Katie's Journey to Love

Emma Raber's Daughter #2

by Jerry S. Eicher

In book two of Amish fiction author Jerry S. Eicher's new Emma Raber's Daughter series, Katie Raber's journey of discovery continues after her mamm's marriage to Jesse Mast. Drawn back from the Mennonite world briefly by the miracle of Mamm's changed heart, Katie finds she can't totally abandon her new Mennonite friends.

Jesse's oldest daughter, Mabel, refuses to accept Katie, creating conflict at home. Ben Yoder, the most popular boy in the community, also begins to attend the Mennonite youth gatherings in his attempt to run away from personal problems.

Overjoyed at the attention Ben pays her, Katie pursues the relationship willingly. When an opportunity comes to travel with her Mennonite friends to Europe to explore the roots of the faith, Katie can't believe how much she is being blessed. Especially after a secret donor pays for the trip.
While in Europe, Katie learns the truth about Ben when he is arrested. As her world comes crashing down, she finds healing in her visit to the Alps and the land where her forefathers suffered so much. She returns home determined to mend the bad feelings with Jesse's daughter, Mabel, and to continue on the path to healing without Ben.

Book two in the Emma Raber's Daughter series.

Genres: Amish, Amish Fiction, Christian Fiction, Christian, Romance, Fiction

354 pages, Kindle Edition

First published April 1, 2013

About the author

Jerry Eicher’s bestselling Amish fiction (more than 210,000 in combined sales) includes The Adams County Trilogy, the Hannah’s Heart books, and the Little Valley Series. After a traditional Amish childhood, Jerry taught for two terms in Amish and Mennonite schools in Ohio and Illinois. Since then he’s been involved in church renewal, preaching, and teaching Bible studies. Jerry lives with his wife, Tina Eicher, and their four children in Virginia.

Reviews

[Rhonda Gayle · Rating 5 out of 5]

5 ***** Stars!!! Thank you, Jerry Eicher, for the privilege of reading this delightful book!
I am a huge fan of Jerry Eicher's Amish fiction. I loved reading Katie's Journey to Love. This particular book has Katie and her three Mennonite girl friends traveling to Europe to see the history and beginnings of their faith for themselves. This was a fascinating part of this story for me, and I found the history would likely appeal to both male and female readers.
It is refreshing for both Katie's mamm and herself to have a chance at love. Katie is so precious as she treasures having a daed since she did not know her own daed. This made me think of my relationship with my own father who is deceased. It gave me good memories to ponder. There is, of course, conflict in the story. Katie finds love with Ben but Ben has secrets that may end their relationship before it has a chance to get started.
I have always longed to travel to the Alps and so the portion of the story where the girls get to visit the Alps and spend time there was very meaningful to me. The beauty and wonder of God's magnificent creation of the Alps brought healing to Katie. The desire to travel there was made even stronger as I read of their reaction to the beauty there. I am definitely eagerly anticipating the release of book 3: Katie's Forever Promise.
I was given a free copy of this book by Harvest House Publishers in exchange for my honest review.

[Nana · Rating 5 out of 5]

Emma and Katie's new life as a part of Jesse Mast's household is presenting numerous challenges. Of Jesse's 5 children all but 16-year-old Mabel are adjusting to their new Mamm and stepsister. Katie and Emma are the recipients of frequent vicious verbal attacks by Mabel in spite of Jesse's discipline. Katie has a crush on Ben Stoll, and has visions of a future with him, but her Mamm and Jesse have warned her that he is not gut for her. Katie is attending the Mennonite youth gatherings with her girlfriends, and Ben Stoll suddenly appears and shows an interest in Katie. She is smitten and eager to be his girl. Three of Katie's friends plan to take a trip to Europe to visit the origins of their Anabaptist ancestors. They beg Katie to go with them, but Katie has no money to pay her way. An anonymous donor leaves a significant amount of money with one of Katie's coworkers, indicating that the money is for Katie's trip to Europe. Assuming that is Da Hah's blessing to her Katie prepares for the trip of her lifetime.

Jerry Eicher writes with such depth into the history and modern-day life of the Anabaptists that he transports the reader to a whole new realm. The characters are portrayed with realistic human emotions and actions, and he captures the essence of the Amish lifestyle. True to life characters are portrayed with candor, and their actions and dreams are illustrated in detail. Depictions of the locations and history throughout Europe and the backdrop of the sufferings of the Anabaptists are authentic and impressive. The love and respect for God runs true throughout this story of trials and adventure. This book is so well written and poignant, I had a hard time putting it down. I'm looking forward to the next in the series with bated breath!

Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book from the author in exchange for my honest review. All opinions expressed are my own and no monetary compensation was received for this review.

[Judy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Does Katie Find Love?

Katie Raber has been through so much in her young life being overly sheltered by her Mamm. While growing up there were a lot of things Katie was not allowed to do. She was kept close to her Mamm's side.

With the marriage of her Mamm to Jesse Mast, Katie's life starts to change. She is finally coming out of her shell. She has her dear Mennonite friends to thank for that.

While things have changed for Katie and her Mamm, life is still not easy. Mabel, Jesse's daughter, is making life unbearable for her and her Mamm too. How will Katie ever become friends with someone who is so hateful?

Katie has a crush on Ben Stoll and longs for Ben to notice her. She has daydreamed about him for quite some time. What can she do to get him to talk to her? Katie's Mamm most certainly doesn't want Katie to court Ben because of her fear of past experiences in her own life. Is Mamm's fears reasonable? Katie doesn't think so!

Katie is excited when a wonderful opportunity comes her way. She is invited to go along with her Mennonite friends to Europe to visit the birthplace of her Amish faith. Oh how she would love to go. Katie is sure Jesse and her Mamm would never let her go.

This book is a little different from other Amish fiction books I have read. I loved that it had some unexpected twists mixed in.

As I have come to expect in this author's books he speaks of faith in God, God's love, and forgiving others. Prayer and scripture are common in his books too. For this I am thankful for good Christian authors.

I wish to thank Harvest House and Jerry Eicher for sending me this book to read and review. The opinions expressed in this review are my own.

[Laura · Rating 5 out of 5]

KATIE'S JOURNEY TO LOVE is the second boook in this series, but it easily stands alone. I did read book one in the series where Katie and her mother are considered weird and were outcasts, but love and a family softened them both up. Katie's Mom is much more likeable in the book and Katie is coming out of her shell beautifully, making friends and overcoming her shyness. I felt bad for her being forced to live with Mabel, when Mabel was so beyond hateful, and even though Ben did some bad things I absolutely loved him. He did a dear, dear thing for Katie.

I am anxious to read the third book in this series and need to see if I have it already before I race off to buy a copy.

Mr. Eicher has been a hit and miss author for me, but this book KATIE'S JOURNEY TO LOVE was really good and I greatly enjoyed it. If you love Amish fiction and haven't read this book, you'll want to.

[Lorraine Shaw · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book.

[Ashley Frank · Rating 3 out of 5]

The book was pretty good until it deviated hard and became about a tour of Europe that had very little to do with the storyline. I like the characters so I hope the next book in the series is better.

[Becky · Rating 5 out of 5]

very good book

[Kristin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Jerry Eicher is quickly becoming a favorite author of mine! Many times with male authors I feel like they miss the mark when they write about female characters but Eicher doesn’t fall into this trap. His characters are realistic and likeable. The situations and feelings he puts to paper come alive when you read them and make a very believable and intriguing story. I can't brag on this series enough! I'm absolutely loving Katie Raber!

Emma has married Jesse Mast and she and Katie are starting life anew in the Mast household. However, things aren’t going smoothly with all of Jesse’s children. Mable isn’t shy about expressing her beliefs that her dad should have married another woman. Mable is also pushing the boundaries on her personal freedoms and overall she’s just a bitter young girl trying to find her new role in the Mast house.

Amidst the turmoil, Katie continues growing her relationship with the local Mennonite youth groups. At one of these meetings she happens to meet up (and form a relationship with) a young Amish man that she’s had her eyes on for quite some time. Emma doesn’t approve of the relationship—she doesn’t trust Ben Stoll. At first I thought maybe she was letting her own bitterness get in the way of Katie’s happiness but an interesting turn of events have me wondering if she was right. I’m left wondering how it will all turn out!

I cannot wait to read the next installment. I’m so curious and impatient to know how things are going to wrap up! If you’re looking for a new author or series to pick up then I strongly suggest Jerry Eicher and the Emma Raber’s Daughter series.
View all my reviews|Excerpt

I received this book free from the Author and Harvest House Publishers. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own

[Gayle Pace · Rating 5 out of 5]

REVIEW:

This book follows KATIE OPENS HER HEART. It continues with Emma and Jesse getting married and the two families living under one roof. There is one main problem. Katie's stepsister, Mabel. She makes things hard for Katie. Sometimes I felt I could reach out a spank the spoiled little brat but at other times I kinda felt sorry for her. She had taken her Mother's place after her death. She ran the household and she was in control. She didn't want anybody coming in and intruding on her territory.

