Letters of Trust
Friendship Letters series - book 1
by Wanda E. Brunstetter
Pub Date 01 Mar 2023
Barbour Publishing, Barbour Fiction
Christian | Religion & Spirituality | Romance




Netgalley and Barbour Books provided me with a copy of Letters of Trust to review:



It has always been Doretta Schwartz's passion to write letters and she feels that they can be a bit of a ministry to her friends. In this series, Doretta and two of her best friends exchange letters expressing their feelings and struggles in an open and honest manner.



A Pennsylvania Amish farm is a happy place for newlyweds Vic and Eleanor Lapp until Vic's youngest brother drowns in the pond, and Vic turns to alcohol to cope. The situation gets so bad that Vic loses his job and the marriage is falling apart. In a desperate attempt to help her husband, Eleanor writes letters to her Indiana friend, Doretta. Eleanor's trust in her friend and the gentle words she receives in return are a balm for even darker days to come in the first book of The Friendship Letters series by Wanda E. Brunstetter.



I give Letters of Trust five out of five stars!


Happy Reading!

A good Amish romance of newlywed Victor and Eleanor, who move to be near his parents. When his youngest brother drowns, Victor is overcome with grief and begins abusing alcohol to forget. Naturally, the marriage suffers and mistrust abounds. Through letters written to her best friend back home (Doretta) Eleanor tries to find out how to help her husband and their marriage too. Good story, although sad too. Would recommend this book and of course this wonderful author.

This is the first book in the new series by Wanda. I really enjoyed reading this one. I would recommend it to others who enjoy Amish books.

This author is a wonderful Amish writer and i love everything she writes. This new series was really fun to read and I'm glad i had the chance. Fell in love with the character and the storyline. It put a smile on my face and when the world is pretty tough lately, this was a great book to escape into. I love Amish writing for that reason (among others).

When you have a lot of books on your tbr list you don't always get to the ones you really want to as quickly as you'd like. I've enjoyed every book I've read by this author, and I regret how long it took me to get to this one. That is why I've started on the second book in this series immediately after finishing this one.
Some hold the Amish to a higher level because of their religion and their simple and gentle ways. This book is the perfect example that they are just like us, flaws and all. I like the realistic aspect of the story. A newly married young Amish couple expecting the best of life ahead. Sadly, she has to leave her best friend behind. The two women write letters back and forth to keep in touch. He had a bit of a drinking problem before committing to the church, gladly giving it all up for his new bride and the goodness of the church. She's lonely in Pennsylvania and wants to take a job which he is opposed to. He believes she'll become pregnant soon and he doesn't want her working. His co-worker is an alcoholic and is his transportation to and from his construction job. He tries to tempt him to drink but he's adamant he's given it up. Divorce is not an option but some serios problems develop in this couple's marriage after a tragedy and he has such a hard time handling it. When he turns towards something else besides his wife, she is beside herself and just wants her charming husband back. He tris to hide his problems with lies. So realistic I just could not stop reading, one of her absolute best.

Pub Date 01 Mar 2023
I was given a complimentary copy of this book.
All opinions expressed are my own.

Letters of Trust

by Wanda E. Brunstetter

When Eleanor and Vic get married, they move to Paradise, Pennsylvania, where, given the name of the town, they should expect a happily ever after. Eleanor is a very sweet Amish young lady with a strong faith. Despite her mother’s hesitation about Vic based on reports of his rumspringe experiences before he joined the church, Eleanor is in love with Vic, a carpenter, and is determined to be a good wife to him. For the most part, their first year of marriage is a happy one. Unfortunately, tragedy strikes Vic’s family, and Vic is overcome with guilt over what happened. Unable to handle his feelings and unwilling to ask for help, Vic seeks survival through an addiction which threatens his marriage, his job, his future child, and his relationship with family, friends, and church. Most importantly, the addiction stands between Vic and God. Eleanor learns that Vic will need to hit rock bottom before he stops denying his need for help.

