The Bachelor by Stephanie Reed

In this sequel to The Bargain, Betsie Troyer is back home in her Amish community where she knows she belongs, free from the confusing Englisher way of life. She and Charley Yoder have made promises to each other, and her life is back on track--until Gerald Sullivan shows up with his young daughter, asking for Betsie's help. He’s on his way to find his estranged wife, and begs Betsie to take young Sheila in. When she agrees, Betsie's carefully planned life is shaken up again. Sheila's newfound faith is troubling to Charley--and his attraction to another girl is beginning to be a problem. But how can Betsie confront him when she is still trying to confront her own feelings about Sheila's brother, Michael? Keeping the peace between the Amish man she's always loved, a twelve-year-old Englisher girl, and a draft-dodging hippie is more than she ever thought she’d have to deal with in her simple, orderly life. Still, Betsie is convinced she can keep things from falling apart completely. Then during her best friend's wedding, tragedy strikes and her world is upended. She has to make a decision: does she love Charley or Michael . . . or is she craving a deeper love that only God can give? The compelling second novel of the Plain City Peace series, The Bachelor deftly weaves together the strands of a solid, simpler time with the turmoil of an era of change, revealing the strengths of both in its powerful narrative.

My Take:  I enjoyed rejoining Betsie Troyer and her family in this book.  At the very beginning Betsie is thrown a curve ball when Gerald Sullivan shows up at her doorstep to beg her to watch Sheila while he goes off to try and win back his wife.  Betsie knows that she should say no but she can't turn away this poor girl.  Betsie also has a problem with Charlie Troyer . Is he truly the one for her or does her heart belong to englisher Michael?  There are a lot of twists and turns in this book.  This is the second book in a series and I would highly recommend that you read the first book The Bargain just so you will be up to speed on everything that is going on.

I received a review copy of this book from Kregel in exchange for my honest opinion.

Reason for absence from blog most of last month

I apologize for being absent from the blog most of last month.  I have been have some severe physical problems since the middle of September.  I developed a problem with my legs that I was falling and had sever pain in my legs and couldn't stand up from a sitting position.  I was admitted to the hospital on November 10 for testing. after three days of all kinds of tests and blood draws I was diagnosed with diabetic amyotrophy which affects 1% of diabetics mostly elderly men so for me to get it this young is extremely rare.   I was then admitted to a rehab hospital so I could have intensive occupational therapy and physical therapy.  I was there exactly 2 weeks. I was discharged the day before Thanksgiving.  I am currently walking with a walker and have a wheelchair for when I am out for longer periods of times.  I have to have Ivs ever two weeks.  I also go to physical therapy three times a week.  I still have lots of pain and weakness in my legs but I hope they will get better every day.  I hope to get caught up with my reviews over the next couple of days.