Suzanne Fisher Woods crafted an incredible novel of tragedy and redemption. The characters and events drew me in from the first page and I was swept away on a grand adventure with Betsy and Tessa. Very well written!

The Return is book three in the Amish Beginnings series and it is such a great book. So well written that it draws you in from the beginning, and hold you captive right up until the end. Reading book one and book two prepared me for this book and helped me completely understand the setting and the characters. It also helps to learn in the previous books how the Amish have settled and how trying it was just to arrive in America.

The Amish are continuing to settle in Pennsylvania but there are tensions between the settlers and the Indians. The Amish are in the middle of this conflict, but are passive in their response. Betsy Zook and her family are living in the frontier and are members of the Amish community. They are viciously attacked by the Indians. Betsy's parents are murdered and she and her brother are taken captive. Betsy experiences fear and pain as the warriors transport Betsy and the children to their new "homes". When Betsy finally arrives at her new "home" she is surprised to see the Indians are not what she expected. She is surprised by their kindness. She meets a man who is also captive. He is half white and half Indian but was baptized by his mother before she died. His Christian name is Caleb. He and Betsy form a deep friendship. Betsy has been raised to be obedient without question but Caleb helps her to see things differently. Betsy begins to speak the native language and to act similar to the natives.

Left behind in the community is Betsy's fiance, Hans Bauer. He is crazy with concern for Betsy's safety. He begins to question the passive way the Amish have dealt with the Indians. In his despair, Hans reaches out to Tessa Bauer. Despite being only fifteen, Tessa loves Hans. When Hans and Tessa spend more time together, Hans tells Tessa they will marry when she turns sixteen.

All changes when Betsy returns to the community. When Hans hears of all that Betsy endured he focuses solely on the negative and become enraged with anger. Betsy has returned to her community but is not the same person she was when she left. She has to decide how she will handle her new outlook on life. Betsy and Hans have to see if they can restore their relationship and how does Tessa handle Betsy's return. It all makes for a very interesting book. I could go on talking about this book for hours but reading it for yourself is the best way to understand all that occurs in this layered novel.

Wow. What a great book. This was one of the books that towards the end I didn’t want to put down but it was 12:30 am. I forced myself with only a little over an hour left to read. Ugh.
At first I was kind of thinking there was a lot of jumping around but honestly, it kept the book moving at a nice pace and you never had a chance to get bored. And every storyline tied together eventually.
I loved the actual history woven into the book. We get to have an encounter with Benjamin Franklin and hear mention of George Washington, pretty cool. I also enjoyed having a glimpse at our country in the beginning. This country really was founded on believers, different believers, but believers in God non-the-less. We have strayed.
I don’t have time to talk about each character that plays an important role in this book, there are so many and I feel they are all equally vital to the story.
If you haven’t read this whole series, no worries. I really feel you could read this as a stand alone and thoroughly enjoy it. I highly recommend this one.

A copy of this book was given to my through the Celebrate Lit Team. All opinions are my own.

We usually think of Indians in novel as being the western variety conflicting with settlers and cowboys. Rarely do we think that when our nation was very young and during the westward settlement push in the east, the Native Americans were being pushed from their home territory and hunting grounds to accommodate the influx of farmers and entrepreneurs.

“The Return” by Suzanne Woods Fisher is a book about the German settlers in the state known as Pennsylvania and settled by William Penn. Most of these settlers fled Europe to avoid religious prosecution and were content to forge their own simple lives in the New World. Their relationship with the natives was mostly peaceful; but the conflict known as the French and Indian Wars caused havoc and terror among the settlers.

In “The Return”, Ms. Fisher addresses the problem of Indiana attacks and the terror of being taken captive. Taking scalps and gruesome murders by the “savages” was a normal result of an Indian attack. Betsy Zook’s mother and father were killed in a raid on their farm. Betsy and one of her brothers were taken captive while the younger brother hid until the attack was over and he was able to go for help. Her kidnapping caused a domino effect throughout the territory and caused some of the settlers to exact revenge on innocent natives.

I very much enjoyed this look into the history of the early years of our nation. Ms. Fisher writes with much enthusiasm and historical knowledge. It is evident in her portrayal of the settlers and Indians in this novel.

I received a complimentary print copy of this book from Revell Publishers and a Kindle copy from NetGalley.com and was under no obligation to post a review.

