Staying at home because of the Coronavirus can be tedious, but I am thankful to have a secure home and a husband who is teleworking. (It’s been nice with him around.) I’ve spent these strange weeks walking the puppies, gardening when the pollen isn’t too horrible, trying new recipes (the cookies were a hit!) and keeping the sewing machine humming. (I just finished my second batch of masks to donate.) As always, I’ve been reading, so this was a perfect time to review Patricia Johns’ new book in her Amish series, Thursday’s Bride, which I enjoyed very much.
This book has many of the same characters as The Bishop’s Daughter,”but focuses on one of the smaller characters in the previous book, Rosamunda, the younger teenage sister who was constantly getting into trouble! I enjoyed the familiar characters, seeing Rosamunda grown up, while getting to know the new characters. Thank you to Patricia Johns and Kensington Publishing Corporation for the advance copy I received. This review reflects my own opinions and thoughts.
In Thursday’s Bride, there’s conflict between the young widow Rosamunda wanting to be perfect (to fix her past) but thinking she’s attracted to the “wrong” type of Amish man. She loves her twin daughters intensely, and wants to be the perfect mother to them. Finances are a concern for this young mother as well, even though she knows the Amish community will care for her, she feels responsible. The book is well written, with good character development–I love the satire of the town name, “Abundance,” when several main characters feel such loss.
There are many details about Amish life in this book, such as caring for animals, work around the house, hitching up buggies, the “community” bringing casseroles and women gathering to quilt together and talk of starting a quilting business. I was surprised by the extensive use of plastic: buckets, wrap, various containers, and that Rosamunda fed her young twins with bottles. I think I use too much plastic, and try to use less and recycle more, and I expected Amish folk to be better at that than me. I have traveled through Amish country and I enjoyed visiting with the ladies in the shops. I’m curious, so I look forward to more details about Amish daily life in future novels.
Another thing I enjoyed about this book is the romantic storyline, clean but intense. I thought I knew who the “right boy,” was, but how he would “get the girl” was not too predictable, and the multiple storylines were refreshing as well. Now I just hope, with so much allusions to “wedding aprons,” that perhaps we’ll see an Amish bride on a future cover. With the lovely cover art on both of these books, that would be a fun enhancement. Kudos to Patricia Johns for another great book!
Hibbard House (full of Basil, Books & Labradors) 