The Tinderbox

As a long time fan of Beverly Lewis, I was super excited to be able to read this book. I know with her books, I will always get an inspiring story, great characters and an unforgettable plot. That’s what I got with this one.

I loved reading Sylvia’s story. Not only did we get to follow Sylvia and her love, but we got to see her father and mother’s story as well. It was really interesting to read this book, with all the secrets that were hidden. That’s not something you see often with the Amish!

Seeing the way Sylvia was, the way her father had to deal with his past and his future with the Amish, really opened my eyes. The characters were beautifully chiseled and their roles were perfect. Each page turn had me wanting more and that’s just what I got!

The Tinderbox, while starting out a little slow for me, quickly became a fast read for me. I was up late into the night turning the pages of this 4 star read from the ever talented Lewis. With hope and forgiveness the center of The Tinderbox, this is a story that no one should miss. Grab your copy now, open the tinderbox and let God work through your heart.

*I received a complimentary copy of this book from NetGalley, Bethany House Publishers and was under no obligation to post a review, positive or negative.*

I truly enjoy Beverly Lewis' books.

I feel like I have been to Hickory Hollow.

In The Tinderbox- painful secrets, past mistakes come to light
and must be faced head on and dealt with.
During challenging times, look to God
for help, for hope, and for direction.

This is the first book, I am counting the days until
I can read book two--The Timepiece!!

I want to visit Lancaster County
soak up the area while driving on the back roads

The Tinderbox by Beverly Lewis takes readers to Hickory Hollow, Pennsylvania. Sylvia Miller has always been curious about the brass tinderbox in her father’s clock shop. She knows that it is a family heirloom, but her father, Earnest keeps the box locked which peaks her curiosity. One day Sylvia is dusting the clock shop and finds the key to the box. She opens the it and is surprised by what she finds inside the box. Sylvia is puzzled by one of the items and reluctant to discuss it with her father. When Earnest realizes that Sylvia looked in the tinderbox, he feels he must tell his wife, Rhoda the truth about his past. This long held secret distresses Rhoda and it endangers his marriage just before their twentieth anniversary. When Sylvia sees that Rhoda is distraught, she presses her father for answers. His revelation stuns Sylvia and upsets their once close relationship. The ramifications of Earnest’s confession are just being felt. If word gets out, it can disrupt Sylvia’s engagement to the preacher’s son as well as their standing within their community. Can the Miller family recover from Earnest’s deception?

The Tinderbox is different from other Amish novels. It addresses unique issues. Sylvia is eighteen years old and has been courting Titus Kauffman, the preacher’s son. She is sure that he will propose soon. Sylvia has always been close to her father, but she does not understand why he is reluctant to discuss his past. When Sylvia gets the opportunity to look inside her father’s tinderbox, she cannot resist. Little did she know that her snooping would unleash a host of problems. In The Tinderbox we see what happens when an old secret is revealed and its repercussions. There is quite a bit going on in the story. Besides the secret, we have Sylvia’s relationship with Titus, Rhoda’s sister has suffered a miscarriage, and Preacher Mahlon Zook is dying. Mahlon Zook has cancer and he is the man who welcomed Earnest into the community. They have always been close, and his death is upsetting to Earnest. He needs to be there for the Zook family while dealing with his own problems. Titus is one individual I was not fond of in the story. As the story progresses, Titus’s disposition is revealed (I do not want to give anything away). The Tinderbox is well-written (as are all of Beverly Lewis’s novels) and the story progresses at a gentle pace (a little slow for my taste). The characters are developed and realistic. What I call Christian elements (prayer, faith, Scripture) are an intrinsic part of the story and the characters’ lives. We see how this secret causes issues of trust and creates a division. Is it possible to forgive and move forward? I like this phrase from The Tinderbox that addresses this issue “forgiveness is one of the greatest forms of love”. My favorite phrase from the book is “Remember, we’re connected to our heavenly Father by threads of love we can’t always see.” The ending will astonish readers and have you eager to read The Timepiece. The Tinderbox is a moving and intriguing Amish story.

Beverly Lewis does it again with creating an Amish family that is both traditional but faces issues of the 21st century. Sylvia is hoping to marry her beau come fall, but secrets of her father's younger life may change the path of her plans. Sylvia not only opens a Tinderbox but also a pandora's box of long ago secrets that could tear apart her family and waylay any future plans she may have.

