The Lesson

The Lesson
(Stoney Ridge Seasons, Book 3)
Suzanne Woods Fisher
(Revell)
ISBN: 978-0800719890
December 2012/304 pages/$14.99Sometimes love shows up when you least expect it.

Nineteen-year-old Mary Kate Lapp yearns for adventure, but all she seems to find is trouble. Her dreams of travel have taken a backseat to her assignment to teach school this year. And nothing ever seems to happen in her sleepy Amish community.

But when a sudden and unexplained death conveniently coincides with the arrival of a mysterious young man, M.K. is frustrated that no one takes it seriously. She’s determined to take matters into her own hands and get to the bottom of it. Will she find more than she bargained for?

Centered on one of bestselling author Suzanne Woods Fisher’s most loved characters, this is the Stoney Ridge story you have been waiting for. With a surprise at every turn, a gentle romance, and a shocking answer to an old family mystery, The Lesson is the dramatic conclusion to the Stoney Ridge Seasons series.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Suzanne Woods Fisher is the bestselling author of the Lancaster County Secrets series and the Stoney Ridge Seasons series, as well as nonfiction books about the Amish, including Amish Peace. She is also the coauthor of a new Amish children's series, The Adventures of Lily Lapp. Her interest in the Anabaptist cultures can be directly traced to her grandfather, who was raised in the Old Order German Baptist Brethren Church in Franklin County, Pennsylvania. Suzanne is a Christy Award finalist and a Carol Award finalist. She is the host of internet radio show Amish Wisdom and a columnist for Christian Post and Cooking & Such magazines. She lives in California. For more information, please visit www.suzannewoodsfisher.com and connect with her on Twitter @suzannewfisher.

MY THOUGHTS

I have thoroughly enjoyed this series and I especially loved The Lesson! After watching MK as a secondary character during her mischievous childhood and adolescence, I was pleased to focus on her as the main character of this story. On the cusp of adulthood at nineteen, MK still has some rough edges that need to be smoothed. Her exasperation at finding herself assigned to fill in for the school teacher and her coping mechanism both made me laugh and want to scold her. How that little endeavor turns out....Well, you'll just have to read it for yourself! MK and her long-time nemesis Jimmy Fisher are no longer bickering, but how close their friendship might grow also remains to be seen. Suzanne Woods Fisher has done a marvelous job of further developing familiar characters and introducing a few new ones in this final book in the series. Although you could read it as a stand-alone, the experience will be much richer if you have read The Keeper (my review is here) and The Haven (reviewed here). I won't give any spoilers but I'll say the ending made my jaw drop! I've enjoyed all of Fisher's books but this one is her best yet; when I finished, I was tempted to pick up the first one and read the whole series straight through again. Don't miss it.



Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from Revell as part of their Blogger Review program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”