Rating: 
Summary: Mesmerized!
Review: I finished this book in less than 24 hours. That alone should speak volumes! I was given Beverly Lewis' first book, "The Covenant" for my birthday in March of 2003. I was instantly taken to Lancaster County, Pennsylvania (my husband knew I had ancestors from Lancaster County and thought I would enjoy it) where I met the Ebersol family and their "plain" girls and "plain" ways. I devoured that book as well, learning of the oldest daughter, Sadie, and the shameful "rumschpringe" she went through. The secret that her next youngest sister, Leah, had to keep as well as learning about the twins, Hannah and Mary Ruth, and the new baby girl, Lydiann, born to Abram and Ida Ebersol. "The Betrayal" continues on where "The Covenant" left off, and takes you on a wild downhill buggy ride as Sadie and Leah deal with their shared secret. Leah and Jonas Mast are courting with letters from afar and they are both about to go through Baptism rites at the same time before their impending marriage...or so it seems. Love and trust seem to grow between them, until... Aunt Lizzie Brenneman (Ida Ebersol's sister) is in on the secret as well...and she may even have a few secrets of her own to tell. How will Lizzie's secret be revealed? What about Naomi, Sadie's "rumschpringe" friend, who knew the truth about Sadie's baptismal vow being false? She's about to be married, and is trying to clean herself up with a few confessions of her own before her baptism. What is there to tell? And how will that affect Sadie, Leah, and the Ebersol family? And Abram so wants Gid Peachey (the neighbor's son) to be Leah's husband that he plots and plans to put a wrench into Leah and Jonas' potential happiness. Will he succeed? All of these things are explored in "The Betrayal." Questions are answered, but even more questions are left undone as we await Beverly Lewis' next book in the "Abram's Daughters" series. I was left with a gut wrenching feeling thinking about having to wait to hear how this story will end! Only Beverly Lewis knows at this point!
Rating:
Summary: Mesmerized!
Review: I finished this book in less than 24 hours. That alone should speak volumes! I was given Beverly Lewis' first book, "The Covenant" for my birthday in March of 2003. I was instantly taken to Lancaster County, Pennsylvania (my husband knew I had ancestors from Lancaster County and thought I would enjoy it) where I met the Ebersol family and their "plain" girls and "plain" ways. I devoured that book as well, learning of the oldest daughter, Sadie, and the shameful "rumschpringe" she went through. The secret that her next youngest sister, Leah, had to keep as well as learning about the twins, Hannah and Mary Ruth, and the new baby girl, Lydiann, born to Abram and Ida Ebersol. "The Betrayal" continues on where "The Covenant" left off, and takes you on a wild downhill buggy ride as Sadie and Leah deal with their shared secret. Leah and Jonas Mast are courting with letters from afar and they are both about to go through Baptism rites at the same time before their impending marriage...or so it seems. Love and trust seem to grow between them, until... Aunt Lizzie Brenneman (Ida Ebersol's sister) is in on the secret as well...and she may even have a few secrets of her own to tell. How will Lizzie's secret be revealed? What about Naomi, Sadie's "rumschpringe" friend, who knew the truth about Sadie's baptismal vow being false? She's about to be married, and is trying to clean herself up with a few confessions of her own before her baptism. What is there to tell? And how will that affect Sadie, Leah, and the Ebersol family? And Abram so wants Gid Peachey (the neighbor's son) to be Leah's husband that he plots and plans to put a wrench into Leah and Jonas' potential happiness. Will he succeed? All of these things are explored in "The Betrayal." Questions are answered, but even more questions are left undone as we await Beverly Lewis' next book in the "Abram's Daughters" series. I was left with a gut wrenching feeling thinking about having to wait to hear how this story will end! Only Beverly Lewis knows at this point!
Rating:
Summary: A new favorite series
Review: I had ordered this book randomly from a book club I had joined. When starting this WONDERFUL novel I had no idea it was one book in a series, so I was disapointed at the ending and felt empty, as if the author couldn't properly finish a novel, BUT thankfuly I came to amazon and found out there is more =] Knowing this, I am going to buy the first book tomorrow and the next when it arrives in May of 2004 From the very begining I could not put this book down. I have never had the delight of reading about the Amish, and I have to say this story made me feel I was right there next to each character as the events took place. The emotions in The Betrayal are very high, I would be happy and then the next chapter so sad as Leah was I wanted to cry with her. This story also makes you think of your own life, may it be Amish or not, I guess its because its a story of life, growing up, and first loves. For those christians, practicing or not, this story has a huge spiritual journy behind it. When reading The Betrayal I was going though a hard time with my family, with the insperation this story left me with, I found the strength to realize it all happens for a reason, and God knows that reason. All one has to do is look for the good and move on through the hard times, because in the end it will work out and you will be happier then you could have ever imagined, which is what I believe will happen to Leah in her journy through life and love.
Rating: 
Summary: An unusual book, compelling in a slow, quiet way...
