Though Mountain’s Fall by Dale Cramer

About

Inspired by Actual Events!

“I want you to promise you will always be my sister.”

There were tears in Miriam’s eyes as their foreheads touched and Rachel whispered, “No matter what. Always.”

Now in its fourth year, the Amish settlement in Mexico is thriving. But as new settlers arrive, sons and daughters marry, babies are born, and crops grow thick, a storm looms on the horizon. And Caleb Bender knows–perhaps better than anyone–that the worst of storms don’t come from the western skies.

They come on horseback.

When their very existence is threatened, the Amish turn to the Mexican government for help, only to discover that the rulers of men are fickle and security is an illusion. Tried by fire and riven by war, Caleb and Domingo come to understand that the kingdom of God is not to be found in land or buildings or gold or armies, but in the hearts of peaceful men trying to feed their families.

Watching helplessly as daughters Rachel, Miriam, and Emma are drawn inexorably toward their separate destinies, Caleb is forced to confront the most important decision of his life.

“Authentic characters and attention to detail recommend this third entry in a strong series (Paradise Valley; The Captive Heart), to readers of T. Davis Bunn and Gilbert Morris.” –Library Journal

MY THOUGHTS ON THIS BOOK 

The new Amish settlement in Mexico is thriving. New families are moving in, new couples are falling in love and getting married, but things are not easy in the new settlement. Everyone had to work extra hard to survive. Troubles seem to Turn up on every corner. Bit Amish are a strong group of people, and the for sure do not mind hard work. As more issues arise, couples and families are torn apart in order to live their lives.

This has been a heartbreaking series for me. Though the Amish believe they did the right thing to move their families to Mexico, life was so hard. Hard work for both the men and women, hard decisions to be made, nothing was even a little easy as they had to start from scratch and build everything. In this book, with finding they had no help from the government amist their difficulties, it was difficult for me to read. I kept thinking, they should have stayed where they were, or go back to where life was easier. But they had so much invested to leave it all. All in all, this is about the most difficult Amish book, and series I’ve read. My Heart went out to them all because circumstances and their stubbornness made life so much harder for them. I’d like to read more, if this series continues, to see if life does indeed get easier for these special Amish characters who have wormed their way into my heart. If you enjoy old order historical Amish reads. You will enjoy this book and thus series.

A special thanks to the author/publisher for a copy of this book. I am not required to write a positive review, the opinions here are mine alone. I am disclosing this with my review in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255.

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THE AUTHOR

Photo by: Larry McDonald

Dale Cramer

Dale Cramer is the author of the bestselling and critically acclaimed novel Levi’s Will, based on the story of Dale’s father, a runaway Amishman. Dale’s latest series, THE DAUGHTERS OF CALEB BENDER, is based on an Amish colony in the mountains of Mexico…

Continue reading about Dale Cramer

More Reviews

“Authentic characters and attention to detail recommend this third entry in a strong series (Paradise Valley; The Captive Heart), to readers of T. Davis Bunn and Gilbert Morris.” -Library Journal

Library Journal

Caleb Bender and his Amish neighbors have fled from Ohio to Mexico to avoid being legally required to send their children to “English” schools. The community is tested when it is attacked by bandits, then saved by Mexican troops who turn out to be just as vicious as the bandits. Meanwhile, a bishop arrives, allowing Caleb’s daughters to marry. Things are not so simple for Miriam though, when her beloved, Domingo, decides to fight in Mexico’s civil war.

VERDICT The Benders and their neighbors continue to struggle with fractured peace in 1920s Mexico. Authentic characters and attention to detail recommend this third entry in a strong series (Paradise Valley; The Captive Heart), to readers of T. Davis Bunn and Gilbert Morris.

Library Journal, Nov 15, 2012

The Captive Heart by Dale Cramer

About

The Epic Story of an Amish Community in Peril

Ravaged by disease, preyed upon by ruthless bandits, the Bender family’s second year in Mexico has taken a grievous turn. Faced with impossible choices, the expatriate Amish discover, more than ever before, what it means to live by faith and not by sight

But it’s Miriam who must make the hardest choice as her heart takes her on a new and dangerous course. Domingo. “He is gentle,” his sister said, “until someone he loves is threatened.” Is Miriam that someone?

