Review_FICTION
50 PUBLISHERS WEEKLY ■ MARCH 9, 2020
Review_FICTION
himself to
Christ. However,
the community
turns a suspi-
cious eye on the
outsider after a
store is robbed
and things go
missing. Both
Marcus and
Hannah must
consider the
meaning of faith and sacrificial love as they
navigate their relationship. This engrossing
romance is filled with tender descriptions
of the intensity of new love. The glimpses
of Hannah’s outlandish stories, meanwhile,
are particularly amusing. Amish fiction
fans will enjoy this moving tale. (May)The Mystical Ark:
A Vessel of Blessings
Eileen Patra. BookBaby, trade paper, $16.95
(324p) ISBN 978-1-5439-7611-3
Patra depicts in her propulsive debut a
spiritual awakening set off by the discovery
of the Ark of the Covenant. The field study
at archeological dig site Qasr Ibrim did
not go as archaeologist Zak Erdmann had
hoped. The expedition began with strange
accidents resulting in deaths and serious
injuries, and reaches total catastrophe
after unknown assailants attack and kill
the majority of the team members. Zak,
Elena, Josh, and Paul are among the sur-
vivors, as they were in a cave following a
map that led them to the Ark of the
Covenant. But instead of containing the
stone tablets of the Ten Commandments,
the Ark pulls them into a portal, allowing
them to experience the commandments
throughout history. Realizing that the
world may not be ready for this experience,
they leave the Ark in the cave and swear
never to mention it to anyone. However,
Elena, feeling a unity with “the essence
of life,” decides to share her experiences
through a gallery exhibition of paintings,
and Paul decides to write a book about
what he’s learned. Zak, less sure and still
searching for answers, keeps asking
questions and uncovers a secret sect of
monks who are determined to protect the
Ark. Fans of religious speculative fiction
will enjoy Patra’s high-action, scripture-
driven thriller. (Self-published)complications. Being pregnant also forces
her to revisit her past and reconsider
long-held beliefs. Vogt paints a realistic
portrait of a messy family struggling to
deal with the pressures and pains of life.
Series fans will be overjoyed by how
things wrap up. (May)Home to Stay
Loree Lough. Kensington, $7.99 mass market
(352p) ISBN 978-1-4201-4924-1
A newcomer sparks the interest of a
popular member of an Amish community
in this charming tale from Lough (All
He’ll Ever Need). Max Lambright has
rebuilt his life after losing his entire
family to two accidents. Now a successful
building contractor, he has many friends
in the community of Pleasant Valley, and
when he meets Willa Richards, his business
partner’s new live-in helper, Max is
struck by Willa’s assertiveness and her
respect for Amish living. He also notices
the love Willa has for her baby daughter,
Frannie, and her intense desire to escape
her hardscrabble beginnings. Willa is a
hard worker, genuinely cares for her
employer, and begins to feel like a part of
their family. But she is afraid her abusive
ex-boyfriend will come looking for her
and Frannie. As she and Max embark on a
relationship, they both confront their
fears to trust anew and move forward in
faith and love. Lough’s endearing tale will
appeal to fans of Wanda Brunstetter. (May)★ Promise at Pebble Creek
Lisa Jones Baker. Kensington, $7.99 mass
market (288p) ISBN 978-1-4201-4748-3
Baker continues her Hope Chest of
Dreams series (after Love at Pebble Creek)
with this superb story of young love
between Amish and Englisch. In Pebble
Creek, Ill., Hannah, the youngest of 10
siblings, works at her family’s bakery
and dreams of adventure. Despite her
mother’s disapproval, Hannah reads
popular suspense novels and secretly
writes her own tales of intrigue at night
in her bedroom by candlelight. When
Marcus Jackson, an Englischer escaping
his criminal brothers in Chicago, visits
town, a romantic spark is ignited between
him and Hannah, and Hannah finds herself
caught between two ways of life. Marcus,
who lost his parents at a young age, is
determined to start a new life after givinggotten just how eccentric her family is,
with her mother stashing taxidermied
animals in the attic, her father traipsing
around in a kilt, and her grandmother
Nan, the standout, forever finding fresh,
surprising insults to throw around. To
help manage the restoration of the farm,
Cat enlists the Renovation Brothers, the
hunky stars of a reality TV show, but Sam
starts acting cagey as soon as the brothers
arrive. It’s going to cost a lot of Cat’s
sanity to keep both the repairs and her
relationships on track. Dineen’s character-
izations of her wacky cast make it easy for
those new to the series to jump into the
chaos, and there are enough twists and
turns to keep the pages turning. Readers
are sure to laugh and cringe along with
the characters as they navigate this rom-
com’s many mishaps. (Self-published)Inspirational
The Best We’ve Been
Beth K. Vogt. Tyndale, $15.99 trade paper
(464p) ISBN 978-1-4964-2734-2
Three sisters overcome personal differ-
ences and rediscover family bonds in the
excellent finale to Vogt’s Thatcher Sisters
series (after Moments We Forget). Eldest
sister Johanna is unexpectedly pregnant
and, unmarried and not ready for a baby,
plans to get an
abortion—but
hearing the
baby’s heartbeat
and seeing
ultrasound
pictures cause
her to have
second thoughts.
Middle sister
Jillian, who is
infertile, over-
hears Johanna discussing the pregnancy
with their youngest sister, Payton, and
the news devastates her. A new believer,
Jillian has been begging God for a child
and pleads with Johanna to allow her to
adopt the baby, but Johanna decides to
raise the child herself. Jillian then runs
away across the country to stay with a
friend. Meanwhile, Johanna navigates a
cordial relationship with her unfaithful
former fiancé, deals with her runaway
sister, and copes with prenatal medical