Status
Available
Call number
Series
Publication
HarperCollins Publishers (2009), Edition: 1, 272 pages
Description
Fiction. Christian Fiction. HTML: For a split second, Katie feels certain she's about to receive everything she's ever wanted... Twenty-year-old Katie Brenneman has always quietly fancied Jonathan Lundy. So when the brokenhearted widower asks her to help him take care of his two young girls, Katie knows it will be a trying time�??yet she cannot pass up a golden opportunity to get to know this man better. Just as she's settling into her new life, a message arrives from Katie's past, threatening to expose her darkest secrets. During her rumspringa, her running-around years, she experimented with activities forbidden in the Amish way of life. Frightened by how far she'd strayed from her values, Katie ran back home, vowing to cut all ties with the outside world. Now her transgressions are coming back to haunt her, just as Jonathan seems willing to welcome her into his heart. Will the past destroy Katie's chances for love? Or will Katie allow herself to accept God's love, forgive her past, and receive everything she's ever wanted?… (more)
User reviews
LibraryThing member Kegsoccer
This is the second story in the Sisters of the Heart series by Shelley Shepard Gray, the first being "Hidden". I really enjoyed "Hidden" and in fact I liked it so much that I preordered this book and anxiously awaited its release.
I've always been initally disappointed when an author puts out a
We saw Katie briefly in "Hidden" but didn't learn much about her. This story really delves into her character. Her struggle with Jonathan and his children seems very realistic, and though the journey is sometimes tough, I think everyone will be satisfied with the ending. I would definitely recommend this book.
I've always been initally disappointed when an author puts out a
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second book that does not have the same main characters as the first. I was very interested in Anna and Henry in the first book and would have loved to read another book about them. That said, I usually find myself liking the new main characters, and this book was no exception. We saw Katie briefly in "Hidden" but didn't learn much about her. This story really delves into her character. Her struggle with Jonathan and his children seems very realistic, and though the journey is sometimes tough, I think everyone will be satisfied with the ending. I would definitely recommend this book.
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LibraryThing member cherryblossommj
*This review is from reading an ARC.*
The first book in this Sisters of the Heart Series, "Hidden", was absolutely fabulous and a wonderful romance full of suspense. This second book is good, and I enjoyed the read and love the characters, but it was not very exciting to me. At least not in any
As a theme for this book, the idea of being "wanted" is nothing new to most people, and our Katie wanting to be wanted and going after that attention (in her past) in poorly advisable ways is not terribly surprising. What was surprising is how she talked about her past as if she had done something completely unforgivable. That comes just from the back of the book blurb with "Will Katie be able to forgive herself for her transgressions and allow herself to move forward in her life? Or will her inability to receive God's love keep her from everything she's ever wanted?" It was just a little over the top for me.
As a light hearted romance for practically any age to read, this is a good book with a good moral base behind it. Just for me, the way things were portrayed, I figured that something more exciting to repair from had existed.
I love the first book in this series, and I cannot wait for another and more from this author in the future. But this book was slightly boring to me. I'm sorry.
The first book in this Sisters of the Heart Series, "Hidden", was absolutely fabulous and a wonderful romance full of suspense. This second book is good, and I enjoyed the read and love the characters, but it was not very exciting to me. At least not in any
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comparison to the first book and other Amish books out there.As a theme for this book, the idea of being "wanted" is nothing new to most people, and our Katie wanting to be wanted and going after that attention (in her past) in poorly advisable ways is not terribly surprising. What was surprising is how she talked about her past as if she had done something completely unforgivable. That comes just from the back of the book blurb with "Will Katie be able to forgive herself for her transgressions and allow herself to move forward in her life? Or will her inability to receive God's love keep her from everything she's ever wanted?" It was just a little over the top for me.
As a light hearted romance for practically any age to read, this is a good book with a good moral base behind it. Just for me, the way things were portrayed, I figured that something more exciting to repair from had existed.
I love the first book in this series, and I cannot wait for another and more from this author in the future. But this book was slightly boring to me. I'm sorry.
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LibraryThing member judyg54
This story picks up right where book #1 left off. It ties in all the characters very well! This book is about Katie Brenneman, who has "feelings" for widower Jonathan Lundy, but he doesn't seem to notice. When Jonathan's sister must travel to Indiana, Jonathan asks if Katie could come and stay with
I liked the way this book kept the whole story line going from book #1 ("Hidden). Although you got to know Katie in book #1, you didn't really understand her heart and her background. I liked the way she works her magic with the two little girls and the way Jonathan starts to notice her. It was an enjoyable read and I would recommend it, but read book one first!
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his 2 little girls and care for them while his sister is away. As all this is happening, Katie gets contacted from a friend from her past during her "rumspringa" days. She needs to deal with her past and also find a way to keep Jonathan and his girls in her future.I liked the way this book kept the whole story line going from book #1 ("Hidden). Although you got to know Katie in book #1, you didn't really understand her heart and her background. I liked the way she works her magic with the two little girls and the way Jonathan starts to notice her. It was an enjoyable read and I would recommend it, but read book one first!
