Hidden Mercies

Title: HIDDEN MERCIES

Author: Serena B. Miller

Publisher: Howard Books

April 2013

ISBN: 978-1451660357

Genre: Amish

When Amish widow Claire Shetler is attracted to the man who caused her fiancé’s death, they must both heal deep wounds to discover God’s hidden mercies.

At seventeen, Tom Miller smashed his car into a tree, killing his brother only four hours before he was scheduled to marry Claire Shetler. Unable to live with his father’s bottomless grief and anger, Tom left the Amish church, ran away, and joined the Marines.

Twenty-seven years later, Tom returns to Mt. Hope, Ohio, a wounded, decorated Marine helicopter pilot, and rents an apartment over Claire's workshop. A widowed Amish midwife, Claire is struggling to support her family, and despite her unresolved anger toward Tom, she sees the money as a Godsend. She never dreams that she will end up falling in love with a battle-scarred soldier.

As Claire and Tom fight their way through the traumas of the past, they discover the tender mercies God has hidden along the way—one of which is a loving father who has been praying for his prodigal son to come home.

HIDDEN MERCIES is the sequel to An Uncommon Grace, and I suggest readers read them in order so they understand what happens in the backstory of HIDDEN MERCIES. Compared to Ms. Miller’s historicals,  her Amish stories don’t flow and seem stiff, but I still enjoy reading them. I am interested in learning more about a different Amish sect than Old Order—such as the Swartzentruber.

I have an ARC to read, so not sure, but in the prologue of the book I read, Claire’s intended was killed by racing a horse along with boys named Henry and Tobias. It may have been changed in the final copy so I left the car in the blurb above. It may have been changed. 

If you love Amish fiction, and learning about the differing types, then HIDDEN MERCIES is a good book to read. $15.99. 368 pages.