Book Review: The Wonder of Your Love by Beth Wiseman

About the Book: Katie Ann lost the love of her life. Then God offers her a new beginning in Colorado.

Katie Ann Stolzfus lives in the small Amish community of Canaan, Colorado. At forty she is widowed and raising her first child. But baby Jonas will never know his father, and Katie Ann wonders if her Heavenly Father hasn't forgotten about her as well. Is it really God's plan for her to be a single parent?

Eli Detweiler has come to Canaan for a wedding and a long vacation. Having raised six children following the death of his young wife, Eli is finally an empty-nester. He's enjoying the slower pace of having no one to care for but himself.

When Katie Ann and Eli meet, there is an instant connection. Yet as strong as the attraction is, they both acknowledge that a romance would never work. He is done parenting, while she has just begun.

But as their friendship slowly blossoms into feelings that are as frightening as they are intoxicating, Katie Ann and Eli question if the plans they made for themselves are in line with God's plans.

Can Katie Ann entrust her heart to another man, and rediscover the wonder of God's love?

My Thoughts: This must be one of my favourite pieces of Amish fiction that has become so popular lately. In fact, it was downright humourous at times - which I love.

These Amish are not quite as conservative as some of the other Amish groups and the Katie Ann's best friend is an Englischer named Martha who is outspoken, set in her ways, devoted to God, and fiercely protective of Katie Ann and her baby Jonas. Martha steals the book for me!

The characters were well-developed and realistic - with foibles and quirks just like everyday people. Their interactions and the growth in their relationships were realistic and the storyline was original and captivating.

For me the biggest lesson to take away from this book was that we can make our plans, and they can be realistic, practical and just what we think we need. But sometimes God has other plans - and they are always far better than the ones we had lined up for ourselves.

This book is part of a series and I'm really looking forward to reading the others!

Thank you to Stephanie and Amy from Litfuse Publicity for organizing this tour and providing me with my complimentary review copy.