Review - The Hope of Refuge by Cindy Woodsmall

The Hope of Refuge (Ada's House #1)
by Cindy Woodsmall
GOODREADS
4.09 · rating details · 276 ratings · 62 reviews

Raised in foster care and now the widowed mother of a little girl, Cara Moore struggles against poverty, fear, and a relentless stalker. When a trail of memories leads Cara and Lori out of New York City toward an Amish community, she follows every lead, eager for answers and a fresh start. She discovers that long-held secrets about her family history  ripple beneath the surface of Dry Lake, Pennsylvania, and it’s no place for an outsider. But one Amish man, Ephraim Mast, dares to fulfill the command he believes that he received from God–“Be me to her”– despite how it threatens his way of life.

Completely opposite of the hard, untrusting Cara, Ephraim’s sister Deborah also finds her dreams crumbling when the man she has pledged to build a life with begins withdrawing from Deborah and his community, including his mother, Ada Stoltzfus. Can the run-down house that Ada envisions transforming unite them toward a common purpose–or push Mahlon away forever? While Ephraim is trying to do what he believes is right, will he be shunned and lose everything–including the guarded single mother who simply longs for a better life?

Paperback, 352 pages
Published September 15th 2009 by WaterBrook Press (first published August 6th 2009)
ISBN 1400073960 (ISBN13: 9781400073962)
primary languageEnglish
original titleThe Hope of Refuge: A Novel (An Ada's House Novel, Book #1)
seriesAda's House #1
literary awardsChristy Award Nominee for Contemporary Series, Sequels, and Novellas (2010)


My Thoughts:

The Hope of Refuge by Cindy Woodsmall

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This  book is one of three from the Ada's House Series about an Amish community.

Cara was abandoned as a child after the death of her mother and ended up in foster care. She never stopped searching for answers to her past. She blamed God as so many people do when her prayers are not answered according to her wishes. God has a plan and it is sometimes hard to reason with the path He chooses for us. When Cara was a little girl she decided there must not be a God because He didn't seem to here her prayers.

Cara is a young widow with a little girl named Lori. Cara has had to jumped from one place to another to get away from a stalker from her youth. She is forced by fear to find a safe place for her child and takes off, with nothing but the clothes on their backs and a backpack, to search for her a place she only remembers  bits and pieces of.  It is a happy safe place from her early childhood memories and of playing with a sweet young boy. She tends to wonder if it isn't just a figment of her imagination. She finds this place which is an Amish community in Pennsylvania and she is not welcome there. One person, Ephraim, stands up for her and helps her to find her answers only to jeopardize his standing in the Amish community.

This touched my heart reading about this pour young woman trying to find a safe place for her and her child. If you believe in God's will for your life and following the path He sets before us you will enjoy this book.

I give this book a 5 out of 5. I would recommend this book to my closest family and friends.

I purchased this book for my personal reading pleasure and this review is my own honest opinion.

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