Amish Sweethearts

:::From the back cover:::
Their Two Worlds Couldn't Be Further Apart.
Can Anything Bridge the Divide Between Them?  
For years Zane Beck and his Amish neighbor Lila Lehman were the best of friends. But just as Zane gathered the courage to discover if their friendship could develop into something more, her controlling father arranged for her to be courted by their bishop's son. Zane, heartbroken and frustrated, joined the Army, running away from his shattered dreams.

The passing of time and the distance between Zane and Lila haven't been enough to halt their--now completely hidden--feelings for each other. Any hope for their love grows even more impossible though as Zane's service takes a dangerous turn when he's deployed to Afghanistan. Being on the front-line, confronted with the hard choices of war, has him questioning everything, including whether he can continue to serve or not. But all choices have consequences, and with Lila preparing to marry another, will these one-time sweethearts ever find the life together that they both still long for?

:::My Review:::
This is not your typical Amish romance book. This one steps outside of the box a little bit, and to be honest I was quite surprised by it. This book gives a little of everything, and will take you on a roller-coaster of emotions. It really has just about everything.

Lila is a young Amish girl who has lost her mother, lives with her father, and is the main caretaker of the family. Her sister Rose should be a help around the house but is more lazy than helpful. Lila takes care of the household, helps her father with chores when needed, and works outside of the home to help her family. She is courting an Amish man whom her father wants to see her married to. However, her heart belongs to her childhood Englisch friend who lives next door, Zane.

Zane is a young Englisch gentleman. His heart also belongs to Lila, but they come from two very different worlds. Lila is not willing to leave the Amish. Zane joins the military to get away from his heartbreak of seeing Lila with another man, and is sent on a rather intriguing journey with his Civil Affairs Unit. 
Can the two find a way to make their love work? How could two people from such very different worlds possibly come together?

I loved pretty much all the characters in this book even though I wanted so badly to reach through the pages and give them a good shake. Lila was by far my favorite character. She really had such a pure heart, and was willing to do whatever she could for anyone. However, she also had a stubborn side and wasn't focused on making herself happy. 

Zane is more stubborn than any of the characters in the book. He was tender hearted, but so frustrating I couldn't hardly take it. I just wished time and again he would pour his heart out to Lila instead of carry on.

Rose was my least favorite character. She was incredibly lazy, seemed overly jealous of Lila, and just got on my last nerve. However, I can see where this could lead to a book just about her which I would love to read. There could also be a book about Lila's brother Simon which I would love to read as well.

I was on the edge of my seat time and again while reading this book. There is just so much going on that you can't wait to find out what will happen next. The author does a fantastic job of leaving her readers wanting more. Everything was easy to imagine, and I appreciate that the story flowed so nicely without leaving me confused.

This is book two in this series, but you honestly can't tell. I haven't read book one, and this book does a great job as a stand alone book. I do have to say, though, after reading book two I want to go back and read one just because I fell in love with the characters.

It isn't often you find an Amish book where not only does the Amish girl fall in love with an Englisch boy, but there is suspense thrown in there with it. Zane joining the military definitely switched things up from your typical Amish romance book. I was left wanting to read more about Lila and Zane, but maybe in the future there will be more to their story. Until then I will just have to make do. 

I definitely recommend this book if you love Amish romance. More so if you like a little suspense thrown in. There are so many twists and turns to this book I don't see how anyone reading it could get bored at all.


My Rating:::  5  / 5 Stars
Goodreads Rating:::  4.43 / 5 Stars
Amazon Rating:::  4.5 / 5 Stars
Barnes & Noble Rating::: 4.6 / 5  Stars


If you are interested in this book check it out on Paperback, Kindle, Nook, or Audible.


:::Product Details:::

• Series: Neighbors of Lancaster County (Book 2)
• Paperback: 384 pages
• Publisher: Bethany House Publishers (February 2, 2016)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0764215248
• ISBN-13: 978-0764215247

Disclaimer: I received a complimentary copy of this book from Bethany House Publishers in exchange for my unbiased review. All opinions expressed are solely my own.