I always enjoy Beverly Lewis books.. Her descriptions of Amish life are like none other. I also enjoyed this book but was disappointed at the end when I realized the story continued. Looking forward to find out what happens to Sylvia.

Wow! Another incredible book by Beverly Lewis! The Tinderbox tells the story of an Amish family torn apart by a long-kept secret that is finally exposed. Results of the exposed secret are difficult and rip apart some relationships while drawing others closer together. I can't wait to read the second book in this series to find out what happens next! The book definitely ended with a cliff-hanger.

Beverly Lewis does it again! Lewis's new book The Tinderbox, takes readers into the lives of an Amish family. The father, Ernest, has kept his former Englisch past a secret from his family. His daughter, Sylvie discovers some of it which opens up a can of worms. Relationships are severely frayed as the past steps on the tails of the future. When the family collectively starts to heal, another surprise sends them shocked and reeling. Beverly Lewis ends it there, but book 2, The Timepiece picks up the story where book one stops. A great book that plays on your emotions!

“Hard work puts meat on your bones...and builds strong character.” Ack, character: for sure and for certain the centerpiece of yet another Amish tale Beverly Lewis has brought us. A family and couple(s) are in crisis. The Tinderbox out in her father’s clockmaking workshop has tempted Sylvia ever since she was small. Little does Sylvia realize the Pandora’s Box she will be opening as she peeks inside.
While not a fast-moving book, The Tinderbox deals with some of the strongest human emotions possible: intense human love, lust, (very tastefully dealt with), anger, fear, deceit, betrayal, and despair. I have my suspicions about a few others that we may not realize until the sequel, The Timepiece, is out in September of this year.
It has been said that women are emotional creatures. I thought about this a lot as I read The Tinderbox. It was easy to put myself in either Rhoda or Sylvia’s place. I wondered if the stress and emotions would be unbearable.
God has said He will not give us more than we can bear. While Rhoda, Sylvia, Hannah, and Earnest all must have questioned this, God provided a special friend for the ladies as well as for Earnest in his time of need. It was fun to visit with the Wise Woman of Hickory Hollow, Ella Mae, yet again.
Everyone needs an Ella Mae in his/her life.
Five. That many months until the sequel comes out. I need it now. Lewis neatly sets us up for The Timepiece, and I, for one, don’t want to wait!
Quotable:
“Have you fallen so far that the Lord can’t reach down and pick you up?”
I received a copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley. I was not required to leave a positive review, and all opinions are my own.

Another great Amish story by a great author. Overall, I did like this one, although it was a little slow at times, and it ends with questions, showing there is another book coming. Not a fan of unanswered points, but overall it worked here. The story is set around young Sylvia, who finds her father's old tinderbox, and snoops through it and ends up opening a Pandora's Box on the family. Secrets that were kept hidden are not revealed, and breaking the family apart. Would highly recommend, as it is a good story, but am not a fan of cliff hangers.

The Tinderbox has an interesting premise with likeable characters and an old tinderbox that fascinated me. I didn't want to know what was in it but yet I was every bit as curious as Sylvia was. I will be honest and admit that the storyline was a bit slow for me until a few chapters in and the pace picked up.

I was surprised by the contents in that tinderbox and how it exposed secrets that would cause so much upheaval in the lives of the Miller family, a family that seemed so perfect. I was undecided if Sylvia did a disservice to her father by opening the box she had been forbidden to open or if she was right to do it because facing facts while owning up to past mistakes can be good for the soul.


I started to enjoy this book much more as I continued to read it and was disappointed when it ended but the good news is the next book, The Timepiece releases in September 2019. I have a feeling it's going to be a good read and I look forward to finding out what happens in this Amish community.

I received a complimentary copy from the publisher and was under no obligation to write a review. All opinions are my own.

As part of the Hickory Hollow series, The Tinderbox follows the story of an eighteen year old Sylvia and the secret that she uncovers. As her father's past comes back to haunt the family, Sylvia wrestles with the role she has played and how it affects her parent's future. Meanwhile her parents, Rhoda and Earnest, struggle to rebuild trust. Will their marriage be able to survive the threat of the Bann? Or will this secret tear apart a family, an engagement, and a community?

I've always enjoyed Beverly Lewis' work and this book was just as enjoyable. There are so many layers of story in The Tinderbox... Rhoda's sister struggling with a miscarriage, the romance between Sylvia and her fiancé, the loss of a dear friend and mentor, Earnest's struggle to find his place... and salvage his marriage to Rhoda... all of it wrapped into on beautifully written book. While the beginning started out slow, once Earnest's secret came to light, I found that I couldn't put the book down. This is a beautiful story of hope, forgiveness, and the power of commitment. The Tinderbox left me with a lot of questions and I look forward to reading the sequel this fall.

