Book Review: Unbreakable

Book review time! This time I have Unbreakable by Nancy Mehl to share with you, courtesy of the blogging review program offered by Bethany House Publishers.

Here is a description of the book from the publisher:

Hope Kauffman has never been one to question her Mennonite beliefs. But changes have begun to stir in their small town, and their traditional ways are being challenged from within. The handsome and charismatic Jonathon Wiese is moving for reform, while her fiancé, Ebbie Miller, insists Kingdom must remain true to its foundation. When Hope’s personal safety is threatened by an outsider, even she begins to question the Mennonite tradition of nonviolence. Now the town that’s always stood together finds itself divided. Will Hope and the people of Kingdom allow fear to break them, or will they draw on the strength of the God they serve?

As usual, here’s my 5 point review:

• This is book two in the Road to Kingdom series. I reviewed Inescapable last fall. The storyline was intriguing and interesting. Nancy Mehl is a thoughtful, talented author with an authentic voice.
• One of the major strengths of this novel is the discussion of the Mennonite value of nonviolence versus justice and the desire to protect the community. It is always inspiring to hear people stand up for their beliefs in adversity, and that is exactly what this book focuses on. Nonviolence is quite admirable, and since this path is chosen based on faith and belief, it is even more so here.
• I also really cared about the characters in this story. Hope’s [mostly predictable but always with a twist] romantic ties to both Jonathon and Ebbie were just fun to read about because Nancy Mehl succeeds in drawing the readers into the lives of all three characters. I genuinely wanted all of them to be happy, no matter the outcome… and I was happy about how everything turned out.
• That being said, I think I preferred the first book in the series to this one. I think I found the story more believable and less contrived. Now, I haven’t ever lived near large Mennonite communities so I’m not really sure if there is a history of conflict from “outsiders,” but this book took much more suspension of disbelief for me to get into.
• All in all, I’d recommend this book… but probably only if you have already read the first in the series and care about the characters. I wasn’t ever close to not finishing this book but I can’t say it’s my favorite of all time. But if you have read Inescapable or are interested in approaches to nonviolence, do check it out!

What are you reading lately?

Disclosure: I received a complimentary copy of this book from Bethany House Publishers. However, I was not required to write a positive review. The thoughts expressed above are entirely my own. Thanks to Bethany House for the chance to read this great book!