The Kissing Bridge

 

Title: The Kissing Bridge

By Tricia Goyer

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The Gist:

Rebecca has everything she needs to begin following her calling of becoming a nurse.  The problem is that Amish women are not suppose to following any calling other than being a wife and a mother.  But when the time comes, she leaves a note for her family, and walks away from the life that she’s know to continue her education.

On her way to Oregon, Rebecca decides to make a stop in Montana to visit a friend of hers that had left the Amish for love.  Little did she think that she would get her own shot at love in the form of risk taking Amishman Caleb. 

A trip into the wilderness reveals that there is also more to Caleb than meets the eye.  Only time, and this story, will tell if these two young people, hanging by the fringes of being Amish are really meant to be together.   

What I thought:

This story was very enjoyable.  It moved quickly, and smoothly, taking readers along on the love story of Caleb and Rebecca.  The characters introduced in Montana were wonderfully introduced, and I was very happy to find out that I will be able to return to this happy little town since this book is a part of a series!

I love reading Amish fiction, and this story had an angle that I hadn’t read before, with Rebecca wanting to keep being Amish, but needing to become a nurse.  The love story between her and Caleb was written exquisitely.  I always judge a love story by if it makes me smile, and this novel pasted that test with flying colors.

My only critique is that I felt the writing got a little flustered in the middle when Caleb and Rebecca were trying to weed through each other’s lies and omissions.  They seemed to be pretty wishy-washy with each other going from lust, to disgust, and straight back to puppy love in a very short time.

All in all, I very much enjoyed this story, and look forward to reading more of the stories in the Seven Brides for Seven Bachelors series.

A Christmas Gift for Rose by Tricia Goyer

The Book: A Christmas Gift for Rose

The Gist:

            Rose has always felt secure in life.  As a young, Amish, woman growing up in the times of World War II, she was devoted to her faith, family, and Jonathan, the man she loved and was hoping to marry.  However, when Jonathan chooses to volunteer to go into the Army, Rose, egged on by her bishop and other members of the community, decides that he is not the man meant for her, and goes about trying to forget him.

      When the war is over, and Jonathan returns home, Rose sticks to her convictions and refuses to have anything to do with him, but when an unexpected secret about Rose’s past is uncovered, he might just be the only person that she wants to turn to.

What I thought:

            This was a wonderful quick read, and my first experience with Miss Goyer.  I have recently become a fan of novels depicting Amish life, and it was interesting to me, reading a book that was not set in present day, yet noting the similarities in the way that the Amish people still live their lives.  This story held a lot of emotions, love, and forgiveness, making it an ideal read for the Christmas season.

      I was particularly affected by the struggle that Rose endured between listening to her heart and taking to heart the thoughts of people outside of her relationship.  I thought that Miss Goyer handled the situation beautifully by having Rose give the outside voices power in her life- like most people have done- and then showing her through a twist in the plot, that there are more important things than the opinions of others.

      My only critique of this book is that I wish that it could have been a little longer.  I felt like as soon as I developed a kinship with Rose, the book was almost over.  I recommend this book to anyone looking for a good, clean story that will take them to a simple time where the only things that mattered were faith, love, and family.