Summary:
Raised in foster care and now the widowed mother of a little girl, Cara Moore struggles against poverty, fear, and a relentless stalker. When a trail of memories leads Cara and Lori out of New York City toward an Amish community, she follows every lead, eager for answers and a fresh start. She discovers that long-held secrets about her family history ripple beneath the surface of Dry Lake, Pennsylvania, and it’s no place for an outsider. But one Amish man, Ephraim Mast, dares to fulfill the command he believes that he received from God–“Be me to her”– despite how it threatens his way of life.
Completely opposite of the hard, untrusting Cara, Ephraim’s sister Deborah also finds her dreams crumbling when the man she has pledged to build a life with begins withdrawing from Deborah and his community, including his mother, Ada Stoltzfus. Can the run-down house that Ada envisions transforming unite them toward a common purpose–or push Mahlon away forever? While Ephraim is trying to do what he believes is right, will he be shunned and lose everything–including the guarded single mother who simply longs for a better life?
Here is a link to an interview that Cindy did on abc Nightline about the Amish: http://abcnews.go.com/Nightline/story?id=7676659&page=1
Author Bio:
Cindy Woodsmall is the author of When the Heart Cries, When the Morning Comes, and The New York Times Best-Seller When the Soul Mends. Her ability to authentically capture the heart of her characters comes from her real-life connections with Amish Mennonite and Old Order Amish families. A mother of three sons and two daughters-in-law, Cindy lives in Georgia with her husband of thirty-one years.
My Review:
This is the first book I have read by Cindy Woodsmall, and I’m very glad I had the opportunity to do so. I have always been intrigued by the Amish community, as I’m sure many people have and that is why it is so popular. Cara is a single mom who fears for the life of herself and her daughter as she struggles to work and keep her daughter safe. She begins to have some flashbacks of her childhood and then finds a key to those flashbacks in notes her mom left for her. This leads her to an Amish community where she finds herself quite the outsider, yet taken in by one of their own, Ephraim. He does this at the risk of his own faith because he feels God telling him to “Be me to her”. How will Cara handle what she learns while she is there and what will happen to Ephraim for taking a chance on following what he feels God calling him to do against his better judgment? I would highly recommend reading this book so you will have the opportunity to find out the answers to these questions and many more. At the end of the book Cindy Woodsmall had me wanting for more. What a great start to what I hope will be more heartfelt stories about the Amish life.
Here is a link to the Random House website. Here you will see all of the different options where you can purchase the book online:
http://www.randomhouse.com/catalog/display.pperl?isbn=9781400073962
New York Times bestselling author Cindy Woodsmall is on tour, and she may be coming to a city near you! Don’t miss your opportunity to meet Cindy and have her sign her newest title The Hope of Refuge at one of the following events.
Tuesday, August 11 7 – 8:30pm
Barnes & Noble
5141 Peachtree Parkway, The Forum
Norcross, Georgia 30092
(770) 209-4244
Wednesday, August 12 7 – 8pm
Barnes & Noble Opry Mills
515 Opry Mills Drive
Nashville, Tennessee 37214
(615) 514-5000
Thursday, August 13 6 – 8pm
Barnes & Noble
2540 Futura Pkwy. #135
Plainfield, Indiana 46168
(317) 838-7941
Friday, August 14 6 – 8pm
Barnes & Noble
1550 West 75th
Downers Grove, Illinois 60516
(630) 663-0181
Saturday, August 15 1 – 3pm
Baker Books
2768 East Paris Ave SE
Grand Rapids, Michigan 49546-6139
(616) 957-3110
Sunday, August 16 2 – 4pm
Barnes & Noble Booksellers
3700 Rivertown Parkway Ste. 2058
Grandville, Michigan 49418
(616) 531-1825
Monday, August 17 7 – 8:00pm
Barnes & Noble Booksellers
1739 Olentangy River Road
Columbus, Ohio 43212
(614) 298-9516
Tuesday, August 18 7– 8:30pm
Joseph Beth Booksellers
2705 E. Carson Street
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15203
(412) 381-3600
Wednesday, August 19 6 – 8pm
Hackman’s Bible Book Store
1341 Mickley Road
Whitehall, Pennsylvania 18052-4610
(610) 264-8600
Thursday, August 20 1 – 3pm
Rachel’s Country Store (Amish dry goods store)
6352 McClays Mill Road
Newburg, Pennsylvania 17240
(717) 530-9452
Can’t make the tour? You can still follow Cindy’s adventures on Youtube, Facebook, and Twitter. See you there!
I also have a copy of “The Hope of Refuge” to give away. If you would like to win a copy please post a message in code such as name[at]charter[dot]net so as to avoid spam. I will have the drawing on August 11th. Be sure and tell all your friends about this giveaway and send them to my blog to be entered. Tell them to mention your name and you will get another entry into the drawing.
Reading PAL 