I have read several Amish themed books by Wanda E. Brunstetter. Letters of Trust has a more serious focus than the others I have read. My heart went out to the fictional Eleanor as she tries to be a good wife and hold her marriage together. She shares her trouble first with her long time friend Doretta in letters, knowing she can trust her not to discuss her problem with others as gossip. The two young ladies pray for and encourage each other. Eleanor sees the dangers in Vic’s addiction and shows her own strength when she stands up to and for Vic as he struggles in his own personal mire of guilt and depression.

I received a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

Rating: 5/5

Category: Christian, Romance

Notes: 1. #1 in The Friendship Letters Series
2. At the end of the book, the reader will find Discussion Questions and notes from the author about why she chose to write about such a sensitive subject.
3. Also included is a recipe for Chocolate Chip Pie, a favorite of one of the characters.

Publication: March 1, 2023—Barbour Publishing

Memorable Lines:

Evening light poured into the room, but no one wanted to eat a thing. Their world had stopped, and they’d been left hanging over a cliff filled with the darkness of grief.

When Vic entered the house behind Eleanor, a wave of exhaustion settled over him like a dark cloud about to dump rain.

People should realize that we’re all human, and sometimes we do things we shouldn’t, Vic thought. Just because we get baptized, join the church, and go to worship services regularly doesn’t mean we’re perfect, by any stretch of the imagination.

Wanda E Brunstetter is an auto buy author for me. I love reading her books and being transported to Amish country. I love that this book focus more on Doretta and Eleanor's friendship and how important it was to help them get through the struggles of life. Eleanor writes to Doretta after her husband's drinking causes strife in their marriage. These newlyweds did not have an easy start to their marriage. I truly believe that the only things that can get us through at times is faith, prayer, and the support of a good friend, and that was reflected in this book. I can't wait for the rest of this series.

I have read a few of the authors book and enjoyed them but not this one. The characters were just unlikable and the book as a whole was just dull and hard to get through. Way to much repetitiveness in the dialogue. Thank you to Netgalley, the author and the publisher for a chance to read and review this book in exchange for an honest review.

I read a lot of this genre and this one was hard for me to get into. I appreciate that it had a different storyline than some books, but unfortunately I just was not hooked.

Letters of Trust by Wanda Brunstetter is the first in a new series, Friendship Letters. And a new series by this author is always good news. In Letters of Trust Brunstetter expertly tackles the devastating effect of depression and alcoholism on individuals and their family and friends. Despite the heaviness of the theme, the story is also one of healing and hope. I'm looking forward to the next book in the series and readers who enjoy Amish romance will not want to miss Letters of Trust. I listened to a library copy of the audiobook and was gifted a copy through NetGalley as well. I was not required to write a review. The opinions are my own.

I loved this start to a new series. I really loved Eleanor. I felt sad when she was sad and happy when she was happy. I felt it was hard to read about Eleanor and some of her troubles with her husband but everything was handled very well. I think it was very nice that Eleanor had a friend to turn to during her troubles. I heartily recommend reading this story. I received a copy of this book from the publisher for a fair and honest opinion that I gave of my own free will.

A great read! A subject that is not touched upon in most Amish books but I am sure it happens. This book held my interest all the way through. I would recommend it to everyone! Wanda is one of my most favorite authors.

Letters of Trust by Wanda E. Brunstetter is the first book of the Friendship Letters series. Letters of Trust tells the story of married couple Vic and Eleanor Lapp. Vic and Eleanor are getting into the groove of married life and everything is going well until the tragic death of Vic’s youngest brother dies while hanging out at his house.. Vic has trouble dealing with the tragedy and turns to alcohol instead. Keeping her husband’s doings a secret until it gets too hard to bare, Eleanor begins to tell others as her pregnancy could be in danger. Written in typical Wanda E. Brunstetter fashion, Mrs. Brunstetter writes about a topic that many deal from personal experience. Even though the book is of a serious nature their is Hope that Jesus brings woven through out. I highly recommend this book and looking forward to the next book in the Friendship Letters series. Thank you to NetGalley and the Publisher for the opportunity to read this book. My review is also on Goodreads.

