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Ada’s House Books In Order

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Publication Order of Ada's House Books

The Hope of Refuge (2009)Description / Buy at Amazon
The Bridge of Peace (2010)Description / Buy at Amazon
The Harvest of Grace (2011)Description / Buy at Amazon

Ada’s House is a series of romance cum spiritual novels by Cindy Woodsmall the American author renowned for writing several series of family, religious and romance novels. The first novel in the series was the highly popular “The Hope of Refuge” that was first published in 2009 to rave reviews. Following the much-vaunted success of the first novel, Woodsmall went on to write two more titles in the series to make the series a trilogy. The series of novels draws most of its inspiration from the Amish lifestyle, which the author Cindy Woodsmall has a very good understanding of having contributed to a National Geographic documentary on the same. Cindy has lived the Amish lifestyle having come from a family of an Amish order as well as having several friends in her childhood and her adult life that were Amish. These experiences enrich her novels with an authenticity that is rare in similar novels in the genre. Nonetheless, despite the Amish themes in Ada’s House series, the novels follow a conventional story line and settings. Woodsmall incorporates elements of the cozy and a little bit of romance, which gives the novels quite the unique flavor. The lead characters in the series are women steeped in the Amish lifestyle who find that they are treated with suspicion because of their refusal to conform to the ways of the community they live or work in.

Ada’s House series of novels have the distinctive ability of fast grabbing your curiosity, emotions, attention and whisking you into a fantastic world that Cindy builds. The narratives are not your typical Amish narratives as they feature hardworking people who just want to experience life and love without unnecessary expectations from the communities they live in. Cindy talks of some universal truths and things that most people struggle with in life such as the need to be part of a community, a desperate need to be accepted and loved, and feelings of abandonment. The author has an uncanny way of making the reader feel like part of the story as she captures every details of the happenings in the life of the characters in a personal and up-close style. Even as the characters in the series often rebel against convention and societal norms, the novels are all about submitting to something. Just like judges and lawyers submit to the law, athletes submit to rules of the game, and the highest court is subservient to the constitution, the Amish have to be subservient to the Order against their strong desires. The novels lift the veil allowing a peek into the Amish lifestyle. The novels are amazing tales with personable and believable characters that grow over the course of the series to become more mature and rounded persons. Even as the novels may be read as standalones given that the lead characters change from book from book, they are best read as a series since characters from the previous titles recur in later novels.

Ada’s House series of novels portrays characters dealing with romance, relationships, familial and community expectations in an ever-changing world. Incorporating characters from previous novels in the later novels, the author tells stories of women struggling with embarrassing birthmarks, poverty and fear, and betrayal. Even as Cindy Woodsmall has a reputation as one of the foremost authors on Amish culture, the series of novels surprisingly does not fit in with the conventions of the Amish novel. It lacks the typical stilted characters that have an overwhelming need to fit in with their communities or use them as a crutch and standard for virtuous living. The novels are all about not defining oneself by the world but rather discovering who you are and what you could be. Woodsmall tells the story in an arc over the course of the novels by emphasizing that the Amish love to laugh and enjoy life aside from the fact that they are plain hardworking people. Facing enormous obstacles, the characters in the novels show their passion and strength by never letting any obstacles and challenges stop them from achieving their mission in life, romance, and love. Through characters such as Lena, Gray Graber, and Ephraim, Cindy asserts the grit and determination of the Amish in confronting adversity. Through all the obstacles that they face, they never let it discourage them from doing what they believe is right for them, their families, communities and friends. They have strong faith that they can overcome anything and make a difference in the world they live in while attaining happiness for themselves.

“The Hope of Refuge” the first novel in the Ada’s House of novels is a delightful novel introducing one of Cindy Woodsmall’s best series of Amish novels. Cara Moore the lead character is battling fear, poverty, and a relentless stalker, and runs away from the city to go live in an Amish community. Eager for a new start and answers to the many mysteries of her past she tracks down every lead she can get and soon learns that Dry Lake Pennsylvania her new home is a hostile place for outsiders. But one Ephraim Mast an Amish man is determined to help the young woman who is a bad fit for the conservative community, even if he risks being ostracized in the process. Ephraim’s sister Deborah is particularly fearful of the strange relationship developing between her brother and the Englischer woman, which has been causing tension in the family. What Cara does not know is that Ephraim is the key to family history and long held secrets that could tear apart the new life that she is trying to build for herself in Dry Lake.

“The Bridge of Peace”, the second novel in Cindy Woodsmall’s Ada’s House series is novel asserting that sometimes love may not be enough to overcome all challenges. Lena Kauffman the lead character in the series is an Old Order Amish schoolteacher who has always had to deal with too much attention due to a prominent birthmark on the left cheek. However, she had learned to live with the stares, ignoring them for the most part and giving all she has to her teaching career. But things come to a head when she has to teach a young rebellious student who is a threat to other students. The school administration believes that Lena is responsible for the disturbance in school given that she refuses to apply the Old Ways of the Amish to solve the problem. Even as most of the board is condemning Kauffman, one man Grey Garber is too distracted with his family life to do so. Lena’s longtime friend, Garber’s marriage is crumbling and the unsettling deceptions of his wife and his responsibilities on the board begin to take their toll on their relationship. Can they find a way to build new bridges and rediscover their friendship?

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