Bygones by Kim Vogel Sawyer

I have a confession.

This is NOT my kind of book. I think I posted somewhere else, that historical novels weren't my cup of tea. Well, neither are stories about the Amish or the Mennonites.

But...well...can't a gal change her mind?? I picked up "Bygones" late this afternoon, thinking I would give it a quick glance...

I DEVOURED IT! By the end, my eyes were so full of tears I could barely finish the story. It was wonderful...**sigh**

Marie Koeppler fell in love with truck driver Jep Quinn and never looked back. Leaving behind her Mennonite roots, she did not abandon her faith...until her father rejected her and her newborn baby girl.

Twenty-three years later, Marie finds out her beloved aunt has died and left everything to her namesake, Marie's daughter Beth. But the will has one stipulation (don't they ALWAYS:-). In order for Beth to lay claim to the estate, she has to live in Sommerfeld with the Mennonites.

They both return...but neither could believe what awaited them. With relationships strained between Marie and her family, when antiques begin to go missing...she and Beth are the first suspected.

Who is behind the thefts? Where does Beth go when she has to escape the confines of the Mennonite people? And is Marie returning to her faith, or has the Mennonite culture closed her out for good?

I don't know a lot about the Mennonite people...but I respect them and at times envy the simplicity of their lifestyle. One thing I DO know...falling in love with Jesus is different than falling in love with a lifestyle or belief system. One is alienating, and one is filled with grace, mercy and truth.

The only bad thing about reading this story is waiting for the sequel. Yes, I do believe I'm hooked now...and that is NOT a bad thing at all! "Bygones" gets 4 bookmarks from me, with a little white cap as a charm...read the story and you'll know why!!

Happy Reading!

Deena