Double Feature- Another Book Review: The Promise of an Angel

What a surprising read!  I cannot wait to read book two in this series as Ruth Reid is an excellent author who is able to capture your attention from page one and keep you reading until you reach the final word on the last page.

Judith Fischer is a young Amish girl, ready to marry, settle down and start her family.  However, Judith witnesses a "strange man" visiting her brother Samuel on the day of his tragic accident.  It turns out that this "man' is an angel named Tobias.  The visit of an angel to the Amish community is not a welcomed event and many in the community do not want to believe Judith.  The conflict this brings not only to Judith but to her family is only part of the story line.  Reid develops the other part of the story to show us how Judith struggles with her faith and belief in truth at all costs.  Judith must choose to do what is right even if it costs her relationships.  Is this not the struggle we all have?

I was unsure if I would like this book due to the "angel" roles and not sure how Reid would develop that character in the book.  However, Tobias is not "hokie" nor is he "mystic".  He is in a supporting role to encourage Judith to stand firm in her faith.  Reid also takes a noticeable twist from other Amish fiction writers in that she openly shows the relationship between Judith's "beau" and her sister, Martha when other writers would have probably kept that more secretive like the Amish ways.  However, this is a good thing because it helps the reader appreciate what Judith is struggling with and helps understand her.

For a debut novel, this was excellent!

5 stars

Thomas Nelson Publishers provided a complimentary copy of this book through their BookSneeze program in exchange for my fair and honest review.  As always, all opinions are my own.