Katie's Way by Marta Perry PUYB Tour with review

Paperback: 352 pages Publisher: Berkley Trade; 1 edition (November 1, 2011) Language: English ISBN-10: 0425243222 ISBN-13: 978-0425243220 Would you like to purchase a copy of this book, click here. About the book: After a thwarted romance, Katie Miller starts over by moving to Pleasant Valley and opening a quilt shop. Soon Amish and Englisch turn the store into a lively spot…to the consternation of Caleb Brand, who crafts furniture next door. Then Katie’s sister joins her, to escape rumors of her wild rumspringa, and Katie feels the burden of responsibility for a restless teenager. Even worse, her efforts to bring more people to Main Street arouse resistance among local businesses. When acts of vandalism threaten Katie’s shop, she turns to Caleb for comfort, and their friendship deepens. But will Caleb’s secret past prevent him from embracing a future with Katie? Or will their fragile romance develop the strength to last a lifetime? My take on this book: Katie Miller finds herself moving to Pleasant Valley after her long planned on marriage falls thru. While her parents weren't really happy with her move her father pays the rent for one year allowing her to try and make a go of a quilt shop that she hopes will allow her to financially support herself. Her mother and sister come for the grand opening and Katie learns that her mother wants to leave her sixteen year old sister Rhoda with her to get her away from her wild rumspringa ways back home. Caleb Brand has a furniture shop next door to Katie's newly opened quilt shop and while he isn't overly happy with her being there he tries to make her welcome. But when his young niece Becky comes to work in his store he isn't sure that he wants Becky to become friends with Rhoda because he overheard the conversation about her wild ways. He also has issues from his past that causes him to try and guard his heart from Katie, but it seems God just might have other ideas.  I loved this story. Most Amish women Katie's age are already married and raising children, but Katie is different. When the one she loved married someone else all she could do was leave home to try and start over. Starting over for her meant becoming independent because she figures she will never love anyone else. Caleb Brand is a man who distances himself from most people to keep anyone from getting inside his heart. Rumors from his past haunt him and as much as he tries to guard his heart sometimes the heart has other ideas, especially after that  first unplanned kiss between him and Katie. The tension and banter that went on between the two make the story interesting. While I could go on about the relationship between the two the author gave us a few secondary stories that made the plot move along at a brisk pace. From the diverse group of quilters that met in the shop to the plans Katie has to grow her business  each facet was interesting. I enjoyed seeing the sisterly bond grow between Katie and Rhoda as well. While this is the fifth book in Marta Perry's Pleasant Valley series it can easily be read as a stand alone work, for me I have only read a couple of books  in the series and had no problems jumping right into this story. The author provides sufficient background information about the characters and town so that I didn't feel lost at all. Overall if you enjoy reading Amish stories with interesting characters, a fast moving plot, and a nice inspirational message then your certainly going to enjoy "Katie's Way." To read an excerpt of the book click here. rating 5/5 About the author:  lifetime spent in rural Pennsylvania, where she still lives, and her own Pennsylvania Dutch roots led Marta Perry to write about the Plain People and their rich heritage in her current novels. The author of more than forty novels, with over five million copies of her books in print, Marta is active in her church and community. She is a member of Romance Writers of America, American Christian Fiction Writers, and Pennwriters. When she’s not writing, she and her husband enjoy traveling, gardening, and visiting their six beautiful grandchildren. For more information, visit Marta on the web at www.martaperry.com, on Facebook at Marta Perry Books, and check out her blog at www.booksbymartaperry.blogspot.com.