Every saint has a past. Every sinner has a future.

Luke Schrock is a new and improved man after a stint in rehab, though everyone in Stoney Ridge only remembers the old Luke. They might have forgiven him, but nobody trusts him.

Amos and Fern Lapp allow Luke to live at Windmill Farm under two conditions. First, Luke must make a sincere apology to each person he’s hurt–a four-page, single-spaced list. Second, he must ask each victim of mischief to describe the damage he caused.

Simple, Luke thinks. Offering apologies is easy. But discovering the lasting effects his careless actions have caused . . . that isn’t so simple. It’s gut-wrenching.

And his list keeps growing. Izzy Miller, beautiful and frustratingly aloof, also boards at Windmill Farm. Luke’s clumsy efforts to befriend Izzy only insult and annoy her. Eager to impress, Luke sets out to prove himself to her by locating her mother. When he does, her identity sends shock waves through Stoney Ridge.

Bestselling and award-winning author Suzanne Woods Fisher returns to her beloved Stoney Ridge for this brand-new series featuring some of her readers’ favorite characters.

approx. 336 pages

Out February 5, 2019

MY THOUGHTS:

I received this book in exchange for my honest review.

This is the first book of a new series. The characters are familiar and have been written in other series. In this series, it begins by focusing on a group of characters surrounding Windmill Farm. There are two characters struggling with redemption after an addiction problem; there’s the owner of Windmill Farm who doesn’t give up on them and is one of the MCs, and there’s an added source (two actually) of humor, one being human and the other being a raccoon.

Amish life is the core of this series including Amish living and religion. Their belief system is used to develop characters and choices made by them as well as to develop conflict and a bit of tension to drive the plot forward. The setting is simple and charming and reflects in the characters and their development.

Addiction in the stories involves recovery and Luke uses the Step Program for a recovering addict. There is an emotional struggle for him and those his past behaviors have affected, and he discovers that there is no easy solution to regaining those things he’s lost, like trust, friendship, and understanding from his community.

I’ve read a number of Amish themed stories and really enjoyed venturing into this extraordinary world. The humor helps drive a rather bleak topic towards a satisfactory ending and I’m glad it was there. Once again, Fisher has managed to entertain and execute an extraordinary work of art. Loved it!

I gave this book: