Ties That Bind: A Novel (The Amish of Summer Grove)

In Ties That Bind, readers meet with a surprising start that ends up entwining two families. One family is the Brennemans who are Amish and at the midwife’s clinic giving birth to a set of twins, a boy and a girl. Also, there at the clinic is a woman named Brandi who is an English woman who unexpectedly went into labor and needed help, eventually ending up at the local hospital. Sounds like a quiet beginning to the tale until you learn other details such as they were giving birth at the time the clinic caught on fire!Twenty years go by and the Amish mother, Lovina, who has had some doubts whether her daughter was hers or Brandi’s finds herself caught up in a mystery due to the blanket she was working on when her babies were born. What follows is an ever-deepening story not just of Ariana or Skylar’s possible mix up, but the ripple effects that bring about surprising changes and challenges!What has been happening besides this mystery is that Amish families are quietly leaving the community without notice to anyone. No one is sure who is helping the families leave or if there is someone helping them gain a new identity and foundation in the English world. I am really drawn into the series as the mystery widens, characters are finding that they need to truly search their heart and just how strong the ties of family and faith are or aren’t.The tale really gripped my heart and kept me turning pages because I wanted to see how the families were handling their challenges and how the Amish community was coping with a person or persons they named the Nightcrawler. Currently, I am reading the sequel, Fraying at the Edge, which is even more exciting than book one! Then, I will read the third and final novel of the series, Gathering Threads and share my views of these two books with you as well!

20-year-old Ariana Brenneman loves her Amish heritage and is working hard to save money to open her own cafe. Her twin brother has been assisting her with saving money and making plans. Their mother, Lovina, loves all her children but can't stop the thought that there is something amiss with the fact that the twin's baby blankets originally had baby feet but now Ariana's doesn't. The birthing center had caught on fire the night the twins were born and an English woman also delivered a baby girl, was it possible that in the chaos the baby girls had been switched?One night, Ariana crosses paths with a friend from her youth whom she hadn't seen in five years, not since he left the Amish faith with another girl and broke her heart. Quill apologizes and hints at more heartache ahead for Ariana. With Ariana's realization that Quill has been the mysterious person helping Amish leave in the middle of the night, she quickly makes it her goal to discover which of her nine siblings must be considering leaving.After one of Ariana's brothers spots a young girl who resembles Salome their oldest sister, Ariana's parents, Issac and Lovina come to Quill for help in tracking down the girl who may be their biological daughter. Quill helps them despite the fact that he knows it could destroy the life of Ariana whom he still loves very much.Skyler Nash, an aspiring actress with big dreams and a habit of choosing men who get er into trouble, has no clue that her life is about to change. With her growing drug dependency, Skyler feels like her world is falling around her when her bad decisions catch up with her and her acting career is put on hold against her wishes.The Ties That Bind easily catches the reader's interest and hold tight and never lets go all the way to the final page. Cindy Woodsman has delivered with a great start to her new series which leaves you knowing that the second book will be a must read on your list.

Cindy Woodsmall is one of my book club’s very favorite authors. We actually won her first two books and an author call from Cindy (back before Skype, so you know that was a long time ago!). The hour we spent listening to her talk about her writing and inspiration was wonderful. We have read every full length novel she has written and usually do so as soon as they come out. I’m not sure what happened with Ties That Bind, but I am glad we waited to read it, otherwise, we would have had some very anxious readers awaiting book 2 in this series. Fraying at The Edges, book 2 in the Summer Grove series is out now and will be making an appearance very soon. In the meantime, here are some of my thoughts on Ties That Bind.Cindy Woodsmall writes Amish fiction, but it is more than sweet romance and simple living. In fact there is nothing simple in the lives of the characters, both Plain and English. Ties That Bind takes its characters on an emotional journey of faith, family and culture. The English and Amish worlds collide despite the attempts of many of the characters to keep things separate and secret. This novel explores the influence of nature and nurture on two young women. As the story unfolds, the reader knows more of what’s going on than the characters and the tension and suspense is palpable, making the pages fly. There is also the contrast of the human free will, God’s grace and the legalism that often dominates our religious practices. You don’t have to be Amish to be legalistic! Ties That Bind really makes you think about that. As with any novel by Cindy, the characters soon find a place in your heart. I really came to care about them and felt their anguish, fears and sense of lost dreams. A glimmer of hope is seen at the end, and I will be really glad when I can begin Fraying at The Edges in just a few days.Have you read Ties That Bind? What did you think about it? We are meeting tonight and I am looking forward to some wonderful and lively conversation.Highly Recommended.

This was one of the best Amish books I have read. Two families have set conditions to younger members of their families to see if they can work out who belongs to which family

Still reading this, hard to put down, love the storyline, want to get to the end to see what happens, but don't want it to finish either!!

Cindy Woodsmall never fails to write an intriguing story.; Can't wait to read the next instalment ! Highly recommend this read

This is an amazingly gripping book. Full of so many emotions. We feel love and forgiveness and anxiety and peacefulness all blended in together. I was lost in the story and felt emotions right along with the characters. The last few chapters had my tears falling and as I read the last page I found myself saying out loud," No this can not end yet". I can not wait for the next book!!!

Very good story. Waiting for #2 in this series.