Beyond Hope's Valley

About Beyond Hope's Valley:

After an extended stay in Montana, where Amish traditions are different than in her home state, Marianna Sommer returns to Indiana for two reasons, first to help her brother and his girlfriend prepare for a baby and their wedding. Second, to plan her own wedding to Aaron Zook -- a marriage she’s been dreaming about ever since childhood. And yet, although she had missed the idyllic farms and families of her upbringing, Marianna is surprised that Indiana is somehow making her long now for Montana.

As months pass, secrets that were hidden in winter’s frozen grasp thaw and take on a life of their own. The truths about a child, about a past relationship, and about God’s plans are being revealed. Walking through a valley of questions, Marianna must hold on to hope as she decides where and with whom her heart truly belongs.

My Review:
5 STARS

Jump on board this roller coaster of emotions with Marianna as she returns to Pennsylvania with high hopes to marry her first love, Aaron Zook.  What a dramatic conclusion to a series that I had fallen in love with from the very beginning! It’s bitter sweet to say goodbye to the Sommer family and especially to the lovable, sweet and passionate Marianna.

When Marianna returns to Pennsylvania she expects to see her brother marry Naomi as soon as possible because Naomi is expecting and then her and Aaron will marry soon after.  She soon discovers that nothing is as she planned but is all in God’s timing and she suddenly faces many more trials than she anticipated.  The situation with Naomi and Luke isn’t what she was expecting and neither is Aaron the man she thought he was!!

I think I’ve said this before in my other reviews of the first two books of this series but I just love Marianna.  She is such a lovable heroin that you can help but adore.  She is passionate about her new found love for Jesus and the English bible, she always wants to put her family first, and she seeks the truth even if it less favorable. 

Twists and turns keep you on the edge of your seat throughout this book and kept me guessing as to how Tricia was going to end this novel without breaking my heart.  I felt there was no way I was going to see a happy ending but somehow she pulled it off.  Don’t get me wrong, you’ll cry and your heart will break but in the end you won’t be disappointed!!

It’s my opinion that you’ll want to red Beside Still Waters and Along Wooded Paths before you dig in to Beyond Hope’s Valley so that you can truly understand the characters and the story behind Marianna and Aaron.  Tricia has never disappointed me with her writing and I am looking forward to more by this talented author!

This book was provided to me free from Litfuse Group in exchange for my honest and personal review.  All opinions are my own.

About Tricia Goyer:

 
TRICIA GOYER was named the 2003 Writer of the Year for Mt. Hermon Christian Writer’s Conference. Her book for teens, Life Interrupted: The Scoop on Being a Young Mom, was a Gold Medallion finalist in 2005 in the Youth category.

Her novel Night Song won the 2005 “Book of the Year for Long Historical Romance” from American Christian Fiction Writers, and her novel Dawn of a Thousand Nights won the same award in 2006.

Tricia has published over 250 articles and YA short stories for national publications such as Today’s Christian Woman, Guideposts for Kids, Brio, Christian Parenting Today, and HomeLife, and is the co-author of Meal Time Moments (Focus on the Family). She has led numerous Bible Studies, and her study notes appear in the Women of Faith Study Bible.

She has written seven novels for Moody Publishers; From Dust and Ashes (2003), Night Song (2004), Dawn of a Thousand Nights (2005), and Arms of Deliverance (2006), A Valley of Betrayal (2007), A Shadow of Treason (2007), and A Whisper of Freedom (2008).

Tricia has also published Life Interrupted: The Scoop on Being a Young Mom (Zondervan, 2004) and children’s book 10 Minutes to Showtime (Thomas Nelson, 2004). She has written My Life, Unscripted (Thomas Nelson, 2007) for teen girls. She worked on 3:16 Teens w/ Max Lucado (Thomas Nelson, 2008)

Tricia has also written books for Gen Xers: Generation NeXt Parenting (Multnomah, 2006) and Generation NeXt Marriage (Multnomah, 2008).

Tricia and her husband, John, live in Montana with their three teens.