The Thorn

Rose Ann Kaufman was raised in the Amish country in Pennsylvania and growing up on all the traditions that life had to offer. A life of hard work that lasted until the sun began to set. A life of raising fresh produce, caring for all the farm animals and above all, caring for her crippled Mamm (mother) who had a carriage accident one day while heading to the Farmer's Market. It's all Rose can do most days, cooking for her Mamm and offering to gather her warm blankets when the Fall winds begin to blow while her father continues to work plowing the fields. At the age of 21, Rose's hope of attending the Singings on Sunday in hopes of catching an Amish man's eye is fading since caring for her Mamm consumes most of her time.

She lives a life of regrets thinking back to the cold morning 11 years ago when she watched her mother, carefully disappear into their families gray carriage, carefully hiding the money tin that she would use to make change for the customers and loading the squash and other summer veggies up in the wagon bed. Something about that morning lingers in Rose's mind as though she knows that the look she shared with her Mamm's eyes that morning would be the last time things would ever be the same.

Growing up as an adopted son of the Bishop in an Amish home was down right difficult for Nick. Having been abandoned by his father at birth and losing his mother fairly recently has made him withdraw inside of himself as he tries to find ways to fit in at the Kaufman's working in their barn and helping Solomon out plowing in the fields. Seeing as there was no other family members willing to take him in, Nick became the newly adopted son for the Bishop and his wife Barbara. However, seeing Nick as competition in the house, Christian, the Bishop's natural son, only has hatred for Nick knowing that taking over in his father footsteps will likely fall to Nick if he can conform to the Amish lifestyle and accept God into his life.

Rose and Nick have had many years to grow as friends since working in the barn together. Rose has been able to draw Nick out of his depression and has been able to get him to talk to her even though he hardly says anything to anyone else. After all the Bishops attempts to see him come to the church, the Bishop thinks Rose may be his only hope to seeing the life God has to offer. So the Bishop talks to Solomon, Rose's father and tells him of the struggles Nick has been having and that Rose may be the link to getting Nick to change. Will Rose be willing to help?

Rose's sister Hannah, has left the Amish life for a more modern one and has married outside the church to her one and only love Brandon, who rescues her from a blizzard and offers to show her the way home. Only since leaving her Amish life, Hannah, senses something pulling her back to her old ways and back to the God she was so willing to give up. How far will Hannah be willing to go for God and her marriage?

In the book, The Thorn by Beverly Lewis, you are taken back to a much simpler life in the Amish country and find yourself immersed in the difficult choices facing both Rose and Hannah about the futures. I found myself captivated by both of their different and unique situations and the people involved in each choice they have to make. In this first book of the Rose Trilogy by Beverly Lewis you will be woven into their lives right until the end. I received this book from Christian Fiction Blog Alliance for my honest review and can't wait for the next book due out in the Spring of next year. I would easy rate this book a 5 out of 5 stars! This is your classic Amish Christian Romance novel! For a first hand glance at the author and a sneak peek into chapter one, read more below:

This week, the

Christian Fiction Blog Alliance
is introducing
The Thorn Bethany House (September 7, 2010)
by Beverly Lewis
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Not until her own children were well into middle school did Bev seek to publish her work, first in magazines such as Highlights for Children, Dolphin Log, and Guideposts for Kids. Her first book followed in 1993—Mountain Bikes and Garbanzo Beans—presently retitled Big Bad Beans (book #22 in the popular CUL-DE-SAC KIDS series of chapter books—see list of Bev's children's books).



Beverly's first venture into adult fiction is the best-selling trilogy, THE HERITAGE OF LANCASTER COUNTY, including The Shunning, a suspenseful saga of Katie Lapp, a young Amish woman drawn to the modern world by secrets from her past. The book is loosely based on the author's maternal grandmother, Ada Ranck Buchwalter, who left her Old Order Mennonite upbringing to marry a Bible College student. One Amish-country newspaper claimed Beverly's work to be "a primer on Lancaster County folklore" and offers "an insider's view of Amish life."

Booksellers across the country, and around the world, have spread the word of Bev's tender tales of Plain country life. A clerk in a Virginia bookstore wrote, "Beverly's books have a compelling freshness and spark. You just don't run across writing like that every day. I hope she'll keep writing stories about the Plain people for a long, long time."

A member of the National League of American Pen Women, as well as a Distinguished Alumnus of Evangel University, Lewis has written over 80 books for children, youth, and adults, many of them award-winning. She and her husband, David, make their home in Colorado, where they enjoy hiking, biking, and playing with their three grandchildren. They are also avid musicians and fiction "book worms."

ABOUT THE BOOK

Lancaster County, with its rolling meadows and secret byways, may seem idyllic, but it is not without its thorns. THE ROSE TRILOGY is the stirring saga of two Amish sisters on the fringes of the church, and the unforeseen discoveries that change their lives.

Rose Kauffman, a spirited young woman, has a close friendship with the bishop's foster son. Nick dresses Plain and works hard but stirs up plenty of trouble too. Rose's sister cautions her against becoming too involved, but Rose is being courted by a good, Amish fellow, so dismisses the warnings.

Meanwhile, Rose keeps house for an English widower but is startled when he forbids her to ever go upstairs. What is the man hiding? Rose's older sister, Hen, knows more than she should about falling for the wrong man. Unable to abandon her Amish ways, Hen is soon separated from her very modern husband.

Mattie, their young daughter, must visit her father regularly, but Hen demands she wear Amish attire--and speak Pennsylvania Dutch, despite her husband's wishes. Will Hen be able to reestablish her place among the People she abandoned? And will she be able to convince Rose to steer clear of rogue neighbor Nick?

If you would like to read the first chapter of The Thorn, go HERE.