Book Review: The Choice (Lancaster County Secrets, Book 1) by Suzanne Woods Fisher

The Choice (Lancaster County Secrets, Book 1)
by Suzanne Woods Fisher
Copyright 2010
Revell Publishers
308 pages
ISBN: 978-0-8007-3385-8
Fiction/Contemporary

From the publisher:
Lancaster County has always been her home--but where does her heart belong?

One moment Carrie Weaver was looking forward to running away with Lancaster Barnstormers pitcher Solomon Riehl--plans that included leaving the Amish community where they grew up. The next moment she was staring into a future as broken as her heart. Now, Carrie is faced with a choice. But will this opportunity be all she hoped? Or will this decision, this moment in time, change her life forever?

A tender story of love, forgiveness, and looking below the surface, The Choice uncovers the sweet simplicity of the Amish world--and shows that it's never too late to find your way back to God.

My Review:

Up until recently I have been wary of picking up Amish fiction simply because they seem to be so repetitive in themes and storyline. Over the past 2 years or so there has been an influx of new authors in the "bonnet" fiction genre that are really bringing a freshness to books focused around the Amish way of life. I am excited to say that Suzanne Woods Fisher is one of those great new authors.

Her first foray into Amish fiction, The Choice, deals with a young woman facing the difficulty of choosing between family or her own love. While this in itself is not really a different theme from a lot of the Amish fiction out there the twists and turns that the story takes are unique...at least to me. The story immediately gripped me and I had tears in my eyes only a few chapters in. It moved along really quickly...almost too fast at first, since there was so much tragedy in Carrie's life within the first half of the book but as it went along it all played out nicely. The romance that develops is tender and sweet.

I also enjoyed the story of the secondary character, Mattie Zook and cheered at the end when sweet, dependable Mattie got her heart's desire! This is definitely a book too pick up if you are a fan of the Amish fiction genre and even if you just enjoy a good Christian novel. I will be looking for Book 2 in the fall entitled, The Waiting.

For more information on Suzanne Woods Fisher and her books visit:

Her Website: http://www.suzannewoodsfisher.com/

Her Blog: http://suzannewoodsfisher.blogspot.com/

*I received my free review copy from Donna @ Revell Publishing.*