Hester Takes Charge

Hester’s Hunt for Home #3

by Linda Byler

Hester, the startlingly beautiful Native American who was rescued as an infant by an Amish couple, now lives in downtown Lancaster, Pennsylvania. She shares a house with Bappie King, another Amish woman, living their independent lives in the fast-growing mid-18th-century city. Bappie runs a highly successful stand at the downtown farmers market; Hester is Bappie’s assistant when she isn’t out in the city nursing desperately sick children and their impoverished parents with her tinctures, teas, and rubs.

And then one day, Noah comes back; Noah, the first child born to Hans and Kate Zug, the Amish couple who had welcomed Hester during their childless years.

Both Hester and Noah are refugees from this Amish family gone awry. Both were victims of Hans’ deep attraction to the lovely Hester. Two hurt souls, they have each had their own adult troubles. Noah left his family and the Amish to join the War. Hester is the widow of William King, an Amish man who was determined to possess his wife and dictate her life.

When Noah invites Hester to join him on a visit to their childhood home, Hester can no longer ignore her buried anger at her adopted father or her bitterness toward Annie, his second wife. Nor can Hester deny the tempting thrill of spending time with the steady but sensitive Noah, who since childhood showed special care for Hester.

Hester and Noah both know that the visit home will force them to face blistering questions: Can they possibly forgive their ill father, Hans, for his misplaced love for Hester and his utter neglect of Noah? Can Hester and Noah risk marriage, especially if they can’t forgive Hans? Can Hester trust herself—and Noah—enough to marry again after her failed marriage to William?

Skyhorse Publishing, as well as our Arcade, Yucca, and Good Books imprints, are proud to publish a broad range of books for readers interested in fiction—novels, novellas, political and medical thrillers, comedy, satire, historical fiction, romance, erotic and love stories, mystery, classic literature, folklore and mythology, literary classics including Shakespeare, Dumas, Wilde, Cather, and much more. While not every title we publish becomes a New York Times bestseller or a national bestseller, we are committed to books on subjects that are sometimes overlooked and to authors whose work might not otherwise find a home.

Genres: Amish, Historical Fiction, Christian Fiction, Fiction

400 pages, Kindle Edition

Published September 6, 2016

About the author

Linda Byler grew up Amish and is an active member of the Amish church today. Growing up, Linda Byler loved to read and write. In fact, she still does. She is well known within the Amish community as a columnist for a weekly Amish newspaper. Linda and her husband, their children and grandchildren live in central Pennsylvania.

Reviews

[Jerry (Rebel With a Massive Media Library) · Rating 4 out of 5]

What an ending! I enjoyed following Hester's journey.

(See my review of the first book for my history with this series; you may be surprised.)

[Jeanette Durkin · Rating 4 out of 5]

A nice ending to the series! I really enjoyed Hester and her life. She's persevered through many difficult situations. Her faith in God carried her through.

[P.J. Wetzel · Rating 3 out of 5]

Linda Byler, author of the 'Hester's Hunt for Home' series, is Amish. She had an eighth grade education in a one room Amish schoolhouse where a usually unwed young woman, also with just an eighth grade education, teaches children English as a second language. Amish households speak a dialect of German in the home and children aren't exposed to much English until they start school. Despite these apparent handicaps, Byler has managed to become a successful author of Amish themed romance stories.

Before writing the Hester series, Byler already had three successful three-book novel series under her belt, 'Lizzie Searches for Love,' 'Sadie's Montana,' and 'Lancaster Burning'. Now she has ventured into the historical romance genre with the 'Hester's Hunt for Home' series.

Note well: This is the third book in a three-book series and it may be difficult to read as a stand-alone book.

Hester was born a Lenape Indian in eighteenth century Berks County, Pennsylvania. She was abandoned as an infant, left by a spring near an Amish farm and raised Amish by the couple that found her. By the time Hester reaches age 30 here in the third book of the series she has lived among Native Americans, suffered a miserable oppressive Amish marriage, been widowed, and now lives in downtown Lancaster PA with a fiery, lovably insufferable Amish spinster named Bappie King. Through the first two books Hester desperately struggled with her identity, conflicted between her Native American heritage and her Amish upbringing.

But by Book 3, 'Hester Takes Charge', the remnants of her existential issues rapidly resolve. She seems to have settled solidly into the Amish camp. Her ethnic origin becomes no more than window dressing in the plot. 'Hester Takes Charge' lacks many of the sudden twists and unexpected events of the first two books in the series. It is more about Amish culture, and it is more of a simple love story. It is tamer, more placid. The author's plot devices depend largely on the kinds of internal conflict that are more or less the norm among all Amish. Hester is not fully in touch with her feelings. There is a cultural reticence, reluctance to express emotion even to oneself or to examine one's true inner self. This is a love story set in a community that arguably overflows with Christian love and selfless charity but eschews, even frowns upon interpersonal passions of any kind.

In the end, though, everything works out as expected and as well as it possibly could. Pure happy ending.

The great strengths of the author's writing are her first-hand understanding of Amish life, her attention to and obvious love of the simple details of the natural world, and her positive outlook. The closeness felt by the Amish for one another infuses the story. There is an inherent goodness in so many of the characters on the page, and an acceptance and forgiveness available to those less-than-righteous 'villains' who are so necessary for a good story. Reading Byler's work is a heart warming experience, and I'd like to read more.

[Abigail · Rating 2 out of 5]

I liked this a little better than the last one. It wraps everything up for you.

[Karen Campbell · Rating 3 out of 5]

Clearly the author was losing interest in this series. The first part was so descriptive of every little thing that it became tiresome, and happenings just seemed to be thrown in just for a fatter book. Then the end just whizzed by, kind of like the author all of a sudden realized that the book was long enough. All in all, I enjoyed the series. I didn't think it was well-written, at times things jumped around so much that it didn't make sense, like some part was edited out but they still left in a few paragraphs. And I had a creepy feeling, first with her adopter dad eyeing her with desire, and then her ending up marrying her brother. I know he wasn't a brother by blood, but it was still creepy.

[Lora Dietrich · Rating 5 out of 5]

Heather's life

This is such a good series. I read all 3 books in 4 days
It brought me to remember that we all need to be forgiven

[Cindy Davis- Cindy's Book Corner · Rating 4 out of 5]

I thought this was the best book in the Trilogy. I was happy to see all the loose ends tied up.

[M · Rating 3 out of 5]

A unique plot with solid writing and an array of characters that stand out from the typical stereotypes.

[Irene Hackett · Rating 4 out of 5]

I thoroughly enjoyed this series documenting Hester's journeys.

[Becky · Rating 5 out of 5]

very good book very good series

[Amanda N · Rating 5 out of 5]

Does anyone know why Williams father Elias is referred to as Isaac in the third book?


I loved this series and couldn’t put it down ❤️

[Dee · Rating 5 out of 5]

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