A Promise of Forgiveness

GIVEAWAY

BROWN, JO ANN

A PROMISE OF FORGIVENESS

Every little secret is a chain to the past...

For Amish widow Naomi Ropp, moving back to her parents' Bliss Valley home -- with her boisterous twin toddler boys -- is a chance to start over and bury the painful secrets of her marriage forever. But her life is turned upside down once again when she learns she's not the only one hiding things. The parents she believed were always open and honest have been keeping a secret her whole life. And now her only confidant is her father's new employee -- a handsome Amish man who was once her childhood tormentor.

Samuel King knows more than anyone should about mistakes -- and the way he treated Naomi is at the top of his list. But the shock of seeing her pretty face again is quickly overshadowed when they find a slumbering boppli abandoned on his porch. Caring for the sweet newborn together is finally bringing some peace to their feelings as they start to look toward the future. Samuel must find a way to convince Naomi to trust the man he's become...and the promise of new love.

My Review:

Back in Bliss Valley with more emotion and angst in the mighty fine storytelling style of Jo Ann Brown. Love how she wrestles an issue to ground and makes her characters face their demons...and conquer them. :-)

So, we have an enemies to lover trope with a very prickly, unyielding heroine who understands her Amish teaching of forgiveness but can't quite  apply it to the tormentor of her youth. Naomi still comes across in an engaging way though, and that's because we get insights into her past up front so I was all on pins-and-needles feeling her pain. 

Gah, but she's endured a lot!!!!! And just when she has no other recourse but to return to her father's house with her adorable (and extremely mischievous) toddlers in tow she walks straight into the catalyst that started it all. Not only does Samuel work with her dat but he lives on the property!

For his part, Samuel is a reformed man -- by way of some very harsh life lessons -- but Naomi isn't willing to accept that he has changed. She wants him gone but her dat needs his help in this buggy repair shop so they are at loggershead from the get go. Honestly, sometimes I wanted to shake some sense into Naomi and other times I just wanted to give her a big ol' comforting hug. Samuel feels pretty much the same way too. :-)

And as if life isn't complicated enough, an abandoned baby ends up in their care and...well, I won't say what else happens because it's not in the synopsis and I don't like to post spoilers. Let's just say the ensuing read (er...listen, for me) was unstoppable!

This is the second book in Brown's Secrets of Bliss Valley series (and oh my -- those secrets!) but I think it would read well as a standalone as well. There's a bit of a carry over secondary plot thread but it's explained enough to make things clear. (If you have read the first book, you'll be happy to catch glimpses of Adam and Lauren in this one. )

 GIVEAWAY OPPORTUNITY:

This giveaway is for a paperback or ebook copy.

If you would like a chance to win a , leave a comment below or email me at kavluvstoread AT yahoo DOT ca. If you add your email to a comment, remember to use AT AND DOT instead of @ and . in order to protect yourself from spammers. If you enter the draw via email, please add the title to the subject line so it's easy to spot your entry. Draw will be held and winner announced on Saturday March 5 2022. Offer open to International Readers. Good luck