The Bridesmaid by Beverly Lewis is the second in her Home to Hickory Hollow series, and some characters are in both books, but each can easily be understood alone.

Joanna Kurtz is close to suffering from the old cliche, “Always a bridesmaid, never a bride.” She is 24, which by her community’s standard sets her in danger of being an old maid, and there are no prospects of a suitor in site. But an out-of-town trip for a relative’s funeral leads to a meeting with Eben Troyer, a young Amish man near her age.

The two hit it off immediately, but their relationship is beset my many problems. Besides living in different states and only communicating by letter and an every-other-week phone call, Eben is responsible for helping his father on the farm. The farm would go by rights to his younger brother, Leroy, but Leroy is off “in the world,” getting higher education and learning to fly planes, both taboo to the Amish. All of Eben’s hopes are tied up in Leroy’s coming “back to the fold,” which humanly speaking does not look likely.

Joanna has a semi-secret hobby: she loves to write stories. While not expressly forbidden, it is frowned upon. When news of it reaches the bishop’s ear, he pays a visit to warn her against it. Innocently she asks about the difference between writing stories and telling them, as there are famed Amish story-tellers, but she is threatened with shunning if her impertinence continues. If Joanna is in trouble with her bishop, that would not only affect her own life and her family, but it would likely prevent her from being able to move out of state as well.

Just as these problems  and others for Joanna and Eben come to a head, another young man from Joanna’s community, who seemed undesirable before, begins to show her attention, and she wonders whether God might be leading her toward him.

A relative gives Joanna a quilt stitched by her namesake, and as Joanna learns the story behind the quilt, it inspires her to trust the Lord for her future.

I enjoyed this story and Joanna’s journey. I especially appreciated that in this series, each plot wraps up instead of being held over until the sequel. I always enjoy Beverly’s books. There is something cozy about them, and I admire the industriousness and gentleness of the Amish women. Beverly does not gloss over the problems the Amish face, though, especially the legalism that varies from church to church. I’m looking forward to the next book in the series in April.

In The Discovery by Dan Walsh, famous author Gerard Warner has just passed away. Though well-loved, he was reclusive, not allowing photographs of himself on his book covers, only granting print interviews, never going on book tours. No one knew him like his family, especially his grandson, Michael, who is also an aspiring author.

At the reading of the will, the family members discover that they are each now ridiculously wealthy, and Michael has been willed his grandfather’s beautiful home in Charleston, SC. Michael can begin in earnest now to pursue his own dreams of writing.

In his grandfather’s office Michael discovers a previously unpublished manuscript from his grandfather along with a note indicating that he had intended for Michael to find it. As Michael becomes engrossed in the WWII spy novel, he begins to realize the impact this book will have on his family. And since his grandfather’s manuscript is published as a book within this book, readers can follow along as well.

I can’t say too much more about the plot without spoiling it, and some readers may be able to figure out the main thrust of it just from these few words. But even though I figured things out way before Michael did, this was still a very intriguing read.

My only real criticism of the book is that the spiritual truth in it comes through a character who is a part of what I would consider to be a works-based denomination (though one is not saved by denomination but by personal repentance and faith in Christ). This is the second book in which Walsh has done that. I wouldn’t have a problem with it if this was a secular novel, but in Christian fiction I am dismayed to see such lines blurred.

But overall I really enjoyed the story. Charleston is one of my all-time favorite cities, and I loved the scenes there. The dilemma that Ben, the character in Gerard’s manuscript, finds himself in is heart-wrenching, and  making sacrifices for one you love is displayed on several levels.

Rare Earth by Davis Bunn is the sequel to The Lion of Babylon (linked to my review), but it could easily be read as a stand-alone book.

A former operative for State department, Marc Royce drops into the middle of a crisis in Africa under cover as the employee of Lodestone, a for-profit U. S. company contracted to bring in emergency supplies. A volcano near the border between Kenya and Uganda has erupted onto land “already devastated by drought, famine, and civil war.”

It’s just a bit confusing at first because as readers we don’t know what Marc’s real mission is, why people react negatively to him at first, and what the reasons are for the tensions among different people. But we trust all will come to light soon, and we are rewarded.

And since “rare earth” is in the title and the back-of-the-book description, it is not a spoiler to say that the minerals called by that name are the prize for which someone has been exploiting the area. An aide is missing, many villagers have been forced from their land, and something seems fishy within Lodestone. But discerning what is actually going on, whom to trust, and how to help the situation are reasons Marc has been called in.

This book is well written, the characters are fully rounded, the story is suspenseful, and an area unfamiliar to most is well-described. For those who are familiar with the TV program 24, Marc is much like what I imagine Jack Bauer would be if he was a Christian. 🙂 The latter part of the book is a bit heavy on the hero accolades for me, but otherwise it was an engaging read.

For those who like book trailers, here is the one for Rare Earth: