Amish Sweethearts - Leslie Gould

3 Stars

ABOUT THE BOOK -

Their Two Worlds Couldn't Be Further Apart.
Can Anything Bridge the Divide Between Them?
 
For years Zane Beck and his Amish neighbor Lila Lehman were the best of friends. But just as Zane gathered the courage to discover if their friendship could develop into something more, her controlling father arranged for her to be courted by their bishop's son. Zane, heartbroken and frustrated, joined the Army, running away from his shattered dreams.

The passing of time and the distance between Zane and Lila haven't been enough to halt their--now completely hidden--feelings for each other. Any hope for their love grows even more impossible though as Zane's service takes a dangerous turn when he's deployed to Afghanistan. Being on the frontline, confronted with the hard choices of war, has him questioning everything, including whether he can continue to serve or not. But all choices have consequences, and with Lila preparing to marry another, will these one-time sweethearts ever find the life together that they both still long for?

ABOUT THE AUTHOR -

In the decade and a half since my first contract I’ve written twenty-one novels, from Beyond the Blue, a story about international adoption set in Vietnam, to Courting Cate, a retelling of Shakespeare’s “Taming of the Shrew” set in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania. No matter what I write, I aim to reveal truths about God’s love, beauty, and redemptive work in our lives. My goal is to connect more deeply to God, family, and friends through my writing. My hope is that my stories encourage readers to deepen their own connections too.

Awards received include Romantic Times Book Club Magazine’s Reviewers’ Choice Award for Best Inspirational Novel, 2006, for Beyond the Blue; Christy Award, 2012, for The Amish Midwife; Inspirational Reader’s Choice Award, 2013, for The Amish Bride; and the Oregon Christian Writer’s Trailblazer Award, 2013.

Visit her website - HERE

MY THOUGHTS -

This book was just alright for me. It was sweet and romantic in spots. The descriptions were very well done. But I am a little disappointed that I didn't love it. I was so looking forward to reading it. I had a very hard time getting into it in the first place and then had a hard time following and keeping interest in it. I kept having the feeling that I was missing something. It was said that this could be a read-alone story, but I felt like I came in half way through Lila and Zane's relationship, like I skipped half of it. I didn't hate it - it was an OK read, it just seemed slow to me.

There were also a lot of characters to keep track of, and you all know I am very bad at that! I kept getting mixed up with who was who. Even though the character development of the main characters seemed pretty good - I just never really did like Zane. I liked Lila though and I did understand where she was coming from thought-wise.

A lot of people did really love this book, it got a lot of great reviews on Amazon. I'm sorry I couldn't have loved it more! I would be totally willing to give this author another try - she has a lot of books! I just think this was not THE book for me.

Thank you Bethany House for sending me this book in exchange for my honest review.

Check out the other reviews and order your copy from Amazon - HERE