Mending Fences (The Deacon's Family, Book One)

SUZANNE WOODS FISHER

Stats for my copy: Trade paperback, Revell, 2019.

How acquired: Revell Reads for review.

First line: A year had passed since Luke Schrock's exile from Stoney Ridge began.

My thoughts: Luke Schrock and Izzy Miller are two lost souls, and a little unique, at least in my experience. I don't think I've ever come across a main character in an Amish story who had a history of drug/alcohol abuse. But both Luke and Izzy have been in rehab. It was refreshing.

Izzy is a sweet character, young but not idealistic. She had a rough childhood in the foster care system. She's happy with her new life, and grateful to the community for accepting her and giving her a place to belong, even if she's not sure it's a permanent arrangement. The only thing missing is her mother, who she hasn't seen since she was five, and who she's desperately – and secretly - trying to find.

Luke is treated as a pariah by the community he was born into, after having terrorized nearly everyone with practical jokes and vandalism before being sent to rehab. He's a somewhat sweet character himself, and I felt the book was a little more his story than Izzy's. Or maybe I was just more drawn to him. He's a little bitter in the beginning. Upset that his mother can't be bothered to be there to greet him when Bishop David brings him home from rehab. And he's not too happy to learn that he'll be boarding at Windmill Farm, and sleeping in the barn. And when David presents him with a list of people he wronged and tells him it's time to mend fences, he's not thrilled at the prospect of approaching each person to apologize for his past transgression, and then having to ask them if his actions had any adverse effects on them. Which for some, the effects were very adverse.

From the synopsis I thought this would be more of a romance. And as Luke and Izzy got to know each other better it seemed to be headed that way, but it never quite got there. Not to say it wasn't an enjoyable story. It was more about Luke's redemption and Izzy's finding herself. But this is the first book in a series, so I suspect their story isn't over.

I really enjoyed watching Luke on his fence mending journey, and how his character developed and became more self aware. Izzy also grew over the course of the book, but her growth was more subtle, as her journey began off page, prior to the start of the book. For both characters, learning to trust in God and give themselves over to Him was also part of the journey. But it wasn't all serious. Some of my favorite scenes were about a mischievous raccoon and Bob the horse keeping Luke from sleeping at night. And watching Luke seriously dig in and try to help the people he had wronged was heartwarming. The ending was surprising, and I teared up more than once by the time I reached the last page.

Many of the characters in the book were introduced or appeared in one (or more) of the author's other series, none of which I've read, but I didn't feel I'd missed anything. All in all, this was an enjoyable, easy read, and while I don't feel the need to rush out and find everything else the author has written, I would like to continue with this series and will likely pick up anything else by her that I happen across. 

Goodreads synopsis: Every saint has a past. Every sinner has a future.
Luke Schrock is a new and improved man after a stint in rehab, though everyone in Stoney Ridge only remembers the old Luke. They might have forgiven him, but nobody trusts him.

Amos and Fern Lapp allow Luke to live at Windmill Farm under two conditions. First, Luke must make a sincere apology to each person he's hurt--a four-page, single-spaced list. Second, he must ask each victim of mischief to describe the damage he caused.

Simple, Luke thinks. Offering apologies is easy. But discovering the lasting effects his careless actions have caused . . . that isn't so simple. It's gut-wrenching.

And his list keeps growing. Izzy Miller, beautiful and frustratingly aloof, also boards at Windmill Farm. Luke's clumsy efforts to befriend Izzy only insult and annoy her. Eager to impress, Luke sets out to prove himself to her by locating her mother. When he does, her identity sends shock waves through Stoney Ridge.

Bestselling and award-winning author Suzanne Woods Fisher returns to her beloved Stoney Ridge for this brand-new series featuring some of her readers' favorite characters.