil War going on around them. Conscription had them battling their conscience
versus their church teachings. Jan
Drexler did a wonderful job at capturing the differing thoughts and the inner
conflict. I thought The Sound of Distant
Thunder was a slow paced story (it plodded along like an old horse). The first half of the book is Jonas and others
rehashing the same issues regarding war over and over. Jonas debating if he will stay at home or go
off to fight. The pace improves slightly
after Jonas goes off to war. Christian
views are prevalent throughout the book. Prayer, faith and turning our worries over to
God are some of the themes. We get to
see how the various Amish settlements had differences and their attempts to
find common ground. The Amish in the
story are portrayed as hardworking and caring individuals. I did not feel like I was reading the first
book in the series. The backstory on the
main characters was lacking. I was
confused by Katie and her fear. She has
a fear that men who are attracted to her will die. It is not fully explained until late in the
book. It seemed unreasonable because she was not afraid Jonas would die if they
married. Wouldn’t she be afraid to marry
the man she loves? The ending was abrupt
and felt incomplete. I was left with
several unanswered questions. The
romance between Katie and Jonas is sweet and heartwarming in the midst of such
brutality. I am giving The Sound of Distant Thunder 3 out of 5 stars. I suggest you obtain a sample of the book for your e-reader to see if The Sound of Distant Thunder is for you.
I appreciate you checking out my review. I am featuring A Crafter Knits a Clue by Holly Quinn tomorrow. The first book in A Handcrafted Mystery series. I hope you will find the time to stop by. I hope you have an inspiring day. Take care and Happy Reading!
Kris
The Avid Reader
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