A Lancaster County Christmas

About the Book:  Jaime and C. J. Fitzpatrick began their married life in love and looking forward to a bright future together. But when Jaime's mother dies and she wins a National Geographic Photography Contest her father, who deserted them when she was six months old, returns to the scene and now four years later the once happy couple has drifted apart and they are almost ready to call it quits.
Mattie Riehl was hoping to give her husband Sol the Christmas gift they have both longed for--news that another baby was on the way, only to be disappointed with a miscarriage. With the Christmas holidays approaching the young mother feels an acute awareness that her dream of a big family isn't likely to become a reality. A random meeting at the doctors office, a lost owl whistle and a grudging favor to return the whistle to six year old Danny topped with a  winter storm raging outside blows the Fitzpatricks into the Riehl home--and into a much slower pace of life. Can these two couples from different worlds help each other understand the true meaning of love this Christmas?  Can the two young women come to grips with their lives, their dreams, and God's perfect grace?

About the Author:  "Suzanne Woods Fisher is a bestselling author of Amish fiction and non-fiction and the host of a weekly radio program called Amish Wisdom. She has twenty books under contract with Revell--seven published, thirteen to come...she's contracted all the way into 2016. The Waiting is a finalist for a 2011 Christy Award. The Choice is finalist for a 2011 Carol Award. Amish Peace: Simple Wisdom for a Complicated World and Amish Proverbs: Words of Wisdom from the Simple Life were both finalists for the ECPA Book of the Year (2010, 2011).
Her interest in the Amish began with her grandfather, W.D. Benedict, who was raised Plain. She has many, many Plain relatives living in Franklin County, Pennsylvania, and travels back to Pennsylvania, as well as to Ohio, a couple of times each year for research.
Suzanne has a great admiration for the Plain people and believes they provide wonderful examples to the world. In both her fiction and non-fiction books, she has an underlying theme: You don't have to "go Amish" to incorporate many of their principles--simplicity, living with less, appreciating nature, forgiving others more readily-- into your life."
My Thoughts:  This book was a wonderful read and a great feel good story.  Once I began I did not want to put it down.  The characters were so lifelike I found myself routing for each of them as they faced their personal struggles in the story.  Fisher is a master storyteller.  This was her first book I have read and I cannot wait to get my hands on more.  She is phenomenal.  I would give this book 5 stars easily.
Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from Litfuse Publicity Group as part of a September Blog Tour. I was not required to write a positive review. 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."