"along wooded paths" by tricia goyer

Along Wooded Paths is book two in author Tricia Goyer’s Big Sky series. In book one, Beside Still Waters, Marianna Sommer and her family moved to West Kootenai, Montana, to get away from the pain—pain of losing two children before Marianna’s birth, and pain of losing another child to Englisch ways. In West Kootenai, Marianna was surprised to find Englisch and Amish living in the same community … as friends. As the Sommer family settled into their new life, Marianna began to find a real, living faith. She also found friendship—and maybe more—with Englischer Ben. In Along Wooded Paths, Marianna’s faith continues to grow, as does her relationship with Ben. But when her Amish friend Aaron arrives at her house, Marianna is conflicted. Loving Ben would mean abandoning the Amish way of life, while Aaron represents stability and familiarity. Marianna’s heart is torn between her love for Ben and her desire to respect her family. No matter her decision, she’s sure to hurt someone—can she trust God to show her the path to take?

My take: About five pages into this book, I got mad—mad because I knew Marianna would not make the choices I wanted her to make. And I was right. Along Wooded Paths does not end where I wanted it to end, but that’s okay—because that means Goyer has another book to write in the series! In all my Amish fiction reading (and it’s been a lot recently), I’ve never encountered a series I enjoyed so much. I loved Beside Still Waters (see my review here), and Along Wooded Paths is equally compelling. Marianna’s journey of faith—as she realizes she can have a personal relationship with God, learns to care for others (even the Englischers who live in her town), and begins to understand that you don’t have to be Amish to be saved—is one not often represented in Amish fiction. While I didn’t always agree with Marianna’s decisions, I understood why she made them; at the same time, I hope things come to a satisfying resolution in the third book—not only for Marianna and Ben, but also for Marianna’s parents (her father seems to be inching away from the Amish way of life while her mother believes it is the only “true” way) and her Uncle Ike, who clearly is in love with Englischer Annie.

I can’t recommend this book highly enough (just keep in mind, you really do need to read Beside Still Waters first), and I await the next book’s release with baited breath! Along Wooded Paths is definitely a 5-star read! Even if you’re skeptical of Amish fiction, you should give Goyer’s series a chance!

You can read an excerpt here, buy the book here, and see what other bloggers are saying here.

About the author:Tricia Goyer is the author of thirty books including Songbird Under a German Moon, The Swiss Courier, and the mommy memoir, Blue Like Play Dough. She won Historical Novel of the Year in 2005 and 2006 from ACFW, and was honored with the Writer of the Year award from Mt. Hermon Writer's Conference in 2003. Tricia's book Life Interrupted was a finalist for the Gold Medallion in 2005. In addition to her novels, Tricia writes non-fiction books and magazine articles for publications like MomSense and Thriving Family. Tricia is a regular speaker at conventions and conferences, and has been a workshop presenter at the MOPS (Mothers of Preschoolers) International Conventions. She and her family make their home in Little Rock, Arkansas where they are part of the ministry of FamilyLife. For more about Tricia and her other books visit www.triciagoyer.com.

About the giveaway: Come to a Facebook Party and Live Author Chat! Tricia is celebrating the release of Along Wooded Paths with a fabulous Facebook party on October 18th. She'll be giving away prizes and a sneak peak at the next book in the Big Sky series. Then during the second half of the party she'll be hosting a LIVE AUTHOR CHAT on her website and announcing something BIG! Click the button (below) to RSVP for the party - then go here to sign up for the Live Author Chat.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from Litfuse Publicity Group. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. 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."