About the book: Book Two in the Inn at Eagle Hill series.
Bestselling author Suzanne Woods Fisher delivers her trademark twists, turns, and tender romance in this delightful and exciting visit to the deceptively quiet community of Stoney Ridge.
Twenty-year-old Bethany Schrock is restless. Her love life has derailed, her faith hangs by a thread, and she is spending the incredibly hot summer days wading through a lifetime's accumulation of junk at the home of five ancient Amish sisters. About the only thing that holds her interest is the spirited and dangerously handsome Jimmy Fisher---and he seems bent on irritating her to no end.
When the sly old sisters and a guest at the Inn get Bethany involved in running the local soup kitchen and starting a community garden, she suddenly finds herself wondering, Shootfire! How did that happen? Despite her newfound purposefulness, a gnawing emptiness about a childhood mystery continues to plague her. Encouraged by Jimmy Fisher, she will seek out the answers she craves---and uncover a shocking secret that will break her heart, heal it, and point her to love.
My thoughts:
Bethany is prickly and standoffish, to cover up the hurt she is still reeling from.( From what I gathered through reading, in the first book she introduced a suitor to her father. Her father then hired the man and soon after his investment business fell apart. Later the man disappeared and her father died by drowning in the lake.) Bethany no longer trusts her heart and has decided that she never wants to fall in love again.
Bethany lives with her step-mother, grandmother, a step-sister and two step brothers. Her brother disappeared soon after the financial fiasco that ended in their father's death and the loss of their home. In order to make money they are running an inn to bring tourists to the Amish area and Bethany is helping five elderly Amish women to organize their home.
A woman comes to stay in their guest flat, having lost her job as a youth minister and unsure of what her next step is going to be. She is feels she has answered God's calling for her, but she has been unsuccessful so far in keeping a position as a youth minister. Every time she has to give sermons the whole congregation at a church, she loses attention and disappoint her supervisors. but when she gets the chance to work one on one or in small groups with youth groups she shines. She is waiting to hear from God to guide her along her path and make a decision about her future.
Bethany feels that in cleaning for the women from her church she is thwarted at every turn. However much she sorts into the give away or throw away boxes and stacks, the sisters move right back to save. She can't understand why they don't have the time to clean their own house until she finds out about the work they do in the community for those in need. Helping those in need helps Bethany as well. The reappearance of her brother and the knowledge that he found their long lost mother, motivates Bethany to find some answers for herself. Why did her mother abandon them? Why has she never checked on them over the years? Why couldn't her mother love her?
In helping others, finding answers to old questions and hurts, and allowing the notion of being in love to enter her life again Bethany starts to change and grow. She starts to listen to her heart and to her own calling, so she can move forward for herself and her family.
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Meet the author: Suzanne Woods Fisher is the bestselling author of the Inn at Eagle Hill series, Lancaster County Secrets series, and the Stoney Ridge Seasons series, as well as nonfiction books about the Amish, including Amish Peace. She is also the coauthor of a new Amish children's series, The Adventures of Lily Lapp. Her interest in the Anabaptist cultures can be directly traced to her grandfather, who was raised in the Old Order German Baptist Brethren Church in Franklin County, Pennsylvania. Suzanne is a Carol Award winner and a Christy Award finalist. She is a columnist for Christian Post and Cooking & Such magazines. She lives in California. Get Amish proverbs delivered right to your mobile device! Download the Free App! 
Hi Jill! Thanks for being a part of the blog tour for "The Calling!" I enjoyed your blog...got distracted and spent a long time here! Warmly, Suzanne
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