The Bachelor by Stephanie Reed Book Review

 

In this sequel to The Bargain, Betsie Troyer is back home in her Amish community where she knows she belongs, free from the confusing Englisher way of life. She and Charley Yoder have made promises to each other, and her life is back on track--until Gerald Sullivan shows up with his young daughter, asking for Betsie's help. He's on his way to find his estranged wife, and begs Betsie to take young Sheila in.

When she agrees, Betsie's carefully planned life is shaken up again. Sheila's newfound faith is troubling to Charley--and his attraction to another girl is beginning to be a problem. But how can Betsie confront him when she is still trying to confront her own feelings about Sheila's brother, Michael? Keeping the peace between the Amish man she's always loved, a twelve-year-old Englisher girl, and a draft-dodging hippie is more than she ever thought she'd have to deal with in her simple, orderly life. Still, Betsie is convinced she can keep things from falling apart completely.

Then during her best friend's wedding, tragedy strikes and her world is upended. She has to make a decision: does she love Charley or Michael . . . or is she craving a deeper love that only God can give?

The compelling second novel of the Plain City Peace series, The Bachelor deftly weaves together the strands of a solid, simpler time with the turmoil of an era of change, revealing the strengths of both in its powerful narrative.

My Thoughts:

This is the second book in the series. I didn’t read the first book in this series, I was able to follow along easily enough as the author did a fantastic job introducing the characters in a way that I didn’t feel lost. Of course you always get the full picture when you are familiar with the whole series.

Stephanie Reed does a wonderful job with the characters and they feel like they could be your neighbors. I really like Betsie’s character and her heart.

I like the time frame of the story being around the Vietnam War and draft. I like history and it was an interesting plot for me. The main theme that stood out to me is that you must come to God like a child. The salvation message is laid out beautifully within the pages of The Bachelor.

I read a lot of Amish fiction and it is delightful when you can’t predict what will happen next. I thought I knew how the story would play out at times and was a bit surprised with it. The end of the story is a good one but makes you eagerly waiting for the third book in the series.

 

Disclaimer: I provided a copy of this book from Kregel Publication for free in order to write this review. All thoughts and opinions are mine and were not subject to editing from the publisher.