When Sadie Lapp steps off the bus in Stoney Ridge after being in Ohio for the winter, she is faced with a decision–one that goes against her very essence. Yet it’s the only way she can think of to protect a loved one.
Schoolteacher Gideon Smucker has been crazy about Sadie since boyhood. But his response to her surprising decision undermines his own reputation–and his relationship with Sadie.
College student Will Stoltz is spending the spring at the Lapp farm as a guard for a pair of nesting Peregrine Falcons–courtesy of the Lancaster County Game Warden. Will needs to get his life back on track, but his growing friendship with Sadie threatens his plans.
The lives of these three individuals intertwine, and then unravel as unexpected twists create ripples through the town of Stoney Ridge . . . and through Sadie’s heart.
Once again, bestselling author Suzanne Woods Fisher intrigues and delights with a story that explores the bonds of friendship, family, and true love. Readers will enjoy every surprise in Sadie’s story as they search for the truth hidden within these pages.
Read an excerpt!
Link to buy the book:
http://ow.ly/cRvlK
Suzanne Woods Fisher’s interest in the Amish began with her grandfather, W.D. Benedict, who was raised Plain. Suzanne has a great admiration for the Plain people and believes they provide wonderful examples to the world. In both her fiction and non-fiction books, she has an underlying theme: You don’t have to “go Amish” to incorporate many of their principles–simplicity, living with less, appreciating nature, forgiving others more readily– into your life.
When Suzanne isn’t writing or bragging to her friends about her first new grandbaby (!), she is raising puppies for Guide Dogs for the Blind.
To Suzanne’s way of thinking, you just can’t take life too seriously when a puppy is tearing through your house with someone’s underwear in its mouth. Suzanne can be found on-line at: www.suzannewoodsfisher.com.
http://litfusegroup.com/
My Review:
Young Sadie Lapp has returned to her family farm in Stoney Ridge after a visit with her newlywed sister and brother in law in Ohio. And with her return comes an unexpected visitor. Rumors fly about the visitor and about Sadie, but she stands firm in her decision to bring the visitor with her and in her faith.
Will is an Englischer and is visiting the farm for a short time.... long enough to make sure the falcon's babies survive and are kept safe from avid bird-watchers. In the meantime, he gets close to the Lapp family and especially Sadie. She's unlike any other girl he's ever liked and his feelings for her are different than for any other girl. How will that affect his assignment and his future?
Gideon is standing in for his sister, Alice, as the schoolteacher. When Sadie left with her sister, he wrote to her often and missed her even more. Unfortunately, he has a hard time expressing himself with his own words, but loves them when written by others in poetry, books and song. In order to express himself to Sadie, he employs Shakespeare and others, but Sadie doesn't understand and feels like Gid just doesn't care for her like she thought he might.
These are just three of the interwoven stories/characters in this book. It is a wonderfully written book that kept my interest and pulled me to in the lives of the Lapp family. I did feel a bit left out whenever the book brought up Sadie's brother Menno, because not a lot is shared about him in this book. It made me wonder if the first book, The Keeper, was more about Menno and the author just expected me to have read the The Keeper before picking up The Haven. All in all, it was an easy and enjoyable read. There was no huge hardship in reading The Haven, without having read The Keeper, there were just a few details that might help. The Haven is definitely part of a series and I would read them as such if I had the chance. I would recommend this book (series), it is an enjoyable and easy read.
This book was provided for review purposes only, no payment was received for this review.
Hi Ladette--Thanks for being a part of "Haven's" blog tour. So glad you enjoyed it and would recommend it to others--that means a great deal to me. I hear you about Menno...it's difficult in a series not to fill up a story with back story...or spend too much time setting up the reader for the next book. A tricky balance! I really try to have each book stand on its own merits. But I do hear you! Will try even harder in future series to be careful about those details. Thanks again, Ladette. Grateful to you!
ReplyDeleteWarmly, Suzanne