4.2 Stars Out Of 5
4.2 out of 5
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Quality:
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Value:
4.3 out Of 5
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Meets Expectations:
4.3 out Of 5
(4.3 out of 5)
93%
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  1. Moira
    Blanchard, ME
    Age: 25-34
    Gender: female
    5 Stars Out Of 5
    BEST Amish Fiction title I've Read
    March 9, 2013
    Moira
    Blanchard, ME
    Age: 25-34
    Gender: female
    Quality: 5
    Value: 5
    Meets Expectations: 5
    This review was written for Arms of Love, Amish Beginnings Series #1.
    Arms of Love is a tender, touching, soulful novel in my favorite genre: Amish Fiction. I love the thought of Amish love and indeed some days wish I were Amish (okay, every day I wish I were Amish). Until the day I save enough to chuck it all, buy a farm in Bird in Hand or somewhere in Pennsylvania, I will content myself with reading terrific Amish fiction.

    Arms of Love was new and familiar to me in many ways. I liked reading about a time period in American Amish life I had not read of before, the late 18th century. Set in 1777, the American Revolution is raging and American Separtists and British soldiers are both troubling Amish people to join their ranks and declare themselves. Their lives were fraught with peril because many refused to fight, to house soldiers OR 'Englischers' meaning anyone not Amish. Young Amishmen were leaving home and taking up arms to fight for freedom although it was staunchly against their religion to do so. Amid this troublesome time Lena Yoder and Adam Wyse are a young couple deeply in love. However Adam is torn between the fighting and between his religious beliefs and the Amish community. Does Adam ignore his personal beliefs and stay in the Amish community with Lena, the only woman he's ever loved? Does he turn his back on home, family, and love and go fight? What does Lena do? Those are answers that can only be found out by reading Arms of Love which I highly recommend you do!
  2. An Avid Reader
    Age: 18-24
    Gender: female
    5 Stars Out Of 5
    Great piece of historical romantic fiction
    June 28, 2012
    An Avid Reader
    Age: 18-24
    Gender: female
    Quality: 5
    Value: 5
    Meets Expectations: 5
    This review was written for Arms of Love, Amish Beginnings Series #1.
    Arms of Love by Kelly Long covers a unique subject: what life was like for the Amish during the Revolutionary war. When we think of the Amish, we think of them in today's times. But they were in America at the time of the Revolution, and life was very difficult for them since they refused to fight for either side. This book is a beautiful work of historical fiction that focuses on the lives of Adam Wyse and Lena Yoder.

    Adam Wyse is a young Amish man whose inner turmoil mirrors the turmoil of the American colonies during the Revolutionary War. He wants two things but can't have them both: he wants to fight and he wants to marry his beloved Lena Yoder. To join the Patriot cause means leaving his faith and his love. But because of a promise he made, he may never be able to be with Lena anyway.

    Lena senses Adam's pain, but he won't tell her what is on his mind, nor about the promise he made to her mother. He just ends their relationship. Left alone, Lena finds herself having to turn to Adam's brother, Isaac.

    Will Adam's promise bring about the good results it was supposed to? Or will it tear apart families instead of bringing peace?

    I found this to be a very well-written book with an intriguing storyline. The Revolutionary War is one of my favorite periods of American history, so I enjoyed learning something new about it. Readers of historical fiction and historical romances will enjoy this book.
  3. gjo50
    Texas
    Age: 55-65
    Gender: female
    5 Stars Out Of 5
    Great Historical Romance
    June 25, 2012
    gjo50
    Texas
    Age: 55-65
    Gender: female
    Quality: 5
    Value: 5
    Meets Expectations: 5
    This review was written for Arms of Love, Amish Beginnings Series #1.
    Set in colonial America, the Amish families suffer persecution from the colonists because they do not fight against the British and from the British because they are colonists. Adam is the son of an Amish family that holds some authority in their neighborhood Amish community. Adam has loved Lena for several years and they look forward to marrying, but on her deathbed, Lena's mother Mary makes Adam promise to stay away from Lena until he is no longer under a dark cloud. When Adam tells Lena that the can no longer be together, she vows to marry is brother. Between the difficulties of life, Adam discovers a truth that he has tried to forget for many years, and comes to forgive his father for beating him.

    This is a very tender story of strength, forgiveness, and love, with well thought out characters, and involving plot twists. One rarely remembers that while fighting for their own freedom, colonists were lax to extend those same ideas to others. Viewing the Amish way of life through a historical lens adds interest to the story, as does other elements of the setting such as the frequent deaths that surrounded everybody's lives. This is a book for readers that enjoy a love story deeper than a mere romance, along with the interesting history of the setting.