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

THE TINDERBOX is book one of a new series by the Queen of Amish fiction, Beverly Lewis. Amish fiction readers who only read Lewis or Brunstetter will stand up and cheer! Those who read any Amish writer might cheer too.



Recently I've found Ms. Lewis's work to be subpar so I didn't go into this with high hopes. However, I fell quickly in love with Earnest. Wow, I hurt for him! I was stunned to see the Amish made a big deal over his visiting his own great uncle! That was cause for discipline? Really?





The hidden secrets were enough cause for the punishment but it ripped this family apart. However, the ending had you see why they needed to be and I can't wait til the second book in this series comes out. So much was unresolved.



Welcome back, Queen Beverly Lewis. THE TINDERBOX is a piece of brilliance.



I was given a copy free. All opinions are my own.

When Sylvia no longer fights her curiosity or Amish customs she opens the one thing her father asked her not to. The Tinderbox. An old container passed down from Earnest Miller's grandfather has contents that Sylvia looks through and opens up turmoil for the entire family. Dat has a major secret that Mamma doesn't even know about and it is devastating. The book does have a slow build-up but it is interesting. Tension mounts as Rhoda learns about her husband's past before he became Amish. Sylvia has a beau and according to tradition it is a private relationship. There are magnetic characters in the novel including Earnest, his wife Rhoda and the Wise Woman, Ella Mae.
This is a story about the importance of honesty, forgiveness and true love, even tradition. This is the first book in a series so it ends with a wide open invitation to the next book, The Timepiece, which comes out in September 2019.
This is pure Beverly Lewis to me. She is the first writer to introduce me to the world of Amish fiction years ago. The Tinderbox is exactly what I expected it to be. A book about people who are going through turmoil in the family and of their very souls.
My thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for my advanced reader's copy. I look forward to The Timepiece.

I have been reading Beverly Lewis for I know twenty years and each book she releases keeps getting better and better. The Tinderbox is going to be one of my favorites. I am already eagerly anticipating the sequel due out later this year.

The shock at the end had my jaw dropping to the floor. What a surprise.

I admire Rhoda and her strength and faith in God to work through the secret her husband, Earnest, kept from her. I don’t think I could have been as calm and understanding as she. As always Lewis shows how our belief in God can help us with forgiveness but she doesn’t preach it. I like that.

A solid four star read.

I received a complimentary copy from Bethany House through NetGalley. Any and all opinions expressed in the above review are entirely my own.

The Tinderbox is a good Amish read. I enjoyed this book. I was not sure of it at first, but about a quarter of the way through, I was hooked. It is a beautiful story of forgiveness, faith , hope and redemption.
I give The Tinderbox four and a half stars. I recommend it for readers who love well written, inspiring sweet and clean Amish fiction. Fans of Beverly Lewis will not be disappointed.
A great read that should not be missed!

After running away from my former English life, I'm afraid it's finally caught up with me. And I sinned in doing so. Well now, when ya run away, you never really escape, do ya? You only fail to deal with whatever made ya run in the first place.

Sylvia Miller an Amish 18 year old knew that her father Earnest came from the English life style as a young man. Earnest had turned from the English to the Amish way of living because of his grandparents living a simple life and the death of his parents and his sister. In the Amish, he found refuge and he also found his wife. He only has a few reminders of his English life style tucked away in a tinderbox. A tinderbox that he keeps in his clock shop and far out of reach. It is a reminder to him of what he came from to who he is now. The tinderbox also hides a secret that Sylvia finds when the temptation comes to great for her to bear.

Once Sylvia uncovers the secret, she does not know what to make of it until her father confesses to her. It is a secret that tears her family apart and may tear apart their place in their Amish community. Her parents must deal with Earnest deception but also fear for their young children and Sylvia as she is now engaged to Titus whose father is the bishop of their small community.

With many characters that come along the Miller's in their dire need of support, the family learns what it means to love. Love of the Father is not from what we do or do not do but who we belong to. It is the same with our most valuable relationships. How love offers grace, forgiveness and 2nd chances. How a community can come together and bring encouragement in the painful process of repentance.

The story does not end but continues as with all sin there are life long consequences that continue to prove our faith in humility or with bitterness. Looking forward to the next one!

