The Amish Wedding Promise by Laura V. Hilton

Welcome!  Laura V. Hilton along with her husband, Steve and their five children make their home in Arkansas.  Along with her writing, Laura is a pastor's wife, a stay-at-home mother, and she home schools her children.  Laura is also a breast cancer survivor.  Laura is a member of American Christian Fiction Writers and is a book reviewer.  She has written Married to a Stranger, The Amish Candymaker, The Amish of Seymour series, The Christmas Admirer and others.  You can find her books here on Amazon.  Laura is on Twitter and Facebook.

The Amish Wedding Promise by Laura V. Hilton takes us to Hidden Springs, Illinois where tornados have wreaked havoc on the area.  Grace Lantz was supposed to marry her beau, Timothy of three years that day.  Grace is a tad bit relieved that the ceremony has been postponed.  The Lantz’s barn is completely gone along with their animals and the benches that had been dropped off for the wedding.  Zeke Bontrager volunteers with the Mennonite Mission to help.  He is assigned to the Lantz household and told that there is to be no dating.  Then he meets Grace Lantz.  There is an immediate attraction between Grace and Zeke, but Grace’s twelve brothers will ensure that Zeke behaves himself along with her father, Seth.  Grace has not seen or heard from Timothy, so she heads to his family’s farm where she is told that he is missing.  Grace and Zeke search for the missing groom and provide needed help along the way.  It also allows the pair to get to know each other.  Then Timothy turns up and the wedding is rescheduled.  Grace needs to make a decision about her future and who will be by her side.

The Amish Wedding Promise by Laura V. Hilton is the first novel in the Hidden Springs series.  I enjoyed this charming story that contained some wonderful life lessons.  Grace Lantz was to be married the day twisters tore through leaving devastation in its wake.  Truth be told, Grace is relieved which makes her feel guilty.  Zeke Bontrager feels that he can do nothing right in the eyes of his father.  He is hoping his time in Hidden Springs, Illinois will allow him to be a hero instead of a failure.   I found Grace and Zeke to be developed and relatable characters.  They both have issues that are bothering them and, while the tornado was a terrible event, it turns out to be a blessing.  There are delightful characters in this story that include Grace’s pun loving grandfather, Grace’s special needs sister, Patience and Slush, the family’s Siberian Husky.  I just loved how Slush communicated and expressed emotion.  It is wonderful that people volunteer to assist others in need.  We see how much that help is needed and appreciated.  It was wonderful to see the community come together and help each other.  It is a shame that this kindness is not present in all areas around the world.  Patience is a young lady with special needs, and it was wonderful to see how patient as well as kind her family is with her as well as Zeke.  I especially loved how the characters prayed.  There were open about their faith and prayer.  Lessons about guilt, forgiveness, standing up for ourselves, gossip, and perception are present.  The romance was sweet, and I like how it bloomed.  The intimacy extends to a kiss or two but that is it.  My favorite phrase from the story was when Grace said, “Chocolate can solve the world’s problems”.   There is plenty of humor as well that includes farm animals with witty names.  The Amish Wedding Promise is a heartwarming story with a maltreated mailbox, superfluity of sandwiches, impatient Patience, twelve protective brothers, and a groom gone astray.

The Amish Wedding Promise came out today and is available here* (UK click here).  I am eager for the next Hidden Springs novel.  Thank you for dropping in today and reading my review.  I am featuring The Wedding Dress Christmas by Rachel Hauck as part of the Celebrate Lit Tour.  I hope that you have a special day.  Take care and Happy Reading!

Kris

The Avid Reader

*This post contains affiliate links.