Her Restless Heart by Barbara Cameron

Hi All,

Her Restless Heart was a very smooth book to read. Mary Katherine suffers from an over-bearing Father. Frankly, I don't mince words as much as I use to, the man is verbally abusive to his wife and daughter. He believes he is with-in his God given "rights" and his actions and attitude have driven Mary Katherine to go live with her Grandmother. Her Grandmother and cousins run a super neat Amish shop, selling to the Englishers. Mary Katherine is VERY creative, and she hasn't joined the church because of the issues with her father. So while she wrestles with forgiving her father, or not, and officially joining the "church" she is now distracted by a young man. And she has an English friend, and her family and others are worried that she will never commit and will go off to be "in the English world" and not with them.

Jacob has already joined the church, and he is farming. But his heart is fast falling for Mary Katherine. This after him taking a good long time to be sure he didn't marry the wrong woman. Amish tend to marry for life. (Something I believe in very deeply, but that doesn't always seem to work in certain situations.) Jacob isn't sure if Mary Katherine is going to be an option, in case she leaves the community, but he figures there is enough pull to keep her there. But will she be happy? Can she be as creative as she likes in her designs in weaving and quilts, or will she never be happy if she stays?

This was a nice story, with lots of colors in it from the fabrics and arts. That contrasted nicely with some of the more plain of the Plain clothing. I appreciated that the community wasn't as introverted or behind the times as some groups of Amish can be. I thought their store sounded delightful too!

Carol

This week, the  Christian Fiction Blog Alliance  is introducing  Her Restless Heart   Abingdon Press (April 2012)  by  Barbara Cameron
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Barbara Cameron is the author of more than 30 fiction and nonfiction books, three nationally televised movies (HBO-Cinemax), and the winner of the first Romance Writers of America Golden Heart Award. Her two novellas won the 2nd and 3rd place in the Inspirational Readers Choice Contest from the Faith, Love, and Hope chapter of RWA. Both were finalists for the novella category of the Carol Award of the American Christian Writers Award (ACFW).

When a relative took her to visit the Amish community in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, she felt led to write about the spiritual values and simple joys she witnessed there. She currently resides in Edgewater, FL.    


ABOUT THE BOOK

Mary Katherine is caught between the traditions of her faith and the pull of a different life. When Daniel, an Amish man living in Florida, arrives and shares her restlessness, Mary Katherine feels drawn to him and curious about the life he leads away from Lancaster County.  

But her longtime friend Jacob has been in love with her for years. He’s discouraged that she’s never viewed him as anything but a friend and despairs that he is about to lose Mary Katherine to this outsider.  

Will the conflicted Mary Katherine be lost to the English world, or to Daniel, who might take her away to Florida? Or will she embrace her Amish faith and recognize Jacob as the man she should marry and build a life with?

If you want to read the first chapter of Her Restless Heart, go HERE.

The book link is: http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1426714270