    Received Galley from NetGalley.com
  4. Alicia
    New York, NY
    Age: Under 18
    Gender: female
    5 Stars Out Of 5
    Kelly Does it Again!
    June 4, 2012
    Alicia
    New York, NY
    Age: Under 18
    Gender: female
    Quality: 5
    Value: 5
    Meets Expectations: 5
    This review was written for Arms of Love, Amish Beginnings Series #1.
    As an avid Amish reader, I was excited to read this book for many reasons. First of all, Arms of Love is not your traditional Amish romance novel. The author based her time period during the Revolutionary War, which immediately set this book apart for me as well. It was most interesting to see the lives of the few first Amish people in America.

    Amish are a peaceful group of people. With a war raging all around them, it leaves there surrounding lifestyle far from peaceful. Choosing to side with the British to maintain the peace results in chaotic consequences. The Amish are imprisoned, ridiculed, and robbed from all because they do not see eye to eye with the Patriots. They are considered cowards for there unwillingness to take up arms and fight for American freedom.

    I never once thought how the Amish, who were originally fleeing religious persecution, still had to endure the hardships and persecutions during the early American fight for freedom. Kelly added a lot of different scenarios to the Amish lifestyle that added a lot of emotions and worthwhile thinking to your reading. If you think the Amish are a group of just peace loving people than you're wrong. Kelly shocks you by including physically violent, murdering, hate filled, and even unforgiving Amish people. I definitely enjoyed the fact that the author did not portray them as perfect people as most amish writers do. However, she showed that the Amish are made out of the same things we are. They do make mistakes and they do have their flaws. This factor included in the book made it all the more enjoyable to me.

    Having the inside scoop to the lifestyle of Amish in the primitive New World was very engaging. It was interesting to see how even when there was no technology and many "worldly" desires to curb they still managed to separate themselves from others. The plot being very mysterious and exciting was a favorite. The writing style was another great factor to this already good book. However, my absolute favorite thing was the inside view to the early Amish lifestyle and the spirituality of the characters.

    Enjoying this book, and having read The Amish Wedding, which she coauthored with two other fabulous others, I would not hesitate to pick up another book by Kelly. I would give this book a 5 out of 5 for being a wonderfully put together book.
  5. Villageanne
    IL
    Age: 45-54
    Gender: female
    5 Stars Out Of 5
    The Best Historical Amish Novel I Have Read!
    May 21, 2012
    Villageanne
    IL
    Age: 45-54
    Gender: female
    Quality: 5
    Value: 5
    Meets Expectations: 5
    This review was written for Arms of Love, Amish Beginnings Series #1.
    "Arms of Love" "Amish Beginnings Series #1" by best-selling author "Kelly Long" is very different from the traditional Amish novel. This author writes using real life problems that people deal with on a regular basis. It deals with the post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) that has and still affects many people in society. This fictional story takes the reader back in time to Lancaster Pennsylvania during the American Revolution of 1771. The reader will feel the pain of the characters as they try to live up to promises they make even when they go against their hearts desire. It is a story of how love can stay strong amidst turmoil of faith, war and family issues. The reader will fall in love with the characters as they grow strong in worldly ways and their faith.

    This novel is has characters who are dealing with real to life trials in their lives. They are torn between what the world wants and what their faith demands of them. They struggle with these trials through the bad and good. It is a book of real life not all fun times.

    The book starts our with a glossary of words that are spelled using the way the Amish pronounced them in the days of early Amish life in America. This is a great help to the reader.

    The end of the book has a reading group guide followed by a "novel bible study on "The Arms of Love" written by the author. This bible study is a four week course.

    In week one, the reader will go into their personal past

    In week two, the reader will learn God is for you

    In week three the reader will learn of God's Arms of Love

    In week four the reader will see how freedom affects their personal life

    I loved this book. I give it a 5 star and want to read more by this author. I recommend this book to anyone who enjoys a real-to-life Amish or historical fiction novel. It is so very different from other Amish novels I have read. I love the real life trials and the long process that the characters had to struggle with to find freedom in their own lives. It was a refreshing look into the Amish world in the days of early America. It shows the reader that we all go though trials and proves that none of us are perfect. I cried and ached as one character was beaten by his father and the nightmares that persisted as a result. I laughed, smiled and feared as the characters faced near death experiences, as they found comrades amidst the war and as they struggled with how they should face each day.
Displaying items 1-5 of 30
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