Monday, May 20, 2013

"the promise box" by tricia goyer

About the book: 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 take: The Promise Box is book two in Tricia Goyer's Seven Brides for Seven Bachelors series, but you certainly do not need to have read book one, The Memory Jar, first. If you have read The Memory Jar, you'll recognize some of the characters in The Promise Box ... and if you've read Goyer's "Big Sky" series, then you're really in for a treat, as the Sommer family from that series makes a return appearance here.

I really enjoyed reading The Promise Box ... and not just because I got to check back in with some characters from Goyer's other novels! The Promise Box is all about finding out who God made you to be. For Lydia, that meant coming to terms with the circumstances of her birth and embracing the Amish community. It also meant embracing the God she had long forsaken. Lydia recognizes that she could love God and have a vital relationship with Him as an Englischer, but she feels God calling her back to the Amish. And that—the focus on God, rather than the idealization of the Amish lifestyle—is what makes Goyer's Amish books different from so many others currently on the market.

I'm a big fan of Goyer's writing, and I'm happy to say that The Promise Box lives up to her standards. 4-1/2 stars.

Buy the book.
See my reviews of Goyer's The Memory Jar, Beside Still Waters, Along Wooded Paths, Remembering You, By the Light of the Silvery Moon, Love Finds You in Glacier Bay, Alaska, and Chasing Mona Lisa.
Watch the book trailer:


About the author: Tricia Goyer is a busy mom of six, grandmother of one, and wife to John. Somewhere around the hustle and bustle of family life, she manages to find the time to write fictional tales delighting and entertaining readers and non-fiction titles offering encouragement and hope.

A bestselling author, Tricia has published thirty-three books to date and has written more than 500 articles. She is a two-time Carol Award winner, as well as a Christy and ECPA Award Nominee. In 2010, she was selected as one of the Top 20 Moms to Follow on Twitter by SheKnows.com. Tricia is also on the blogging team at MomLifeToday.com, TheBetterMom.com and other homeschooling and Christian sites.

In addition to her roles as mom, wife and author, Tricia volunteers around her community and mentors teen moms. She is the founder of Hope Pregnancy Ministries in Northwestern Montana, and she currently leads a Teen MOPS Group in Little Rock, AR. Tricia, along with a group of friends, recently launched NotQuiteAmishLiving.com, sharing ideas about simplifying life. She also hosts the weekly radio podcast, Living Inspired. Learn more about Tricia at www.triciagoyer.com.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I am a member of Tricia Goyer's 2013 Fiction Launch Team and received a free copy of this book for review. I was not required to give a positive review, and the opinions expressed are my own. Also, some of the links in the post above are “affiliate links.” This means if you click on the link and purchase the item, I will receive an affiliate commission. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

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