Betsy Zook is a beautiful, young Amish woman engaged to be married to her beloved Hans. Tessa, one year Betsy's junior is infatuated with Hans and can't help but wish Betsy would disappear. Then Betsy does. The Zook family farm is attacked by Native Americans; the parents are brutally murdered and the two older children, Betsy and her younger brother, are carried off into the wild to be sold or traded. The remaining Zook boy, who hid in the trees, comes to live with Tessa's family while plans are made to find his siblings. Tessa is horrified. She never wished something so horrible on Betsy. And yet, this could be her chance to win over the distraught Hans, assuming Betsy never returns.

The Return is a complicated historical fiction set in an Amish community a decade before the Revolutionary War. By complicated, I mean, there are multiple points of view and subplots stacking on top of each other. Betsy, Hans, Tessa, Tessa's mother Anna, and Tessa's uncle all take up primary focal points of the story. Their goals and actions bleed into one another. Two plot points take focus: romance and Native Americans. 

First, the romance. There is the love triangle between Betsy, Hans, and Tessa that takes primary focus. But there is another young man who loves Betsy and yet another who loves Tessa. I guess it's a love pentagon with Hans right in the middle? Talk about complicated and jealousy. Still, it was done well. Also, there is another romance going on in the sidelines. It is between Tessa's widower uncle and a widowed woman who is hired to tutor his wild twin boys. They have their own issues to overcome, and it was lovely watching them come together ... with a lot of kicking and screaming at the beginning. 

Second is the complex relationship between the Native American peoples and the European settlers. Most of the main characters in this book are German Amish settlers. They are pacifists and most would not wish any harm upon their Native American neighbors. Some of the other settlers have different views, however. As for the Native Americans, it is almost as equally divided. There are the peoples who wish only to live their lives in peace and contentedness, and there are others who plunder and destroy the settlers. Both sides are represented. Betsy sees it first-hand, between the bloody massacre of her kidnapping and her subsequent adoption into a Native American family. The first are cruel and murderous, the second, kind and peaceful. Her fiance, Hans can't see them the way she does, though. He determines that they are all evil, and he will do nearly anything to put a stop to their murderous ways. In the end, there are massacres of the settlers by the Native Americans, massacres of the Native Americans by the settlers, and peaceful people on both sides wanting to coexist. Complicated, but true to life. I appreciated how well it was addressed. 

I really enjoyed this novel. The plot was all over the place, but it was fascinating and intriguing on many levels. I highly recommend it.

I did receive a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher, but it in now way influenced by review, positively or negatively.

I believe this was my favorite book in this series. I did not want to put this down. This had a lot of characters in the story but I never got confused about who anyone was . This is a fantastic Amish historical novel. This is one of my favorite time periods(1763). Betsy and Caleb were my favorite characters. I also really liked Tessa. I received a copy of this book from Celebratelit and Revell for a fair and honest opinion that I gave of my own free will.

THE RETURN is the third book in Ms. Fisher's Amish Beginning's series, and readers will want to read them in order starting with Anna's Crossing, then The Newcomer, followed by THE RETURN. This collection doesn't stand alone. I did read Anna's Crossing, but missed The Newcomer. I was glad Ms. Fisher included a list of characters and who they are or I probably would've been lost.

The story (series) is based on real life events that happened in the days of the early settling of our country. The Indians and English didn't always get along and there were some brutal attacks, and of course, the Amish wouldn't defend themselves against them so it's plausible parents might be killed and children kidnapped as slaves.

Fans of historical Amish will devour this series by Ms. Fisher. The fact that quite a lot of it is real is a total draw for fans of the Amish lifestyle. Don't miss this book or this series. This is a series worth collecting by those who collect facts and replicas of Amish lifestyles and goes beyond the totally fictionalized accounts.

I've long been a fan of Ms. Fisher's contemporary Amish series and hope she'll write more of them. I'm not sure if there are any more historical novels planned but she definitely stands tall among the few that write historical Amish well.

I was given a free copy of this book. All opinions are my own.

The Return is book three in Suzanna Woods Fisher's Amish Beginnings series. She has done a great job combining historical fiction and Amish fiction making it a great read.
The Return is a perfect addition to the series. It is well written and transports the reader back into the time of Amish settlers in Pennsylvania. There is mystery and suspense, forgiveness, redemption, love, and learning to rely fully upon God to overcome it all.

I recommend this book, but suggest that the reader start with Anna's Crossing.
I received an advance reader copy of this book from netgalley in return for my honest opinion of the book.