“Cualnezqui,” he often calls her–the Nahuatl word for Beautiful one. The chiseled native has proven himself a man of principle, grace and power, yet is he the pearl of great price for whom Miriam would sacrifice everything, or is he merely a friend? Tormented by conflicting emotions, she’s haunted by vivid dreams: Dressed in the coarse cotton pants and shirt of a peasant, she stands on the precipice of a sun-washed ridge searching desperately for Domingo. Domingo the fierce. Domingo the protector.

Domingo the forbidden.

Inspired by Actual Events!

MY THOUGHTS ON THIS BOOK 

Wow, Dale Cramer gives a different twist on Amish fiction in this series. In this second book of the series, more Ohio Amish join Caleb and his family at the newly Amish community in Mexico. As the Amish ways are, they all helped each other out in building houses and barns, and fields to plant food and ways of making money.

The one thing that is different for me with Amish fiction is the dangers this community of Amish people faced because of the new area they were in. They had to deal with bandits that didn’t think twice about pulling a gun on any of them. And this was especially difficult because of the Amish ways of not fighting back. Mexican friend Domingo, who had been helping Caleb since being in Mexico was a tremendous help since he knows the people of the area and their ways, but these Amish still faces difficulty, hurt, heartbreak and loss.

I highly recommend this book for Amish fiction lovers, as well as those liking Christian fiction, or just a good ole read. You will not be disappointed in this book, or this series by Dale Cramer

A copy of this book was provided by Bethany House for me to read and review. The opinions in this review are mine only, and my honest opinion.

A special thanks to the author/publisher for a copy of this book. I am not required to write a positive review, the opinions here are mine alone. I am disclosing this with my review in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255.

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THE AUTHOR

1. 

   Photo by: Larry McDonald

   Dale Cramer

   Dale Cramer is the author of the bestselling and critically acclaimed novel Levi’s Will, based on the story of Dale’s father, a runaway Amishman. Dale’s latest series, THE DAUGHTERS OF CALEB BENDER, is based on an Amish colony in the mountains of Mexico…

   Continue reading about Dale Cramer

Dale Cramer’s The Captive Heart by Dale Cramer’s

Book Blurb

Bandit troubles intensify as Caleb Bender’s family tries to settle into their new life in 1920s Paradise Valley. When El Pantera kidnaps Rachel and leaves her brother, Aaron, for dead, Jake Weaver and the Mexican native Domingo pursue the bandit leader to his mountain stronghold in a hopeless rescue attempt. Jake and Domingo manage to escape with Rachel, with the bandits hot on their trail. In a desperate attempt to avoid recapture, Domingo puts himself squarely in harm’s way, giving Jake and Rachel time to get away. This is not the quiet life Caleb Bender envisioned when he led his family out of Ohio. What is a father to make of his daughter’s obvious affection for a man outside the fold? And how will a pacifist Amishman like Caleb respond to the events that threaten his family and their way of life?

The first chapter of The Captive Heart, can be read HERE

 

My Review

Wow, Dale Cramer gives a different twist on Amish fiction in this series. In this second book of the series, more Ohio Amish join Caleb and his family at the newly Amish community in Mexico. As the Amish ways are, they all helped each other out in building houses and barns, and fields to plant food and ways of making money.

 

The one thing that is different for me with Amish fiction is the dangers this community of Amish people faced because of the new area they were in. They had to deal with bandits that didn’t think twice about pulling a gun on any of them. And this was especially difficult because of the Amish ways of not fighting back. Mexican friend Domingo, who had been helping Caleb since being in Mexico was a tremendous help since he knows the people of the area and their ways, but these Amish still faces difficulty, hurt, heartbreak and loss.

