Review of "A Plain Man"

Review of A Plain Man

by Mary Ellis

Bestselling author Mary Ellis offers an engaging new standalone Amish romance about a prodigal seeking to find his way home.

Though Caleb Beachy lived in the Englisch world for some years, he is a Plain man at heart. When he decides to return to the Amish lifestyle, he moves back home and goes to work for his father. Soon these two strong-willed men find themselves at odds. Caleb discovers there's more to embracing his faith and reconnecting with the community than merely driving a horse and buggy and giving up Levis.

Josie Yoder was just a girl when he left. All grown up now, she gives Caleb hope for the future. She soothes his frayed temper and is determined to remind him that while his faith may have wavered, God never left his side. Caleb is tempted to return Josie's feelings, but the choices he made while away are a heavy burden on his conscience. Will past mistakes end up destroying their fledgling romance? Or will she be able to break through the wall around his heart?

A Plain Man is more than just a sweet romance centered in Amish beliefs. It's the ever-fresh story of a wounded heart finding joy, health, and healing in God's infinite grace. 

MY REVIEW:  "Come, Thou Fount of every blessing, Tune my heart to sing Thy grace.....Caleb slouched down against a post. 'Plenty at first, when I had wheels and a good job.  But money management didn't turn out to be my strong suit.' His friend's confusion only seemed to deepen. Caleb didn't know how much to reveal about his past.  Could he admit he'd hung out in  bars until closing time and bought drinks for people he'd never met before?  Should he talk about sleeping with women who were little more than acquaintances?  How about the fact that he'd attended church only once during his entire time in Cleveland?"......

Caleb turned to the Englisch world for several years but he has returned to his Amish family and desires nothing more than to live an upright life and marry Josie.  His father doesn't trust that he won't return to the Englisch world.  I have long believed that the Amish forgive and forget a person's sins if they have not joined the Amish church yet, but Caleb's father gives him a very hard time.  This book is full of love and forgiveness.  We all need a heavy dose of that in our lives.  This is a 5 star work of Amish fiction.   I have certainly had my share of mistakes and long for forgiveness for those mistakes.   I could feel the emotional pain of the characters as I read.   I was left with a feeling of hope and renewal when I read the last line of this book.  

I was given a kindle version of this book from netgalley in exchange for my honest review.

About the Author:

Mary Ellis grew up close to the Amish where she loved their peaceful agrarian lifestyle and strong sense of Christian community. She and her husband now live by the largest population of Old Order in the country where they take weekend trips to research her books. Mary enjoys reading, traveling, gardening, bicycling and swimming. Before “retiring” to write full-time, Mary taught Middle School and worked as a sales rep for Hershey Chocolate—a job with amazingly sweet fringe benefits. Her debut Amish fiction, A Widow’s Hope, first in the Miller Family series, was a finalist in the 2010 ACFW Carol Awards and received the Award of Merit for the Holt Medallion. She has since written ten best-selling novels. Her previous release, Living in Harmony, first in the New Beginning series, won the 2012 Lime Award for Excellence in Amish Fiction.