Arms of Love by Kelly Long

"Arms of Love" by Kelly Long is really different than any other Amish story that I have read. First of all it takes place back in 1777, and secondly it deals with abuse. The time setting was unique, and the topic of abuse was one I don't think I had encountered before in Amish fiction.

Adam Wyse is in love with Lena Yoder, but he is also grappling with a dark secret,his father is abusive toward him but Lena's mother Mary knows the truth, and makes Adam make a death bed promise to her to back away from Lena until he can break free of his father's rule. Lena doesn't know about the promise and doesn't understand what is going on and finds herself turning to Adam's brother Isaac. Which brother will ultimately win Lena's heart? Will Adam ever be able to understand why his father is so cruel? Read this interesting story and find out!

I really loved the time period in which this story takes place, and while Adam and Lena are the primary characters in the story, there are several secondary ones to keep the plot moving at a pretty brisk pace. Adam was such a wonderful person, but honestly for most of the book I really didn't like his brother Isaac, it galled me that he could stand by and see his brother's maltreatment. I really thought it was clever how the character of Ruth, the Englisher wet nurse that came to help out after Lena's mother died during childbirth. I really hope to read more about her in a future novel. While I found this story an interesting read,I found parts of it repetitive. A good story but  I actually enjoyed her "Patch of Heaven" series much more. Overall, I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys the genre of Amish fiction.

A complimentary copy of this book was provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.