Bygones (Sommerfeld Trilogy #1) (Truly Yours Romance Club #10) [Large Print] [Hardcover]

Kim Vogel Sawyer (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: July 2009

Widower Marie Koeppler and her grown daughter Beth reluctantly return to the Mennonite community Marie abandoned twenty-three years ago. Soon after their arrival in Sommerfeld, a series of mysterious thefts raises the community's suspicions against the ""outsiders."" Can Marie prove their innocence, or will she be forced to flee once more? Henry Braun thought he'd gotten his love for Marie out of his system, but soon begins to wonder if she's stolen more than his heart. When it's all said and done, can Henry and Marie let bygones be bygones, or has their love been doomed from the start?

--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

KIM VOGEL SAWYER, a Kansas resident, is a wife, mother, grandmother, teacher, writer, speaker, and lover of cats and chocolate. From the time she was a very little girl, she knew she wanted to be a writer. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 435 pages
• Publisher: Thorndike Press; Lrg edition (July 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1410416836
• ISBN-13: 978-1410416834
• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 5.7 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (29 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,400,909 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Good beginning to a new trilogy, April 12, 2007

By 

Barbara Warren - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Bygones: Sommerfeld Trilogy #1 (Truly Yours Romance Club #10) (Paperback)

Marie Quinn left the Mennonite community when she fell in love with a young truck driver who was just passing through. Now her Aunt Lisabeth is dead and she left her home and cafe to Marie's daughter, Beth. Henry Braun has been entrusted with the task of finding Marie and Beth and informing them of the inheritance. There is one condition, Beth has to live in Sommerfield for at least six months. Marie doesn't want to go back home, but she can't let her daughter go alone. When they arrive, Beth is horrified to learn there isn't any electricity, the people dress funny, and Main Street isn't even paved. And she has to live here for six months!

Marie has her own reasons for not wanting to be here, includidng Henry Braun, the man she left behind. The memories of her past life are almost overwhelming. In addition, someone is stealing antiques and as newcomers, she and Beth are suspected of being the thieves.

Kim Vogel Sawyer always tells a good story, with plenty of emotion and conflict. Her characters reach right off the page and touch the reader's heart. Bygones is book one of the Sommerfield trilogy and I'm looking forward to the next one.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars An enjoyable read!, March 5, 2007

By 

Rel Mollet "RelzReviewz" (Australia) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Bygones: Sommerfeld Trilogy #1 (Truly Yours Romance Club #10) (Paperback)

I have never really sought out novels written about the Amish and Mennonite communities but I was completely charmed by Kim Vogel Sawyer's latest release, Bygones .

The storyline is familiar with Marie Koeppler leaving her Mennonite community some twenty years previously running away to marry trucker, Jep Quinn. When Jep is tragically killed Marie seeks the support of her family as she is alone with her newborn daughter, Beth. JD Koeppler turns his distraught daughter and grandchild away. Marie vows never to return.

Beth is now a headstrong young women seeking her way in the world when Henry Braun, the Mennonite man who fell in love with Marie when they were teenagers, comes to tell them of the passing of Marie's beloved Aunt Lisbeth and the unusual conditions of her will. In order for Beth to inherit her home and cafe, she must return to the Mennonite community of Sommerfeld and live in Aunt Lisbeth's home for three months. Marie acquiesces to Beth's plea to join her and the unfolding events will change them both forever.

Kim Vogel Sawyer's story has great depth and impacted me on many levels. It is a powerful story of forgiveness, the desire to belong and the pain of fractured relationships. Marie and Beth are characterised beautifully and Henry's devotion to Marie is heartfelt and in keeping with his character. The family dynamics between mother and daughter, and Marie's Mennonite family were so well described that I felt Marie's discomfort, Beth's frustration and Lisbeth's hope.

A dash of mystery enhances the story and makes Bygones an engrossing and thought-provoking read.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars You'll be drawn into their lives, April 6, 2007

By 

Armchair Interviews (Minneapolis, MN) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Bygones: Sommerfeld Trilogy #1 (Truly Yours Romance Club #10) (Paperback)

Marie Koeppler Quinn abandoned her Mennonite community for love and adventure. Now, twenty-three years later and widowed, Marie and her daughter, Beth, return to Sommerfeld for three months, a stipulation to claim Beth's inheritance of her Mennonite aunt's estate.

Not unexpected, the people of Sommerfeld are suspicious of their motives. When a series of thefts begins, Marie and Beth are likely suspects...just as Marie is rediscovering her Mennonite roots and an old flame. Will they ever be accepted back into the community, or will it be impossible to let bygones be bygones?

Kim Vogel Sawyer writes compelling stories about one of the lesser publicized Mennonite communities. Somewhere between the Amish and mainline protestant churches lay the Old Order Mennonites, fascinating in their own right and with many stories to tell.

I am especially drawn to Kim's stories as I know well the location and people, even though she uses fictional communities. But any reader will love these characters, their motivations and their journeys, and they will probably fall in love with central Kansas and the Mennonites as well. This was a quick and enjoyable read. I can't wait for the next installment in the Sommerfeld trilogy!

Armchair Interviews says: Good characters you will care about.