About the Book

Book: Remain True: Amana

Author: Thomas Nye

Genre: Christian Romance

Release Date: January 31, 2023

Rebounding from a failed relationship, Author Timothy Hayes escapes to the beautiful Amana Colonies to begin a new life. Smalltown Iowa, during the 2020 pandemic, proves lax with social distancing. Social awkwardness, however, is at an all-time high as a host of quirky neighbors crowd Tim’s personal space. Tim’s pug must go for walks which opens the door for adorable children, annoying neighbor men, old ladies who want to tell their life story, and a matchmaker set on “fixing Tim up.” Several attractive young women emerge as contenders for Tim’s heart. A woman twice his age infatuates him with her magical gift of storytelling. Remain True is a dual timeline. Tim’s life in 2020 becomes interwoven with the storyteller’s history, resulting in a surprising singular conclusion. No matter what happens in life, God will Remain True.

 

Click here to get your copy!

 

About the Author

Thomas Nye, author of the beloved Amish Horses Series, writes romance novels with an Historical flare and a touch of humor. He and his wife live on an acreage her grandparents bought in 1918. They have five grown children, nine grandchildren, and a team of draft horses. Their home is situated between an Amish community and the Amana Colonies, a perfect location to inspire his writing.

More from Thomas

Most of us have experienced some dark episodes in this life. How do we find our way back into hope and sunshine? My wife and I have been married for almost 43 years, but about halfway through we were separated for 4 months. The storyline of Remain True has almost nothing in common with the details of my dark time. The difficult emotions and subsequent hopefulness of God’s graceful intervention led me to write this novel.  

For Timothy Hayes, life has become incredibly dark. In the opening scene we find him reluctantly removing his wedding band and placing it in a miniature, coffin-like box. To make matters worse, Tim’s personal struggle coincides with the heaviness of the Coronavirus outbreak. His will to live is shrinking. Tim visited the Amana Colonies ten years earlier and thought of the villages as a hauntingly beautiful getaway where he could sulk.  

God has another plan. 

Small town Iowa is not the place to isolate, even during Covid, as it proves an epic failure in social distancing. Social awkwardness, however, is at an all-time high as a host of quirky neighbors invade Tim’s personal space and refuse to allow him any opportunity to submerge into depression.  

I hope those who read Remain True will be able to relate with Tim’s struggle enough to rejoice with him as God provides a ray of sunshine during his darkest hour. 

My wife and I found hope and restoration and are looking forward to our 43rd anniversary. We thoroughly enjoy grandparenting our 9 grandchildren (and counting) together. God is good!  

MY REVIEW 

The story starts off  during 2020 when COVID ran rampant and many  lives were lost. I never thought I would witness  a pandemic where masks were mandatory and places were closed down. The lockdown in many states caused people to become isolated and feeling alone. 

Timothy is our lead character who has moved to a small town in Iowa during  the pandemic. He faces the loss of a relationship and hopes to start over in this new place. The people he meets are quirky, friendly or sometimes mysterious. His dog is a hit with everyone which draws people to Timothy. 

I loved that  this is a dual time line story as the author  transports readers back to a place where a simpler way of live existed. I loved how the author is very descriptive as I could see the story unfold of who used to live  in Timothy’s home. I didn’t expect to be emotional right away as an unexpected tragedy occurred. We learn of the Amanda traditions such as when someone dies, the relatives walk behind the horse  and wagon where the  body has been placed . It seemed like forever as the procession went on for a long  time. 

I adored the older woman who told  Timothy the story of the history of his home. It was like walking back in time as we heard a gentle voice direct us to each new part of the story. Oma has a sweet spirit around her and I began to become invested in Blondie as she grieved the loss of her baby sister. 

There are many interesting characters that make this story nice to read. Chuckles is funny and would be someone I would love to meet. He is one of those people who never met a stranger. He has a bigger  than life personality and a big heart. Oh my Blondie is definitely my favorite character. Her contagious curiosity gets her into adventures and I loved being a shadow in her life. The joy of being a child was so perfectly portrayed by the author. I can’t wait to see where her story would go. 

I did think it was a great idea for Tim to use Blondie’s story to make into a book. The problem  is I don’t  think everyone was excited about his manuscript. The lessons from Blondie’s story is emotional at times. I liked when Tim asked Oma why she was telling him about a romance between two eight year olds. Her response was, “ Children’s emotions are every bit as real as adults.” I wonder how many times we have ignored the feeling a child expresses?” That rejection can have some unsettling consequences if we don’t acknowledge that  they are important and we understand how they feel. 

The story has a great faith thread and I loved when this was said; “You must always be true to who you are and what you believe, no matter what others do to you or what they say.”  This is such a powerful statement that I had  to write it down in my journal. We need to stop worrying about what others think of us, and turn to God and trust Him with everything. 

There is so much I want to share but I need to stop here. Readers,  this story is one that touches on some sensitive subjects, but the author does it in a way where God is there to comfort and redeem those who need it. The ending is wonderful and reminds us that, “God made a way to bring restoration and healing.” 

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

Blog Stops

Book Reviews From an Avid Reader, November 6

Babbling Becky L’s Book Impressions, November 7

Debbie’s Dusty Deliberations, November 8

Lighthouse Academy Blog, November 9 (Guest Review from Marilyn Ridgway)

Texas Book-aholic, November 10

Locks, Hooks and Books, November 11

Truth and Grace Homeschool Academy, November 12

Abba’s Prayer Warrior Princess, November 13

lakesidelivingsite, November 14

Happily Managing a Household of Boys, November 15

Artistic Nobody, November 16 (Author Interview)

Exploring the Written Word, November 16

For Him and My Family, November 17

Pause for Tales, November 18

Tell Tale Book Reviews, November 19 (Author Interview)

Mary Hake, November 19

Giveaway

To celebrate his tour, Thomas is giving away the grand prize of a $50 Amazon gift card!!

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/28d2e/remain-true-celebration-tour-giveaway