I recently received "Paradise Valley" by Dale Cramer from Bethany House Publishing. While I received the book free, the opinions below are my own.
Summary from CBD.com:
An Amish settlement in Ohio has run afoul of a law requiring their children to attend public school. Caleb Bender and his neighbors are arrested for neglect, with the state ordering the children be placed in an institution. Among them are Caleb's teenage daughter, Rachel, and the boy she has her eye on, Jake Weaver. Romance blooms between the two when Rachel helps Jake escape the children's home.
Searching for a place to relocate his family where no such laws apply, Caleb learns there's inexpensive land for sale in Mexico, a place called Paradise Valley. Despite rumors of instability in the wake of the Mexican revolution, the Amish community decides this is their answer. And since it was Caleb's idea, he and his family will be the pioneers. They will send for the others once he's established a foothold and assessed the situation.
My Review:
Before this book, I wasn't a huge fan of Amish fiction. I liked to read them, but they weren't my favorite. Dale Cramer did a wonderful job writing "Paradise Valley." I didn't want to stop reading until the end! My family has moved a lot since I was younger, so I completely sympathized with the daughters during the move. While my moves were never this drastic, it was always hard to leave friends. When daughter Rachel found out she was leaving her first love, she was very upset. Another unmarried daughter feared she would never marry because they were leaving all of her potential 'mates'. This family showed how important it is to stick together in these hard times. When they were feeling down, another family member would be there for them. There were many dangers awaiting the family in Paradise Valley, but thanks to "Gott" (God) they found help when they needed it. I really enjoyed this book, and I can't wait to read more by this author!
