Wanda E. Brunstetters A Sisters Hope, the third book in her Sisters of Holmes County series, continues with the story of the Hostettler sisters and their experiences as an Amish family being victimized by an unknown saboteur. In A Sisters Hope, the focus is on the ordeals that Martha faces, dealing with fear, speculation, love, and faith.
The Hostettler family members have been suffering from mysterious attacks for two years, and their entire lives have been set on edge. Every few weeks, another attack leads the Hostettler family to question its faith. It is easy to follow the progression of the Hostettlers stories as Brunstetter draws the reader in, sharing the thoughts of the characters when they make decisions and analyze situations. As they try to figure out who is responsible for the attacks against their family, the list of suspects keeps growing.
Martha, the youngest Hostettler sister, faces many obstacles as she tries to make sense of the ongoing vandalism, while still trying to get her breeding business up and running. Martha is worried that the stress of the attacks will have lasting effects on her mother and the suspicion of Lukes involvement in them will prevent her father from seeing that Luke is innocent. With Marthas family, breeding business, and future happiness all hanging in the balance, she struggles to discover the attackers identity and bring the attacks against her family to an end.
Suspense builds as Martha begins to investigate the attacks on her own, putting her life at risk for the sake of her family. Her sisters, Grace and Ruth, have already experienced losses due to the attacks: Graces house was burned and Ruths husband was killed in an accident. What other sacrifices will have to be made before the suspect is found? Will Marthas family ever discover the reason behind the attacks?
Wanda E. Brunstetter does a good job of wrapping up loose ends created in the first two books, answering questions that have been in place since the beginning. Will Grace get to keep her daughter Anna? Will Ruth be able to cope with marrying Abe so soon after losing Martin? Will Luke be able to prove that he had nothing to do with the attacks? Hebrews 11:1 gives a good description of the faith that Martha and her family must have, in that faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see. They need to trust that God will protect them, no matter what happens.
I really enjoyed reading A Sisters Hope and learning more about the Amish culture. Wanda E. Brunstetters style of writing is easy to follow and keeps the reader engaged in the story. Younger women will be able to relate to the struggles that the Hostettler sisters face, and older women will enjoy a well told story about the trials of a traditional Amish family. Nicole E. Dynes, www.ChristianBookPreviews.com