The Return by Suzanne Woods Fisher is an epic Amish historical romance. It is the third book in the Amish Beginnings series but can be read as a stand-alone.
The Return is set in 1762 and the year is chronicled as the Amish continue to settle themselves in America.
Themes covered include identity, belonging and knowing whose you are. We all need to know and trust God. When we know Him, we can be secure, knowing that we have an anchor for every storm. Knowing our roots is important. "She gave her the history of her people." We need to know where we come from and where we are going.
There are the themes of persecution and prejudice. All Native Americans are tarred by the same brush by some individuals whose hearts and minds are closed. There is a discussion about 'half breeds' who are neither wanted by their own tribes nor the white settlers. However the novel has a group of people who recognise that everyone is a child of God. "The worst thing is t'judge a man by the color of his skin."
Nature exists side by side with settlements. There is a wild stallion who roams where he wants and cannot be tamed, although his trust can be earnt. This can be seen as a motif for God who cannot be tamed but longs for us to come to Him and trust Him.
The novel alternates between the Amish and the Native American way of life. Both have a simple focus, not being concerned with material wealth. The reader is educated in their lifestyles.
I really enjoyed The Return. It was a tale of adventure and the steadfast nature and goodness of God.
A powerful read.
I received this book for free. A favourable review was not required and all views expressed are my own.

What does true love look like? We tend to think of it as Prince Charming coming to sweep us off our feet or true love’s kiss awaking us from “The Sleeping Death.” True love or agape love is sacrificial love. What does that look like?

In “The Return” (Amish Beginnings #3) by Suzanne Woods Fisher tackles true love and several controversial topics: jealousy, Indian raids, kidnapping, racism, hatred, bigotry and vengeance.

Several children are kidnapped when an Indian raiding party attacks homesteads in Pennsylvania. We discover how they were treated, how those left behind felt and how some involved became bitter and angry and turned to unlawful methods as an outlet for that anger. We learn that “Vengeance is a dangerous master to feed. Its appetite has no end.”

But we also learn that people can change and about kindness, forgiveness and love… true love. A character in the book risks his life to right a wrong not once, but twice. He defends and helps those who cannot help themselves at great risk. Throughout the book the characters grow and learn that no matter what, they belong to the Holy One even when they belong to no one or no group on Earth.

This is the third book in the series. Not having read the first two in no way hindered my enjoyment/understanding of this book. There were a couple of references to prior events, but those were explained. The author also included a cast of characters and short note explaining the time line at the beginning of the book.

Solid 4.5 stars for this excellent reminder that “God doesn’t answer our prayers because we wish Him to. And he doesn’t dislike the people we dislike either. That would amount to making God in our own image.”

Release Publication Date: August 1, 2017
Genre: Christian fiction, historical fiction, Amish, Mennonite, Indian, romance
Cover: Perfect!
Source: I received this book for free from the publisher via NetGalley in return for an honest review. Thank you for the opportunity to read this great book!
Rating: 4.5 stars

I'm giving this book 4 stars.

1: It took me a little while to get into the book, but I really did enjoy it. The story was interesting, horrifying (at parts), funny, sad, and lovable by turns. I feel like this book hit a broad range of emotions.

2: I feel like all the characters were really good. There weren't really many characters that I didn't have a strong opinion on. Even characters who weren't in it that much still felt like a real part of the story.

3: The part about the Conestoga wagon and its creation was crazy cool, but the best part was the bit about the horse, how the Conestoga breed came about. (P.S. Don't assume based on the picture of the Conestoga wagon on the front that this is a "western expansion" book. It's not. Try 1763. I somehow made that mistake.)

4: If I had to pick a favorite character, I'd pick Felix or Anna, but my favorite POV was definitely Betsy.

5: I honestly, and I know this is going to sound really ignorant, but it's not like I look this stuff up or anything, but I honestly never thought about there being Amish people in America in 1763. It never occurred to me, and while I'd read stories about that time period before, it was really unique to see things from the Plain POV.

This is the 3rd book in The Amish Beginnings series, based on true facts of incidents that occurred in Pennsylvania.

At this time, there were many Indian raids on the white settlers. The story teaches us this sad part of history and how these particular Amish settlers in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania came to deal with it.

