Her Characters Are Real ~ The Mercy by Beverly Lewis ~ Review

This week, the Christian Fiction Blog Alliance is introducing The Mercy Bethany House (September 6, 2011) by Beverly Lewis

ABOUT THE AUTHOR: 

Beverly's first venture into adult fiction is the best-selling trilogy, The Heritage of Lancaster County, including The Shunning, a suspenseful saga of Katie Lapp, a young Amish woman drawn to the modern world by secrets from her past. The book is loosely based on the author's maternal grandmother, Ada Ranck Buchwalter, who left her Old Order Mennonite upbringing to marry a Bible College student. One Amish-country newspaper claimed Beverly's work to be "a primer on Lancaster County folklore" and offers "an insider's view of Amish life."


Booksellers across the country, and around the world, have spread the word of Beverly's tender tales of Plain country life. A clerk in a Virginia bookstore wrote, "Beverly's books have a compelling freshness and spark. You just don't run across writing like that every day. I hope she'll keep writing stories about the Plain people for a long, long time."


A member of the National League of American Pen Women, as well as a Distinguished Alumnus of Evangel University, Lewis has written over 80 books for children, youth, and adults, many of them award-winning. She and her husband, David, make their home in Colorado, where they enjoy hiking, biking, and spending time with their family. They are also avid musicians and fiction "book worms." 


ABOUT THE BOOK

Rose Kauffman pines for prodigal Nick Franco, the Bishop's foster son who left the Amish under a cloud of suspicion after his foster brother's death. His rebellion led to the "silencing" of their beloved Bishop. But is Nick really the rebel he appears to be? Rose's lingering feelings for her wayward friend refuse to fade, but she is frustrated that Nick won't return and make things right with the People. Nick avowed his love for Rose--but will he ever be willing to sacrifice modern life for her?


Meanwhile, Rose's older sister, Hen, is living in her parents' Dawdi Haus. Her estranged "English" husband, injured and helpless after a car accident, has reluctantly come to live with her and their young daughter during his recovery. Can their marriage recover, as well? Is there any possible middle ground between a woman reclaiming her old-fashioned Amish lifestyle and thoroughly modern man?


If you would like to read the first chapter of The Mercy, go HERE.
Watch the book trailer:




My Review:

There is a reason I and so many other readers love Beverly Lewis: her characters are real. Whenever I open the pages of one of her books, I am whisked away into a story and characters that jump to life before my eyes.

            In the conclusion to The Rose Trilogy, “The Mercy” continues and concludes the lives of Rose and Nick, Hen and Brandon and several other secondary characters. I loved seeing so many of these beloved characters find their happy endings. Hen and Brandon’s story had me especially anxious to see what would come of their marriage. After three books of their struggles, I sighed with happiness at their conclusion.

            Rose’s story was definitely more complicated and as the novel drew to a close I wasn’t sure how it would be wrapped up for a satisfactory ending – without feeling rushed, but the intricacies to her plot were deep and wide. Each moment in the novel is a progression to the ending that was much longed for.

            “The Mercy” and the previous two novels in this series are well-crafted stories, stories that leave me longing for more and the characters that have become friends in the midst of the pages.

            This review is my honest opinion. Thanks to the publishers through CFBA for my copy to review.