BOOK REVIEW: A Home in the West by Lori Copeland and Virginia Smith

Journey back to 1858 Berlin, Ohio, in this free short story e-romance from The Amish of Apple Grove series by Lori Copeland and Virginia Smith. For 19-year-old Jonas Switzer, the promise of a productive life as an Amish farmer is only as real as a dream on the western horizon. Living on the charity of the Bylers, and with no claim to a family farm, Jonas’s future depends on a bold plan and an ambitious move. He also longs to catch the eye of Caroline Hersberger, the most beautiful young woman in the village, and share his dream with her. Will Matthew Kennel woo her first? Will she reject Jonas outright? Only God knows, and only He can provide Jonas with a godly wife and a home in the West.

 This short story is a bit difficult to review.  Knowing that it is a small part of an ongoing series makes me think that reading it out of order leaves me with more questions than answers.  That being said, with a background of having read Amish fiction I knew many of the words that other people were at a loss to understand.  I feel as though had I read from the beginning of the series this belongs in the characters would have more background and knowledge.  Though for only being 15 pages in length the characters were pretty well developed.  I had a good understanding of their general backgrounds and their general desires, as far as the main character at least.  The others were just extraneous for the story.

I think, for someone just getting into the idea of reading Amish fiction, this is a decent primer so to speak.  However, for that same reader not having a dictionary to reference certain words was a serious draw back.  I liked this story.  I liked the premise.  I want there to be more.  However, it does set the stage for an interested person to choose to pursue the other full length books in the series.  

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 About Lori Copeland 

Lori lives in the beautiful Ozarks with her husband Lance.  Lance and Lori have three sons, three daughter-in-laws, and six wonderful grandchildren, and two great-granddaughters.
Lori began her writing career in 1982, writing for the secular book market.  In 1995, after many years of writing, Lori sensed that God was calling her to use her gift of writing to honor Him.  It was at that time that Lori began writing for the Christian book market. 

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About Virginia Smith

VIRGINIA SMITH is the bestselling author of thirty-one novels (and counting!), an illustrated children’s book, and over fifty articles and short stories. An avid reader with eclectic tastes in fiction, Ginny writes in a variety of styles, from lighthearted relationship stories to breath-snatching suspense. Her books have been finalists in many prestigious awards, and two of her novels received the Holt Medallion Award of Merit.

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