Virtual Blog Tour: Abby Finds Her Calling by Naomi King Book Review

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Summary from goodreads: The Lambright family's eldest daughter, Abby, runs her own sewing shop. There, she mends the town's clothes and their torn relationships. But the town maidel has sworn off any suitors of her own because of her unrequited love for James Graber, who is about to marry her younger sister, Zanna...


On the wedding day, Zanna is nowhere to be found, breaking James' heart. Zanna has brought shame to her family, but there's more in store for them when they discover how far she has fallen. Long-buried secrets come to light, and they test the bonds of the Cedar Creek community. Abby is at the center of it all, trying to maintain everyone's happiness. But will she ever find her own?
 
Abby Finds Her Calling: Home at Cedar Creek, Book One by Naomi King


My rating: 5 of 5 stars


I have to say that this is the best Amish book I have ever read. I realize it is only the third, but this one has everything you could possibly want from a fine Christian romance. And I am quite pleased to discover that this is only the first in the series. I cannot wait to read the second!




All I know about the Amish really have come from "hearsay" and well-written fiction books like this one. I always marvel at how simple the lives of these people are. I will tell you right now that I could not do it. I am intrigued by the fact that they do embrace some modern technology. I find it ironic that these people live without electricity and modern conveniences, but because of the way our world is, they do rely on an occasional telephone and hospital emergency visit.




I absolutely love Abby and Zanna. Abby is strong from the beginning, and she is the one who help Zanna in her situation. I was surprised to find and Amish book dealin with issues of infedility, unswed pregnancy, abortion, and pacemakers. But to a degree, you find all of this in the book. Watching Zanna grow from the scared teengaer to strong woman is one of the best features of the book. And to see Abby as peacemaker is really quite a blessing in the book. I do love to see strong women, and if you ever think that Amish women are weak, you might give this book a look!




The messages in the book are truly uplifting. The unwavering faith in a changeless God indeed thrills my soul. I also love the fact that the elders in the book are so strong and steafast in their faith. While I do not condone all the methods that the Amish use, I would say that non-Amish Christians could learn a lot about hendling situations and caring about community. It was good to see the Bible used as a basis for absolutely every decision made in the book.




I was pleased to see the kind of ending that Johnny and Zanna had in the book, and I am hoping that good news will come for Abby and James in the next book. If anyone deserves it, they do. I was also happy to see that God can change pepole that you never think He can. We spend our time praying for it to happen, and then we are shocked when God answers our prayer. How I needed to hear this message in my current circumstances.




I highly recommend this book. Even if you have never read an Amish fiction book or think you would have any interest in one, I recommend giving this one a try!




I was sent a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. I was not financially compensated in any way, and all opinons are 100 percent mine.




View all my reviews

About the Author

from her site

I’ve called Missouri home for most of my life, and most folks don’t realize that several Old Older Amish and Mennonite communities make their home here, as well. The rolling pastureland, woods, and small towns along county highways make a wonderful setting for Plain populations—and for stories about them, too! While Jamesport, Missouri is the largest Old Order Amish settlement west of the Mississippi River, other communities have also found the affordable farm land ideal for raising crops, livestock, and running the small family-owned businesses that support their families.

Like my heroine, Miriam Lantz, of my new Seasons of the Heart series, I love to feed people—to share my hearth and home. I bake bread and goodies and I love to try new recipes. I put up jars and jars of green beans, tomatoes, beets and other veggies every summer. All my adult life, I’ve been a deacon, a dedicated church musician and choir member, and we hosted a potluck group in our home for more than twenty years.


Like Abby Lambright, heroine of my new Home at Cedar Creek series, I consider it a personal mission to be a listener and a peacemaker—to heal broken hearts and wounded souls. Faith and family, farming and frugality matter to me: like Abby, I sew and enjoy fabric arts—I made my wedding dress and the one Mom wore, too, when I married into an Iowa farm family more than thirty-five years ago! When I’m not writing, I crochet and sew, and I love to travel.


I recently moved to Minnesota when my husband got a wonderful new job, so now he and I and our border collie, Ramona, are exploring our new state and making new friends.




If you are interested in buying the book, please check out the following links:
NAL Trade (March 6, 2012)


ISBN-13: 9780451235732 •• ISBN-10: 0451235738

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