The Promise Box by Tricia Gloyer


About The Promise Box:

With her heart - and her loyalty - on the line, can she let true love in her life?
Every year, young Amish men descend on the cozy little town of West Kootenai, Montana, arriving in the spring to live there for six months and receive 'resident' status for the hunting season in the fall. They arrive as bachelors, but go home with brides! Lydia Wyse, a book editor from Seattle who grew up Amish, returns to the small community of West Kootenai, Montana to give comfort to her father after her mother's death.
She is drawn back to the familiar Amish ways after finding her mother's most precious possession, a Promise Box of prayers and scripture. What her publisher sees, though, is an opportunity for a sensational 'tell-all' book about the Amish. Lydia soon finds herself falling in love with Amish bachelor Gideon Hooley. She wants nothing more than to forget her past and look forward to a future as an Amish bride. 
Will the pain of her childhood-and her potential betrayal of her community-keep her from committing her whole heart?

Purchase your copy: http://ow.ly/l6QH1

Meet Tricia: 
Tricia Goyer is a busy mom of six, grandmother of one, and wife to John. Somewhere around the hustle and bustle of family life, she manages to find the time to write fictional tales delighting and entertaining readers and non-fiction titles offering encouragement and hope. A bestselling author, Tricia has published thirty-three books to date and has written more than 500 articles. She is a two-time Carol Award winner, as well as a Christy and ECPA Award Nominee. In 2010, she was selected as one of the Top 20 Moms to Follow on Twitter by SheKnows.com. Tricia is also on the blogging team at MomLifeToday.com, TheBetterMom.com and other homeschooling and Christian sites. In addition to her roles as mom, wife and author, Tricia volunteers around her community and mentors teen moms. She is the founder of Hope Pregnancy Ministries in Northwestern Montana, and she currently leads a Teen MOPS Group in Little Rock, AR. Tricia, along with a group of friends, recently launched NotQuiteAmishLiving.com, sharing ideas about simplifying life. She also hosts the weekly radio podcast, Living Inspired. 

Learn more about Tricia at www.triciagoyer.com.

My Take On The Promise Box:

The Promise Box is book two in the Seven Brides for Seven Bachelors Series by Tricia, and even though it covers some familiar faces and spaces, it can definitely stand alone.  The series is set in West Kootenai, Montana where an establishment of Amish have settled and adapted their order to fit the area and the needs the area brings out.

The two main characters, Lydia and Gideon were both brought up Amish, but struggle dealing with their pasts that haunt them.  Lydia left the Amish community after finding out about the violent way her life came to be.  She was emotionally and spiritually damaged, questioning God and hating herself.  Gideon didn't really know what had happened in his past, except for the fact that he had disobeyed his parents as a young boy (and while visiting West Kootenai) and they never seemed to let him forget it. As adults, both Lydia and Gideon come back to West Kootenai. Lydia comes back for her mother's funeral. Gideon comes back for hunting season and to find out what really happened during his first visit to the area.  In The Promise Box, both Lydia and Gideon face their pasts and come to terms with what happened in the past, but can an ex-Amish woman and an Amish man overcome all that is between them to find love and acceptance?

Lydia's struggles are based on her perceptions of what occurred in order for her to be born.  Although she was not an actual part of the rape, she was the result and thereby is a victim of the rape.  She carries the hurt and anger that the rapist caused her biological mom to go through, until she can resolve the matter with God.  Fortunately, GOD understands our hurts and our anger.  All we have to do is talk to him... and then LISTEN. Only He can heal these kinds of hurts that many people deal with.  Gideon's struggles are also common to many.  A choice in his past affected many others, but he doesn't know exactly how... he just knows he is frustrated with the continued constant watching and commands of his family.  We struggle with wondering WHY does this same thing keep happening? or WHY ME?  So many questions and struggles, but He knows and HE cares.

I really enjoyed this book.  Not only is it Amish, which I love, but it is HUMAN.  I think most people believe that the Amish lead perfect lives without complication, but being human is complicated.  And this book presents the complications of just two Amish dealing with emotions, criticisms and moving on with life. Definitely a book worth reading!


I was provided an Advanced Reader's Copy of this book by Litfuse Publishing in exchange for an honest review.

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