A Special Thank you to Bethany House Publishing and Netgalley for the ARC and the opportunity to post an honest review.

“The Tinderbox” by Beverly Lewis dealt with past problems and events catching up with Earnest, a well-respected Amish husband and father. The consequences to himself and his family for withholding information presented a picture of how things can spin out of control for even the most humble and faith-filled people.
I liked the idea that the book portrayed the problems of a family, rather than a sugar-coated view of Amish life. I think the book described the church discipline well. The characters were well developed and realistic.

What bothered me the most about this book was the seeming cruelty of the shunning of this Amish man for events that had occurred before he became Amish. Most people make a lot of mistakes when they are young, and these mistakes sometimes return to haunt us later in life. However, I disagree with having to harshly pay for those mistakes when one is a mature adult. I have read other books by this author, but the treatment of Earnest by a community of brethren, to whom he came for solace and support during a difficult time of his life, was quite upsetting. Earnest himself had this thought at one point during his time of discipline.

I also thought that Earnest’s daughter Sylvia should have been held responsible for prying into her father’s private materials and continuing to probe and pester him until the entire situation exploded. All in all, it seemed that the situation described made a mountain out of a molehill in a cruel and unnecessary way. However, I am not Amish, so maybe I am being too critical here.I would like to see how the story plays out in the next book that continues this family saga.

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

Lewis's latest novel brings us back to the Amish country of Lancaster County, Pennsylvania. This time, the story revolves around 18-year-old Sylvia Miller and an unlocked tinderbox in her father's workshop, the contents of which hold a dark family secret that could rip the Millers apart and get them banned from their religious community. The books from Lewis are always engaging and easy to read, but this one was depressing compared to some of her other titles that I've read. I did enjoy this novel, but I wouldn't mark it as one of my favorites from Lewis. *Advance copy provided by the publisher in exchange for my honest review.

This book was a bit dull and boring. Furthermore, there is no real ending to the book......you must wait until the sequel comes out in September. Not one of Beverly Lewis' bests.

The Tinderbox is classic Beverly Lewis at her very best.

The tinderbox sits on its very own shelf in her father's workshop. Sylvia's father has told the family never to open it. After years, the temptation finally gets the better of Sylvia, and she opens the box! Who knew that the box would be an Amish Pandora's box, with the secrets inside best kept locked away.

Tackling themes rarely seen in Amish fiction, The Tinderbox us an engaging story of family dynamics, love and betrayal, and the resolution of it all.

I highly recommend this title to all Beverly Lewis fans, along with all lovers of Amish fiction.

In the interest of full disclosure, I received a free digital copy of this title to review from Net Galley.

#TheTinderbox#NetGalley

I've been a fan of Beverly Lewis for years. The Tinderbox is another excellent example of why I am a longtime reader of Ms. Lewis. The story is complex and draws the reader in because the theme is one that you can relate to even if you are not Amish.

The Tinderbox is a stand alone title which is nice because the story is complete. I would say that it would be a great series because the characters are so compelling but it's also nice to not be held in suspense waiting for the next title in the series to come out.

Before you begin this book: Be aware that the major storylines in this book will be unresolved with a new storyline appearing on the last couple of pages. If that’s a pet peeve of yours, then you’ll want to wait about reading this one.

This is not lighthearted reading. The story takes a long look at what happens when you have the intent to deceive and then cover up your sin of deception. There are secrets being kept by Earnest Miller that have the potential to have a major impact on his family and their standing in their Amish community. It’s when those secrets come to light that the story becomes absorbing. This is past the halfway point in the book, so don’t give up reading too quickly,

A major theme in this book is how trust, once broken, is not always easy to regain. The author does a good job of bringing this point home to the reader. She also emphasizes God’s love and forgiveness and how we should extend that to others. I’d love to discuss this book in a group, as there’s a couple of questions that I have that I won’t list here. I don’t want to give away the storyline in this review. I am looking forward to reading the next book in this series to see if those questions are answered.

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

I love Amish fiction and this book didn’t fail to disappoint. A lot of love, twists, and surprises led to a satisfying end.

Beverly Lewis hits it out of the box with "The Tinderbox". Beverly Lewis is one of my all time favorite author and she never disappoint me. The characters are so likable and we'll defined. The story was very inspiring and a i can't wait for the next book in this series. I also love the way God is woven throughout the story. I will recommend this book to family and friends!