Publisher: Berkley Trade
Date published: May 1, 2012
ISBN:
978-0-425-24694-8
Inspirational Fiction
Paperback
Reviewed by Lynne
Obtained via publisher.
Hannah Conroy has lost her husband,
Travis, a soldier, leaving her widowed with a small son, Jamie. With an uncertain future, she returns home,
to her mother’s roots, to live with her aunt, Paula Schatz, in Pleasant Valley,
an Amish and Mennonite community in rural Pennsylvania.
Paula welcomes Hannah with open arms, and
helps her get back on her feet, putting her to work at her bakery. But Hannah is torn between her Mennonite
roots in Pennsylvania and the life she left behind, as a military wife, an Englischer. Not sure whether to remain in Pleasant Valley
or return to the world she has been raised in, she soon finds herself growing
comfortable with her new home, knowing she is loved and accepted there.
Hannah has an education in speech therapy
and wishes to utilize it, not wanting her Englischer education wasted. So when she meets shy, caring William Brand,
an Amish furniture maker, she offers to help him overcome his stuttering, which
makes him feel somewhat outside the Amish community.
William accepts Hannah’s offer and, soon,
the two find themselves with feelings toward one another that puts their
relationship in jeopardy, especially when Hannah’s military father-in-law
arrives to complicate things. Afraid for
her future, Hannah must now decide to remain in Pleasant Valley, where she has
been loved and supported by family and friends, or return to a world she isn’t
sure she wants to be a part of any longer.
HANNAH’S JOY, the sixth book
in the Pleasant Valley series by Marta Perry, is a delightful story that will
quickly draw the reader in. It is a
heartwarming love story and one that readers of inspirational romance will
greatly enjoy. Although this was the
first book I have read in this series, I loved it. It can easily stand alone.
Hannah Conroy, our heroine, is easy to
relate to, especially in this century when so many of our military are being
deployed overseas. Understanding
Hannah’s heartbreak and worry over the future, for both her and her son, Jamie,
is something many readers can empathize with, in one way or another. The reader will easily relate to Hannah’s
confusion and fears.
Hannah is a pretty, sweet woman and a
good mother, and it is wonderful when the Pennsylvania Dutch community accept
her into their fold, looking out for her and Jamie, despite their somewhat
conflicting beliefs. That is, because of
Travis having been a soldier. This is a
wonderful part of HANNAH’S JOY, and it is easy to see how Hannah can be
torn over wanting to stay or return to the world she has known for much of her
life.
William Brand is a charmer, a strong,
steady rock of a man who, despite his stuttering, is a good, moral man. He is the sort of hero that many women would
like in their lives. The strong, silent
type, a good listener, and someone who supports those he loves. It doesn’t take long to really care about
this character and his relationship with Hannah.
Had William not come into Hannah’s life,
it might have made Hannah’s decision to leave Pleasant Valley that much easier
for her. But William brings in the steady
support and care that she needs, and it is a pleasure to see how well he treats
Jamie.
The minor characters in HANNAH’S JOY
add a lot to this story, especially conflict, which makes things all the more
difficult for Hannah. Her father-in-law
is an interesting character, and right away you want to dislike him, because of
his closed mind and domineering ways.
Hannah’s best friend from her past, Megan
Townsend, adds a bit of strife one would not have expected, yet it is so
realistic the way Megan sticks her nose where it is not desired. Her involvement with Hannah’s father-in-law
causes Hannah so many problems that the reader will start to get angry and
really dislike Megan. Yet she is a good
friend to Hannah, based on their past together, so the reader will soon come to
forgive her her faults in this situation.
Aunt Paula is a sweetheart of a
character, who lovingly supports Hannah and truly cares for Jamie. She is an important part of HANNAH’S JOY,
and at one point I even thought that perhaps she might get involved with
Hannah’s father-in-law, since they were both alone. Of course, since they are both at opposite
ends of the spectrum, so to speak, that could probably never be anyways.
I loved the barn raising scene, where
Hannah begins to see more of William’s character. He is such a special man, it is very easy for
the reader to care for him and secretly hope he will get together with Hannah
sooner rather than later.
HANNAH’S JOY is a joy to
read. I loved it from beginning to
end. Fairly fast-paced, with a good plot
that kept me turning pages, it has an overall wholesomeness to it, and is sure
to please every romantic. It is one of
those stories where you wish the characters and the town were real, so that you
could go there and visit in person. To
me, that is the sign of a truly talented writer, when the reader wishes for
fiction to be reality.
Perry is a wonderfully skilled writer, as
evidenced by her track record of over thirty-five inspirational romance
novels. I look forward to reading more
in this series, and even the first five which I have missed. Perry has a style that I enjoy reading, so I
know that others will be as delighted to read her work as I have been.
If one wants a story that will entertain
for a few hours, especially on a rainy or snowy day, then HANNAH’S JOY is
sure to please. So grab a copy and kick
back awhile. Hot chocolate and a
cruller, anyone?
This is an objective review and not an
endorsement of this book.
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