Katie went to work everyday and attended the Mennonite youth gatherings. She has friends there and she feels good when she is with them. Katie meets a boy that she has had a crush on for a long time. Katie believes the Lord has answered her prayers and brought Ben Stoll into her life. Somehow I felt that this was too good to be true. It seemed to me that Katie was being rather naive about Ben. She doesn't know him hardly at all. Katie is so innocent. I believe she is bound to be hurt.

Katie needs to raise enough money to go to Europe to where her forefathers lived. She received an envelope with enough money to go to Europe, but she doesn't know who it's from. She and her friends go to Europe feeling on top of the world, when news from home brought her world tumbling down. Will Katie stay true to the faith? Will she become friends with Mabel? Will Katie ever love again.?

I found the descriptions of the places they visited in Europe were wonderful. Mr. Eicher makes you feel, once again, that you are part of the family and you are sitting at their table during meals. There were times that I wanted to really be there and put in a few well chosen words to Mable and Katie.

Mr. Eicher never fails. Another great read with leaving you wanting more. You want that third book so bad. I couldn't put this book down. It gets a hold on you from page one and doesn't release you even after the book is finished. Mr. Eicher, your books are heart warming and never disappoints. Keep writing. You have so many fans out there. You and your books are a blessing.

I would give this book a solid 5 STARS.

I received a copy of this book, KATIE'S JOURNEY TO LOVE from the author, Jerry S. Eicher, for this honest review.

[Lisa Crenshaw · Rating 3 out of 5]

Katie Raber starts the second book in this series as the new daughter and sister of the Mast family. While four of Jesse's kids accept their new mom and sister, Mabel, holds out. Mabel's attitude and defiance really pushed me off from giving this story a higher rating. I understood her hatred of the situation but the extent of her hate, bitterness, defiance, anger, and verbal abuse was shocking. I have only been reading Amish fiction for a couple of years, but in all that I've read I've never seen where a father would allow a child, especially a girl, to be so vocal about her opinion. Also, as a Christian parent, I cannot image allowing the child to act as she did without consequences. It seemed that Emma and Katie were trying to allow Mabel a grieving/healing period from replacing her recently deceased mother. I did not get the impression Mabel was grieving but that she was a brat who wanted things her way. She chose Ruth as her replacement Mom and decided to allow gossip to jade her view of a woman she never took the time to know (Emma).

Aside from Mabel's excessive personality, I enjoyed the story. Katie is still trying to discover herself. For the most part, she is grounded in her faith and continuing to grow and have her faith tested. She is trying to find her place in life. While she is obviously more comfortable in the Mennonite youth setting, she has no doubts she is an Amish girl who will remain Amish. Yet she does not feel accepted into the community which makes her feel like an outcast. Now that Katie has found true friendships and acceptance, I believe she is now building character and strength and individuality amidst building a new family life. It's great to see her face trials and she is easy to empathize with. She deals with family struggles, bitterness, first love, adversity, broken hearts, convictions, etc. I think it's great that despite Emma's fears, Jesse helps Emma trust Katie's choices and give her time to choose for herself how she will live her life. This freedom gives Katie the breathing room and experiences she needs to trust in God and decide for herself whether she will follow Him.

[Deanna Gottreu · Rating 5 out of 5]

Katie’s Journey to Love by Jerry Eicher is the first Amish fiction that I have read that was not written by a woman author. Jerry did an excellent job and I will be reading more of his novels.

Katie and her mother had been living an unhappy life after the death of Katie’s father but her mother’s hardened heart was finally softened by the love of Jesse. Mabel, Jesse’s daughter, had been running the household since her mother’s death and was very resentful of her stepmother and Katie and took all her spite out on Katie. Katie was Amish but had become good friends with some of the Mennonite girls at the Mennonite youth gatherings. Ben, who is Amish, had also started coming to the youth gatherings and began paying attention to Katie which she accepted and encouraged. Katie was invited by three of her Mennonite friends to travel with them to Europe to visit the places where the Amish faith began. The only problem was that Katie had no money for the trip but an unexpected gift of money came to her. While she and her friends were in Europe she learned that Ben had been arrested. Once again Katie’s world was falling apart but she found healing by visiting the Alps and other lands where her forefathers had suffered so much for their faith When Katie returned home she was determined to develop a friendship with Mabel and to forget Ben.

