5-Star Review of "Promise Lodge"

Review of Promise Lodge

by Charlotte Hubbard

It's a better life, a fresh start--and a heaven-sent second chance. Founded by three Amish sisters determined to put misfortune behind them, Promise Lodge is a colony where faith's abiding promise can be fulfilled--and love can make all things new…

Energetic widow, Mattie Bender Schwartz is working day and night to get Promise Lodge going. She's also hoping the change will help her son Noah's heart to heal after his broken engagement. But his former fiancée, Deborah, is looking for a fresh start too. Filled with regret, and cast out by her dat for a reason she can't yet reveal, Deborah can only pray Noah will forgive her foolishness. 

Deborah is the last person Noah expected to show up at Promise Lodge. But with her cruel words still ringing in his head, he's reluctant to accept her apology--even if the Old Order ways demand he try. If only he could obey Christ's most important commandment: love one another. But one thing is certain--his mother and aunts, and their beloved Preacher Amos, will do their best to help him get there. 

MY REVIEW:    

Noah grimaced.  "Deborah's here.  Begging for my forgiveness."
His brother's eyebrows shot up.  "And you said--?"

He thrust the canister at Roman and then walked around,

 checking out the progress on the remodeling.  

"I told her I wanted no part of courting her again."

Forgiveness.  It is certainly not easy to offer or to ask for and Deborah has come seeking Noah's forgiveness, but he does not plan to extend it towards his former fianc`ee.  Preacher Amos is not very pleased with Noah's hardened attitude.   Noah and his mamm and others from their former Amish community have come to Promise Lodge to get a fresh start.   They have many who have written letters to them to say that they wish to come and live in Promise Lodge and begin a new Amish community.   But there are many obstacles for the folks who have come seeking refuge, safety and forgiveness.  Can they find fresh beginnings or will the new community fizzle before it even gets off the ground?   

This book grabbed my attention and held it fast.   There are several members of the former community who have a serious problem in abusing others.   Will they find the strength to repent and change their ways?  Will the victims of the abuse be able to move past their hurts and wounds and find healing?   The abuse may seem shocking to some, but I appreciate that Charlotte Hubbard shows that even Amish are human, and none are perfect. This book is the first in a new series.   I am already anxiously awaiting book 2.   I rated this book 5 stars and highly recommend it to readers.   

I received a copy of this book from netgalley in exchange for my honest review.

About the Author:

Drawing upon her experiences in Jamesport, the largest Old Order Amish community west of the Mississippi, longtime Missourian Charlotte Hubbard (a.k.a. Naomi King) writes of simpler times and a faith-based lifestyle in her new Seasons of the Heart series. Like her heroine, Miriam Lantz, Charlotte considers it her personal mission to feed people—to share hearth and home. Faith and family, farming and food preservation are hallmarks of her lifestyle, and the foundation of her earlier Angels of Mercy series. She’s a deacon, a dedicated church musician and choir member, and when she’s not writing, she loves to try new recipes, crochet, and sew. Charlotte now lives in Minnesota with her husband and their border collie.  You can connect with Charlotte at:  http://www.naomikingauthor.com/