Review and Giveaway: Following Your Heart by Jerry S. Eicher

From the Back Cover:

Can an Englisha Girl Find True Happiness Among the Amish?

When Susan Hostetler returns to her Amish community after life in the outside world, she brings trouble with her in the form of her Englisha friend, Teresa Long, and Teresa’s newborn, fatherless son.  Teresa has come in hopes of settling with the Amish people and raising her son in their faith.

Deacon Ray gets wind of the situation and forbids the unwed mother from attending the church services, fearing she will pollute the young people of the community.  But soon Teresa has two suitors among the Amish -- Yost Byler, the community’s resident bachelor, and Deacon Ray’s son James.

With two Amish men interested in her, Teresa has a decision to make... and so does Susan.  Will Susan stay in the community and marry Thomas, the sturdy man who proclaims his love for her... or will she also follow her heart?

About the Author (from his website): 

Jerry Eicher lives in Farmville, Virginia, with his wife, Tina, and their four children, three of whom are still at home. He runs a construction business and writes books as a sideline.

 He wrote his first fiction while in grade school. Also a short essay entry he submitted in a writing contest won a year's free subscription to the magazine sponsoring the contest, and publication among the other second place finishes.    Through an entry in the Writer's Edge, Harvest House picked up the Adams County Trilogy in early 2008.

Eicher writes his stories from an inside perspective. He holds a love for the Amish people, their culture, and their way of thinking. They are a unique part of American heritage, as Amish in their present form exist only in North America. Amish are people with a pertinent message to give, and Eicher seeks to be true to that message.

My Review:

Following Your Heart picks up where Missing your Smile left off.  Teresa has her son before she and Susan can make it to the Amish community.  Teresa still has high hopes for joining the Amish community and what that will mean for her and her son and their future.  Susan and Teresa finally make it home to Susan’s Mamm and Daed’s house and slip into a somewhat normal Amish routine with Teresa learning the ways of the Amish, from cooking to cleaning to church-going.  

Shortly after their arrival, Deacon Ray visits Daed and sets forth requirements and expectation for Teresa while in the Amish community.  This visits upsets Susan, but Teresa agrees to what Deacon Ray has said even though it may break her heart.  Eventually, Teresa receives an offer of marriage from the community bachelor.  Because  Teresa wants so badly for her son to grow up in the Amish community, she agrees to the marriage offer and is allowed to take classes to join the church along with the Amish youth who are ready to join the church.  Along the way she catches the eye of Deacon Ray’s son, James.  Torn between the two men and the desires of her heart, Teresa has a big decision to make.  

Meanwhile, Susan has her own decision to make.  Thomas, her estranged fiancé, has come back around apologizing and desiring to court her again.  She has to decide whether she will accept his suit or if she can even trust him after the betrayal she experienced that resulted in her leaving the community in the first place.  What will she decide?  Will she leave the community again or stay?  Will she choose Thomas or move on with her life?

This was a wonderful book that drew me in to the life of Susan and Teresa and the emotions they experience while living life and working through the good and bad that are results from their choices.  I cannot wait to read the third book in this series, Where Love Grows.  I would definitely recommend this series to anyone who is interested in the Amish genre or lifestyle. 

Please look to order these books from : Amazon, Barnes & Noble or Christianbook.com.

When I reviewed MIssing Your Smile, I promised a giveaway after I posted my review of Following Your Heart, so here it is!  Jerry Eicher sent me a set of these two books, SIGNED, and ready to send to a WINNER on my blog!!  If you are interested in winning BOTH of these books, please see the rafflecopter widget below and follow the directions.  You will have more than one chance to win, but it depends on you! 

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