Reckless Heart

Title: RECKLESS HEART

Author: Amy Clipston

Publisher: Zondervan

April 2012

ISBN: 978-0310719847

Genre: Amish

Slipping.

Lydia Bontrager's youngest sister is frighteningly ill, and as a good Amish daughter, it falls to Lydia to care for her siblings and keep the household running, in addition to working as a teacher's assistant and helping part time at her grandmother's bakery. Succumbing to stress, Lydia gives in to one wild night and returns home drunk.

The secret of that mistake leaves Lydia feeling even more restless and confused, especially when Joshua, the only boy she's ever loved, becomes increasingly distant. When a non-Amish boy moves in nearby, Lydia finds someone who understands her, but the community is convinced Lydia is becoming too reckless. With the pressures at home and her sister's worsening condition, a splintering relationship with Joshua, and her own growing questions over what is right, Lydia could lose everything that she's ever held close.

I have read a few of Ms. Clipston’s books, but not all of them. She writes kind of a family drama, some of the stories were women’s fiction, some romance. You don’t need to read the books in order as you won’t be lost if you don’t, but a family tree is included in the book so you can see the family lines. The books in the Kauffman Amish Bakery Series are:

#1 A Gift Of Grace
#2 A Promise Of Hope
#3 A Place Of Peace
#4 A Life Of Joy

#5 A Season Of Love

Novellas in the series:

A Plain And Simple Christmas
Naomi's Gift
A Kauffman Amish Christmas Collection

I enjoyed reading RECKLESS HEART and getting to know Lydia. I felt for her as she struggled with her sister’s illness and her guilt over getting drunk when her friends and want-to-be boyfriend didn’t go to a singing. I’d recommend this book for teens and anyone who loves Amish fiction. A recipe and discussion questions are included at the end of the book. $9.99. 272  pages.