I was provided a complimentary copy of this book by Harvest House, NetGalley. I was not compensated for this review and all thoughts and opinions expressed are my own. I was not required to write a positive review.
Starting from Scratch by Kate Lloyd Series: Lancaster Discoveries #2
Published by Harvest House Publishers on April 3rd 2018
Genres: Amish & Mennonite, Christian, Clean & Wholesome, Fiction, Romance
Pages: 352
Source: Harvest House, NetGalley
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An Old Flame Brings a Spark of New Hope
En Alt Maedel—an old maid.
At age twenty-nine, that's what Eva Lapp considers herself. And who could argue with her? Finding a good Amish husband at her age will be next to impossible. Plus, Eva's unwarranted bad reputation in Lancaster County precedes her. Maybe living the Englisch life would be better.
Squeezed out of her childhood home by her brother's boisterous family, Eva finds lodging and a new job managing a small café at a local plant nursery. But the challenge of her new position isn't enough to distract from her current predicament.
To Eva's surprise, her first love, Jake Miller, suddenly returns to Lancaster County. Flooded with emotions and filled with questions about Jake's past, can Eva trust what she's feeling?
Jake and Eva face many obstacles in their quest for a fresh start in the community, but perhaps with God's help, they can find the redemption they both desperately need.
The second book in the Lancaster Discoveries series is as different from the first as sausage gravy and brown gravy. If you haven’t read my review of ‘A Letter from Lancaster County‘ you should. It was set in Amish county but wasn’t specifically about the Amish. We are in the same community, the same plant nursery, and mentions of some of the same characters. This book however? Pure Amish-ish. In ‘Starting from Scratch’ we meet Eva Lapp, a proper Amish woman, who takes a job at the nursery owned by a former Amish man (never baptized so never shunned) and lives in a small cottage on the property. Having been in love when she was younger with Jake Miller, a troubled young man from her community, he went away and she never moved on. At 29 the world thinks her an old maid and passing her prime. At 29 she’s as skittish as a someone more than half her age. At 29 she embarks on real life for the first time.
I had such hopes for this book. I was looking forward to picking up where Angela and Rose left off in the previous book. I mean Rose is mentioned but she’s off screen and out of town throughout the entire story. Her and Glenn have apparently had a daughter but are away during all that happens in this book. I’m going to do this review a little different but I think you’ll understand why when I’m done. There was a LOT that happened in this book. Eva going out on her own, someone breaking into the cafe, friends running away, trouble with the law, and a barn fire. These scene was extremely difficult for me to read. To be honest I don’t know that I’ll ever be able to read about a structure fire without a great deal of anxiety again. I need to move past this quickly so here goes. I love Kate Lloyd’s ability to tell a story, however this one didn’t hit it for me. I’m gonna tell ya why . . .
- Ach. Every. Single. Person. Said this. Constantly. Eva was the biggest offender but oh the tomatoes I was hearing it even when it wasn’t written.
- Love star. I’m not a fan of love triangles, as a rule, but you add more to that and just um, nope. I struggle to understand how everyone thinks that Eva is an old maid but then blam, she takes this job and her lost love returns home and have the district, and an outsider, takes a likin’ to her. She goes from no prospects to four in the blink of an eye. Now, she doesn’t necessarily like all of them but still. . .four!?! And not to spoiler it for ya but I’m not a fan of the one she ended up with.
- Secondary characters. I felt meh about some of the character development here. Beatrice was sold as a hard-edged judgemental Englisher but she didn’t stay that way and I didn’t see any catalyst or development really for that to change. Perhaps I’m just dense? Same with Eva’s sister-in-law Marta. Something gave but I’ve yet to figure out what.
- Eva. I’m sorry but I seriously felt like Eva was very immature and a bit over-the-top. I mean, I get that she’s lived at home with her parents for 29 years. Yes, she’s 29. But she came across as never having been even left home alone much less had an independent thought.
That all being said, though seriously 4!?!, I still enjoyed this book. It’s not my favorite by this author but that’s OK. I do want to address that reason behind why I didn’t care for whom Eva ended up with in her little star thing. He came across as overbearing, wanting his way, somewhat childish, and not necessarily all in for the right reasons. I mean I’m sure they will be happy together and that the things he felt lacking were in there somewhere but they definitely didn’t come across to me. Eva was an interesting woman with a lot of trepidation of being independent and living life on life’s terms. She came a little way through this book and I’d be interested to see her truly grow up in the future. And I’m still waiting for some things from book one to be wrapped up as well. Hint. Hint.
About Kate Lloyd
Author Kate Lloyd is a passionate observer of human relationships. A native of Baltimore, Kate spends time with family and friends in Lancaster County, PA, the inspiration for her best selling novels Leaving Lancaster, Pennsylvania Patchwork, and Forever Amish, the third book in the Legacy of Lancaster Trilogy. Her newest novel, A Letter from Lancaster County, releases 7-1-17.Kate and her husband live in the Pacific Northwest, the setting for Kate’s first novel, A Portrait of Marguerite. Kate studied art and art history in college. She’s worked a variety of jobs, including car salesman and restaurateur. For relaxation and fun, Kate enjoys walking with her camera in hand and beach-combing,
I just got book one on Kindle last week…I’m going to need to read it. I’m curious how the two books tie together. I, too, was rooting for the other guy! 🙂 Nice review…thanks for sharing your thoughts!