I was looking forward to The Sound of Distant Thunder by Jan Drexler because of its unusual topic - an Amish man in the army. I'd never heard of that before, so I was intrigued to see how that worked.

Katie Stuckey is seventeen and in love with Jonas Weaver. They both want to marry right away, but Katie's father wants her to wait until she is eighteen. Waiting is something she will have to learn to live with as the war between the States begins, and her beloved Jonas takes his brother's place in a mandatory draft. Will he survive until their wedding? Or will their dreams of a life together never happen?

While reading this book, I felt I had stepped into the second or third book of a series. So I was quite surprised to realize it is the first book in the Amish of Weaver Creek series. There were many confusing parts and a few unexplained scenes. Also, there were Katie's irrational and unrealistic fears regarding those who love her.

First, the scene when Ned tries to attack her leaves one wondering that something horrifying is going to happen later on in the book after Katie gets away. I was fully expecting him to be the antagonist in the story who goes after her after Jonas joins the army. But he never does. He attacks, and it is never dealt with or explained again. Then there is the weird notion Katie has that men who are attracted to her will die. It was very unrealistic. She also keeps referring to her teacher who "leered" at her and sounds like she was attacked by him too but the character in question is never introduced, and nothing is explained. It almost seemed like the author was looking to "fill" pages but couldn't decide what to write.

Once Jonas goes into the army the story does pick up, and it looks like Levi Beiler is going to sweep Katie off her feet while Jonas is gone. I'm not going to say what happens, but the ending was so abrupt I was surprised that it was over.

Overall, the characters of Katie and Jonas were sweet, but the lack of backstory on other aspects and how they related to Katie, along with the sudden ending fell flat for me. Perhaps this will be addressed in the second book. Despite the inconsistencies, the author has managed to capture the faith and hardworking attitudes of the Amish, and I look forward to reading more from her in the future.

Book provided courtesy of Baker Publishing.

What I liked: The characters! Jan Drexler created characters that become real people with real lives in my mind. I found myself caring about the community of Weaver's Creek. I've read many Amish books over the years and admire their lifestyle and principles; their sense of community is strong and family ties are tight. What one family may go through, the whole community does and you can see this in the story. When the threat of the Civil War comes knocking on their back door, they must decide what the right thing to do is. Being Old Order Amish, fighting goes against their very beliefs and way of separating themselves from the world. I watched this play out in each of the characters; how they felt, thought and acted. Secondly, I loved watching the love story unfold between Jonas Weaver and Katie Stuckey. Already committed to each other and ready to marry once they join the church. I also saw Jonas struggle with both wanting to stay true to his roots and wanting to fight in the war to free slaves. Sometimes wanting to do the right thing or making the right choice never comes easy. Katie is ready to settle down and be a wife and someday a mother. She has a bright future in front of her but with Jonas's increasing talk of wanting to join the army, she struggles too. There's just a whole lot of other elements to keep the reader interested!

What I didn't like: For me, the story started slow. The characters were introduced at a rapid fire pace and I had a hard time (at first) keeping them straight. But press on I did because I've read many great reviews on Drexler's writing, and I'm glad I stuck it out! Lastly, I really dislike how this ended. There was not a satisfying enough conclusion to me. It brought up more questions than answers and had too many loose strings for my taste. Yes, it leads me to want to read the next book, of course! It's just frustrating to me as a reader to get to the end of a great story and be left hanging on some important elements.

In conclusion: It's a great story on how a person struggles with his or her own principles, beliefs and how these shape their lives. It's also about how, even in those struggles and uncertainties, we need to leave things in God's hand and trust Him to work things out in His own timing and way. A lesson each of the characters learn and great reminders to apply to our own lives. In spite of the things I didn't like, I will be reading the rest of this series. Jan deeply involved me in her characters lives and there are questions yet to be answered!

*I received a complimentary copy from Revell and Netgalley and was under no obligation to leave a positive review. All opinions are my own. *

This covers a topic that I've never even considered...the Amish in the Civil War. Knowing that the Amish are pacifists, I've always assumed they have an easy-out from fighting, but it would appear otherwise. The main character really steps up and shows his character when he takes his brother's place in the draft, and this can't be an easy decision because this was already an ugly war by then. The main female character stays behind and she embodies all of the worries and hardships that most women faced during this ear. She has to be so much stronger than those around her to keep them all afloat. The author describes war without going too graphic; she makes the characters both likable and believable; and she brings to life an aspect that few have known about before.

Jan Drexler is starting a new series--the Amish of Weaver Creek and it is going to be hard to wait for the second book of the series to come out. Her first book in the series: The Sound of Distant Thunder is the kind of book that makes the reader think of difficult issues and how to deal with them.

Through the characters of Katie Stucky and Jonas Weaver are faced with such a dilemma. Jonas and Katie want to get married, but the sounds of war are fast upon them and when the draft is initiated, Jonas is wondering what to do about it. He knows slavery is wrong, but according to the Amish rules, taking arms to fight is equally wrong. The decision is taken out of his hands when his brother is drafted, and Jonas goes in his stead. Jonas' experiences in the war help him to find a place where he can be useful without taking up arms against another.

While Jonas is gone, Katie stays home to help take care of her parents' homestead. Her mother goes through a depression every year that worries Katie, and she does all she can to help her mother out. During all this, Katie's father dies and adds more turmoil to the Stucky's lives.

Jan Drexler imbues her characters with a liveliness and believability that make this book hard to put down.

This is a five-star book, with two thumbs up, and a quiet place that brings peace in spite of the war.

Revell Publishing provided this galley through NetGalley.com for me to read and give my honest opinions.

I loved this story couldn't put it down, it was told so good, loved the characters in it and my favorite character was Katie she had to go through so much still remind strong for her love for Jones! Touching heart warming story it will have you glued to your seat to want to know more. Can't wait for the next one!!!!

The Sound of Distant Thunder is a well written inspirational book. I enjoyed the plot, the Civil War setting and the author’s writing. I look forward to reading more books in this series. Fans of Amish fiction would enjoy this book.

The Sound of Distant Thunder is the beginning of a new series called The Amish of Weaver's Creek. I enjoyed the combination of Civil War era historical and Amish fiction. Jonas and Katie are a sweet couple but with war keeping the apart, can they stay committed to one another?
I look forward to the next installment of The Amish of Weaver's Creek to see what happens next. I give The Sound of Distant Thunder three and a half stars.
Recommended.
I received this book from the publisher, but was not required to write a review. This review is 100% my own honest opinion.

I could not get into this book. I was excited to read about the Civil War and how someone from an Amish background ended up fighting. I have recently read a similar story and it had piqued my interested, that is why I was excited to read this novel unfortunately it just wasn't to my liking. I am sorry but I would not recommend this book to anyone since I could not finish it.