Karen R. (flwergirl) - reviewed on 2/1/2019 + 92 more book reviews

A wonderful story with an uplifting redemptive theme!
The Amish community of Stoney Ridge warily welcomes back its local 'bad boy', fresh out of rehab. Luke has a lot of personal challenges to face in order to win back their trust and move on in his own life.

"Every saint has a past and every sinner has a future."
This well written story never lagged, and the character development was perfectly paced, with some humorous moments to balance out the serious side. Addiction, abandonment, dealing with grief and loss, forgiveness and learning to trust in God's love were some deeper themes. An added mystery rounded out the plot to finish Izzy and Luke's stories on a hopeful high note.

"...God does his best work with messes."
I loved Izzy and cheered her on as she had so much to overcome. She was a strong, focused, hard working young woman, determined to keep her life on a positive new path, one that leads her to real faith and healing. Luke's character went from the charming troublemaker given his last chance, to a sincere, contrite man of faith, finally reaching out to help others as prompted. I liked the wisdom and grace that Fern and others show the struggling young people she has taken in. Seeing ourselves as flawed and in need of forgiveness like Luke, and how God doesn't give up on us, was a great encouragement.

A good start to a new series, a story with faith, hope and a bit of humor, any reader of Christian fiction would enjoy. Some connections to other series are listed in the beginning for reference. This book easily reads as a stand alone.

(An e-book was provided by the publisher via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.)

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