4 out of 5 stars
RISING DARKNESS follows Sophie Wittenbauer into a world she
thought she left behind as she strives to become the person she wants to be.
Sophie ran from her Mennonite hometown when she was just a
teenager, but the painful memories still follow her around. Sophie has
completely reinvented herself. She’s no longer the overweight, awkward girl
from the conservative town of Kingdom. She’s now a journalist with the
possibility of solving a cold case involving murder and six million dollars.
With what she thinks is a plausible cover story, Sophie infiltrates the town of
Sanctuary, Missouri. However, the persona she’s created has some holes in it,
and from the get-go, she wonders if she can continue in Sanctuary without being
found out. Sophie’s nerves are shaken even further when a man from her past
introduces himself as the youth pastor at the local church, but Jonathan isn’t
just any man; he’s the man Sophie fell in love with years ago and has never
forgotten. Jonathan doesn’t recognize her at first—her transformation so
complete—but he’s definitely drawn to Sophie. When he discovers who she is and
why she’s in Sanctuary, Sophie is sure he’ll expose her, and she will once
again lose the only man who has ever held her heart. However, Jonathan decides
to help Sophie, especially when he realizes her life is in danger. Though
Sophie’s intentions when going to Sanctuary was to come away with the news
story of a lifetime, she realizes she’ll be lucky to come out with her heart
and her life intact.
Though RISING DARKNESS was not of the Amish genre, per say,
it dangled on the fringe. I am not a fan of the Amish setting, so I wasn’t sure
if I was going to like it, but RISING DARKNESS was written with a more
contemporary feel and a storyline that was rather intriguing. Sophie was a
strong character; definitely an overcomer, while Jonathan was charismatic and
a bit untraditional for a leader in a conservative church. To me, Sophie’s
original reason for being in Sanctuary took a backseat to the romance
developing between her and Jonathan. Nevertheless, I was fine with that . . .
and the outcome.
A fresh twist and an enjoyable read.
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