The Preacher's Son by Patricia Johns

 

Book Summary

The Preacher’s Son by Patricia Johns takes us to Bountiful, Pennsylvania where Abe Yoder was recently sentenced to prison for fraud.  Abe’s misdeeds have caused his son and two daughters to lose the family farm which has them living with their father’s brother and his family.  Isaiah also lost the respect and trust of the community.  He wants to regain the community’s trust for himself and his sisters.  He knows the easy solution would be to move, but Isaiah has intention of departing Bountiful.  Isaiah is in town at the bus station looking for his sister, Lovina who could no longer handle the shame.  Isaiah runs into Bethany Glick whose family owns the bookbinding shop.  Bethany is not pleased to see Isaiah because her family lost money in Abe’s scheme which delays her father’s retirement also her fiance, Micah left to join the Englischers because of Abe.  Nathaniel Glick needs help in the bookbinding shop now that Micah has departed.  He agrees to give Isaiah a trial.  Bethany resents Isaiah’s presence, but she admits they need his strength plus he picks up the work quickly.  Micah asked Isaiah to watch out for Bethany and he can see that she could use a friend.  Isaiah learns that Bethany is in a fix and could use his help.  The last thing Bethany wants is Isaiah’s assistance, but she does not know who else to turn to.  What does the future hold for Bethany and Isaiah?

My Thoughts

The Preacher’s Son by Patricia Johns is the first book in The Infamous Amish series.  I thought The Preacher’s Son was well-written with developed characters.  I enjoyed the unique storyline.  The story moved along at a quick pace with drama, heartache, romance, sorrow, and shame.  In the beginning, I did feel like I had been dropped into the middle of an intriguing drama.  The details are soon provided.  I think a prologue would have helped.  The Preacher’s Son is an emotional story (have a hankie handy).  Isaiah is the preacher’s son who dreamed of becoming a preacher himself one day.  He lost everything thanks to his charismatic father:  his reputation, the family farm, a home, money, stability, the trust of the community, and one of his sisters.  Lovina Yoder left Bountiful because she could not handle the shame related to her father’s crime.  Bethany Glick was looking forward to her upcoming wedding to Micah when he jumped the fence.  Her father lost money to Abe Yoder’s scheme which puts off his retirement and he lost an employee when Micah left.  Bethany finds herself in a dilemma with no fiancé or wedding.  I felt bad for Isaiah who trusted his father.  He is determined to stay in Bountiful and provide for his sisters (Elizabeth is still with him and he hopes that Lovina will return).  I liked the information on bookbinding.  It was presented in an easy-to-understand manner and it was interesting.  I devoured this engaging Amish novel in just a couple of hours.  I enjoyed the ending and appreciated the epilogue that nicely wrapped it up.  I am looking forward to reading The Preacher’s Daughter which gives us Elizabeth’s story.  The Preacher’s Son is an appealing Amish novel with shattered trust, a missing sister, a fence jumping fiancé, a sympathetic bishop,  and a sticky wicket of a situation.

The Preacher's Son is available from Amazon*.  The Preacher's Daughter is the next novel in The Infamous Amish series.  It publishes on May 25 and can be pre-ordered from Amazon*.  You can find Patricia Johns other novels here.  Thank you for stopping by today and reading my review.  Tomorrow I am featuring Best Laid Plans by Gwen Florio.  It is the first book in A Nora Best Mystery series.  If you enjoy Amish novels, you will want to read The Amish Quiltmaker's Unexpected Baby by Jennifer Beckstrand.  It is a delightful Amish tale that releases February 23.  I hope you have a remarkable day.  Take care, be kind, and Happy Reading!

Kris

The Avid Reader

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