Member Reviews

A touching story filled with a bit of sadness, a bit f romance and characters that I found myself rooting for. People make mistakes so second chances are deserved. A fast, enjoyable read.
I received a copy from the publisher through Netgalley. Opinions are my own

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A wonderfully written story about forgiveness. There is so much we can learn from the Amish. It was hard to put the book down and then disappointing when the story ended as there was so much I wanted to know. The author has written in a way that you could feel for the people in the story.

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A delightful read about a young Amish widow and her twin daughters. It focuses on her struggles with old secrets, past loves and the idea of marrying again. Johns has written the characters in a deep and realistic way that has the reader thinking that she not only "knows" the characters but understands the way they think!

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Thursday’s Bride does not disappoint. It was a lovey read Learning more about the Amish is delightful.

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Thursday’s Bride is the first Patricia Johns’ book that I have read. It is a sweet romance featuring Rosmanda and Levi. I really liked that the author wrote Levi as a recovering alcoholic. I like when the authors show that even though the Amish live their faith, they still struggle with the same things that the rest of us do. I liked Rosmanda as well. She was a good person who made one youthful mistake and everyone in her town held it against her. I liked that she rose above it. Overall, I really enjoyed the story and will be reading more. Thank you to Netgalley and Kensington for the copy. All opinions expressed are my own.

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Rosmanda Lapp is a widow.....an unexpected widow who now must care for her twin infant daughters alone. Feeling she is a burden, to her husband's family, Rosmanda must figure out a way to ease that burden....but how? Her husband has a brother, that she thought would be her beau, when she was younger and unmarried. But, Levi left the community and Rosmanda married his brother, who is now gone. Do their hearts still hold the same feelings.....should she marry out of financial need.....will she be able to trust him, after he jumped the fence?

This is another wonderful book, by the author, Patricia Johns. I have enjoyed her books before and this one did not disappoint!

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Rosmanda Lapp is still dealing with grief over the loss of her husband, while also trying to be a good mother to twin infant daughters. Currently living with her in-laws, Rosmanda knows that she must soon marry lest she continue being a burden to her deceased husband's family. When her brother-in-law Levi comes back home to help with his father's farm, Rosmanda finds herself confused and distracted. Her feelings are mixed towards Levi, as she blames him for her husband's death, yet she finds that old feelings she had towards Levi are resurfacing.

As Levi and Rosmanda tread uncertain waters, they are forced to consider their pasts and why Rosmanda chose Levi's brother to marry when she clearly loved Levi. What is more is that Rosmanda is forced to examine her own heart - and this does affect her faith. With her efforts of striving to be responsible, Rosmanda does her best to push strong feelings for Levi aside.

As things turn out Rosmanda is not the only one fighting feelings. Levi recognizes the draw as well. Yes, she married his brother, but he still has very strong feelings for her, but he is wracked with guilt over his brother's death. How will he and Rosmanda get past these barriers? Will the pair use their faith to guide them to make the right decisions?

This touching second chance romance has a nice balance of character development and a wide range of emotions. The conflicts were real in this well-written story, with forgiveness and hope finding a path to Rosmanda and Levi's hearts. This sweet story by Patricia Johns will be with me for a long while.

Many thanks to Zebra Books and to NetGalley for this ARC to review. This is my honest opinion.

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Patricia John's book Thursday's Bride is a refreshing book teaching us that God has other plans for our lives no matter how much we fight against it. Rosmanda's character tries to protect her heart and reputation by leaving her hometown and moving in with her aunt and marries Levi's brother even though there is no love between them. Her husband dies and leaves her with 2 twin girls to raise and she blames Levi for his death. Levi has been in love with Rosmanda and leaves the house when his brother marries her so as not to cause conflict. Will Rosmanda be able to forgive Levi and realize she loves Levi too or will she give everything up and return home to her parents. You will not be disappointed in this book. I fell in love with each character and found myself cheering both main characters on. I received this ARC copy from Patricia Johns for an honest review. Patricia I loved the book.

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I love sweet Amish stories and Thurday's Bride does not disappoint. I thought it was a really good read and am giving it four and a half stars. I look forward to more books by Patricia Johns in the future.

