Beth Shriver

Grace Given by Beth Shriver is book 2 in the Touch of Grace trilogy, a series is about three faithful women who, when faced with three separate hardships, are torn between the men they love and staying true to themselves. Lead characters from the first book appear only as minor characters here, so this story can really stand alone. I enjoyed Grace Given and am glad to recommend it.

I have read the first two books in this series and enjoyed both. Beth's writing differs from a lot of Amish show more fiction that I've read in that she deals with difficult, sensitive themes and she does it well.

In Grace Given, many Amish families have migrated to Texas in order to build new lives where land was available. "The land was cheaper here, and when a man had three or more sons to parcel his land off, it wasn't enough in their former community." Problems often arose because these families represented both the Old Order and New Order faiths, so these beliefs had to be reconciled.

Not everyone welcomed them in Texas, however. This story contrasts the harassment some families received with the Amish vow of no resistance. As one character states, "It's much harder to resist retaliation than to abide by it."

Beth does a good job at shining the light on the fact that, although the Amish don't retaliate or press charges, this can be a difficult and costly decision in certain circumstances. But persecution is something the Amish are familiar with, as Gideon and Elsie's study of the Martyr’s Mirror shows. I felt for these characters and the Amish community as they were continually harassed and vandalized. And I loved how Beth portrayed Gideon's personal struggle so convincingly, and then how he reached out to the young boy, Nick.

Elsie also struggles with her sister Katie leaving the community, along with a young man who she cared about. I felt that there was more to come in this storyline and hope we see more of Katie and Jake in book 3, Healing Grace, which is available now.

This quote from Beth's website beautifully describes Grace Given: "Grace saves. Even in a world where retribution is almost expected, the Amish demonstrate that all can be pardoned, by following their vow of no resistance which shows the deep-rooted forgiveness within them."

Grace Given is a book that will make you think and reflect on persecution today, and I recommend it to readers of inspirational fiction.

This book was provided by Booketeria and Realms in exchange for my honest review. show less

Lizzy Ryder has written to Zack, he has jumped the fence, or after being Baptized Amish, left. He returns just in time to help save his sister Clara’s life; he did just that, by putting her in his car and driving her to the hospital.
Clara’s illness is very serious, and Lizzy and her Amish Community are rather frantic, everyone loves and cares for Clara. Zack has to face his past and his future by being around his People, but he is shunned.
I so enjoyed the interaction between Lizzy and show more Zack; they have grown up together, and acted like family their whole lives. Then the unthinkable happens, and they have to depend on one another for survival, and there appears to be danger lurking, and very strange things happening. I found this part of the book to be very interesting, and you never know what is going to happen next. Strange things are happening here, and you wonder just how bad the danger is and if the old fear Lizzy has is connected.
From the beginning to the end I had to wonder if Zack would return, and if his family, other than Clara, will accept him. Also the rest of the community, some seem willing to turn their backs on him, and most seem to avoid him. What could have happened to make him leave where it seems he really wants to be. The answer will astound you and make you very sad, will he be able to return and accept the peace that seems to have followed him home? Will Lizzy and Zack become more than friends? How about Clara, will she survive? Most of the answers are here, and when you get to the end you are going to want more. Yes we there is a preview of the next book, can’t wait!

I received this book through Booketeria Blogger Program, and was not required to give a positive review. show less

I've mentioned before that I've not read much Amish Fiction, not being sure if the sudden proliferation of the subgenre was just a fad or if it would prove to truly be a substantive staple in Christian Fiction.

Still, I reasoned that an Amish story might lend itself well to Christmas as a theme, and Clara's Wish does just that. It's a warm, simple, nostalgic, uplifting novel dealing with both loving and painful family dynamics, the clash and reconciliation of cultures, the discovery of show more romance, and the comfort of Christmas.

I sometimes felt as if I was missing something while reading. Certain details were given out of order, some ideas and issues broached but left underdeveloped, and the way the characters kept evading on some topics didn't enhance or further the plot. I thought there would be more to introduce Clara as a person, given the book's title, but perhaps the point was in Lizzy and Zack's mutual love for Clara and not so much for the reader to really get to know her. Also, the dialogue was somewhat difficult to follow at times, either with paragraph breaks that made it unclear who was speaking or with different characters' words running into each other in the same paragraph (some of which I presume must've been a typesetting/formatting issue.)

Nevertheless, I quite enjoyed this novel for its portrayal of faith, hope, and redemption, and I consider it to be a worthy Christmastime read.
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The Booketeria provided me with a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher for an honest review. show less

Rumspringa’s Hope is just that, going into the English world, but not joining them, but trying to bring God’s Word and Love to them. I felt that Emma’s brother Jack was out of control, and not living his Amish faith, what to do? Emma finds out her brother is going to go on his rumspringa and going to Philadelphia, PA, and decides she will go and keep an eye on him, and maybe share some faith with people.
While the Amish religion does not per say proselytize, Emma seems to want to do show more what her friend Caleb has been doing. Before she leaves for the city it appears that she has established an understanding with Zeb, and her parents seem to have blessed a union between them.
Come along with this group of young Amish people, both male and female, and see what happens to them and observe their experiences in the city. There are some really big surprises, and you will wonder if life will ever be the same for any of them. Coming from rather sheltered lives to the harsh reality of every day live in tough areas, had to be a real reality check for them. Can they ever come back to their peaceful existence, or will they be caught up in the modern world forever? There is also the chance they will enter into the world of drugs and danger, and can they get out of there?
I really was engrossed in this story, and was really surprised how some things turned out, that you will never see coming. If you enjoy Amish stories, this one is a great read, and a real page-turner. Enjoy!

I received this book through Booketeria, and was not required to give a positive review. show less