Grace Given by Beth Shriver

I have truly enjoyed spending time with the characters from Beth Shriver's Touch of Grace series. Grace Given is book two, and if you can't get hold of Annie's Truth (book one), it's okay--this one is great on its own.

Elsie Yoder and her family moved from an Amish community in Virginia to a settlement near the Rio Grande River in Texas, where the land is plentiful and affordable. It is a good option for Amish families wishing to expand. But challenges abound, such as the unpredictable weather along tornado alley and some equally unpredictable local troublemakers who delight in claping--hate crimes against the Amish people.

Elsie's sister Katie has run off with Jake Fisher, whom Elsie also loved- without a word.  There is another young man named Gideon who loves Elsie, but will she be able to forgive those who hurt her and open up her heart to love?

There are so many "shades of grace" in this series and I would encourage lovers of beautiful, wholesome fiction to be blessed by Grace Given.

This week, the

Christian Fiction Blog Alliance

is introducing

Grace Given
Realms (January 8, 2013)

by

Beth Shriver


ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Childhood memories of her grandfather's ranch came alive as Beth wrote her first Amish story. Her parents grew up in the country, so she appreciates pastoral life and respects those who make a living off the land. She visits a nearby Amish community just south of Fort-Worth for an occasional church service or brunch with the bishop and his wife. And on the way home she stops at the community store to get some plum jam!


Beth received a degree in social work and psychology from the University of Nebraska. She worked as a caseworker for Boulder County Department of Social Services before starting a family. Beth and her husband, two children, along with two cats and a beagle live in Texas after moving from their first home in Colorado. She freelances for the local papers in her area and writes columns, devotionals for magazines, and novels in a variety of genres in both fiction and nonfiction. Beth is represented by Tamela Hancock Murray of the Steve Laube Literary Agency.



ABOUT THE BOOK

“Never doubt in the darkness what God has shown you in the light.” —Amish Proverb

Elsie Kline can’t forgive her sister for leaving the community. Gideon Lapp helps Elsie through her bitterness by studying the Martyr’s Mirror book that is centuries old, describing their ancestors’ sacrifice for their faith. But he feels there is something more. When the community moved to Texas, they were not welcomed by some of the locals. They have told Katie and Elsie that harm will come to their community if don’t go back up north where they came from. Gideon stays by Elsie’s side as she learns to give grace and to humble herself to accept grace as well.
“Beth has a heart for helping others, whether through her nonfiction and fiction writing or in other capacities. It has been my pleasure to read and respond to her work during the past few years of knowing her.” —Leanna Ellis, Author of Facelift and Forsaken and winner of the National Readers Choice Award.


If you would like to read the first chapter of Grace Given, go HERE.