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Review of Adoring Addie

The Courtships of Lancaster County, Book 2 

by Leslie Gould 

When Addie Cramer’s mutter and daed decide Phillip Eicher is the man for her to marry, they claim she must honor them by obeying their wishes. But then she falls in love with Jonathan Mosier–part of the family with whom the Cramers have a long-held grudge.
With the help of others in her community who long to see the quarrel healed, Jonathan and Addie struggle to continue their relationship against both sets of parents’ wishes. But when one of Addie’s vengeful brothers harms a member of the Mosier family, Jonathan intervenes and is banished from Lancaster County.
A distraught Addie determines to find the true reason for the grudge between the two families, hoping to tear down the animosity of the past. Can their love for each other bridge the divide between their families? Or are they destined to remain apart forever?

My Review: This is a wonderful Amish rendition of Shakespeare's Romeo & Juliet.  Addie and Jonathan have fallen in love but have to figure out what caused the huge rift/feud between their families before the family will bless their relationship.   This story also deals with alcoholism and depression in several of the characters.   Having both issues in my own family, I certainly could relate to the feelings of pain associated with them.   The Amish in Leslie's story do address the issues but I will not reveal a great deal as I don't wish to spoil the story for readers.  I loved this book and was definitely rooting for dear Addie to find love and acceptance within her Amish home and community.  I think those are things we all long to have, aren't they?   This book can give some insight into the handling of the issues.   I appreciate the way Leslie's characters are "real":   they may be Amish, but they have their struggles to deal with too.   The honesty in this storyline were very appealing to me.    I know one thing, though, I am definitely eager to read Book 3 and see what happens next for the characters!    

About the Author:

Leslie Gould is the co-author of the #1 bestselling The Amish Midwife, winner of the 2012 Christy Award for the Contemporary Series.  She holds an MFA in creative writing from Portland State University and resides in Portland, Oregon.  Visit her online on facebook or at LeslieGould.com.

I received free print and ebook copies of this book from netgalley and Bethany House Publishing Group in exchange for my honest review.