When The Heart Cries by Cindy Woodsmall

I have to state this right at the beginning.

I do not like Amish stories.

Having said that, I found "When The Heart Cries" to be a most amazing novel. I wanted to leap into the pages and set things right for Hannah Lapp as her world crashed and all she knew faded away.

Seventeen year old Hannah Lapp has done the unthinkable. Raised in the Old Amish Order, she falls in love with Mennonite neighbor Paul Waddell. Keeping their love a secret, Hannah lives for the day she can finally be considered an adult and make her relationship with Paul a reality.

But on the eve of his official proposal, the unthinkable happens. Hannah's life takes a tragic twist that she is forced to hide...until it cannot be hidden any longer. Rumors spread throughout the Amish community, until friends and family are forced to choose...

Do they believe Hannah...or their own lying eyes? Lost in the maze of the old ways of her order and beckoned by the freedom that the English (American) world calls to her with, Hannah has difficult choices to make that will direct the course of her life.

I was captivated by this story from the first page and couldn't help but turn the pages as quickly as I could. It took every ounce of willpower not to skip directly to the end just to make sure Hannah is all right in the end. Will she be? Or will her life, now in tatters, never be repaired?

For fans of Amish lit, you will fall in love with Cindy Woodsmall immediately. I don't even like Amish lit, and I know I did! I have the second book, pre-released to me for reviewing...and I will be hosting a huge giveaway next week, the day after Thanksgiving for this remarkable duo of books.

I'm giving "When the Heart Cries" five out of five bookmarks, with a cell phone as a charm...and once you read the story, you will most DEFINITELY know why!

Happy Reading!

Deena