Ties That Bind by Cindy Woodsmall
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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.
My thoughts:
“We are free to choose, but we are not free from the consequences of our choices.”
Ties That Bind is a unique story with a compelling plot, unlike any other I’ve read in Amish fiction. Cindy Woodsmall intertwines the Old Order Amish world with the Englisch, as secrets are unearthed and faith is tested. “Ariana’s comfortable Old Order Amish world is about to unravel. Will holding tightly to the cord of family keep them together or simply tear them apart?”
Ties That Bind tugged at my heartstrings, and its cliff-hanger conclusion left me anxious for more. I thoroughly enjoyed this first book in The Amish of Summer Grove series and highly recommend it to fans of Amish fiction.
I received a complimentary copy of this book through Blogging for Books in exchange for an unbiased review. All thoughts expressed are my own.
Cindy Woodsmall is a New York Times and CBA best-selling author of numerous works of fiction and one of nonfiction. Her connection with the Amish community has been featured widely in national media. She lives in the Foothills of the North Georgia Mountains with her family.
To learn more about Cindy and her books, please visit her website.
Buzzing About Books 
I love Cindy Woodsmall’s Amish fiction. Looking forward to this new series! Thanks for sharing!