In book three of the Mifflin County Mystery series, Rosa Petersheim’s return creates more hurt and confusion in the Big Valley.
Two years since Rosa Petersheim mysteriously disappeared from her Amish home, there has been no word from her. Her family and friends have suffered in the silence, though they have tried to move on with life.
Then one day Rosa just as suddenly reappears at her parent’s home. . .with a husband in tow.
Rosa is ashamed of the choices she made that caused her to leave home. And now that she is back, her father is not welcoming and her siblings and friends want explanations that she can’t give.
Will Rosa’s family accept her and Anthony? Can the Big Valley ever be home again?
MY REVIEW
This is probably one of the best books the author has written. Deceit has a way of being revealed and in this case it causes an avalanche of hurt. I really liked how the author illustrates how a lie can have lasting effects on people. We think that if we hide something it will not be found out. Rosa has been estranged from her family for awhile. Being in New York working as a waitress is so different from how she was raised. No one knows that she is Amish but soon that secret will be found out. What will her family’s reaction be when she reappears on her family’s doorstep after two years?
Anthony is a gifted chef who works at his father’s restaurant. He is happy and content until Rosa springs something on him. He is willing to help Rosa when she asks first help. His life is turned upside down when he travels with her back to her family’s home. What a shock it is to find out Rosa is Amish. Thinking that he is helping Rosa he agrees to pretend they are married. Oh my will this backfire on them.
There is another character in the story that really stood out to me. Rosa’s sister Susan is jealous of her and is not happy when she comes back home. Susan is bitter and has a way of spreading lies. I did feel bad for Susan because she is very insecure. We can find ourselves being bitter when we are unhappy with our own lives. Can Susan find a way to repent and find unconditional love?
What is evident in the story is the importance of listening to God. We all sin, but need to ask for forgiveness. I love how Anthony starts to want a relationship with God. Nothing happens by accident and when he finds something special in his baggage, his heart is softened. Beautiful message of letting go of the past shows how God can restore joy. I loved how the author uses scriptures in the story and weaves a touching story of redemption, restoring and rejoicing.
“God’s truth will always win out.”
I received a copy of this book from the publisher and the author. The review is my own opinion.
Marlee and Marshall are now students at the Professional Outdoor Guides School where Sawyer just graduated. Meanwhile, Lydie is busy training a search-and-rescue dog. In this special edition with seven search-and-rescue stories, the Off the Itinerary characters face new adventures (and misadventures). Adrenaline is high as Marlee faces her fears in a cave rescue, a helicopter evacuation, a swift water rescue, and more! Will Marlee trust that her misadventures are part of a greater plan? If you loved Avalanche, Chased, and Ablaze, you won’t want to miss this collection of short stories.
Liz is the author of the Off the Itinerary series, the wife of a professional tree climber, and the homeschooling mom of three energetic and laundry-producing children. Liz once spent a summer in Colorado teaching rock climbing, which she believes was a fantastic way to make money and memories. She resides with her family in Wisconsin, where they enjoy hiking and rock climbing. Liz and her husband have also backpacked in Colorado and the Grand Canyon, which have provided inspiration for her writing. She makes adventurous stories to encourage others to find adventures and expand their comfort zones (though admittedly, she still needs lots of practice expanding her own comfort zone).
Kelly J. Goshorn weaves her affinity for history and her passion for God into uplifting stories of love, faith, and family set in nineteenth century America. Her debut novel, A Love Restored, won the Director’s Choice Award for Adult/YA fiction at the Blue Ridge Mountain Christian Writers Conference in 2019, and earned recognition as both a Selah Award finalist in the Historical Romance category and as a Maggie Award Finalist for Inspirational Fiction. When she is not writing, Kelly enjoys spending time with her young adult children, binge-watching BBC period dramas, board gaming with her husband, and spoiling her Welsh corgi, Levi.
To celebrate her tour, Kelly is giving away the grand prize of a $25 Amazon e-Gift card and a print copy of the book!!
For Patrick Doyle, the claim that time heals all wounds is a cruel lie.
Known for the inspirational Celtic theme employed in most of her books, Cindy Thomson writes both fiction and nonfiction and has published more than a dozen books. She is co-founder of the Faith & Fellowship Book Festival, vice president of the Mordecai Brown Legacy Foundation, frequent creative writing teacher at Thurber House, and a genealogy researcher. Her love of history inspires everything she writes. When she’s not minding grandbabies, she writes from her home in central Ohio where she lives with her husband Tom.
He turned his back on God a long time ago. But God never forgot him.
D. T. Powell has loved stories since before she can remember, and it was one of those stories that God used to change her life and prompt her to start writing. In addition to writing book reviews for a magazine as well as original contemporary and speculative fiction, she has actively contributed to the fanfiction community since 2013. Her original work has been published by Writers Digest, Clean Fiction Magazine, Twenty Hills Publishing, The Order of the Pen Press, Worldsmyths, and Cadence Writing. She enjoys reading, playing pickleball, and playing an occasional video game. You can find her online as dtill359.