I did not realize that this was somewhat of an addition to The Shunning despite being part of the Home to Hickory Hallow series.

3 Stars ( )

57484

Look, it's chick lit. I've read enough of Susan Lewis' books over the years to expect light, fluffy and easy-to-read stories that demand little engagement or concentration. But I noticed this book had an especially high rating so paid a "Top Titles" fee to rent it for a fortnight from my local library.

The heroine was such a door mat. The husband was predictably cheating on her. The spoilt kids became ever more spoilt. People whose finances had been wiped out seemed to have money trees from which to emigrate to a country where no such visa for such immigrants exists, plus bringing the whole family with them. Oh, and it's "IN" the Bay of Islands, not "ON".

I suppose the dark interest in this book was the presence of organised crime and actual murder.

While it's the latest in a series, I don't really think I'd have been more gripped if I'd read the first four books. Nor do I think I'll read them retrospectively.

Sorry, for those who like the genre I'm sure it's a winner. Just a bit Mills & Boon-ish for my taste with an extremely predictable happy ending. Perhaps in the next book the author will find a way for a double-mastectomy survivor to feed her miracle baby in her 40s with no breasts. ( )

Jennifer shocks everyone when she bids farewell to her modern life in favor of the old order Amish world.

Home to Hickory Hollow Book IV

I loved this book. Is was about a young girl who wanted to become Amish. She left her family and went to live the life of being Amish with an Amish family. It was about her struggles with the change, being accepted, wondering about her own family, and her self love. ( )