This book started very slowly and seemed over done. The characters were confusing and didn't seem altogether believable.

When I first read the title of this book, I thought I would be reading another Amish novel from a talented author. However, after sitting down and opening the first pages of the book, I quickly realized it wasn't your normal Amish fiction. This book was truly well written and kept me hooked from start to finish. I loved the sisters and visiting the country side of Lancaster County! 

I loved getting to know the sisters! Angela and Rose,sisters who long to reconnect their relationship, really kept me captivated through out this story. I enjoyed following them to Lancaster County to visit sweet Aunt Sylvia, their Mennonite aunt, watching them change and grow in their relationship and learning to accept what God has in store for them, instead of what they had in store for themselves. 

This story of faith, hope and longing is beautifully written and highly captivating. If you want your normal Amish fiction novel, that will be solely about the Amish, then this isn't the book for you. If you are looking for a 4 star, wonderfully chiseled contemporary story filled with heart capturing characters and a whirlwind plot line, that keeps you hanging on every word, then this is definitely the book for you! I can't wait to see the next book Ms. Lloyd has in store for her fans, especially if she mixes English, Mennonite and Amish together in a fantabulous read!

A Letter from Lancaster County is – at the outset – an intriguing blend of sibling rivalry, long-buried secrets, and romance. All set in Amish country (but only a couple of the characters are truly Amish).

The chapters alternate between sisters Angela and Rose (each in their mid-late thirties), and we follow them as they spend time with their aunt Silvia who has summoned them with a letter. Through the course of life with Silvia, the two sisters meet Glenn – a young man of Amish roots who has not yet joined the church (despite being in his late thirties as well) – and they both fall head over heels for him.  Besides exacerbating the ever-present rivalry between Angela and Rose, the situation with Glenn is problematic because Angela is already (unhappily) married.

The alternating perspectives, which normally doesn’t bother me, did confuse me this time. I’m not sure why exactly – if it was writing style or characterization or something altogether different. But I had a difficult time keeping up with who was narrating.

Unearthing family mysteries is one of my fave elements in a novel. I enjoyed the bits and pieces we were given throughout this story – who was Angela & Rose’s mother before she met their father, why is there an Amish dress hanging in the attic, is Glenn possibly connected to the sisters on a much more profound level than just their disjointed love triangle? These were all questions I eagerly waited to answer as the story continued, and I’m still not sure I got the resolution I was seeking.

Bottom Line: I wanted so badly to love this novel. I love women’s fiction. I love books set in Amish country. I love books with long-buried family secrets. But I didn’t love A Letter from Lancaster County. There are aspects which I liked, but particularly Angela and Rose felt disjointed to me. Maybe it was the alternating perspectives that I mentioned earlier. Maybe it was their multiple emotional/relational/spiritual issues. Normally, I like dimension in a character but in this case each new ‘layer’ felt disconnected from the others. I can’t really pinpoint an exact reason for my lack of excitement over this story, which probably means it’s limited to me and most people will really enjoy it! So don’t let my ‘meh’ review keep you from trying it out for yourself!

(I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book)

Angela and Rose are on two different tracks. This makes sense they are sisters not the same person, but they both feel unfulfilled in their respective lives. Rose made me feel like she was a free spirit but looking to find her breeze to settle in life. Angela was a lot more like me as a mother, and feeling at moments that she hasn’t met her glory. Both ladies have to come to Lancaster county to see an aunt, and this is where the story gets great. 

Going back to the area brings ups feelings and emotions that pull the reader in. I was breathless with excitment on seeing Rose bloom into a new character, and finding love. She needed some love. Both ladies face pieces of their family that were unknown and hidden, making them have questions that needed answers. Both women learn to embrace God, and hear his message, through time they grow to be women of strong faith.

The author did a great job of dialect in this book, the conversations were amazing and led the reader to feel like a fly on the wall hearing these first hand. I was swept into this wonderful county and could smell the fresh breeze, bread and feel the love that was all around. It was a moving start to what I anticipate to be a great series.

A Letter from Lancaster County by Kate Lloyd is book one in the Lancaster Discoveries series. Love, faith, longing and sibling rivalry and so much more make for an excellent story. Kate Lloyd has written a story that will have you turning page after page so you can see what happens next. Characters and a story line that you will surely love. I received a complementary copy of this book. This review is my honest opinion. 4 stars!