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This is an Amish family drama with themes of reconciliation and new beginnings. Both Rosmanda and Levi have regrets about things in their past. I had sympathy for Rosmanda. As a young Amish widow with two small girls, she has very limited options available to her as to providing for her young family and not being dependent on her in-laws. She did not want to be forced into a marriage for financial reasons. She’s in love with Levi, but because of his past, is not sure that he’ll be a dependable husband. Levi also loves Rosmanda, but is unable to make her see that he would be the answer to moving forward with her life. Both have things for which they need to forgive themselves before they can move forward and forgive each other.

I enjoyed this story and was hoping that Rosmanda and Levi would find their future together. This is a clean Amish romance. There’s quite a few references in the story to their physical attraction to each other, but nothing that is inappropriate. I did like the author’s emphasis on forgiveness and having faith in difficult situations.

I received a copy of this book from the publisher. All opinions are my own.

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Pride stood tall and unique. But community-the kind ordained - was about accepting your limitations.

Levi Lapp has come home to help his parents after his brother died in a tragic accident. He blames himself for his brother's death. His brother was on his way to rescue him from his own bad choices. Levi is filled with guilt, remorse, anger, and bitterness toward his brother. It was his brother that stole his soul mate Rosmanda and married her. He had stayed away from home because his feelings from Rosmanda runs so deep. Levi has always been the black sheep of the family and now that his brother is dead, he wants to make it up to his parents and he wants Rosmanda to see him has a man that is responsible.

Rosmanda has her own past that she is running from. Since her marriage, she wanted to be the best wife and mother. She did not want to fall in the trappings of her past. Levi reminded her of the woman she did not want to be. She blamed Levi for her husband's death because of her own unresolved emotions. When the past comes to visit, Levi takes the opportunity to stand by Rosmanda thru it all.

Their story was a reflection on marriage in community which powerful and sobering in the Amish community. It answered questions and it gives life to marriage and community when reconciled to God's good will. It represented the gospel in a strong way that marriage is designed to. Highly recommend.

A Special Thank you to Kensington Books and Netgalley for the ARC and the opportunity to post an honest review.

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Such a beautiful Amish love story. This is a story that is wrote so well you can't put the book down and characters feel like friends.

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"Thursday's Bride" tells the story of Rosmunda and Levi, two young adults who might rekindle a past relationship after a tumultuous past. Rosmunda tries to continue life with her twin baby girls after the death of her husband, who was also Levi's brother and Rosamunda's past love. When Levi returns to help with his father's farm, where Rosamunda also lives, past conflicts and secrets resurface. Several minor characters also play a role in this novel and struggle with community perceptions and expectations, as do Levi and Rosie.

This novel seemed different from most of the Amish novels I read and review. A dark undercurrent seemed to flow beneath the plot from the outset. The characters were not youngsters, but adults dealing with adult problems and grappling with serious life questions. I am not even sure I liked the characters very much, although the twin babies were adorable. Issues found in this novel include alcoholism, manipulation, and premarital sex. The novel was predictable, but took some twists and turns to get to the ending,in which loose ends were wrapped up and hidden issues revealed and resolved. This is a clean novel, without Strong language, overt violence, or adult situations, although there are hints at romantic entanglements.

I received this novel from the publisher and from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. The opinions expressed here are entirely my own.

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This extraordinary story revolves a young Amish widow and her twin daughters living with her in-laws. She has to deal with old secrets, past loves and the idea of marrying again. This book was just a delight to read. The author developed the characters in a deep and realistic way that has the reader thinking that she not only "knows" the characters but understands the way they think! She has woven a sweet story that is guaranteed to delight anyone who loves to read an endearing tale!

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Thursday's Bride is a very good Amish story. Patricia Johns is quickly becoming a new favorite author. I liked the setting and the characters were well developed and the story flowed well. I enjoyed it very much and will recommend it to friends.

