The Gift

The Gift by Wanda E. Brunstetter. Prairie State Friends, Book Two.  Ohio: Shiloh Run Press, 2015. 318 pages with Discussion Questions and Recipes. *****

Brunstetter never disappoints and this novel, book two in the Prairie State Friends series, lives up to expectations. Leah Mast has a gift for healing people using reflexology by massaging key spots on their feet. Leah's neighbor, handsome Adam Beachy scoffs at her ability and becomes angry when discussing the treatments that Leah provides in the community. Leah learns that Adam's mother practiced reflexology before she left her husband and abandoned her family. Adam's world is turned upside down when he becomes guardian of his three nieces and he realizes that a hardware store is no place for young girls to play. Hiring someone to look after the girls is a solution, however, what Adam really needs is a wife to cook, clean and be a mother to his nieces. Will a marriage of convenience work for him and will his new wife be submissive to her husband and give up what is important to her? Or will history repeat itself?

I read Decision, the first book in the series and loved it. Bruntsetter has a way of bringing out the best traits of people in real life situations. Life isn't perfect, but there is always hope for a better day tomorrow. Her message of "love prevails" is evident in this book and the "six degrees of separation" theory provides an interesting twist to a painful experience. I always enjoy Brunstetter's books, well-written, entertaining and hopeful. If you are an "Amish Fiction" genre fan, you will soon be drawn in and won't leave until you finish. The recipes are always an additional "gift" from Wanda.

I received a copy of this book to review from NetGalley and Barbour Publishing. 

New York Times, award-winning author, Wanda E. Brunstetter is one of the founders of the Amish fiction genre. Wanda's ancestors were part of the Anabaptist faith, and her novels are based on personal research intended to accurately portray the Amish way of life. She and her husband, Richard, have been blessed with two grown children, six grandchildren, and two great-grand-children. 

Visit her website at http://www.wandabrustetter.com