Good book. James and Rachel are survivors of an automobile crash and are dealing with the emotional and physical consequences. James was badly injured and is now stuck in a wheelchair. He is determined to do whatever is necessary to regain the ability to walk, because he feels like "half a man". Rachel wasn't injured, but because of her love for James, the accident is still affecting her life.

I really liked how Rachel hasn't given up on her relationship with James, even though he keeps trying to push her away. She doesn't care whether he can walk or not, she just wants to be with him. She's even willing to support them with her painting. At the beginning of the book she doesn't truly realize that that is the last thing he wants. She doesn't understand that his personal self-worth depends on him being able to support her, not the other way around. As she becomes more involved in helping him get to his treatments, they are able to spend far more time together, talking about their dreams and worries. I liked that how she became more accepting of his attitude, while trying to show him that she loved him no matter what. I also loved her joy in her art, and how that art was a big part of how she coped with the turmoil in her life.

James occasionally frustrated me, especially at the beginning. He was so focused on what he couldn't do that he lost sight of what he could. At the same time, I cheered for his determination, and ached for him when he thought his father was going to stop him from getting any more treatments. It was a bit frustrating to see how impatient he was for progress, especially considering the severity of his injury. He was also frustrated by his inability to do his usual work in his family's orchard, a job that is a bone deep part of who he is. I understood his anger at his father, who didn't seem to appreciate what the orchard means to James. His relationship with Rachel is also strained because of his pride. He doesn't like feeling like "half a man" and thinks that he needs to end his relationship so she can find someone better. It was fun to see him deal with her refusal to go away. I liked seeing their relationship improve as they talked and shared their dreams and hopes.

James's life grew a little more complicated when he found the Englischer girl hiding in the shack at the back of the orchard. Though he knew what his father would tell him to do, he felt that the right thing was to help her, not send her away. Having Rachel find out was both good and bad, as having her assistance was helpful, but it put her in an awkward position too. I loved James's protectiveness, and Rachel's "mothering", as they tried to help Shandell after running away from her abusive friend. It was interesting to see how the people from two such different worlds were so easily able to learn to relate to each other. I felt bad for the situation Shandell found herself in, and loved seeing how exposure to the Amish life gave her a new perspective on her own. When her presence was discovered, it created a whole new set of problems for James and Rachel. It was interesting to see the consequences and how they affected all three.

James's father Jimmy played a big part in the book. His attitude that James should just accept his handicap was a major irritation to me. When he made the decision that the Englisch medical people could no longer come to the house, I was almost as mad as James. It was obvious that he was allowing something from his own past affect his decisions, and that James was going to suffer for it. I was glad when he grudgingly allowed James to get the treatments, even though he couldn't accept transportation help from them. His lack of empathy for James and his constant negativity toward his future was disturbing. I also didn't like his reaction to James and Rachel helping Shandell. There was a very interesting twist at the end involving the two of them that I found very satisfying.

This was the first book I have read by this author. I will put her other books on my "want to read" list, as I would like to read the others in this series.

*I received a copy of this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. ( )

I didn’t think I was ever going to find a copy of this one.

The local library hasn’t bought a copy yet and I was itching to read it.

Fortunately, Random House is supportive of Book Bloggers/Reviewers…

Rosalind Lauer has a very special talent. It takes a very strong talent to be able to find more and more stories to tell about one particular community – especially without the feeling that the same material is being recycled.

Rosalind Lauer has managed to write 5 books, 1 eBook and another book to come about the community in Halfway. And not one of those stories have been even remotely the same.

However, there have been some marvelous crossovers. Rosalind has invited us into a true community.

And we get to know a little bit more of it with every book. I know I’m looking forward to A Simple Charity - book 3 in this current series, and I hope there will be many more to come after it!

Rosalind dealt with one theme in her first series – Faith. And it seems the theme for this series is Healing. In A Simple Faith, we see that healing is not just about the body. That theme continues in this book - A Simple Hope, beautifully. James was only a part of the story in A Simple Faith but A Simple Hope is clearly his story – His and Rachel’s.

We continue to see our favorite characters from other books and we meet new ones as well but this story is definitely about James and his family and Rachel and the talent God blessed her with.

It’s truly amazing that Rosalind can keep writing about such serious issues without falling into a soap opera-feel. But there is never any feeling of being embroiled in the kind of drama you would find in one of those. What we see here is real-life drama, plain and simple – with a wonderful twist of being found in the plain and simple Amish community.


It’s difficult to believe that Rosalind Lauer is not Amish herself.

She certainly writes with an accuracy that makes you feel as if she is, or as if she grew up Amish. It’s an incredible thing. You would never know these weren’t written by someone who is very much embedded in that faith.


And yet, they’re also written with such flair. It doesn’t take more than a few paragraphs to be completely draw in to the story.

I look forward to reading many more of Rosalind Lauer’s books. I’m already itching to get my hands on A Simple Charity – which is scheduled to be released in October of this year.

Disclaimer: I received this book free in exchange for an honest review. ( )

Can Hope Overcome Darkness?

Things look pretty bleak for James Lapp. He is confined to a wheelchair after an automobile accident. He feels that he is useless as a man. All he wanted in life was to marry Rachel King and tend to his family’s orchard. Sadly he can’t do either one.

Rachel King has her heart set on being James Lapp’s wife. James has pushed her away and refuses to talk about marriage since he is now only half a man. What is Rachel to do? Should she give up on James?

Perhaps an Englisher running away from a bad situation might change everyone’s circumstance, even her own.

I really enjoyed, A Simple Faith. This is the first book of this series. When I won a copy of, A Simple Charity, I knew I had to buy and read, A Simple Hope (the second book of this series) first, so I could get the whole story straight.

All the characters in this story were very real to me. There are some very sweet endearing ones and some very bad not so endearing ones! To take the bad ones away would make for a very boring read.

I loved that trusting God was a theme in this book. I enjoy good clean Christian fiction books. If you do too, this series is for you. ( )

James has been paralyzed in a van accident. His father thinks he should accept Gott's will but James is determined to walk again. When his father tells James that the Englisch doctors and therapists are no longer welcome in their home, James is ready to give up. However, he has been accepted into a new study that could help him walk. His father reluctantly allows it as long as James goes by buggy and doesn't ride in a car. James' girlfriend agrees to take him into Paradise every day and bring him home. She is hoping to convince him that, whether or not he can walk, she still loves him and he will be a gutt husband.

I enjoyed the book and the characters, except that I wanted to throttle Jimmy a few times. He isn't an easy character to like. ( )

This is the first book that I have read by Rosalind Lauer. It is also the second book in a series called Lancaster Crossroads as well. At the time of this review, I have not yet read the first book in this series.

A Simple Hope introduces us to James Lapp and Rachel King, who are a couple that is planning their upcoming wedding and looking toward a future of running the family orchard. James is hurt in an accident and finds himself confined to a wheelchair. Everything changes at this point. He does not want to put Rachel through the burden of caring for an invalid, so makes the decision to break off their engagement. Rachel is hurt that James has shut her out of his life, but she is still determined to stand by him and become his wife someday regardless. James also decides to seek treatment outside of his Amish community which provides another hurdle that he must deal with in his struggle to overcome his injury.

While all this turmoil is happening the couple discover a runaway English girl that has been hiding in the orchard. Will this girl be the catalyst that brings the couple back together again?

I enjoyed reading this inspirational tale of of healing and am looking forward to reading the rest of the series too. I would recommend it to all fans of Amish fiction and those who enjoy reading other Christian fiction as well.

I received this e-book from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review. I would like to thank the publisher for the opportunity to review this book. ( )