**Book received for consideration. Post contains affiliate links. All thoughts are 100% my own.
They both love music. Will God deny what brings them such joy?
Musical prodigy Levi Shetler hasn’t touched a piano since he secretly played one years ago. His strict Amish community forbids instruments or the singing of any music not in their approved songbook. Levi asks God often why music tempts him when playing an instrument isn’t allowed in his world.
One person knows Levi’s talents: Mary Hershberger, the girl who promised years ago to keep his secret. Mary comes from a more liberal district than Levi, but she’s facing family troubles of her own. The mutual care for an aging Englischer, Adeline, reunites Mary and Levi as young adults. They realize that, despite their differences, they have a shared love of music—and a shared confusion about whether their talents are God-given gifts or temptations luring them into the Englisch world.
The couple realizes they must compromise or part ways, but a tragic accident shakes their decision. Both Mary and Levi will need to reconcile what they love with what their hearts say is right—because even as their passion for music brings them together, it could be what tears them apart.
The first novel in the new Amish Journeys series by bestselling author Beth Wiseman, Hearts in Harmony explores how far the heart will travel for the melody of love.
Beth Wiseman is the award-winning and bestselling author of the Daughters of the Promise, Land of Canaan, and Amish Secrets series, as well as novellas that have been included in many bestselling collections such as An Amish Year and An Amish Garden. Visit her online at BethWiseman.com; Facebook: AuthorBethWiseman; Twitter: @BethWiseman; Instagram: @bethwisemanauthor.
Let me just preface this review by stating that Amish fiction- though certainly very popular in Christian fiction- has never really been my preferred style. Still, I've been trying to branch out lately and instead of focusing on the style or time period or sub-genre, really just looking at each story on it's own. This book once again has shown me that this was a great decision, as I ended up loving it. It might have moved a little slower than the fast-paced suspense novels that have become my favorite, but it was a sweet read nonetheless.
Again, I've not been a fan of the genre before and despite growing up in Southern Indiana myself around Amish communities (and not too horribly far from the setting of this novel), there were many aspects of the Amish culture that I was not familiar with. I knew the basics, and I knew that many communities were less strict than others... but the specifics of what they were and were not allowed to do was mostly new to me. I had no idea that instruments were not allowed. It was really interesting for me to learn a little bit more about that.
Aside from that though, this was a really great story. Of course I loved the romance found within its pages, but even more than that I loved the friendship between three young adults and their new elderly friend. They were brought together by circumstances that were less than ideal, but as in our own lives, God brought them all together just when they needed one another. Oh what a beautiful story.
To be honest, I was a little sad that it ended because I found the characters had really drawn me in in the end. While the primary story may have wrapped up in the end, I found myself wanting to know more about what would happen in some of the other relationships we are given a glimpse into in this novel. My hope is that these stories will be highlighted in future books in the series, and I cannot wait to check them out in time too.
Overall, it was a really fantastic read that I would definitely recommend.
'Hearts in Harmony' is available to purchase now at your favorite Christian book retailers.
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