When their parents were killed in one of the raids, Betsy Zook, along with one of her brothers, was taken hostage by the Indians. Their other brother was able to escape by hiding from the Indians and then lived in the Amish community. Betsy was separated from her brother and taken to a village where she was readily accepted and treated very well. While there, she befriends one of the Indians, Caleb, who was a half-breed. In spite of being part Indian, his mother had raised him to believe in God and he helps Betsy to see that she has to put all the areas of her life in God’s hands. Before the raid, Betsy had been planning to marry Hans. When she is taken in the raid, Hans becomes very resentful and wants to see revenge to the Indians. During the time Betsy is gone, Hans turns to Tessa Bauer for comfort. Tessa has loved him from afar most of her life and is thrilled by his attention. When Caleb helps Betsy escape and return to the Amish Community, how will Hans, Tessa, Caleb and Betsy react to all the changes that have occurred in their lives? When more raids occur, we see dramatic events that lead them to question their faith and relationships with each other.

I found this to be a powerful book that was hard to put down until I found out how all these relationships are solved.

I highly recommend this book to anyone who enjoys both the genres of history and Amish books.

I was given a copy of this book by Revell publishers, through Netgalley. I was not required to give a review.

This book was a really good ready until the very end where I feel it fell flat.I am hopeful there will be a sequel to resolve some of the lose ends that seemed to make up the ending of this book.
I loved the characters and how the book was told from different people's perspective but was disappointed that some were not heard from as much as others.
I didn't know much about the history of this time and it was saddening to find that many of the events mentioned really happened.
Overall a good read but I wish it had ended differently.

Suzanne Woods Fisher has shown her versatility and expertise as an author as never before in her enthralling new saga, The Return. The readers' emotions are immediately swept away on a violent incursion by savage Indians against the first Amish settlers in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania. Beautifully kind-hearted, Betsy Zook, is brutally captured by Indians and her devout Amish faith is put to the ultimate test. My heart was broken for this lovely, courageous young woman just on the threshold of new love...so not deserving the cruel injustices inflicted upon her. Enter two handsome, brave heroes—Indian native, Caleb, brave, strong, and tender-hearted...and passionate, loving Hans, the man Betsy unwillingly left behind. In my initial estimation both are worthy of her love, but which man will capture her heart?

In my opinion this is Suzanne Woods Fisher's best novel to date and I have been a fan of hers forever! Impeccably researched and inspired by true historical events, this novel may be enjoyed by both men and women alike. Not your cushy, cookie-cutter Amish fiction novel, Ms. Fisher tells it like it was and the picture she paints isn't always pretty. Certain secondary characters add humor and warmth to the story, and I was so intrigued by the huge, wild black stallion! Although The Return reads well as a stand-alone, I hope readers will be sure to order Anna's Crossing and The Newcomer (Books 1 and 2) to get better acquainted with these unique individuals!

Amish settlers are trying to start a new life in Pennsylvania, but there are Indian attacks and kidnappings because of the land they are taking over.

The Zook family had arrived and set up their home on property that is in Indian land. They are attacked and after the parents are killed, their daughter and one son is taken captive . The other son hid when he saw what was happening, what has happened to him ?

Suzanne Woods Fisher’s descriptive writing will have your mind’s eye see and feel what Betsy Zook and her brother Johnny go through after being taken captive.

Though there is tragedy, loss and jealousy, love and forgiveness are there too. Betsy’s fiancé Hans is angry at all Indians and wants revenge, he can’t understand that a miracle could still happen. He sees nothing nice about Indians, even those that have been friends all along.

I received a copy of The Return from Net Galley in exchange for an honest review. I enjoyed this book very much. This is book 3 of the Amish Beginnings Series, you will enjoy also.

The Return is part thee from Suzanne Woods Fisher's Amish Beginnings series. When historical fiction and Amish fiction collide, it makes a perfect read for me. The story is based on real events, making it an even more fascinating read. I loved the first two books of the series, Anna's Crossing and The Newcomer, and The Return is a perfect addition to the series. It is written so well, that I felt like I was transported back in time and living among the Amish settlers in Pennsylvania. I felt like I was right there experiencing the fear, struggles, and turmoil the community and kidnapped Betsy must have had gone through. There are several elements of the story I liked. Some mystery and suspense, lessons of forgiveness, redemption, faith, love, following your heart, and learning to turn to God to overcome tragedy.
I highly recommend this book, especially for those who love Amish stories and those set during Colonial America. I, also, recommend to the reader to begin with Anna's Crossing, book one of the series.

The Return- What was returned?  What was lost?  Could it be returned without any problems or changes?  Could it be returned without pain and conflict?  Could it really be returned at all?