 

I highly recommend this book for Amish fiction lovers, as well as those liking Christian fiction, or just a good ole read. You will not be disappointed in this book, or this series by Dale Cramer

 

A copy of this book was provided by Bethany House for me to read and review. The opinions in this review are mine only, and my honest opinion.

Purchase this book at Barnes and Noble

 

About the Author

Dale Cramer spent his formative years traveling the world as an Army brat, then settled in Georgia at the age of fifteen when his father retired.

After high school he became an electrician, a job that took him to places as diverse as power plants, stadia, airports, high-rise office buildings and a hard-rock mining operation.

Twenty-five years of experiences in the trades provided him with the wealth of characters, stories and insights that populate his novels.

When he married his childhood friend, Pam, in 1975 he had no way of knowing they would not have children until fifteen years later.

In his early forties, when Dale left his job to become a stay-at-home dad, he suddenly found himself with time on his hands, so he pursued a lifelong dream and taught himself to write.

Using an online writer’s forum as a training ground, he wrote his first short stories in 1996. As his writing skills improved he turned to novels, publishing his first book, Sutter’s Cross, in 2003.

Since then, Dale has published four more novels and garnered a measure of critical acclaim with two Christy Awards, a listing among Publisher’s Weekly’s Best Books of 2004 and numerous other Best lists. Dale and his wife Pam live in Georgia with their two sons.

CFBA The Captive Heart by….Dale Cramer

This week, theChristian Fiction Blog Allianceis introducingThe Captive HeartBethany House (January 1, 2012)byDale CramerABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Dale Cramer spent his formative years traveling the world as an Army brat, then settled in Georgia at the age of fifteen when his father retired.

After high school he became an electrician, a job that took him to places as diverse as power plants, stadia, airports, high-rise office buildings and a hard-rock mining operation.

Twenty-five years of experiences in the trades provided him with the wealth of characters, stories and insights that populate his novels.

When he married his childhood friend, Pam, in 1975 he had no way of knowing they would not have children until fifteen years later.

In his early forties, when Dale left his job to become a stay-at-home dad, he suddenly found himself with time on his hands, so he pursued a lifelong dream and taught himself to write.

Using an online writer’s forum as a training ground, he wrote his first short stories in 1996. As his writing skills improved he turned to novels, publishing his first book, Sutter’s Cross, in 2003.

Since then, Dale has published four more novels and garnered a measure of critical acclaim with two Christy Awards, a listing among Publisher’s Weekly’s Best Books of 2004 and numerous other Best lists. Dale and his wife Pam live in Georgia with their two sons.

ABOUT THE BOOK

Bandit troubles intensify as Caleb Bender’s family tries to settle into their new life in 1920s Paradise Valley. When El Pantera kidnaps Rachel and leaves her brother, Aaron, for dead, Jake Weaver and the Mexican native Domingo pursue the bandit leader to his mountain stronghold in a hopeless rescue attempt. Jake and Domingo manage to escape with Rachel, with the bandits hot on their trail. In a desperate attempt to avoid recapture, Domingo puts himself squarely in harm’s way, giving Jake and Rachel time to get away. This is not the quiet life Caleb Bender envisioned when he led his family out of Ohio. What is a father to make of his daughter’s obvious affection for a man outside the fold? And how will a pacifist Amishman like Caleb respond to the events that threaten his family and their way of life?

If you would like to read the first chapter of The Captive Heart, go HERE

 

My Thoughts on this Book

Having read the first book in this series, I have been waiting on this second one to come out, and I am very happy that I could read it! In this second book, a host of Amish friends moved from Ohio and joined Caleb and his family in Mexico to start their lives new, just as Caleb and his family did a few years before. Building, tilling the ground and planting crops were in full force as these new families struggled to continue to build their Amish community in Paradise Valley. On a sad note, the hardships were still there to deal with, and bandits were still in the area, this time causing more problems and heartbreaks than ever.

