Restless Hearts (The Flanagans, Book 6) (Love Inspired #388) [Mass Market Paperback]

Marta Perry (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 1, 2007

A search for her roots brought midwife Fiona Flanagan to Pennsylvania Dutch country—and made her wonder whether she should turn back. The area's mixture of Amish and English culture confused her, and her first encounter with local police chief Ted Rittenhouse didn't help. he'd thought she was breaking into her own office!

Despite the misunderstanding, Fiona could see that Ted's tough-as-nails exterior hid a kind soul—one caught between two worlds, seeking a place to belong. She felt the same, but trusting him with her heart would require the biggest step of faith she had ever taken.

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

Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 256 pages
• Publisher: Steeple Hill (March 1, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0373874243
• ISBN-13: 978-0373874248
• Product Dimensions: 6.4 x 4.1 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (13 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,427,003 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

I realized I wanted to be a writer at age eight, when I read my first Nancy Drew novel, The Secret of the Old Clock. Most little girl reach the end of that book wanting to be Nancy. I wanted to be the person who created the story!
The dream lay hidden for years while I became a teacher, married, had children...all the usual things. But eventually it re-surfaced, and I began to write, beginning with short children's stories for Sunday school take-home papers. It seemed a long time until that first acceptance, but eventually I began to sell. After some three hundred published short stories, I finally found the courage to work on the novel I'd always wanted to write.
Thirty-some published novels later, I still feel the same excitement every time I begin a new book--a mix of not believing I can do it combined with an overwhelming urge to see the story on the page.
A lifetime spent in rural Pennsylvania and my own Pennsylvania Dutch roots eventually led me to the books I'm writing now about the Amish. The Pleasant Valley Amish series from Berkley Books are longer, more complex emotional stories with Amish main characters, while my forthcoming HQN suspense novels are more adventure-filled books set in Pennsylvania Dutch country. I'm also writing a Love Inspired series, The Bodine Family, set on the South Carolina coast where we have a second home.
When I'm not writing, I'm busy with church activities, traveling, and spending time with my three children and six beautiful grandchildren.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars A surprising page turner., April 13, 2010

By 

Elizabeth A. Hart (St Louis, MO) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Restless Hearts (The Flanagans, Book 6) (Love Inspired #388) (Mass Market Paperback)

Fiona Flanagan is a young woman set to start a life far away from the family she has known, that has never really wanted her. She travels to Pennsylvania Dutch Country, a place where her mother's family was from, partly to get in touch with her roots, but mainly because she feels called to go there and open her practice as a Nurse/Midwife. Almost as soon as she enters the town of Crossroads, Pennsylvania she gets on the wrong side of the town police chief, Ted Rittenhouse. He thought she was breaking in to the house she was looking over to buy! Ted is in a tough place having to straddle two worlds, the world of the Dutch and the outside world, and he thinks this city woman, an outsider, won't make it. Fiona on the other hand is determined to make this work and to make Crossroads her home, a place for her to belong for the first time in her life.

Being a Christian novel I wasn't too surprised at the over all tasteful approach to romance that the book took. I was surprised at how the relationship was developed and about how the Christianity was worked into the very fiber of the story telling itself.

The relationship, history and background of the characters was all done surprisingly well. There was depth and detail and believability in all of these aspects and with the back story of the Dutch country, a place a lot of people are not overly familiar with, it was engaging and interesting as well. Probably just for the back story and background alone I would recommend this book to people unfamiliar with this part of Pennsylvania. For me, it was all old hat, but I did find words and ways of explaining my background that I hadn't thought of before and will probably make explaining who I am and where I'm from a lot easier in future.

As for the Christian aspect of the book, it was woven into the story and instead of preaching to the reader it was presented just as a part of who these people were. It also didn't sugarcoat it, it showed not only the good times of being a Christian but the hard times as well, the times when faith is tested and when trust and belief become paramount, even when all seems to be lost. There was only one scene that went a little over the top with the prayers and, for the first time, quotes from the bible, but I was able to forgive it as it gave important back story and set up for one of the main characters.

This ended up being a surprising page turner in a book which I picked up with no to low expectations and so ended up being blown away by the well written and engaging story I found. It is standard romance fair in that there is a couple presented at the beginning and they can't be together for a variety of reasons, but since the set up of the characters' stories and their believable and well rounded back story was so interesting it made up for the predictable set up with a refreshingly engaging story and resolution.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great Romance, April 11, 2007

By 

Barbara Warren - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Restless Hearts (The Flanagans, Book 6) (Love Inspired #388) (Mass Market Paperback)

Fiona Flanagan never met her relatives on either her mother or her father's side of the family. A quarrel between brothers alienated her father from his family and her mother's Amish relatives disowned her when she left her faith to marry an outsider. Now Fiona is in town and determined to get some answers. The Flanagans welcome her with open arms, but the Stolzfus family isn't ready for a confrontation. Fiona realizes people were hurt but it was all so long ago, and what about forgiveness?

Ted Ritenhouse meets Fiona when he finds her prowling around the house she wants to buy and thinks she's up to no good. Ted is the law in Crossroads and he's not happy to learn Fiona is Hannah Stoltzfus' daughter. Marty Perry has written a compassionate story of love and forgivness, hidden hurts and the courage to do what is right, regardless of the cost. The characters are so well developed we can understand their pain, feel their joy and rejoice at the way God can give peace to hurting hearts. Another good story about the Flanagan family

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Engaging enough but it went on too long -- I skimmed the last 25 pages, September 17, 2009

By 

M. C. Crammer (Decatur, GA USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Restless Hearts (The Flanagans, Book 6) (Larger Print Love Inspired #388) (Mass Market Paperback)

I thought this book started out well, with the Amish country providing an interesting setting for a romance involving people who are not really Amish -- although they have Amish family, providing them unique access into this community.

The plot involves Fiona Flanagan, a woman raised in California who returns to the small Pennsylvania community her parents were from in order to start her own practice as a midwife. She immediately meets a police officer called Ted, who she is attracted to, and vice versa. Fiona is too wounded from her own traumatic childhood (mother died when she was a baby and she spent several years in foster care) to be willing to open up to him. He is also wounded by a bad experience in his life. All of this stands in the way of romance. Fiona is trying to establish a practice, but establishing family ties is also an important element of this book.

If you don't mind the predictable romance plot -- eligible man and woman attracted but something keeps them from getting together -- this is an enjoyable enough read for beach or airplane. It's a chance to escape reality and enter the world of the Pennsylvania Amish, who I thought seemed realistically portrayed. The author had clearly done her research and did not present the usual stereotypes -- so much so, that I wondered if she had Amish family ties herself. Also, although this is "Christian fiction," I thought it was done well, without preaching -- faith was simply a part of the characters' lives, and at difficult times, there were prayers and an occasional verse from the Bible. You don't have to be an evangelical Christian to enjoy this book.