The book was a most enjoyable read. There was some suspense and romance but it was more just a book about life and its problems and how the problems were solved. The author did an excellent job developing the plot and the characters and the dialogue and the description of the scenes were very real and I felt as if I were right there in the middle of the action. I found the book to be inspiring as I do all Amish novels and I was definitely entertained. I would recommend this book to anyone who likes a well written good book and especially to those who like Amish fiction..

I received this book free from Harvest House Publishers through Net Galley in exchange for a review.

[Veronica · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is an interesting story that continues the journey of Katie, a nineteen-year-old Amish girl whose mother remarries and changes her life. She was always thought of as weird Emma Raber's daughter and felt ignored and left out by her community. When her mother marries Jesse Mast, she not only gains five siblings and a father, but starts to feel more respected by others. Not everything is wonderful, however, as her new step-sister, Mabel, makes things very difficult for both Katie and her Mamm.

Katie feels accepted by her Mennonite friends and continues to attend their youth gatherings to the dismay of her Mamm and Jesse as they feel the Mennonites are too worldly. The boy Katie's had a crush on for years finally starts to notice her, though her Mamm doesn't approve of him. More changes are in store when she's invited to go on a trip to Europe to visit sites important to the history of her faith which is made possible by an anonymous donor supplying the funds. While on the trip she receives horrible news that she doesn't know if she can survive. Will she continue to trust God for her future or turn away in bitterness?

My favorite part of this story were the historical sites Katie visited and all the history I learned of the Amish faith. I pretty much knew nothing of their history, so it was fascinating to see it through their eyes. I liked Katie and was very frustrated with the way Mabel acted toward her. I did think Katie was pretty naive in her feelings for a boy she didn't know very well and the story is left hanging to be continued in book three. I didn't feel too lost not having read book one, but I would have understood things a little better if I had. I liked how much Katie prayed and tried to follow God, even when she was dealing with family members who criticized or treated her badly. Overall, I liked it and would recommend if you like Amish fiction.

I received this book free from Harvest House Publishers in exchange for an honest review.

[Wendy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Life has changed for Katie and her mamm now that her mamm has married Jesse Mast. She now has 3 brothers and 2 sisters but if she thought life would be better, she's finding out that isn't so. Mabel still hates both Emma, her new mamm, and Katie, she says hateful things and is always trying to cause problems between them and Jesse, her daed.

Katie is still going to the Mennonite youth meetings, still working at Byler's and still 'in love' with Ben Stoll. Mabel has a secret love also and when her daed discovers her secretly seeing him he orders her to quit yet Katie gets to keep doing things not approved by the Amish, she even gets to take a trip to Europe to visit the birthplace of the Amish faith.

When Ben Stoll starts talking to Katie and taking her to and from the Mennonite meetings she couldn't be more pleased. It takes time but her mamm is coming around and letting it happen without trying to talk Katie out of seeing him. This part of her life couldn't be better, for now anyway.

As the series goes on it gets better, I enjoyed this book more than the first one and there is a lot of interesting information about the anabaptists brought out as they travel through Europe. You will be thrilled for Katie as you find yourself wanting to 'smack' Mabel and as the story moves on your emotions take a different path. I'm really anxious to get the next book and find out what happens now!

Thank you to Harvest House Publishers for providing this book for review. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255

[Paula-O · Rating 4 out of 5]

Series Emma Raber's Daughter, book #2 "Katie's Journey to Love" by Jerry Eicher


In book #1 we found Katie a young shy girl starting to make changes by going to Mennonite group gatherings and finding two girls who became great friends, Margaret and Sharon. Her Mamm did not agree to these type friends and there was friction between the two.
Emma had met and married Jesse Mast so book #2 finds Katie adjusting to living in a larger family and the changes that involves.
Jesse's children were not pleased with Emma and her daughter moving in and the oldest daughter Mable in particular who had been doing all the "motherly" things since their mother had died years ago.
Mable wanted her "Datt" to marry the school teacher who she just knew would be a better choice. The school teacher also had dreams of that happening too.
This story takes us a little further on Katie's journey as she is finally noticed by a young man that she has dreamed about for a long time,Ben.
There will be happiness - sorrow -betrayal and forgiveness needed. Read and enjoy as I have this story of Katie and Emma finding Love.

I received this book from Harvest House Publishing for an honest review, thank you for sharing.

