Return to Grace by Karen Harper

From the Publisher:  

In the shadows of a graveyard, a SHOT rings out…
Hannah Esh fled the Home Valley Amish community with a broken heart, throwing herself into her worldly dreams of a singing career instead. But as much as she tries to run from her past, something keeps pulling her back. On a whim, she brings four worldly friends to the Amish graveyard near her family’s home for a midnight party on Halloween. But when shots are fired and one of her friends is killed, Hannah is pulled back into the world of her past.

The investigation into the shooting uncovers deep-buried secrets that shock the peaceful Amish village to its core. Determined to prove her value to the community she left behind, Hannah attempts to bridge two cultures, working closely with both handsome, arrogant FBI agent Linc Armstrong and her former betrothed, Seth Lantz, now widowed with a young daughter.

Caught between Seth and Linc, between old and new, Amish and worldly, Hannah must choose her future. Unless a killer, bent on secrecy, chooses it for her.
 
About the author: 
New York Times bestselling author Karen Harper is a former high school and college English teacher. Winner of the 2005 Mary Higgins Clark Award for her outstanding novel Dark Angel, Karen is the author of seventeen romantic suspense novels and six historical novels, as well as a series of historical mysteries. Karen and her husband, who divide their time between Columbus, Ohio, and Naples, Florida, love to travel both in the U.S. and abroad. For additional information about Karen and her novels, please visit www.KarenHarperAuthor.com.

What I thought:  

A great story about how the outside world influences the Amish communities.  After the shooting, Hannah returns to her childhood home to recuperate and search her soul for answers.  Where does she belong?  Why was there a shooting?  What is going on in her community?  The answers to these questions and more are answered within the pages of Return to Grace.

Although this is the second in a series of books, I did not read the first.  I was given the opportunity to read this, pre-release, by the Publisher via NetGalley.com.  This book is a wonderful stand-alone book!  I am not certain that I even need to read the first book as so many story lines were revisited in Return to Grace - I almost feel like I know the story from Fall from Pride already.  Notwithstanding, had I read the first book, I'm sure I'd have been eager to read the second book to catch up with the characters and the community.  I will be more than willing to read the next book for the same reason!!



As mentioned within the review, I received a copy of this book from NetGalley.com.  I was not compensated for this review nor asked to give a positive review, although I am pleased to do so.