A Miracle of Hope by Ruth Reid

She’s heard about forgiveness all her life, but how far does God’s mercy truly reach?

        Lindie Wyse thinks an arranged marriage is the only way to preserve a future for herself and her unborn child. Josiah Plank is certain he’ll never love again, but he needs someone to care for his deaf eight-year-old daughter, Hannah. The two take on their arrangement tentatively at first but soon realize they are each in for more than they imagined. After a short time, Lindie experiences a breakthrough with Hannah when she recognizes the child’s special gifts, but a risky pregnancy and serious health issues threaten to demolish the foundation Josiah and Lindie are building—and the love that is growing between them.

        Will their marriage survive their struggles, or will their hearts become as cold as the northern winter?

        A Miracle of Hope is the first book in Ruth Reid’s Amish Wonders series, and is also the first novel I have ever read by her. I wasn’t entirely sure what to expect when I picked up this story, but I typically love tales of arranged marriages—because they seem to always work out—so I was pretty hopeful that I would enjoy reading this. To tell you the truth, I really, really did. Ruth is definitely a very talented writer, and she did a wonderful job of putting together all of the aspects of this story. There were so many unexpected twists and turns, though I kept trying to guess what would happen, and that made it so interesting to read.

        Lindie and Josiah are both wonderful characters. I feel as if I cannot write about them separately because, from almost the very beginning of this book, they are man and wife and are trying to find ways to make this two-become-one thing work. If I were to separate them, it would make all their work for naught somehow. Anyway, I really love the both of them. Lindie tries so, so hard to make Josiah happy and be the type of wife he wants and the mother Hannah needs, and that just shows how strong of a woman she is. And Josiah, my word, is one of the absolute sweetest men I have ever encountered. He constantly cares for Lindie, wants to make her happy, wants her to be able to find a place in his community and in his home, and I love him for it! Even though he claimed to want a marriage in name only, he never treats Lindie as if he doesn’t want her there, and that just shows how big his capacity to love is.

        I really just love the progression of this story. It captivates you, makes you long to know what will happen, causes you to fall in love with all of the characters and with the thought of Lindie and Josiah having a love story after all; there is no end to the praises I could sing for this novel. However, I cannot say that I really loved the ending, except I definitely did, I just wish that the book would have gone on longer! There wasn’t anything wrong with the ending except that it was the end! All in all though, this is a fabulous novel that I thoroughly enjoyed, and I cannot wait to read the second book—A Woodland Miracle—next, and then A Dream of Miracles, the third book, once it comes out! I loved this novel, award it all five bookshelves, and highly recommend it! I’m pretty sure you’re gonna love it!

        Happy reading!

To see where I’m linking up, check out my Where I Party page.

All credit for the italicized synopsis goes to Ruth Reid and Thomas Nelson Publishing.