[Sandra Stiles · Rating 5 out of 5]

In this second book in the series Jesse and Emma are married and a new issue has arisen. While most of the children are beginning to accept Katie and her mom. Mabel, the oldest at age sixteen had taken care of things
including her father, after her mother’s death. She feels like she is being pushed out. She is mean and nasty to Katie and Emma. I hated the things she said and did to Katie and Emma, but I could understand somewhat why she felt the way she did. Even though Jesse and Emma are discouraging a relationship between Ben and Katie, she is sure they will get married one day. She is also still going to group activities with her Mennonite friends. They invite her to go to Europe to study her Amish roots. She can’t afford it until someone mysteriously pays her way. Katie goes and not only does she learn so much about the Amish in Europe, we are taken on this historic trip. Jerry has done an excellent job of sharing this historical information with the readers in a way that makes it interesting and not boring. While in Europe Katie learns that Ben has been arrested. I recommend you read this book to see if this family can find peace in all areas of their lives.
I received a copy to facilitate my review. The opinions expressed here are my own.

[Brenda · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read the first book in this series a while back and was anxious to continue on with Katie's story. Well this one starts out with Katie feeling sort of unsure of her place. Her mother has married and they have moved into the Mast home. Sixteen year old Mabel Mast has been used to running the home, so I couldn't help but wonder how smoothly things would go in that regard. In addition to that Katie is still interested in the Mennonite church, but more than that she has her heart set on Ben Stoll, but she is sure that she would never stand a chance with him. One things for certain, there are plenty of changes going on in Katie Raber's life, how will she fit into the Mast home, and will she ever catch the eye of Ben?

An interesting story from beginning to end. While this book is the second in the series it can easily be read as a stand alone work because the author does a wonderful job of providing information so that we can understand what is going on in the characters lives. That said I read the first book and this entire series is well worth reading. Fans of Amish fiction will enjoy this story, I know that I did!

[Cheryl Baranski · Rating 5 out of 5]

Katie's Journey to Love, By: Jerry S. Eicher.
Katie Raber AKA Emma Raber's daughter, feels doomed to always be an outsider with the Amish youth.
Her mother Emma marries Jesse Mast. Jess is a widower with children of his own.
His daughter Mabel is so upset that her father married Emma. She can't stand Katie.
Katie attends the Mennonite youth gatherings with her friends.
She longs for Ben to notice her. She has loved him from afar.
Ben finally notices Katie. When Katie is away she receives some
devastating news about Ben. What will happen?
I so love Jerry's books. I give this book 5 stars

[Cindy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book, it was great seeing Katie grow into a confident young woman, who found the love she was looking for. But this book has a twist in it, and if you haven't read it, I am not sharing that twist. But I will say this is not your typical Amish romance book. I really enjoyed seeing the trip abroad through Katie's eyes. The story told of what that Anabaptists forefathers faced for their choice of religion, was eye opening. A wonderful story, and looking forward to the last book of the series. 4 stars from this reviewer.
This book was provided for review purposes only, no payment was received for this review.

[Renee · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed the continuing story of Katie in the second book of the trilogy as I am a fan of Amish fiction. But it seemed unbelievable to me that Amish parents would permit their child to travel to Europe; it just seemed too worldly and there was the necessity of getting a photo taken for the passport. I was disappointed and excited by the ending. It left me feeling unfulfilled to be left hanging but then realized the loose ends would be tied up in the third book Katie's Forever Promise due out this Fall.

[Carolyn E · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book. I am eagerly awaiting the release of the third book in this series, Katie's Forever Promise, which is due to be released in the fall of 2013.

[Rachel · Rating 4 out of 5]

I truly enjoyed this one. I feel that Jerry Eicher has become so much more experienced as an author. The first few books I read by him were a little dry and strange, but the books I've read by him these past few years were much better. This novel was well-written and entertaining. I enjoyed the changes in the characters as well and have really enjoyed this series.

[Lynne Kravitt]

Excellent

[Debbie West · Rating 5 out of 5]

Katie is confused. She loves her Mum but wants to experience more in life.

[Mary Beth · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well done! I appreciated the historical research that went into this book.

[Sue Klasing · Rating 4 out of 5]

Bill read this and was l little disappointed by the way it ended, although he loved the history in this book.

[Roberta L Blake · Rating 5 out of 5]

A sad time

This book is a continuation of Katie's story. She finally gets noticed by the boy she had loved from afar. Things go so well for Katie. She gets a chance to go to Switzerland with her friends. While there her world changes. She comes home a very changed person.