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LibraryThing member wearylibrarian
Katie Brenneman has loved Jonathan Lundy for as long as she can remember. Jonathan, a widower, comes to Katie's paents to ask permission for Katie to live in his home and care for him and his children while his sister is away. Katie's parents are aprenhensive but finally allow Katie to care for the
Katie has a dark past that she has hidden from everyone in the Amish community. During her Rumspringa (running around years) she did some things she is not proud of, eventually running home to the Amish community to hide from the English world. Katie's past has now come back to haunt her, just as Jonathan starts to fall in love with the beautiful young girl.
Shelley Shepard Gray is a great writer. I love how she portrays the Amish.
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widower, his home, and his children.Katie has a dark past that she has hidden from everyone in the Amish community. During her Rumspringa (running around years) she did some things she is not proud of, eventually running home to the Amish community to hide from the English world. Katie's past has now come back to haunt her, just as Jonathan starts to fall in love with the beautiful young girl.
Shelley Shepard Gray is a great writer. I love how she portrays the Amish.
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LibraryThing member mrsjason
Shelley Shepard Gray's first book, Hidden, was such a refreshing book to read that I was eagerly awaiting the release of the second book in the series. It was good to see that this was a good continuation of the first book. This time we get to see the viewpoint of an Amish girl who's had a taste of
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the English world but chose to come back. I liked her story because it was more focused on wanting to be loved. It just so happened that she was Amish. It was also still interesting to see how Anna is adapting to the Amish lifestyle. While she's starting to get more comfortable, it was still refreshing and realistic to see her still having trouble fully submerging to her new life. I say this, because I've read other Amish stories where I've seen people give up modern things cold turkey and slip 100% into this new culture and it comes off very fake. The only complaint I had about the book was that it felt a little short. Jonathan and Katie's romantic relationship felt a little rushed. I know that Katie had been pining for him for a while but it seemed like he resisted her for a little bit and then completely caved in. I think more tension between the two would have been interesting to read. I also would have liked more story on Katie's rumspringa. I always find it interesting to read about Amish teens who get a taste of the "English world" before they get baptized. All in all I did very much enjoy this book. It feels different from the other Amish books that are out there. More light hearted and not as dramatic. I'll be looking forward to reading Winnie's story in the next installment of the series. Show Less
LibraryThing member delphimo
Maybe I have read too many of this series in order, but I found this story too trite. The main family in the Sisters of the Heart series is the Brenneman family, owners of a Bed and Breakfast Inn in Ohio. In the first novel of the series, Anna has left her "English" life and has fallen in love with
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Henry Brenneman. In this book, Katie must accept her "wild" year before joining the Amish church and decide if Jonathan is her future. The stories all follow a simple formula that life is in God's hand. Each story ends "happily ever after". I guess that life is not that simplistic, and sometimes the ending is not rosy. Show Less
LibraryThing member Lindz2012
I was Heartfelt in my soul reading this book. I felt I was the Katie while reading. Though I am glad that she did fine what she wanted. I sometime feel like these people in my books. I am really glad she did deal with her past along to find out what had happen to Brandon and to become friends with
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Holly. Show Less
LibraryThing member Lindz2012
I was Heartfelt in my soul reading this book. I felt I was the Katie while reading. Though I am glad that she did fine what she wanted. I sometime feel like these people in my books. I am really glad she did deal with her past along to find out what had happen to Brandon and to become friends with
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Holly. Show Less
LibraryThing member JenniferRobb
This is book 2 of the Sisters of the Heart series and though I did not read book 1, it almost felt like I did as I read this book--so some of the plotlines from that book must have been in another book I read.
This book focuses mostly on Katie Brenneman, though there is a common theme of "being
Anna has found her soulmate in Katie's brother Henry. Anna is a non-Amish woman who is willing to learn Amish ways and join the Amish church for the man she loves. Wow! It's a big undertaking. She's learning Pennsylvania Dutch (something Amish learn as their first language--many don't learn English until they go off to school), learning to can and to do laundry manually. My first thought is she must really love him with all the conveniences she is giving up.
Winnie thinks she has found love with Malcolm, though to this point, she has only exchanged letters with him as he lives in Indiana. To her mind, the next step is to go meet Malcolm in person. The only problem is that she's in charge of her widowed brother's girls, Mary and Hannah, and they need to find someone to step in and take over that while she is gone. I do agree with the assessment of other characters that people can be different in letters than they are in real life. In writing something down, there is more time to order things and work on the wording of ideas. Real life interactions happen much more quickly. I also know how easy it is to build someone or something up in your mind and then be disappointed by the reality. So will Winnie find true love or find that Malcolm isn't all she thought?