A Letter from Lancaster County by Kate Lloyd is the first book in the Lancaster Discoveries series.  Aunt Silvia writes a letter to her two nieces inviting them to visit her in Lancaster County.  Angela and Rose take Aunt Silvia up on her invitation and leave their homes in Seattle.  Angela is married to Frederick, an attorney, who spends most of his time working.  Her two children are focused on their friends, cell phones, and video games.  They are overly indulged by their parents.  Angela feels a void in her life and envies Rose who is single.  Rose owns a mail order business that sends out handmade bird houses, wind chimes, etc. out to customers.  She is jealous of Angela with her husband and children.  Both ladies are unhappy with their lives.  The two sisters are very different and have never been close.  This could be the perfect opportunity for the sisters to bond and grow closer.  Aunt Silvia lives in the old family homestead and, upon exploration of the attic, the two sisters uncover secrets.  This discovery further divides Rose and Angela.  Will these two sisters find a way to come together?  Why did Aunt Silvia invite Rose and Angela for a visit?    Join Rose and Angela on their journey of discovery in A Letter from Lancaster County.

The writing in A Letter from Lancaster County is different from the books in Kate Lloyd’s Legacy of Lancaster trilogy.  Reading this Amish novel is akin to slogging through a giant pool of mud.  The pace was lethargic.  I did not think I would ever finish the tome.  The chapters alternate between Rose and Angela’s POV (first person).  It was hard to tell which one was talking.  The first 80% of the book is the two sisters whining, complaining, criticizing, insulting, blaming (reminds me of two bickering teenagers) and thinking.  I did like the last 20% of the book, but I do not see many people making it that far in the book.  There is a nice epilogue at the end of the book (best part of the book).  I am rating A Letter from Lancaster County 2 out of 5 stars.  While I disliked the sisters, I was a fan of Aunt Silvia.  She had a good outlook on life.  I really liked it when Aunt Silvia said, “accept our losses, make the best of them, and trust the Lord to guide us.”  The Christian element is very light (almost nonexistent).  The cover, though, for A Letter from Lancaster County is beautiful.  There is a preview for Simply Delicious at the end of the book.  It is the second book in the Lancaster Discoveries series.  I did like the sample provided.  It has me intrigued.  I wish A Letter from Lancaster County had been as appealing.

I wanted to like A Letter from Lancaster County. The cover is nice -- but I"m afraid that (and the Seattle references peppered throughout) was the nicest part for me. Angela and Rose spent so much of the book bickering, I quickly tired of them and found myself skimming until the end just to find out the novel's ultimate resolution.

The faith element hinted at on the back cover was just that, a hint; the promise of God's healing got little "screen time", overarched instead by sibling rivalry. I also felt that Angela's fangirling over Glenn -- when she was clearly married, despite her marital health or lack thereof -- was unnecessary and completely out of place for a Christian novel.

I really enjoyed reading this book and seeing the interaction between the two sisters.  It gave me a feeling of how they were able to become closer even though they found out things that they did not previously know about their family. I really like books that have a sense of family and like seeing how the families deal with problems and use their faith to work through what they are faced with.
     This book tells the story of Angela who is unhappy in her marriage and does not have the best relationship with her sister Rose.  Rose is not married, but would like to be, but does feel a bit wary as she sees how her sister is fairing in her marriage.  When given the opportunity to visit an aunt in Pennsylvania, they both jump at the chance to get away from home and hopefully work out some things that are going on in their lives.
     I received a copy of the book from the publisher, but the review is entirely my own.

Second chances don't come along often and if we miss them, regret can linger like moss on the roof. Always lurking above as a reminder.  A letter written
A Letter from Lancaster County (Lancaster Discoveries Book 1) by [Lloyd, Kate]with hope to repair the past brings two sisters to Lancaster County to visit their mother's sister. Their memories of Aunt Sylvia are barely visible yet something stirs Angela's heart to make the journey with her sister Rose.  Memories of their mother linger within the walls of  Sylvia's home. This is the home where their  grandparents lived and raised their family.  

Within the coves of A Letter from Lancaster County, Kate Lloyd skillfully writes of the journey begun with duty and spite. Angela and Rose grew up in the same house yet are worlds apart. Angela is married to a successful attorney and her two children are of a certain age where they no longer need their doting mother managing their busy schedules.  Rose is single, owns her own business and pinches pennies.  

The simplicity of Sylvia's life seems to be at the center of the story, yet the author wrote the story from the perspective of Rose and Angela. Chapter by chapter, the events of this short trip to Lancaster County unfold through the eyes of each woman.  Their lives seem to parallel the lives of their aunt and their mother. 

