I recently started reviewing books for Multnomah Books, a division of Random House. (Hey, free books–gotta love it!) The first opportunity they sent me was The Hope of Refuge by Cindy Woodsmall. Here’s Multnomah’s summary of the book:

Raised in foster care and now the widowed mother of a little girl, Cara Moore struggles against poverty, fear, and a relentless stalker. When a trail of memories leads Cara and Lori out of New York City toward an Amish community, she follows every lead, eager for answers and a fresh start. She discovers that long-held secrets about her family history ripple beneath the surface of Dry Lake, Pennsylvania, and it’s no place for an outsider. But one Amish man, Ephraim Mast, dares to fulfill the command he believes that he received from God–“Be me to her”– despite how it threatens his way of life.

Completely opposite of the hard, untrusting Cara, Ephraim’s sister Deborah also finds her dreams crumbling when the man she has pledged to build a life with begins withdrawing from Deborah and his community, including his mother, Ada Stoltzfus. Can the run-down house that Ada envisions transforming unite them toward a common purpose–or push Mahlon away forever? While Ephraim is trying to do what he believes is right, will he be shunned and lose everything–including the guarded single mother who simply longs for a better life?

Okay, me again. I was dubious about reviewing this book, since I haven’t read a whole lot of Christian (or otherwise) romance novels in the last decade, and the whole concept of an Amish man attempting to “be God” to a hardened single mom from New York gave my egalitarian self a bad case of the heebie jeebies. (Don’t worry–it wasn’t as obnoxious as I feared!) But it was the first title Multnomah had sent my way, and I remembered how much a couple of my friends love “Amish novels,” so I figured I could pass the book along to someone who would appreciate it properly if I didn’t like it. All I had to lose was a couple hours curled up with a romance novel. (Big sacrifice–I know! ;-))

I enjoyed the book, particularly the middle sections. My greatest fears from the book’s summary–stereotyped characters, a patronizing hero, and a romanticized portrayal of an Amish utopia–were generally unfounded. I especially appreciated Woodsmall’s warts-and-all portrayal of Amish life, and thought it was interesting to view it through the eyes of a single mom accustomed to scrapping for survival. By the end of the book, I was actually rooting for the hero to leave the Amish faith. (Maybe not what Woodsmall intended, but I have to give her props for honesty about the downfalls of adhering to a highly legalistic system, and the reasons why some people continue to do so anyway.)

So, if you’re a fan of Christian romance and like books about the Amish, you should check out The Hope of Refuge by Cindy Woodsmall at Random House’s website. Or, if you’re not convinced yet, you could watch this interview with Woodsmall that aired on ABC’s Nightline. (How cool is that?) The Amish are taking over–the New York Times bestseller list, that is!