Book Review: The Journey By Wanda E. Brunstetter

I recently received a copy of the book The Journey by Wanda E. Brunstetter to review.


Titus Fisher doesn't like cats. Not one bit, because they always seem to attack him. (insert my snickering here. Cats smell blood and know when people don't like them lol) The 22 year old young Amish man has already joined the church, and believes he is in love with 18 year old Phoebe. It turns out that Phoebe isn't ready to settle down yet and join the Church as well, and wants to accompany her friend on a trip to Los Angeles. Titus has a hard time understanding why Phoebe feels the need to travel, especially since if Phoebe doesn't join the church, they cannot get married as it is against Church Law. If he wants to marry her then, he'll have to break his vow to the Church. Doesn't sound good, does it?

When Allen, an Englisher (that's us, to the Amish) from originally Puyallup here in Washington, visits Zach Fisher, who lives behind Titus, he finds himself with an opportunity to start anew in Kentucky. He will be leaving his friends and family, a tight knit community in Pennsylvania, but he perhaps he can forget Phoebe, and begin a successful career in woodworking. Once in Pembroke, Titus settles into his new life and meets Suzanne Yoder, the granddaughter of the man he has come to work for. Suzanne isn't much of a cook, and would rather help with the woodworking business rather than be in the kitchen. Unfortunately for Titus, Suzanne looks a lot like Phoebe did, and he struggles to even look at her, much less talk to her. Will Titus return back to his family? Will Suzanne get Titus to pay attention to her? You'll have to read the book to find out if romance blossoms!

I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book and had a hard time putting it down when chores came calling! The Journey is the first book in the Kentucky Brothers series, the newest series from author Wanda E. Brunstetter. It sets the stage for the rest of the books that will follow, and I expect we'll be seeing more of the characters introduced in the background of this story as the series continue. If you've read other books by the author, you may recognize a couple of the characters in this story, too. I've read several other books from this author, and I have to say I not enjoy her storylines, but her writing style. I love reading books about the Amish, and I know when I pick up the book, I'm not going to be saddled with an, ahem, play-by-play several times through the book. It's just not my thing.

There are also some discussion questions at the end that are great if you decide to read this as part of a book club. And, as with many of the author's books, you'll find a recipe at the end that is mentioned throughout the story. (I LOVE this!)

The Journey by Wanda E. Brunstetter is a Christian Fiction Romance oversized paperback Published by Barbour Publishing, it has 384 pages. The suggested retail price is $14.99, and as always, I suggest you check with your local Christian bookstore, but Amazon does have it for $8.32 as of this posting. It is also available as an e-book for your Kindle and other e-readers.

I received a copy of this book to share my thoughts on it. All opinions are my own.