(This post may contain affiliate links. Click here to read my full disclosure policy) Be sure to read all the way down for a sweet giveaway! This giveaway has ended. Congratulations to Lori M. for winning!
Before my son was even conceived (or adopted), I began writing a journal of letters to him. Because our journey to become parent took several years, it was really just a cathartic way for me to get through all of the infertility tests and treatments.
After Ben was born, I continued writing letters to him in this journal, believing that one day he would want to read not only the story of how he came to be a part of our family, but also how having him in our lives changed me. The letters have become few and far between over the years, but after reading Tricia Goyer’s latest work of Amish fiction, I am inspired to write more.
About The Promise Box:
Book Two in the Seven Brides for Seven Bachelors Series
Every year, young Amish men descend on the cozy little town of West Kootenai, Montana, arriving in the spring to live there for six months and receive ‘resident’ status for the hunting season in the fall. They arrive as bachelors, but go home with brides! In The Promise Box, the second book of best-selling author Tricia Goyer’s Seven Brides for Seven Bachelors series, Lydia Wyse, a book editor from Seattle who grew up Amish, returns to the small community of West Kootenai to give comfort to her father after her mother’s death. She is drawn back to the familiar Amish ways after finding her mother’s most precious possession, a Promise Box of prayers and scripture. What her publisher sees, though, is an opportunity for a sensational ‘tell-all’ book about the Amish. Lydia soon finds herself falling in love with Amish bachelor Gideon Hooley. She wants nothing more than to forget her past and look forward to a future as an Amish bride. But will the pain of her childhood—and her potential betrayal of her community—keep her from committing her whole heart?
My Review:
After reading The Memory Jar and realizing that it was the first book in a series of seven, I could hardly wait for next installment, The Promise Box. It was completely worth the wait!
Tricia Goyer has the unique gift of giving her readers a glimpse into the lives of the Amish in unexpected ways. This time, a young woman, Lydia, is adopted by an infertile Amish couple and raised as their only child. When the details surrounding her adoption are revealed, she leaves the Amish community as a young adult, working as a book editor in Seattle. She sheepishly returns to the Amish community for her mother’s funeral.
While spending time with her father, Lydia is given her mother’s “promise box,” filled with letters written to her only daughter and Scripture filled with promises for her. Fearing she won’t even be accepted back into the fold for the short term, she soon discovers many reasons she may want to stay permanently, including a handsome bachelor in town for the hunting season. As it turns out, Gideon has some healing to do as well.
I fell in love with both of these characters and their stories. Tricia has a way of drawing you in, touching your emotions (yes, I laughed and cried), and making you care about how the story unfolds. Her gift of crafting a story full of little details makes reading everything she writes a true pleasure. She is a master at weaving spiritual truths into the story as well, so that even though this is a work of fiction, you’re left with a bit of spiritual growth yourself in the end.
I really enjoyed the little glimpses into God’s promises revealed as Lydia read through her mem’s words. Her love for her daughter is clear and precious, as is her love for God’s Word.
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I feel the same way about my sweet boy in the photo.
About the Author: Tricia Goyer is the award winning author of over thirty books including Beside Still Waters, Remembering You, and the mommy memoir, Blue Like Play Dough. Tricia is a regular speaker at conventions and conferences and is the host of Living Inspired. She and her family make their home in Little Rock, Arkansas where they are part of the ministry of FamilyLife.
Find out more about Tricia at http://triciagoyer.com.
And now for the giveaway. I have one copy of The Promise Box, along with a copy of the book, The Bible Promise Book.
To enter, simply leaving a comment telling me what promises you hope to pass down to your own children. U.S. residents, at least 18 years of age. Winner will be randomly drawn at noon ET on July 15.
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