The Wounded Heart - Giveaway and Review

Once again another Amish novel has captivated my heart and left me sighing. A great sign of an excellent book in my personal opinion. For most people they understand the simple story lines of your typical Amish novel, but not in the case of The Wounded Heart by Adina Senft.

We have a story that is slow as it unfolds as we find ourselves immersed in the tragic story of Amelia Beiler, who has recently been left a widow after an unfortunate buggy accident that claimed not only the life of her husband, Enoch but the driver of the car that hit them as well. Now left to deal with managing a farm alone with just two small boys, she struggles to maintain her husband's pallet business as well. Offer after offer appears on her doorstep, first from an English man looking to retire and then subsequently from others within her Amish community as well.

The only thing is, that Amelia isn't sure she wants to sell. How else will she be able to provide for her family without having to move back home with her mom and dad? However when Amelia begins to experience tingling in her left hand, that leaves her numb and at times unable to use her left hand, she begins to wonder if perhaps God isn't sending her a sign after all. The only thing is will she be ready to accept all that God has for her, even if it means going against everything she believes she needs in her life.

I received this beautiful, heart-warming story as an Ebook compliments of Faith Words Publishers, a division of Hachette Book Groups for my honest review. I applaud the character of Amelia for attempting to hold down the front in spite of some difficult odds that seem to stack up against her. She tries to maintain a level of strength in trying to get on with her life, while still grieving for a husband that she still misses and has a difficult time trying to move forward. She relies a lot on her friends, Emma, who fears that God has abandoned her efforts to find a husband, and who manages to also be the only child struggling to take care of her parents who are in desperate need of medical care; and her other friend, Carrie, who is struggling to have children after being married for 10 years and unable to conceive. Meanwhile, Carrie's husband Melvin is struggling to find work since he lacks the farming skills to keep them afloat.

It seems like quilting is the only thing that keeps these three wonderful characters from falling apart. Each a times is able to put their own personal struggle on the back burner so they can assume the care taker in the others life. This is what it means to be true friends in my personal opinion and what makes for a great book. For those that love Amish stories, this one will not disappoint and takes a different road than the one most of us are used to, making it a 5 out of 5 stars in my opinion. When faced with any adversity in life, it's easier to weather those storms with the love and warmth of close friends. Just like the patches of material that make up a beautiful quilt, it takes friends and family to weave our lives together and make it beautiful and full of love and life.

This is the first novel in the Amish Quilt Trilogy and she has me as a fan for life! Can't wait for the next book in this series! For more information on this book, the author, read an excerpt or where to get a copy of this book, please click on the links below:

The Wounded Heart by Adina Senft

You can also find Adina Senft on Facebook by clicking here.

Thanks to the generous folks at Faith Words and Hachette Book Groups, they are providing a giveaway copy to one lucky follower of my blog. Here's what you need to do to enter:

1. Be a follower of my blog, Reviews From The Heart!

2. Be a resident of the US or Canada or have a US or Canadian mailing address. Please No P.O. Boxes.

3. Since I will need a way to contact you if you're the lucky winner, please make sure to leave me an email address in the comment box. You can use the words (at) or (dot) instead of the symbols.

4. Leave me a comment and tell me why you'd love to win this book.

The giveaway ends on October 5th and I will be contacting the winner at that time. If you want to pass the news around to your family and friends, I'd love to add them to the giveaway and have them visit me as new followers.