01 March 2016

An Unbroken Heart by Kathleen Fuller

★★★★★
An argument. A crash. In an instant, Joanna’s world is changed forever.

One minute, Joanna Schrock was arguing with her parents, and the next, her parents lives were claimed in a hit-and-run buggy accident. Her body is broken, but her heart is in even deeper pain after all, how do you cope with your parents deaths when your last words were spoken in anger?

After an extended stint in a physical rehabilitation center, Joanna re-enters her Amish life. But nothing is the same – not even her feelings for Andrew Beiler.

Joanna has loved Andrew since the age of twelve, and her feelings have not changed throughout the years. She is thrilled when Andrew wants to get married, but she wonders whether it’s love he’s feeling, or pity. As the couple’s wedding date approaches, Joanna isn’t overcome with the deep joy she was hoping to feel; instead, she’s wracked with anxiety and guilt.

Joanna hears God whispering to her, Be strong and courageous, but she’s afraid that courage looks a lot like walking away from her dreams and into the plan of her Heavenly Father.

If Joanna takes the first step toward healing, will it cost her everything she’s ever wanted? Or could God be changing the desires of her heart?

An Unbroken Heart takes Kathleen Fuller’s fans and readers back to Birch Creek and the devastated Schrock family. While A Reluctant Bride focuses on Sadie Schrock, this second Amish of Birch Creek novel spends its pages on one of her younger sisters, Joanna - and her story is a fascinating (and at times, frustrating) one.

A car-buggy accident that kills both of her parents leaves Joanna Schrock injured, scarred, and looking at her life - especially her relationship with Andrew Beiler - a bit differently. As Joanna recovers and heals, she must deal with her insecurities and look to God for guidance, just as Andrew wrestles with the lingering effects of his family’s past. The growth each experiences tests and challenges the childhood friendship-turned-romance between these two (most notably, when they don’t actually communicate with each other), but certainly fills the plot with interesting and intriguing drama. 

Overall, An Unbroken Heart follows up A Reluctant Bride with an enjoyable story that will not leave fans of Amish fiction dissatisfied. I loved this chance to revisit the familiar characters of Birch Creek and I definitely hope to read more from Kathleen Fuller in the future.

Thanks to BookLook Bloggers, I received a copy of An Unbroken Heart and the opportunity to honestly review it. I was not required to write a positive review, and all 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.”)

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