Publisher Description:
“When an English family’s dark secrets collide with the Amish, sweet and innocent Emma Byler is caught in the middle of two worlds.
For sixteen years, Jacob Byler kept his daughter Emma sheltered and protected in their Amish community. When a secret becomes too much for him to bear, it drives a wedge in their relationship and threatens to change Emma’s life forever.
When an unexpected relationship with Daniel Miller comes to light, will he be able to remind Emma of her faith and help her deal with the lies that surround her birth? Will the secret change her life forever, and will she be able to forgive as God instructs her to do?”
My Review:
One of the best compliments I can give any book is that after I have finished reading it, I feel as if I had actually come to know the characters and the community. That’s how I felt after finishing this first book in the “Willow Springs” series. Tracy Fredrychowski’s description of the Byler family and the other Willow Springs residents made their characters come to life.
Emma Byler is eagerly looking forward to her sixteenth birthday and the changes that will bring to her life. She’s excited about attending her first Amish youth gathering. But as her birthday draws closer, she senses some tension about her birthday from her parents, especially her father. The secret that her parents have been keeping will change Emma’s life and challenge her faith and in part, their community. It’s an intriguing storyline that will keep you reading to the end of the book to see what choices Emma will make.
I loved following Emma’s story. This book is truly filled with faith, hope, and love. I’m looking forward to reading Book Two in this continuing series about Willow Springs.
I voluntarily received a copy of this book from the author. All opinions are my own.
Purchase your copy here:
About the author:
“Tracy Fredrychowski is a country girl, author, homesteader and everything simple living. She has a passion for writing about the simpler side of life, much like the life she lived growing up in rural Pennsylvania.
Her life has always been intertwined with the Amish, and it’s only fitting that she has a genuine passion for their simplicity, sense of community and God-centered lives.
Growing up in Northwest Pennsylvania she spent her childhood immersed deep in Amish Country. The clip-clop of horse and buggy woke her each morning as Amish men drove past her childhood home on their way to work. As a young woman, she was traumatized by an Amish murder that involved a family member and changed her life forever.
Even though she currently lives in South Carolina her travels take her through Pennsylvania, Ohio, Indiana, and Wisconsin’s Amish Country every year. During those stops, she researches the communities she visits and prides herself on writing Amish fiction that truly represents the Amish culture. She considers herself very fortunate to have made friends in those communities and values the information they share and wants nothing more than to represent their lifestyle as accurately as possible.”