What I liked:
- A storyline I haven’t read before in Amish Fiction
- Realistic
- Made me feel so many emotions
- I jumped back and forth between my kindle and audio on hoopla and enjoyed both!

I want to thank @barbourbooks through @netgalley for allowing me a copy of this book. I enjoyed this book so much!

This is the first book in a new series by Wanda Brunstetter. The story takes place in the present day in an Amish community near Lancaster, Pennsylvania. The two main characters, Vic and Eleanor Lapp, are newlyweds who are enjoying the beginning of their life together. But when tragedy enters their family life, things suddenly take an unexpected turn, and not for the better. Eleanor’s faith is challenged, and she finds that she needs the support of family and friends as things seem to progressively even worse.


This book’s topic is somewhat different than what we usually see from author Wanda Brunstetter, as it deals with the topic of alcoholism. I would suggest that before you begin reading this book, you read the author’s notes to her readers at the back of the book. Mrs. Brunstetter describes her own past experience in dealing with a family member addicted to alcohol. The experiences of the fictional couple of Vic and Eleanor mirror some of the actual life experiences of Mrs. Brunstetter. I think reading her personal story adds depth to this book and explains the stages that Eleanor had to experience as she attempted to help Vic get control of his life again.


Wanda Brunstetter always tells a good story that reflects the values of faith, hope, and love, and these themes appear all though the story. When I first began reading, I wasn’t quite sure that I really wanted to read Vic’s story. But as I was reading, I came to realize that this might be one of her most influential books. She deals with this topic with great sensitivity and compassion. There’s encouragement for all of us in Vic and Eleanor’s struggle. I’m recommending this book as a story well worth reading.


I voluntarily received a copy of this book from the publisher. I was not required to write a positive review. All opinions are my own.

When Eleanor and Vic are married, they promise to stay together forever. However, neither of them could foresee the challenges that would occur to test that promise. The letters mentioned in the title of the book are written by Eleanor to her friend Doretta in which she reveals the problems she is experiencing and asks for prayer.

This was not an easy book to read, as it deals with the social problem of alcoholism and its effect upon a family. In addition to educating readers about Amish culture and practices, the author sets out to educate readers about alcoholism and ways in which families can find help. This book carries a clear and overt Christian message as well. This is the first book in a series by this well-known and experienced author of Christian novels..

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

i love Wanda Brunstetter books, this one had some painful topics such as alcoholism and some marriage struggles, but a really good story.

This book gives a real life glimpse into the world of alcoholism and how it affects everyone involved including this Amish family. I think the story could have been developed a little bit better if more attention was paid to the letters.



Thanks so much to netgalley and the publisher for the arc. The opinions are my own.

The art of letter writing has lost its luster to most. However, the Amish still write letters to friends and relatives since many cannot use today's technology. Letters of Trust shows us that letters can bring solace in times of trouble and pain. When tragedy strikes Eleanor Lapp's life and marriage, she writes to friend Doretta for help and advice. Addiction is not limited to just and "Englisher" problem. Often alcoholism is a silent problem not addressed in Amish families. Will Doretta's words of advice have a calming effect for Eleanor? As dark days get darker, Eleanor will need all the help she can find. I received a copy through Netgalley. A review was not required.

Eleanor and Vic live in Lancaster County, far from her parents and her friend Doretta, Indiana.
Eleanor often writes long letters to Doretta, talk and explain her new life as wife, her struggles, her thoughts, her family problems.
Her friend prays for her, writes back some advices. It's a great help for her. Have you penpal? I have and I enjoy it.
"Eleanor had always been a strong believer in prayer". Do you?