A Simply Enchanted Life

The Promise of an Angel by Ruth Reid

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

"The Promise of an Angel" is the breakout novel in the "Heaven on Earth" series by a new author, Ruth Reid. I really enjoyed the book. It was unique in that it combines two genres - Amish Fiction and Angel Tales - into one book. Unlike the second book, which I also enjoyed, you can really tell that this book was written by a relatively new author. There were small issues with the book, such as redundant words or sentences that just didn't read well. Ruth Reid still shows promise and I will be reading more of her stories in the future.

In this book we meet Judith Fisher and her friends, family and community. When Judith's younger brother is hurt in an accident, everyone blames Judith as she was watching him at the time. Furthermore, they think she's lost her mind when she insists that an angel assisted her brother on the day of the accident. The entire community scorns and mocks her, including the boy she loves. However, she does find a friend in the Bishop's son, Andrew. Andrew, as we find out, is dealing with his own private pain. I won't ruin the ending for those that haven't yet read it, even though it was a bit predictable. The book was still quite enjoyable. I think Ruth Reid shows promise which is evident in the improvements in the flow of the second story, "The Brush of Angel Wings" -- definitely a writer to keep our eyes on. I think she'll do well and will delight us with many unique Angel and Amish tales in the future!


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