A side of the Amish I’d never “seen” before…


WOW! Stephanie Reed is an AMAZING writer!


Reading The Bargain, It feels as if I’ve been transported to the 70s!

Since I was born in 1979, I didn’t really have the chance to experience them. Thanks to movies and television, I’ve had a glimpse but there’s something different about reading a book written about the era. It gives you an immersion that movies simply can not accomplish.

And this book shows the Amish as I have never seen them – as many readers of popular Amish fiction probably have not. Why – because most Amish fiction is written about the plain people of today…

Even the few historical books written about the plain people, up to now, have focused on the time they put down roots in this country or even when they were on their way here from across the ocean.

Stephanie Reed gives us a glimpse into an era of our country that marked great change for everyone – from a perspective that has certainly not been covered before (to my knowledge anyway).

I applaud her skill – it’s clear she did her research! I am in awe of her writing – not only is an incredibly difficult subject to tackle, but she’s done it from an angle that offers little or no precedence. And I am in love with her characters! Betsie and Sheila and Michael and Charley… Oh if get started, I’ll never stop! They’re wonderful! Just read it!

And how exciting that the 2nd book is out as well! I’m so thrilled I don’t have to wait to read it.

Of course I’ll have to wait for the third book so… if you hear a wail of agony in a day or so… that’s just me – I’ve finished the second one and I’m lamenting the long wait until The Bride – book 3 in the Plain City Peace series – coming winter 2016!

By the way... I did NOT receive this book free for an honest review - I bought it. ( )

I really liked this book. This was a different take on the Amish. This is the first book I have read where the Amish parents leave the church and not the children. I keep wondering if Betsie will end up with Charley Yoder or the Englisher named Michael. I look forward to the next book in this series. ( )

Title: The Bargain (Plain City Peace Book #1)
Author: Stephanie Reed
Pages: 288
Year: 2013
Publisher: Kregel
Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Bargain-Novel-Plain-City-Peace/dp/082544215X/ref=sr_1_1?s=...
This story is about broken families, hearts and lives that are going in different directions as one of the families is English and the other is an Amish family. The time frame is during the Vietnam War where words like PEACE were spoken repeatedly and clashes between law enforcement and people from the English occurred frequently. Betsie Troyer was brought up in an Amish home that now is falling apart as older siblings have married and moved away. The bigger problem in Betsie’s eyes is her parents leaving the Amish faith, moving to a new town and learning to live by the Gospel of Jesus Christ, discarding anything resembling being identified as people from the Amish community. However, to Betsie and her youngest sister Sadie, nothing but heartache follows them each moment of everyday.
Betsie works to learn a job in the leather store until her cousin Nathan returns from his time in the service while during the week Betsie is allowed to live with the family. There she learns a trade she doesn’t really embrace and sees firsthand how an English family is torn apart due to seeking satisfaction of self. When the mother leaves to fulfill her dreams, it rips apart the very heart of the family. Betsie feels compelled to stay if only for the benefit of the young daughter, Sadie, who is broken hearted. Matthew, her older brother, has some deep heart issues and while he tries to push away all attempts of friendship by Betsie, a letter comes in the mail for Matthew that further tears up the hearts of the father, Shelia and Betsie.
This is a very compelling story of various characters with broken hearts and lives, seeking to find peace in the midst of deep pain. Sadie’s character draws very close to Betsie and in time becomes a Christian, which bothers Betsie something fierce. Betsie has been raised to believe that one cannot know their eternal destination until after death. With all the turmoil going on in the small town and the lives of the two families, what comes to the forefront is where each character seeks to find solace.
This is a very interesting tale that continues in book two, The Bachelor, which came out this year. I will share with you my thoughts on that book as well. In the meantime, grab a copy and get lost in the pages of the book that to me was a very unique story I hadn’t encountered before in this genre.
My rating is 4 stars.
Disclosure of Material Connection: I received one or more of the products or services mentioned above for free in the hope that I would mention it on my blog. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255. “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”
Other reviews can be read at http://seekingwithallyurheart.blogspot.com/ . Also follow me on Twitter @lcjohnson1988, FaceBook at https://www.facebook.com/lisa.johnson.75457 ( )

This was an interesting read for me, but the storyline was not exactly believable. I had a difficult time believing parents would do what the characters in this story did to their children.

It was fun going back to the 1970's and reliving that time, but all in all, this story was difficult to get into because of the unnatural feel to it. I may read more of the series to see what happens, but not sure at this time. ( )

Echoing other reviewers, I found The Bargain (Stephanie Reed) to be an unusual story -- not the typical Amish story. Part of what made it unusual was the time setting of the early 1970s. Those of us who lived then remember many of the descriptions of cars, hair styles, clothing and such.

The story is more typical in that it involves a young Amish woman who has to interact with an English (non-Amish) family. I'm not certain what I feel about this book. The writing was done well; I do want to read further stories in this series. However, (again as other reviewers have mentioned) the story involved many elements that seemed to be forced together rather than happening naturally. Still I would encourage this author to keep writing; I would like to see where the characters in this book end up. ( )