Bridesmaid, The (Home to Hickory Hollow) (editie 2012)

Beverly Lewis's second installment of the Home to Hickory Hollow series, The Bridesmaid, was a nice, neat story. I did enjoy it, but kept feeling like everything worked out a little too perfectly. I am a devoted fan of Beverly Lewis, but this was not one of my favorites. ( )

Joanna's moving along in life with pressure building on her shoulders of finding a beau and settling down. Going on the age of twenty-five, she's been a bridesmaid numerous times, and is starting to lose faith in ever finding a man to call her own, until one fateful trip to Virginia Beach changes everything. She comes upon an Indiana amish-man with a great passion for photography that captures her heart. With Joanna being from Hickory Hollow (in Pennsylvania) Eben takes a chance to continue courting her with letters and phone calls, but is it enough? Eben's dealing with family issues of his own and although he wants to make a life with Joanna, he must help out his family and hope that his younger brother, Leroy will give up his English life and come back as the prodigal son. Will being long distance lovers fuel their passion, or will it fizzle out?

"Our meeting on the beach--as romantic and special as it was--birthed a renewed hope in me. After all, it was nearly a blight on any Amish girl to still be single at my age. Ach, but Eben Troyer had surely changed all of that. Surely he had..." (8)

I first learned of Joanna and her love of writing and storytelling in The Fiddler (Home to Hickory Hollow #1) and was pleased to see that she is the center of this second book. I found this book endearing as I followed Joanna and Eben's struggles to be together despite the constant hardships and drawbacks they faced. They both learned not only about their own faith, but the faithfulness in each other as well. With the help of a few wise women, some ancestry and a quilt, Joanna's well on her way to understanding the will of God.

"Ella Mae wore a smile on her wrinkled face. 'For whither thou goest, I will go; and where thou lodgest, I will lodge: thy people shall be my people, and thy God my God,' Ella Mae recited." (ch.36 pg.5)

At times this book tested my patience with the actions and attitudes of Cora Jane (Joanna's younger, nosy sister) and Preacher Yoder, but as I read on it got better as they eased up on Joanna. I'm inspired by Joanna's strong faith and steadfast attitude as she learns to wait for whatever God has in store for her. I'm looking forward to reading The Guardian (Home to Hickory Hollow #3), the story of a missing child and how she's come to be cared for.

First Line: "Three times a bridesmaid, never a bride.'
That's just what my younger sister said about me–-in front of our engaged cousins, no less." (1)

Last Line: "Three times a bridesmaid, never a bride.'
That's just what my younger sister said about me–-in front of our engaged cousins, no less..." (352)
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Quotes

"Although I'd once yearned for a beau and marriage, I'd given up on love." (3)
( )

I know I have mentioned this before, but I am a fan of Amish fiction now- I think it is pure fascination of how an entire community lives near me, and yet I have no idea how they live and get by on a daily basis.

The first book in this series was The Fiddler, and I reviewed it here on the blog a few months ago- Beverly Lewis seems to an expert at cranking books out very quickly- she has a large fan base that buys all of her books, so I suppose that is a good reason to keep putting out many books a year.

I did love the first book in this series, but I struggled a bit with this one. I loved Joanna's character in the Fiddler- and her character didn't change, but I wasn't a fan of Eben. For as much as Joanna and Eben talked on the phone and in letters- they didn't seem to actually communicate with each other. I felt that Eben was lacking a bit in the story hero that I enjoy. This was a very short book compared to Lewis' other novels, and it felt a bit like a novella.

There was an entire second storyline of Joanna and her sister and Joanna's writing- I felt like this was never "tied up" at the end of the book. I have no idea what happened- was she still allowed to write? Did she and her sister get along better? All in all this was an enjoyable read, but this is not a Lewis book that I will revisit. ( )

Joanna Kurtz has been in several weddings, but never a bride herself. She is a closet writer whose stories aren't her only secret. Eben wants to marry Joanna;however, he is having a hard timed leaving his parent's farm in Indiana.

Lighthearted inspirational romance. Beverly Lewis does not disappoint with her Amish fiction series. The ending feels a bit rushed, and the book could have been a few chapters longer. All in all, a good story! ( )