Domingo was still helping Caleb on his farm, and helping deal with the bandits, but even he was unable to hold them back with his threats like he did before. Also the attraction between Caleb’s daughter and Domingo is still as strong as ever, but nothing can ever come of it because of the differences in their beliefs. Or can it? The situation begins to get very interesting, and you will just have to read the book to find out all of the details.

In this second book, Dale Cramer takes the situations a step farther wrapping the reader up in the dangerous and emotional situations as these Amish people struggle in Paradise Valley.  Life was not easy for these people starting over, and some parts of this book are not easy to read because of these dangers. I fell in love with these characters even more as the difficulties became harder to deal with. And as for El Pantera and his men, well nothing could be too harsh for them because of the way they treated              Amish and used them to get what they wanted. I just wanted them out of the picture, but then the book wouldn’t seem as believable.

On a happier note, there were good things that happened as well. Babies being born, more courting since there were more young people there. The Amish were able to worship together, as well as keep the classes going for the smaller kids.

Another awesome book from Dale Cramer! I highly recommend this Amish story for you to read and enjoy. This is Amish fiction with a lot of twists and turns that you don’t read in a lot of Amish books. I can’t wait for the next book in the series!

This book was provided by Bethany House through Christian Fiction Blog Alliance. I was not required or expected to give a positive review. The opinions in this review are mine only.

 

Book Review….Paradise Valley by: Dale Cramer

Book Review…………..Paradise Valley by Dale Cramer

About the Author

Dale Cramer, bestselling author of the critically acclaimed novel Levi’s Will,
was the second of four children born to a runaway Amish man and a sharecropper’s
daughter. True to his Amish ancestry, he skipped college and became an electrician,
yet the thought was never far from his mind that someday he would like to write.
Dale lives in McDonough, Georgia, with his family.

 

Series:  The Daughter of Caleb Bender……Book 1
Author:Dale Cramer
ISBN: 978-0-7642-0838-6
Price: $14.99
Format: Paperback
Publication Date: Jan, 2011
Publisher: Bethany House

It is 1922 in an Amish community in Ohio. Trouble is starting in this Amish community because of Ohio State laws that children between the ages of 6 and 16 have to be in school 5 days a week, and they couldn’t work on the farms during school hours. These laws interfere with the Amish beliefs as well as the families needing the children home to help with the daily chores. When the Amish parents do not comply with the laws that were passed by the people, they are arrested and jailed. When this didn’t get their attention enough to send their children to school, their school age children were arrested and put in a home for children.

Caleb Bender happens across an ad for land in Mexico for $10.00 an acre. This sends his family on a trip across a number of states to the land in Mexico to start a new life, having no idea what they will face once they arrive. They would stay a year to check out conditions before other families followed. What they did know was the Government would not interfere with their Amish lifestyle. What they were not ready for was the poverty causing people to steal from them, and the bandits terrorizing the country. For the first time in their life, they had to keep everything under locked conditions. The ladies and girls were in danger, Caleb couldn’t go anywhere without his Mexican helper, Domingo.

An Amish community in Mexico seemed so out of place until I found out this story was based on actual events from the author’s family history. I found it very heartwarming the way Caleb took a stand for his beliefs even when they were in grave danger. And was always willing to feed a man and help in any way, even when his own things were taken from him. He was starting to earn the respect from the people around him by his attitude. My heart went out to Caleb’s family, and all of the other families facing putting their children in school to learn another lifestyle, when this just isn’t the Amish way. How heartbreaking it must have been. I think I would have followed in Caleb’s footsteps, taking his family someplace that their Amish faith could be lived without persecution.

This is my first Dale Cramer read, and it was worth my time. I enjoyed his style of writing. The Bender family characters came to life, taking me back to the early 1920’s way of living, and the strong faith of the Amish lifestyle. Especially in the life of Caleb, his determination to stand true to his faith the God, trusting Him to see them through.

Several more families did come, just before the book ended, so we will have to wait and see how they handled the move. I recommend this book to anyone who loves Amish. It will be well worth your time!

This book was generously given to me by Bethany House Publishers to read and review. I was not expected to give a positive review. The review is my personal opinion only.

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