By Serena B. Miller

Blurb

A mysterious outsider casts a long shadow on Ohio’s Amish country. Policewoman Rachel Troyer has always looked after her three elderly Amish aunts, proprietors of a farmhouse inn near Sugarcreek, Ohio. The idyllic town is popular with tourists, who come to sample its famous Amish goods. But one thing is clear to Rachel – Joe Matthews is no tourist. When the bearded stranger lands on her aunts’ doorstep, begging shelter for himself and his young son, Rachel is suspicious. Will she be able to uncover Joe’s secrets despite her aunts’ – and her own – growing affection for him?

(Blurb from Amazon)

My Review

LOVE FINDS YOU IN SUGARCREEK, OHIO isn’t a book I would have chosen myself, but since our book club chose it, I was committed to reading it. I don’t read too many books with a religious tone unless it is subtle. I knew nothing about the Amish. The first couple of chapters were a bit hard for me to get into. The situations were too unbelievable, but as I read more I let go of my preconceived notions and drifted into the lovely setting for the story. As the author researched the Amish in depth, I soon found myself lost in reading about the way of life of these simple, hardworking people. I became engrossed in reading about Joe and Rachel, the aunts, Bobby, Eli, and Joe’s estrangement from his father. The author did a wonderful job developing her characters. I soon had a vested interest in each character and their part in the story. The flow of the story was easy to follow and created a sense of being in the middle of all activity. I could smell Lydia’s pies and breads and taste her butter cookies. I could sense Rachel’s distrust of Joe and at the same time her fascination with him, as well as Joe’s worry over his current path. And then there’s Eli! I absolutely fell in love with him.
If you enjoy a bit of mystery, some romance, and don’t mind learning about a different religious culture, you will love reading LOVE FINDS YOU IN SUGARCREEK, OHIO. I thoroughly enjoyed reading this superbly crafted novel. I give it 5 out of 5 stars.

About the Author

Website

Goodreads

Genre: Historical Fiction, Religion & Spirituality

Biography

I live only a few miles from a flourishing Amish community and am blessed to count many Old Order Amish as friends. Love Finds You in Sugarcreek, Ohio is a natural outgrowth of my on-going fascination with these valiant, flawed people who struggle to live their lives according to their interpretation of the Bible. Once, when I apologized for asking so many questions while researching this book, an Amish father told me that I could ask anything I wanted. “Nothing is forbidden,” he said. He told me that he wanted my book to be accurate. I was thrilled when his family read it and gave me their enthusiastic nod of approval.

Our family, however, also lived for many years in Michigan. My father, a sawyer, told me stories he had heard from old timber men who had cut the fabled giant pine in the Saginaw Valley. Visiting museums and reading about the years directly after the Civil War, when Michigan became the lumber capital of the world, became a hobby. I was delighted when Revell Publishing allowed me to revisit that era by writing The Measure of Katie Calloway.

There are many other books on their way—both Amish and historical. Please know that each one is a labor of love from me to you.

To God be all the glory, forever.

(Biography from Goodreads)