Marcus King is deeply in love with the lovely nineteen-year- old Tessie Ann Miller and impatient to tell her his latest news. The young couple are so in love with each other and want to marry in accordance with their Old Order Amish community in Hickory Hollow. They have done all the right things and both have been baptized so they could be married, but now Tessie Ann's stern and staunch father forbids it.

What can they do? Why is her Dat being so unreasonable and not offering any explanation? Their love for each other is making them impatient, and now Marcus can't wait to show Tessie the home he has set up for them. Despite their prayers and pleas, Tessie's father wouldn't budge, so they decide to take another path to their hearts' desire.

As the couple waits for the right moment to tell their families, the unthinkable and totally unexpected happens. Now, Tessie is left with the consequences of their impatience.

Who can help her? Will she have to leave her community? Can there be a new future for her?

THE LAST BRIDE is the fifth and final book in the "Home to Hickory Hollow" series by New York Times best-selling author Beverly Lewis. Well-known as one of the best, if not the best, writers of Amish fiction, Lewis has specifically designed this series so the novels can be equally read as stand-alone stories as well as part of a series set in the beautiful Lancaster County and the Pennsylvania Amish landscape. This series is based on the five daughters in the Miller family and THE LAST BRIDE focuses on the story of the youngest daughter, Tessie Ann. As I have not read any of the books in this particular series, I can attest to the fact that it reads very well as a stand-alone story. Yet, I am sure fans of Lewis who have been following the series will be pleased and intrigued by the development in the lives of the characters they already know. Now I am looking forward to finding the time now to read the earlier books in the series.

Having been a fan of Beverly Lewis for a long time and having read a number of her previous books, I am still impressed by her ability as a master storyteller to immediately bring the characters and the setting to life. While not Amish herself, Lewis has been well steeped in Amish traditions and concerns, and she skillfully interweaves interesting facts, knowledge, and research into the dialogue and situations her realistic-based characters encounter. Lewis is particularly adept at showing their emotional responses to their beliefs and circumstances, be they positive or challenging. One of Lewis's strongest talents is being able to infuse every page of her books with how faith and belief in God has and still sustains the Amish people, both as individuals as well as a community.

To discuss the storyline in this review would only give the plot away, so I am refraining from doing so, however, the focus is firmly on how keeping secrets and letting their ramifications fester only harms and doesn't help. There are times when THE LAST BRIDE seems to be on the slow side and a bit drawn out, but being impatient is also a concern as noted in the story. So, I will simply say it is quite "a gut story" for both new and long standing Lewis fans. Enjoy!

Book Summary

Of her Old Order parents' five daughters, Tessie Miller is the last to marry. She has her heart set on Amishman Marcus King, but Tessie's father opposes the match.

Impetuously, Tessie and Marcus elope to the English world, then return to Hickory Hollow to live as singles, trusting they'll convince the Millers to give their love a chance over time.

But when the unthinkable happens, Tessie faces the almost-certain censure of the People. Will she find a reason for hope in spite of her desperate plight?