Enter Katie. Katie has long had feelings for Jonathan Lundy (father of Mary and Hannah). In fact, it is those feelings that finally convicted her that her "running around period" with Holly and Brandon where she hid who she really was from them was wrong. Now more mature, Katie realizes that she liked how Brandon made her feel wanted, but also that he liked her in a different way than she liked him. Katie has hidden this time from everyone in her family and friends. Despite her parents' misgivings, Katie hopes that taking the job helping Jonathan with his girls will result in love between Jonathan and her.
Jonathan, at first, seems a man content to leave things as they are. He'd prefer Winnie continue taking care of his girls rather than getting married and having a family and life of her own. Though he and Sarah had problems in their marriage, he doesn't seem ready to move on with his life. In fact, he seems pretty clueless--he tends to present it as facts of suitability rather than mentioning that he has feelings for Katie after he gets to know her and sees how she works within his home. I'll admit, I don't know much of Amish courting or marriage customs, but I don't think most women want to marry someone just because the man thinks she'll be good for his kids and keeps a good home.
At the same time, Brandon, now dying of cancer, wants to see Katie again. Though his sister Holly would prefer to never have to talk to Katie again, she agrees to try to find Katie and get her to come see him. I think Brandon has a remembrance of Katie that doesn't jive with what he sees when she comes to visit him. I'm not sure what he wanted from her--just to see that she was happy?
I think the author does a good job with the plot, though the plot points aren't new ones if you read a lot of Amish fiction. I appreciate her showing the struggles of learning the Amish way of life (through Anna) but also showing the good parts of Amish life too. (Yes, there are some Amish, just like there are some non-Amish, who probably do take the man-as-head-of-household idea as a way to subjugate the women. Those are not presented in this book where the Brennemans are a loving family.) I'm glad to see the author lives in Southern Ohio at the time of the publishing of this book.
This book focuses mostly on Katie Brenneman, though there is a common theme of "being
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wanted" among several women in the book. In addition to Katie, Winnie Lundy and Anna Metzger are also both seeking romantic love and the children, Mary and Hannah, appear to need family love. I think even the non-Amish characters of Holly and Brandon want to renew past relationships.Anna has found her soulmate in Katie's brother Henry. Anna is a non-Amish woman who is willing to learn Amish ways and join the Amish church for the man she loves. Wow! It's a big undertaking. She's learning Pennsylvania Dutch (something Amish learn as their first language--many don't learn English until they go off to school), learning to can and to do laundry manually. My first thought is she must really love him with all the conveniences she is giving up.
Winnie thinks she has found love with Malcolm, though to this point, she has only exchanged letters with him as he lives in Indiana. To her mind, the next step is to go meet Malcolm in person. The only problem is that she's in charge of her widowed brother's girls, Mary and Hannah, and they need to find someone to step in and take over that while she is gone. I do agree with the assessment of other characters that people can be different in letters than they are in real life. In writing something down, there is more time to order things and work on the wording of ideas. Real life interactions happen much more quickly. I also know how easy it is to build someone or something up in your mind and then be disappointed by the reality. So will Winnie find true love or find that Malcolm isn't all she thought?
Enter Katie. Katie has long had feelings for Jonathan Lundy (father of Mary and Hannah). In fact, it is those feelings that finally convicted her that her "running around period" with Holly and Brandon where she hid who she really was from them was wrong. Now more mature, Katie realizes that she liked how Brandon made her feel wanted, but also that he liked her in a different way than she liked him. Katie has hidden this time from everyone in her family and friends. Despite her parents' misgivings, Katie hopes that taking the job helping Jonathan with his girls will result in love between Jonathan and her.
Jonathan, at first, seems a man content to leave things as they are. He'd prefer Winnie continue taking care of his girls rather than getting married and having a family and life of her own. Though he and Sarah had problems in their marriage, he doesn't seem ready to move on with his life. In fact, he seems pretty clueless--he tends to present it as facts of suitability rather than mentioning that he has feelings for Katie after he gets to know her and sees how she works within his home. I'll admit, I don't know much of Amish courting or marriage customs, but I don't think most women want to marry someone just because the man thinks she'll be good for his kids and keeps a good home.
At the same time, Brandon, now dying of cancer, wants to see Katie again. Though his sister Holly would prefer to never have to talk to Katie again, she agrees to try to find Katie and get her to come see him. I think Brandon has a remembrance of Katie that doesn't jive with what he sees when she comes to visit him. I'm not sure what he wanted from her--just to see that she was happy?
I think the author does a good job with the plot, though the plot points aren't new ones if you read a lot of Amish fiction. I appreciate her showing the struggles of learning the Amish way of life (through Anna) but also showing the good parts of Amish life too. (Yes, there are some Amish, just like there are some non-Amish, who probably do take the man-as-head-of-household idea as a way to subjugate the women. Those are not presented in this book where the Brennemans are a loving family.) I'm glad to see the author lives in Southern Ohio at the time of the publishing of this book.
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Language
Original language
English
Original publication date
2009-01-06
2009
Physical description
272 p.; 8 inches
ISBN
9780061474460