About the Book

Book Title: Priscilla’s Escape

Author: Diane Craver

Genre: Amish Romance, Contemporary

Release date: March 23, 2018

When faith and freedom collide, mistakes made in the past may decide the future.

Twenty-year-old Priscilla King is unsure about joining the Amish Church and wants to use her rumspringa freedom to paint beach landscapes. She’s been offered a two-month-long nanny position in Siesta Key, Florida by an author on a tight writing deadline. The opportunities presented are more than a little tempting for Priscilla, even if it means disappointing her parents and leaving her new boyfriend. 

Stephen Hertzler grew up in an Amish family, but, like Priscilla, he’s undecided about joining the church. He loves Priscilla and wants to marry her, though he knows she’s not ready to decide about anything other than her summer plans. His biggest worry is that she’ll meet someone else in Florida and forget him. 

When Priscilla’s parents sabotage her part-time job at a local fabric store to dissuade her from following a “worldly lifestyle” in taking the nanny position in Florida, Priscilla is distraught. She knows she would regret not taking this chance. Leaving a note, she sneaks out in disobedience of her parents’ wishes. 

Free to paint, dreams she’s never fully envisioned before seem within reach…but at what price? 

About the Author

Diane grew up on a farm outside Findlay, Ohio, and she often acted out characters from her own stories in the backyard. In high school Diane would read during classes and hide a novel in front of her in a propped-up textbook. After her high school graduation, she attended Ohio State University. Then Diane became a schoolteacher and play director. She met her husband while teaching at an orphanage, and they married three years later. It took her that long to convince him she was the one for him! While raising their family in southwestern Ohio, Diane started writing nonfiction and was published. Later she decided it would be a nice escape to write fiction. Diane was blessed with five daughters and one son. Two daughters were born with Down syndrome and live with Diane and her husband. Their other children live close by in Ohio so that’s wonderful. They also have four precious grandchildren. Diane published through a variety of houses. Several years ago, she decided to self-publish her books, so requested the rights back to her previously published stories. From the beginning, she enjoyed self-publishing her Amish romances. Diane gives thanks to God daily for her many blessings.

Guest Post from Diane

Hello, Reader Friends,

Priscilla’s Escape is Book 3 in The Bishop’s Daughters Series. This story features Priscilla King, and she is the fourth child born to Amos and Lillian King. You may remember meeting Priscilla in my Dreams of Plain Daughters Series. After I finished writing this series, I decided to continue to write about the Amish and English characters living in Fields Corner, Ohio. They became family and real to me.

The King family have six children with only one son. That is like our Craver family because we have five daughters and one son. Through the years, our family has faced certain challenges with two daughters being born with Down syndrome. Although Priscilla doesn’t have any siblings with special needs, she feels overlooked in her family. It’s like she’s invisible to her parents, especially to her father. He doesn’t understand her passion for painting but favors Molly’s talent for quilting. Everyone needs a cheerleader in their corner at times, and Priscilla is no different. Fortunately, her new boyfriend, Stephen, listens to her dream to paint beach pictures. He even understands her desire to wait to join the church.

All families suffer some type of hardships. It does seem like some more than others. A family’s faith in God gives them hope in their daily lives. Whatever the level of the pain, staying close to God and listening to his voice, gives us the strength to survive. The King family have their share of tragedies, but their faith reminds steadfast. When Priscilla leaves their close-knit unit, they all reach out to her by letter and phone calls. Her siblings even tell their father that he needs to share his secret with Priscilla.

I hope you will enjoy reading Priscilla’s Escape. There is a lot happening in the King family, so you can catch up with your favorite romantic couples in this novel. If you love going to the beach as much as I do, I think you’ll love reading about Priscilla’s beach experiences – some are good, and others are not.

In many of the Amish books I read, rumspinga is usually done in the teen years. This book was refreshing because it features a young woman in her twenties who has decided to explore the English world at an older age. I loved getting to know Priscilla and how she struggles with joining the church. It was surprising to learn that her dad was the Bishop. Her parents wanted her to  join but knew she needed to do it with the right heart. 

The Amish are not prideful and don't like to brag about their skills or trades. Priscilla is a very gifted artist but for some reason her dad wants her to stop painting. I could feel the pain it caused her when her dad disapproved of her art. Priscilla has always wanted her dad's approval and has felt she isn't as loved as her other siblings.  

When Priscilla is offered an opportunity to go to Florida for a few months as a nanny, I think she took the job to explore what was out there and also to find a little distance from her parents. I was very surprised in how she left and knew she was being rebellious. The author let readers glimpse how Amish can do things that hurt others like Priscilla did to her family. Can she make amends for leaving the way she did?

I really enjoyed her time in Florida and how free she felt to paint while there. She makes a special bond with the child she is watching and I loved how she seemed to fit in right away with the family. She misses her family and especially a special person that she has deep feelings for.

Stephen was such a joy to read about. He is also struggling with joining the church and has grown to care for Priscilla.  His visit to Florida to see her was very well written. I love how supportive they are for each other. When an unexpected opportunity arises for Priscilla to show case her art, will she accept the offer? She is concerned how her dad especially will feel about displaying her work in public. One of the best parts of the book is when Priscilla's dad makes a phone call to her. It is emotional, opens old wounds and will change things between father and daughter. 

I loved how the author has a story that touches on forgiveness, acceptance and faith. I do wish I had read the previous books in this series to be familiar when some of the characters. This book is written well enough that it didn't stop me from enjoying a beautifully written story.

I received a copy of this book from Celebrate Lit. The review is my own opinion.

Blog Stops

The Becca Files, September 22

The Avid Reader, September 22

Vicky Sluiter, September 23

Truth and Grace Homeschool Academy, September 23

D’S QUILTS & BOOKS, September 24

Mary Hake, September 24

God’s Little Bookworm, September 25

Splashes of Joy, September 25

Because I said so – adventures in Parenting, September 26

Inklings and notions, September 26

Maureen’s Musings, September 27

Luv’N Lambert Life, September 27

KarenSueHadley, September 28

Quiet Quilter, September 29

proud to be an autism mom, September 29

Bibliophile Reviews, September 30

Not Enough Time for Books, October 1

Carpe Diem, October 1

Blogging With Carol, October 2

A Baker’s Perspective, October 2

Texas Book-aholic, October 3

Janices book reviews, October 4

Debbie’s Dusty Deliberations, October 5

Bigreadersite, October 5

Giveaway

To celebrate her tour, Diane is giving a grand prize that includes a $25 Amazon Gift Card & The Bishop’s Daughters: A Three Book Collection – Amish Baby Snatched, A Plain Widow, and Priscilla’s Escape (paperback or eBook)!!

Be sure to comment on the blog stops for nine extra entries into the giveaway! Click the link below to enter. https://promosimple.com/ps/d35a/priscilla-s-escape-celebration-tour-giveaway