Ties That Bind ~ Review

Ties That Bind
The Amish of Summer Grove #1
By Cindy Woodsmall

Ariana Brenneman loves Her Amish life and can't understand why anyone would ever want to leave it behind and face separation from friends and family left behind. And she's never been able to get over the fact that the man she had hoped to marry turned his back on his Amish roots five years ago.

But Quill Schlabach has made a reappearance in Summer Grove and Ariana fears that his presence means yet more Amish are about to slip away and be lost to her forever. But Ariana only knows the story that was told to her she doesn't know it all (and the reader is left to discover the truth as the story unfolds). But an even bigger secret is about to be revealed, one that could threaten everything Ariana has ever known and unfortunately for Quill he is about to find himself smack-dab in the center of everything.

Meanwhile living a life that is as unAmish as one could possibly get is Skylar Nash a young woman who is struggling with who she is and even her totally dysfunctional family. Skylar's passion is acting and the life of a performer. Unfortunately, she feels she plays the part of failure all too well when it comes to her day-to-day life. She is on a slow descent into a path she may never get out of. And Skylar's actions are about to set her on a path she doesn't want.

What are the ties that bind one together as a family? Is it blood? Is it the household in which one was raised? And what makes a community a community? This is a question that is woven throughout this story but don't expect an answer by the end as this is but the first in a three book series. (But don't fret book 2 is out and the conclusion will be available in August).

This is a story that will touch the heart of any reader. Secrets, betrayal, and family are the focus of this book and I for one can't wait to see where the second book Fraying at the Edge leads.

I was provided a review copy of this book by the publisher with no expectations of a positive review. All opinions expressed are my own.


About the Book:

Ariana’s comfortable Old Order Amish world 

is about to unravel. Will holding tightly 

to the cords of family keep them together—

or simply tear them apart?

Twenty-year-old Ariana Brenneman loves her family and the Old Ways. She has two aspirations: open a café in historic Summer Grove to help support her family’s ever-expanding brood and to keep any other Amish from being lured into the Englisch life by Quill Schlabach. 
 
Five years ago Quill, along with her dear friend Frieda, ran off together, and Ariana still carries the wounds of that betrayal. When she unexpectedly encounters him, she soon realizes he has plans to help someone else she loves leave the Amish.  

Despite how things look, Quill’s goal has always been to protect Ariana from anything that may hurt her, including the reasons he left. After returning to Summer Grove on another matter, he unearths secrets about Ariana and her family that she is unaware of. His love and loyalty to her beckons him to try to win her trust and help her find a way to buy the café—because when she learns the truth that connects her and a stranger named Skylar Nash, Quill knows it may upend her life forever.      
 
Ties That Bind is the first novel in the Amish of Summer Grove series.