Secrets of Willow Springs - Book 2: The Amish of Lawrence County by Tracy Fredrychowski

ABOUT THE BOOK

After spending sixteen years in prison, Marie Cooper is forced to return to Sugarcreek, deep in Amish Country. Forced to take the only job available to her, she finds herself working for wealthy Nathan Bouteright. As her late husband’s memory continues to follow her, who will hold the key to unlock so many unanswered questions about her past? Will she be able to help Emma and Daniel come to terms with who they are, and can they forgive the one person who played God with their lives?

When Marie struggles to get Nathan to trust her, will it be his four-year-old son Amos who shows them there is more to a person than what is on the outside? Or, will a letter from her deceased mother help her find her way back to her faith and the exact place she dropped her thread of obedience?

MY THOUGHTS....

"Now here I am, on my sixteenth birthday, thinking I don't belong. I don't know how to be anyone else other than Amish Emma Byler."

Secrets of Willow Springs 2 explores the many conflicting emotions experienced by Emma Byler shortly after her sixteenth birthday. Discovering that she was adopted as a baby by an Amish family, finding out that her friend is actually her brother, and learning that her biological mother has recently been released from prison...who wouldn't be torn and confused? Emma Byler faces all of this but she is a very mature sixteen and she feels certain that this is Gott's plan. She is also determined to lead her birth mother back to believing in God because spousal abuse and a long prison term have convinced Marie Cooper that she isn't deserving and that God has forgotten her.

Author Tracy Fredrychowski completely drew me into the lives of Emma Byler, her brother Daniel Miller, their mother Marie, and the events of their very complicated pasts. One by one, the author peeled back the layers and allowed me to see a young wife's struggle to protect herself and her children and later, her desire to provide good homes for them while she was incarcerated. Now, in the present, Marie struggles to find a new normal as she begins this new chapter in her life!

There are many Amish and Mennonite characters who are also involved in the lives of Emma,  Daniel, and Marie, and as the details are uncovered, there are multiple surprises. As the circumstances become known, I was reminded that there are no coincidences in life...they are all God's planning. There are a lot of fears and tears but a remark by a very wise person says it all..."The ties that bind you as a family will never go away."

Most of us have had secrets in our past and there are many among the people of Willow Springs, Pennsylvania and Sugarcreek, Ohio. As they are uncovered, we readers are treated to a wonderful story of faith, hope, love, and forgiveness. Secrets of Willow Springs 2 warmed my heart as it tugged at my heartstrings and I definitely want to return to Willow Springs when book 3 becomes available!

I received a copy of this book via the author. I was not required or asked to leave a positive review. All thoughts and opinions are my own and are honestly given.

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Tracy Fredrychowski is a country girl, author, homesteader and everything simple living. She has a passion for writing about the simpler side of life, much like the life she lived growing up in rural Pennsylvania.

Her life has always been intertwined with the Amish, and it’s only fitting that she has a genuine passion for their simplicity, sense of community and God-centered lives.

Growing up in Northwest Pennsylvania she spent her childhood immersed deep in Amish Country.  The clip-clop of horse and buggy woke her each morning as Amish men drove past her childhood home on their way to work. As a young woman, she was traumatized by an Amish murder that involved a family member and changed her life forever.

Even though she currently lives in South Carolina her travels take her through Pennsylvania, Ohio, Indiana, and Wisconsin’s Amish Country every year. During those stops, she researches the communities she visits and prides herself on writing Amish fiction that truly represents the Amish culture. She considers herself very fortunate to have made friends in those communities and values the information they share and wants nothing more than to represent their lifestyle as accurately as possible.

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