Sylvia's health is failing and the letter she wrote to her nieces was written with fervent hope to repair past tensions she had with her own sister. She is a delightful woman and it is through her quiet wisdom that she lets her nieces alone to discover what she had lost with her own sister.  The past is a good teacher and regret can lead to bitterness.  

Finding a photograph with their mother and Sylvia triggers a change that opens their hearts stirring a change within Angela and Rose.  It is as though they were awakened to how they could change their lives to what was meant to be. We are rarely granted a glimpse into the lives of our mothers as young women.  We think of them as mother, not a young woman who had dreams.  Angela and Rose came to visit their aunt out of duty.  They would choose a memento from the family home and go back to their lives in Seattle.  Or would they?  

As I read this book I thought of how life can be so different for people who were raised the same within the walls of the same home.  One daughter does exactly what is expected and the other is bent on carving her niche in her own way.  One can't help but wonder what causes this and yet for my own part, I had five brothers and five sisters growing up.  It amazes me how we can each remember an event so differently.

As I read the book I was taken in by both Rose and Angela. I felt I was with them on this journey, a reminder of trips I have taken with my own sisters.  This is a book worth adding to your collection. The simplicity of Sylvia's life and how she quietly accepts her nieces, each for who she is is wonderful!

A letter from Lancaster County

Two sisters received an letter from their aunt to come for a visit to see where their mother grew up. It is Amish country but their aunt Silvia is not Amish. Angela is married but not happy with her marriage, Rose is single. Their mother recently passed. Angela and Rose definitely has a lot to work out as sisters. They meet Glen, one of the neighbors. I really liked his character, so patient and kind. While staying there they discover a lot from the past. Kept me guessing on how the book was going to turn out. The author did a good job of bringing the characters to life. I received the book from NetGalley. This was my first book by Kate Lloyd, definitely plan to read more.

A story about coming to terms with their lives, and two sisters trying to find the way back to their family.
We are in Amish/Mennonite Lancaster, PA area, and become immersed in the local land, traveling by both car and buggy. Sylvia is a Mennonite and has invited her estranged sister’s daughters to come and spend time with her, and for them it is a stretch to be in each other’s company, but Rose and Angela agree.
The Author has these women opening up their hearts and fears as the story unfolds, hidden hurts and facts come to light, and we hope for healing, but some are so deep and held for so long.
We meet Glenn a rebel Amish man, rebel in that he is beyond the age of joining the church and still has his foot on the fence, and yes these sisters are quickly interested in him.
The story being told by each sister in their own point of view, and we travel from one to the other, often seeing the same thing differently.
I personally loved the epilogue, what a great conclusion to this book, and wish more stories added these.
I received this book through Litfuse Publicity Book Tours, and was not required to give a positive review

We meet Angela & Rose as they visit their Aunt Silvia in Lancaster County. Both are grown women with serious issues. Angela wants to feel needed by her family and Rose wants a family. I enjoyed watching these two grow closer, but did not particularly enjoy the caustic remarks made at each other’s expense. Secrets are revealed and the epilogue is satisfying conclusion.

Thoughts:

A LETTER FROM LANCASTER COUNTY by Kate Lloyd is an American tale where contemporary and Amish past and present will collide to leave a family questioning everything they believe!

Family dysfunction, sibling rivalry, mystery, and deceit come together inside a family reunion.

Will fragile bonds strengthen or fray even more?

Aunt Silvia wasn’t truthful with Angela and Rose, but she is trying to bring the family together just once before the next season of her life is on her doorstep. Silvia was not close with their mother and her sister, but she wishes to make a positive change with her nieces.

Meanwhile, Angela and Rose didn’t grow up to be close sisters although they lived inside the same home. Teenage strife brought only more separation as they grew into young adulthood. Now, well into maturity, one is married with children, and one is a successful business owner, but they both still only tolerate each other as even their mother’s funeral couldn’t shorten the distance between them.

These siblings set out to greet the past and maybe forge a future with an aunt they knew from years ago. However, their sniping and bitterness only grow as each begins to wonder if their life could have been different.

While still inside old family lies, they find out the truth, and they resent their mother and the choices she made.

Do they yet realize that some of their choices were mistakes? Can they grow to love the aunt who meant well but could have been doing it all wrong?

***This opinion is my own.***

Preview:

Inside A LETTER FROM LANCASTER COUNTY by Kate Lloyd, two sisters venture to uncover a better relationship after their mother’s death, but they could land more than second chances.

