Caroline’s
Secret by Amy Lillard (Zebra Books) takes the Amish romance
genre to new heights of excellence. This
novel is the first in the new Wells Landing series by Amy Lillard.The series takes place in Wells Landing,
Oklahoma, and features the more liberal Beachy sect of Amish. Amy’s writing in Caroline’s Secret is
exquisite; she plots out an emotional and plausible storyline and gives readers
more than one romantically inclined couple to root for. In between each chapter, Amy includes letters
written by the characters to their family members giving greater insight into
individual development and adding to the narrative.
Caroline is a twenty-three-year-old unmarried mother of a
fifteen-month-old little girl, Emma.
They are living with Esther, an older widow who runs the local
bakery.Caroline grew up in Etheridge,
Tennessee, as the only child of a Swartzentruber Amish family. When Caroline found herself pregnant, she
left town and made it as far as the Beachy Amish community of Wells Landing.
Andrew is new to Wells Landing. He has moved from
Missouri to work for his Uncle Abe who owns a furniture woodworking shop. Andrew
seeks to make a fresh start and get away from the memories of his girlfriend,
Beth, who passed away six months ago after a long illness. Caroline meets
Andrew as he is delivering new furniture to the home she shares with Esther. Soon
she is captivated by his good looks but Caroline is not looking for a husband
and Andrew is definitely not looking for a wife. They agree to be friends.
Caroline and Andrew also agree to try to match Uncle Abe,
a lifelong bachelor, with Esther. A consequence of getting Abe and Esther
together is that Caroline and Andrew must also spend more time together. As
things develop, Caroline and Andrew begin to have more than just friendly
feelings towards each other. One of the best aspects of Caroline’s Secret is the character
development of absent-minded Uncle Abe and the lovable Esther. Readers will be eager
to see if their romance will bloom.
Just when all seems favorable for Caroline and Andrew, Caroline
quickly departs Wells Landing to go back home to Tennessee leaving Andrew hurt
and heartbroken. At this point it just may take the whole Amish community to
get Caroline and Andrew back together. Readers will want to keep tissues handy
as the conclusion to Caroline’s Secret is compelling, emotional, and
convincingly portrayed.
The continuation of the Wells Landing series looks
promising with Courting Emily due out January 2015. Caroline’s
Secret was released August 2014.
Gloria
is a 59-year-old retired RN and
former accountant who has
a life long love of reading. She has spent the
last two years reading every
Amish novel she can get her hands on. When not
reading, Gloria spends her day trading stocks
and options,
tweeting under the name of @gloriason, and
expressing her gratitude to God. She
blogs at amishreader.blogspot.com.