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5 Stars: 5/5 Star Rating
Rosmanda and Levi stole my heart. I can certainly feel a great deal of empathy for both of the characters. Both are grieving the loss of Wayne, one, his widow and one, his brother. But they also feel an attraction that they can't deny for each other and it's causing problems for them in the here and now!
Can Rosmanda and Levi ever move past the hurt they feel and resolve their feelings towards each other? How can things ever be settled with them living under the same roof? Both of them are being pressured to marry someone and yet, they truly feel the strongest attraction for each other but Rosmanda feels it's forbidden to her.
I loved this book, it kept my interest and added some surprises along the way that the reader will love! I am finding lots of time to read during our time of social distancing during the Covid-19 Pandemic and this book really warmed my heart and made me feel hopeful. It also renewed my faith in God and in love.
I received a digital ARC of this book from netgalley and Zebra Publishing. All opinions expressed are my own.

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Thursday’s Bride by Patricia Johns is a sweet, heartwarming Amish novel. Rosmanda Lapp moved to Abundance, Pennsylvania from her hometown after a scandal ruined her chances at marriage. She was attracted to the charming and rebellious Levi Lapp, but he was not the proper Amish man she came to marry. When Levi’s older brother, Wayne proposes to Rosmanda, she accepts because he is a respectable Amish man (aka boring but kind). Rosmanda is a now a widow with twin daughters who lives with her in laws. Levi is needed to help with the farm work, so he returns home knowing that Rosmanda blames him for Wayne’s death. Disagreements begin immediately, but they need to find a way to be friends for the sake of the family and their community. There is a definite attraction between Levi and Rosmanda. The sparks fly between them especially when they are disagreeing. I thought Thursday’s Bride was well-written with developed characters. The story is told from Levi and Rosmanda’s point-of-views. It switches between them which allows readers to see things from each of their perspectives. I always find that intriguing because men and women see things differently. I liked the characters in this story. They were fleshed out and brought to life which made them feel real to me. We get to see what it is like for a widow to live with her in laws and the importance of community. Rosmanda felt like she was a burden to the Lapps. She wants to earn money, but it is not easy with twin girls to raise. I enjoyed the description of Rosmanda’s beautiful mourning quilt. After the death of a loved one, you want life to stop so you can grieve. Unfortunately, the world continues moving. Chores must be done, children taken care of, food prepared, and so much more. You continue to grieve while trying to move through each day as we see with Rosmanda. The Amish world is very different from our own. They cannot just think about themselves when making a decision. They must think how it will affect their community. A reputation can easily be tarnished at a young age. Levi and Rosmanda struggle to overcome the past and move forward with their lives. Their interactions were electric at times. I enjoyed following their journey in Thursday’s Bride. The ending was special and left me smiling. There is a preview of Patricia John’s next novel, Jeb’s Wife at the end. Thursday’s Bride focuses on forgiveness, faith and second chances. Patricia Johns provided an appealing Amish story that will keep you engaged from beginning to end. Thursday’s Bride is a heartening Amish novel with toddling twins, a headstrong horse, a cute calf, secret sins, rapid rumors, and finding forgiveness.

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The writing in this book is not strong. it seemed that the author was talking down to the reader by using simple sentence structure and vocabulary.
I should probably not chosen to read this book because it is not a genre that is very interesting to me, so that could be part of the problem. I liked the main character and felt that her problems and issues were real, but she also seemed like she never really took control of her own life. The ending was pretty predictable.

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#Thursday's Bride#Bet
This was my first book by Patricia John's but it will not be my last.
Story opens as Rosmana's husband Wayne has died and left her with twin babies..She blames her brother-in-law for his death which is not the Amish way.She is living with her in-laws when Levi comes home to help his family.
She chose Wayne for her husband because he was serious,hardworking,older even though she had feelings for Levi
It is a struggle for forgiveness and second chances. Anxiously awaiting another story of this family.

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An Amish widow denies herself a happy life when she marries one brother while denying her true feelings for his younger brother. Rosmanda has learned the hard way that in an Amish community everything you do will be scrutinized and trying to leave her mistakes behind proves foolhardy. This dramatic story ponders public scrutiny from all angles as Rosmanda and Levi must come to terms with the people they are now and their desire for each other. A well written story and a hard won happily ever after. I read an early copy of this book through NetGalley and all opinions expressed in my voluntary review are completely my own.

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