Friday, January 28, 2011

The Search

TheSearchThe Search – book 3 of the Lancaster County Secrets
Written by Suzanne Woods Fisher
Published at Revell

About the book

Fifteen years ago, Lainey O'Toole made a split-second decision. She couldn't have known that her choice would impact so many.

Now in her mid-twenties, she is poised to go to culinary school when her car breaks down in Stoney Ridge, the very Amish town in which her long-reaching decision was made, forcing her to face the shadowed past.

Bess Reihl is less than thrilled to be spending the summer at Rose Hill Farm with her large and intimidating grandmother, Bertha. It quickly becomes clear that she is there to work the farm--and work hard. The labor is made slightly more tolerable by the time it affords Bess to spend with the handsome hired hand, Billy Lapp. But he only has eyes for a flirty and curvaceous older girl.

Lainey's and Bess's worlds are about to collide and the secrets that come to light will shock them both.

"Beautifully written, 'The Search' is a skillfully woven story that takes readers through unexpected twists and turns on the long country road toward truth. Fans both old and new will find themselves immersed in this heartwarming--and surprising--tale of young love, forgiveness, and coming to grips with the past."

Who is Suzanne Woods Fisher?

In no particular order, Suzanne Woods Fisher is a wife, mother, writer, lifelong student of the Bible, raiser of puppies for Guide Dogs for the Blind, a gardener and a cook...the latter two with sporadic results.

Suzanne has loved to write since she was a young teen. After college, she started to write for magazines and became a contributing editor for Christian Parenting Today magazine. Her family moved to Hong Kong for four years, just as the internet was developing, and she continued to write articles in a 44-story high-rise apartment, sending manuscripts 7,000 miles away with a click of a key.

After returning from Hong Kong, Suzanne decided to give her first novel a try. For four and a half months, she worked on an antediluvian computer in a cramped laundry room. She didn't even tell her husband what she was up to. When the novel was completed, she told her family at dinner one night that she had written a book. "That's why there's no food in this house!" said her slightly insensitive sons.

Undaunted...Suzanne found a small royalty publisher for that book and wrote three more (all earned multiple awards). With help from an agent, she now has numerous  books under contract with Revell. Also look for Suzanne's Amish non-fiction, Amish Peace: Simple Wisdom for a Complicated World, a non-fiction book of stories and examples about the Old Order Amish, as well as Amish Proverbs, and coming in Spring of 2011, look for Amish Values for Your Family. The Choice and The Waiting are the previous books in the Lancaster County Secrets Collection.

Writing, for Suzanne, is a way to express a love of God and His word. With every book or article, she hopes readers get a sense of what faith really looks like in the daily grind. She hopes they realize that life can be hard, but God is good, and never to confuse the two.

Suzanne can be found on-line at: www.suzannewoodsfisher.com

My Thoughts

Once again Suzanne Woods Fisher has outdone herself and brought us a wonderful story.   Not only I got attached to the characters but I am also wondering what the future will bring for them.    I so wish she will write a sequel of The Search  as I got to know and love Bess & Lainey.   It was interesting to see how fate has intertwined their lives together.    I find Bess mature beyond her age and very wise.   She doesn’t overreact when she learn the truth about what happened in the past and seem to accept it.   I wonder deep down if I would react the same way and knowing myself I know that I would have not…

I also loved the character of Bertha.   She is very sneaky in a way and will do ANYTHING to modify the life of her brother who left the Amish faith.    And she knows a lot more than what another character would have expected…    Through the lines of this story, I have come to love the Rose Hill Farm and hope in the back of my mind that somewhere it exists.   What can I say… I love roses.   They are my favourite flowers.    Love their smell, their look, their delicateness.    It takes patience to care for them.   And I see in Bertha a woman willing to train the next generation in caring her beloved roses.

The way the book finishes, I feel as thought the story is not complete.   I want to know what would happen to Rose Hill Farm, Bess and her father, Lainey and many other characters that I grew fond off while reading The Search.

If  you love Amish novels, I think you won’t be disappointed with The Search.    It is well written and contains beautiful characters waiting for you to discover them.

 CONTEST TIME!

The Search is available now in stores everywhere and to celebrate Suzanne is hosting The Search iPad Giveaway! http://litfusegroup.com/Blog-Tours/the-search-by-suzanne-woods-fisher.html

One Grand Prize winner will receive an iPad Prize Package worth over $500 and includes:

    * A brand new iPad (16KB with Wi-Fi)

    * Signed copies of all three Lancaster Country Secrets books (The Choice, The Waiting, & The Search)

To enter, simply click on the icons below to fill out the entry form/s, then tell 5 or more friends about the contest. Oh, and enter soon! Winner will be announced on February 3rd at Suzanne's Everything is Coming Up Roses Facebook Party. (Did you know The Search takes place on a rose farm?)

Facebook Party

Join Suzanne for the Everything is Coming Up Roses Facebook Party on February 3rd! She’ll be announcing the winner of the The Search iPad Giveaway, hosting a book club discussion of The Search, giving away copies of all three books and HEAPS of other readerly prizes! Including roses delivered to your door for three months for you AND a friend! Be sure to join us on Thursday, February 3rd at 5:00 PM PST (6:00 MST, 7:00 CST & 8 EST) at Suzanne’s Author Page. http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=154369574615067

Blog Tour Schedule: (please include this link in your post: http://litfusegroup.com/Blog-Tours/the-search-by-suzanne-woods-fisher.html

The Search is available at your favourite bookstore, even amazon.ca.

 

Disclaimer:   Book has been provided courtesy of Baker Publishing Group and LitFuse.  Available at your favourite bookseller from Revell, a division of Baker Publishing Group.  I was not monetarily compensated for this review. Please note that the review was not influenced by the Sponsor in any way.  All opinions expressed here are only my own.

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