Review: I have always found the Amish world fascinating -- perhaps they give us an idea what the lives of our ancestors (who lived without modern conveniences) were like -- or perhaps it is simply because they are mysterious because they separate themselves so completely from the rest of society. This book provides some insight (and I don't know how accurate it is) into what it would be like to grow up Amish. The book is set in the post WWII period, but I don't know to what extent life has changed among the Amish, who seem timeless in many ways. The plot is worthy of Jane Austen -- seemingly not much happens, and yet a great deal happens, particularly given that women in this culture have their choice of very little except whether they choose to remain within the community by being baptized and then who (among the Amish) they marry. The main character, Leah, plans to be baptized and then marry her sweetheart Jonah, despite the fact that her father would prefer she marry another young man he has in mind. The only thing really troubling her (besides her sweetheart's temporary absence -- he's off learning carpentry) is her sister's explosive secret, which she has promised to keep from their parents. How can she be baptized with such a troubled conscience -- concealing something so important. Is it right to keep her word or break it? Meanwhile, her sister is trying to come to terms with this secret herself, in her own interior struggle. If I had any complaints, it would be that the pace of the book is slow -- perhaps as slow as the lives of the plain Amish compared to the fancy English around them, the difference between driving a horse and buggy compared to driving a car. Still, the book was quite compelling and I can hardly wait to read the next volume in the series.
Rating:
Summary: Amazing!
Review: I love Beverly Lewis' books. However, this series on Abram's daughters is amazing. Once again, Mrs. Lewis paints a wonderful world, very much like our own, through her beautiful words. If you look for drama, suspence, betrayal and hidden secrets, this series must be your next and last stop. Read them! You won't be disappointed!
Rating:
Summary: Good Clean Suspense and Romance!!
Review: I loved this 2nd book. All thru book 1, I wondered if Sadie or LEah was Lizzie's daughter. Now, I'm wondering who her father is? Maybe Dr. Henry Schwartz? This book is a page turner full of suspense and romance. It answers some questions from Book 1, but leaves more questions unanswered. I hope that Leah and Jonas will find each other again.
Rating:
Summary: Good Clean Suspense and Romance!!
Review: I loved this 2nd book. All thru book 1, I wondered if Sadie or LEah was Lizzie's daughter. Now, I'm wondering who her father is? Maybe Dr. Henry Schwartz? This book is a page turner full of suspense and romance. It answers some questions from Book 1, but leaves more questions unanswered. I hope that Leah and Jonas will find each other again.
Rating:
Summary: Another wonderful book
Review: I really liked the continuation of the first story, and thought it moved along at a nice pace, and kept me interested. Leah's strength, and true character is further revealed in this story, and you will be amazed by just how strong she is! These characters just keep getting richer and richer with each novel!
Rating:
Summary: Experience mystery, suspense and romance ...
Review: Leah Ebersol and her beloved, Jonas Mast, find themselves separated for six months, when Jonas agrees to take an apprenticeship in Ohio; a long way from where they grew up in Pennsylvania. Desperate to go to him, Leah instead stays home with her sister, Sadie, when Sadie gives birth to a baby boy she believes died at birth. Later, when Leah again gets the opportunity to go to Jonas, she sends Sadie instead, since Sadie is in such deep despair. Confident in their love, Leah and Jonas happily plan their up-coming marriage by writing letters. Leah is busy trying to find suitable housing in Pennsylvania, and Jonas concentrates on fulfilling his apprenticeship. They write each other faithfully, each looking forward to the time they can be together. But the Ebersol family is hiding some horrific secrets. Secrets, which if they should come out, would ruin lives. Rumors abound, and Leah doesn't know what to believe. When some of these rumors reach Jonas, he searches for the truth. Will Jonas find the truth? Or will he reach out to his faithful Leah who must face the rumors and the horrible truth alone? Will Sadie repent of her sins or face a severe shunning? THE BETRAYAL is book two in the Abram's Daughters' series. I recommend reading THE COVENANT, book one, before reading THE BETRAYAL, because the events in the books are so closely tied together. Leah, Sadie, and the other two sisters, Hannah and Mary are very well developed and pull at the reader's heartstrings. I couldn't believe anyone could have as many horrible things happen to them as Leah and Sadie and still survive. It seemed like things really should start looking up, but things kept going wrong, and you wonder if Jonas and Leah would ever find happiness. There are more books in this series; Beverly Lewis leaves a lot of ends untied in this book. I was hoping that some of the questions and problems in THE COVENANT would be answered in THE BETRAYAL, instead Beverly Lewis leaves even more unanswered. I am going to be anxiously awaiting the next book in this series, and hope I don't have to wait long! Beverly Lewis is one of my favorite authors. She has everything in her books; mystery, suspense, and romance. --- reviewed by Laura V. Hilton for Christian Bookshelf
Rating:
Summary: The Betrayal (Abram's Daughters)
Review: Oh my gosh! I couldn't put this book down! I went through all
kinds of different emotions. I love how Beverly Lewis takes
you to the exact place of where the Amish live and their way of life. Such a beautiful series of books!!
| 
