Wednesday, October 26, 2011

Book Review: The Wonder of Your Love

Once upon a time, I reviewed Seek Me With All Your Heart, by Beth Wiseman.  I enjoyed that book, particularly as it is set in Colorado.  So when the opportunity came to review the second book in the Land of Canaan series, The Wonder of Your Love, I immediately signed on.  Good decision.  I enjoyed this book more than the first.

From the publisher:
Katie Ann lost the love of her life. Then God offers her a new beginning in Colorado.

Katie Ann Stolzfus lives in the small Amish community of Canaan, Colorado. At forty she is widowed and raising her first child. But baby Jonas will never know his father, and Katie Ann wonders if her Heavenly Father hasn't forgotten about her as well. Is it really God's plan for her to be a single parent?

Eli Detweiler has come to Canaan for a wedding and a long vacation. Having raised six children following the death of his young wife, Eli is finally an empty-nester. He's enjoying the slower pace of having no one to care for but himself.

When Katie Ann and Eli meet, there is an instant connection. Yet as strong as the attraction is, they both acknowledge that a romance would never work. He is done parenting, while she has just begun.

But as their friendship slowly blossoms into feelings that are as frightening as they are intoxicating, Katie Ann and Eli question if the plans they made for themselves are in line with God's plans.

Can Katie Ann entrust her heart to another man, and rediscover the wonder of God's love?
My take?  Well, first off... I read the book straight through without setting it down once.  That's always the sign of a good book!

Wiseman does an amazing job of painting the setting, and of bringing the characters to life.  It probably helps that I had read the first book -- so some of the characters were already familiar to me.  That being said, this is certainly a book that you could pick up without having read the first one.  You'd miss a couple things here and there, but you wouldn't know you were missing anything!

I enjoyed the romance between these "old" folks... almost every Amish fiction title I've ever read involves romance between teens.  Someone a bit closer to my age was a nice change of pace.  And like in the first book, it was great reading a book set in Colorado.

Speaking of Colorado, there was a line in the book that described our weather so incredibly perfectly.  I read it aloud to my husband, and he agreed. I'll quote the entire paragraph, to give you a bit of context. 
"I'll be right back."  She buttoned her long black coat and stepped outside, expecting a burst of cool air, but just in the hour since she'd been at Lillian's, the sun had peeked over the mountains and tricked their part of the world into thinking it was warmer than it really was. (Italics are mine)
Perfect description of winter here.  Just perfect.

The plot did involve a couple of twists and turns that I did not anticipate, which is always nice.  Basically, this is a pleasant read that left me thinking a little bit about my plans vs. God's plans, all without preaching at me.

You can go read other opinions on this book at the LitFuse blog tour page.

Beth is celebrating the release of Book 2 in the Land of Canaan series with a Fabulous Facebook party on November 1st. She'll be giving away one of her OWN paintings, several mini prize packs and a sneak peak at the next book in this heartwarming series.

CLICK the button (below) to RSVP for the party - then join us on November 1st for a book chat, Amish themed trivia contest, and more!

The Wonder of Your Love Facebook Party on 11/1!


Disclaimer:  I received this book through LitFuse.  No other compensation was received.  All opinions expressed in this review are my own.   

1 comment:

Loretta said...

This sounds like a book I should read, lol. As you said to me, I thought I was following you, but apparently I wasn't - I am now!