Barbara has mentioned some of the people is this book in previous books but in no way, shape or form does it take away from this story.

Mary Katherine has moved out of her parents home and lives with her grandmother. She and her father seemed to have a few issues. While living with her grandmother she works at her grandmother's quilt shop with her cousins - Anna and Naomi.

Her friend, Jacob, starts to show an interest in her but she is not interested. She thinks the English world looks appealing. She makes it very clear to Jacob they can only be friends. Then others come into the picture, jealously breaks out and things change.
Mary Katherine also has to deal with going back home and taking care of her mother when her mother becomes ill.
There is a lot of growth in Mary Katherine in this book and I am guessing the next one will deal with the cousins and we caught a few glipses of things to examine going forward. ( )

Her Restless Heart – Mary Katherine’s Decision!

Mary Katherine was fed up living at home with her controlling Father; besides being controlling her Father was never satisfied with anything Mary Katherine did. There wasn’t any way of pleasing her unbearable Father. When she couldn’t stand it at home any longer she moved in with her Grandmother Leah and works in her Grandmother’s shop called Stitches in Time. Mary Katherine loves her life working in her Grandmother’s shop. She also loves to weave and enjoys coming up with her own designs using textures of cotton, wool, and silk.

Mary Katherine’s cousins Naomi and Anna works in her Grandmother’s shop too. It seems like one happy family. She feels the love from her Grandmother and cousins that she doesn’t feel at home.

Jacob has been a friend of Mary Katherine’s for a long time. Jacob wants more than friendship and hopes to court her. Mary Katherine has told Jacob she isn’t interested in being anything but friends.

Daniel, a long time school friend of Mary Katherine’s and Jacob’s, has come back to Paradise to sell the family farm. Daniel’s family decided to move to Pinecraft, Florida several years ago. Daniel too shows an interest in Mary Katherine and urges her to come visit him in Florida.

To the dismay of her parents and grandmother Mary Katherine hasn’t joined the church yet. Her heart is restless and she doesn’t know where she belongs. Does she have enough faith in God to trust Him?

Will Mary Katherine leave her Amish upbringing and move toward the English world? Will she go visit Daniel and his family in Florida and end up staying there? Will she fall in love with Jacob and join the church? What will Mary Katherine do to calm her restless heart?

The author takes us through the private life of Mary Katherine and her parents. She shows us a side to Amish families that other Amish fiction authors might not. We are taken into the real life of what happens and does happen in some relationships. I really liked that about this book. We can compare it to our way of living also. Are we really so much different?

This was another great read of Barbara Cameron’s and I loved it from beginning to end. I can’t wait for book 2, Journey of the Heart, to be released. This will be Naomi’s story. I get the feeling there’s a lot going on in Naomi’s life! ( )

Mary Katherine has grown up with a very strict Father, and a Mother who never stood up for herself.
She is now living with her Grandmother, and loving being there, and working in the shop with her cousins.
Mary Katherine is weaving what she wants to sell, and is in conflict with the Bishop. He wants her to stop making such English goods, and to join the Church.
Because of her upbringing she has a lot of doubts, and wonders about the English world. She has a long time friendship with Jacob, and Daniel, and her English friend Jamie.
Love the interaction between Leah, the Grandmother and the cousins, Mary Katherine, Naomi, and Anna. You will wonder if this will be enough to hold her here, or will she go to Florida with Daniel?
You will enjoy having Tea with these great people, and interacting with Jacob. A really good read, and can't wait for the next book in this series.

I was provided with a copy of this book Abingdon Press, and was not required to give a positive review. ( )

Sometimes the words we speak can hurt people worse than any physical pain we can inflict on them. That's just what is happening to Mary Katherine. Finding solace and a place to heal her emotions and her heart and find the love she needs from family, she works for her Grandmother Leah at her store, Stitches in Time, along with her cousins Naomi and Anna. Her father is more than just mean and abrasive to her, he's also been that way to her mother. No longer able to tolerate his unkind words, and avoiding speaking out against her father, she leaves. She's the only child of her parents and finds it difficult that her father can treat her so cruel.

Perhaps that's why Mary Katherine has been avoiding falling in love with those Amish boys who seem to gather around her, most recently Jacob, a young man she grew up with and went to school with. However, Mary Katherine can only see him as the friend she grew up with even though it's obvious to everyone else that Jacob has more than friendly feelings for her. Yet with Mary Katherine still undecided on whether she wants to commit to the church just yet, she spends some time getting to know what she really wants out of life.

Her best friend is an English girl named Jamie, whose outrageous hair and clothing styles, have most of the Amish church community frowning. Thinking that this will only encourage Mary Katherine to leave the Amish community, more and more of the elders and bishop continue to pressure her to make a decision and soon. They are even going so far as to criticize her weaving creations and quilts for sale at Stitches In Time saying she is moving away from the Amish traditions.

In her latest series of Amish books, Stitches in Time, Barbara Cameron is introducing the readers to a new cast of characters in the first book, Her Restless Heart. In this book, all three girls are seeking the love and attention of men in their lives and it seems like only Grandmother Leah has just the right advice to dispense over a cup of hot tea. Ah how we all wish we had a grandmother like her. Unwilling to push and pressure to make the woman face their difficult choices ahead, Leah merely provides a willing ear to listen while they pour out their feelings. Deep down inside she can only pray they will come to make the right decision in the end.

I received Her Restless Heart compliments of Christian Fiction Blog Alliance and I can see why so many readers are now her fans of her Amish series. She writes them so well readers can not only relate to the characters but more importantly to the story and issues the characters are dealing with. I, myself, can completely relate to Mary Katherine, having an emotionally abusive father growing up. I can relate to her feeling less than worthy and dealing with a lifetime of self esteem issues never seeing herself as good enough, even in God's eyes. I found healing in hearing not only the advice from Leah but also in Jacob's kindness as her friend. This book does provide needed healing to restless hearts everywhere and I highly recommend this one with a 5 out of 5 stars! ( )

Good Amish Love Story

The single child in an Amish family with, Mary Katherine moved into town to live with her grandmother and work at her shop to get away from her domineering father. Jacob a local Amish man wants to court Mary Katherine, but she has some problems to work out, so Jacob agrees to be friends. Then, Daniel, another Amish man from Florida, turns up. Mary Katherine has to choose whether to join the church or not, but problems come up at the store, then when her mother has a heart attack, Mary Katherine has to move back home. Mary Katherine has to find her way through her problems, making choices that will affect the rest of her life.

This is a great Amish love story, not too sweet, with enough twists to keep it interesting. It is always interesting to read about the Amish way of life, and this is an interesting example of some of the difficulties they face. the characters have enough depth to keep the story interesting, and the troubles ring true.

Received Galley from NetGalley.com ( )