This book is set in the l700's in an Amish Community.  It is the story of Anna and Bairn coming to America and starting a new life.  This book is the third book of the series.  It is about Tessa, their daughter, and the conflict with the Indians and in their community.


Tessa was young but she was in love with Hans.  Could he return the love that Tessa so desperately desired?


Hans loved Betsy with all his heart.  Was Betsy able to return his devotion after everything has happened? 


Betsy longed to return to her home.  But could she really return? Could she forget the Indians that helped her in her journey?  Could she return and be the same?


Caleb knew he couldn't return to his mother's family.  But he could help Betsy return even if meant he lost someone so very special to him.


Hans was so angry and his need of revenge was strong.  Before he knew it, he was involved in a deadly situation.  His last gift to Betsy was to help Caleb return to his people.


Tessa did a terrible thing and quickly regretted it.  Was there anything that she could do to rectify the situation?  Could she really return what was lost?


I read all three books of this series and loved every minute of it.  It was very enjoyable and interesting to read.  I loved the historical content.  I was sad to see it end. 


Five Stars!

The Return
Suzanne Woods Fisher

In this heartfelt conclusion to the best-selling Amish Beginnings series, Fisher brings her characteristic heart and warmth, while tackling tough issues and giving us a history lesson all in one. This story takes place several years after The Newcomer, which ended with Anna and Bairn starting their life together. In this story, we meet Tessa, their daughter, as well as Betsy Zook, a young lady from a neighboring community. Tessa has always loved Hans, the young man raised by her grandmother, and has secretly wished he would notice her for as long as she can remember. However, when Hans meets Betsy it becomes apparent that they are going to build a future together. When a hunting party of Indians comes along and takes Betsy and one of her brothers as hostage, Hans finds his world rocked. He turns to Tessa for comfort, which makes her giddy with excitement. However, Hans is not the same. He is angrier and desires revenge.
Meanwhile, Betsy finds that she is not a prisoner, but treated as a member of the family. She finds love and acceptance among the Indian tribe and meets Caleb. He is half Indian and half American and helps her to accept her situation. She longs to return to her own people though. When he helps her return, she is grateful and happy to be home, but also confused. Has she changed too much to be herself now? What about Hans and Tessa? What will become of the relationship they were forging? Also, what of Caleb? She finds that she misses him and wonders what he is doing. Will these four hearts find happy endings? A must read and an excellent conclusion to the story! I am so grateful to Suzanne for sharing her stories with us!
I received a free copy of this book for my honest review from NetGalley.

The Return is the third book in the Amish Beginnings series by Suzanne Woods Fisher. However, you can read it as a stand-alone book. The Return is a fascinating story for anyone who has an interest in the Amish. Fisher has mixed a fictional story with true events of Betsy Zook who was kidnapped by the Indians after the brutal murder of her parents. Her survival and the response from the Amish makes for a hard to put down book. Many characters are familiar from the first books in the series and it is nice to see how Fisher brings them into the story. I highly recommend The Return for anyone interested in history or the Amish. But be prepared. Once you start this story it is hard to put down. You will also probably want to read the first two books in the series as well. Fisher had done it again in my opinion!

Time has passed since the Charming Nancy arrived in the Port of Philadelphia bringing the first Amish settlers from Ixheim, Germany to the New World. With deaths, marriages, and births, the community has changed and Bairn Bauer is now the Amish bishop, living with his wife Anna and their daughter Tessa in Beacon Hollow. Although the Amish believe in living at peace with everyone, times are not peaceful and that touches even the Amish. Bairn has his hands full just trying to keep his foster brother, Hans, from charging into trouble. The young man is quite handsome and has turned the heads of more than one young girl, including Tessa who has her heart set on him. But Hans is drawn to another young girl in another community and acts like Tessa doesn’t exist. After the other girl is taken captive by Indians, Hans becomes even more difficult to keep in line as he keeps hanging out with the wrong crowd in a nearby town. Their leader thinks all Indians should be eliminated or chased from the land. My opinion is that a good story should help the reader learn from the decisions and actions of the characters in the book. The author does a good job of showing the dangers of jealousy, greed, racism, selfishness, and unharnessed anger. She helps point to a better way of living than our sinful tendencies would take us. I enjoyed the story and found it interesting to learn that certain incidents were based on actual historical events. I received an advance copy of this book from NetGalley. This is my honest review. All opinions are strictly my own.