Angela and Rose live with regrets, pains, missed opportunities, and lies!

Both disapprove of some things in their own life. However, is it all bad? Each has issues with the other’s life, and both, at times, walk on a border of saying too much or not enough. When a letter from Lancaster County offers them the opportunity to reconnect with an old family tie, they may take it as a time to come to a better understanding of each other or not.

Is the past better left buried?

The visit with Aunt Silvia goes nicely until deception grows into doubt. Their Mennonite Aunt has her own issues, but nobody is ready for the secrets they find in the storage area.

While resentments are like weeds in a vegetable garden, they can lay the seeds of many undesirable emotions as family secrets unfold!

A  very well written story of two sisters and their second chances.  This book has a good plot and characters that you can relate too.

This story held great promise for me with an intriguing letter from Aunt Silvia with the promise of a little mystery and romance but it just never fully materialized for me.  The mysteries kept me reading but I never connected with either sister Angela nor Rose.  Their stories just seemed stereotypical which evoked no emotions in me.  It was not a bad story; I just never was able to connect with anyone in the story.  No one seemed to have a real and true relationship with the Lord, other than being Mennonite.

A LETTER FROM LANCASTER COUNTY by Kate Lloyd  "Lancaster Discoveries" series book 1. Two decades have passed, as Angela crossed the threshold of the family home in Pennsylvania. For sister Rose, the outside reminded her of a caboose., the inside still had furniture of grandparents.Aunt Sylvia didn't look anything like their mother. Thankfully Sylvia paid no attention to the banter between the sisters. I always wonder why Rose had such a caustic remark to everything I said. Rose knew she was prickly like a thorn bush, but thought Angelia was too wishy, swaying in the wind. Learning Sylvia's secrets to happiness, was the changing for both of the sisters A plot that has a strong message, of who one is as a person, what one is doing in life, bringing happiness. Taking time to ponder and make changes if needed. Recommended for all to read and enjoy another good book by Kate Lloyd. Given ARC. by Net Galley for my voluntary review and my honest opinion.

A Letter From Lancaster County by Kate Lloyd is a delightful contemporary novel set in the heart of an Amish county. It is a tale of love, of families, of relationships.
The novel deals with the topic of sibling rivalry. It affects all generations. The siblings presented have a love-hate relationship. Despite being old enough to know better, petty squabbles and old jealousies arise. Blood is thicker than water and in spite of disagreements over nearly forty years, love remains. For others, patching up sibling relationships is impossible as one has died, leaving the other with regrets.
The novel is about an awakening - awakening to who they are as an individual and in relationship to others.
Life deals people blows. They learn to live with them but then the past keeps intruding. "Always revisiting that hideous night God deserted me." God never deserts us. He walks alongside us in our pain. He waits for us to return to Him, as we surely will one day. "With God at my side, I wasn't flying solo anymore."
The novel shows how unforgiveness can create hard hearts. "Forgiveness didn't come easy... I... stopped fueling my bitterness." Forgiveness is freeing. We have to forgive because in Jesus, we are forgiven.
Restoration is another theme. God longs to repay the years the locusts have eaten. The simple things in life are free. Money and power cannot buy happiness, only stuff, and more stuff that will not satisfy. "In spite of our blessings, our family rarely experienced joy." Only by stripping ourselves of our gadgets and our stuff, and returning to a simpler way of life, will we learn what is really important - and that is God and people. The reader is reminded that the greatest commandment is to love God and then people.
There were some wonderful relationships within the novel. The characters love for each other was evident in spite of squabbles and tension. There were some important lessons to be learnt on investing in relationships. And investing in God.
I really enjoyed A Letter From Lancaster County. It was a wonderful, warm novel that spoke to my heart.
I received this book for free. A favourable review was not required and all views expressed are my own.

I really enjoyed this book. I didn't want to put it down and than agine I wanted it to last. so I took A longer time so I took longer than normal with it cause I wanted to enjoy the book. I haven't read many from Kate but I truly enjoyed this book made me want to read more from hers .

I have mixed feelings about this book. I felt it was too drawn out but then abruptly ended. There was so much bickering between the sisters that probably paralleled the relationship between the aunt and her sister but it was never explained. I just felt too much was left out of the story.

Kate Lloyd is a fresh and unusual voice in the Amish genre, and I enjoyed a series of hers a few years ago. A Letter from Lancaster County tells a beautiful and deep story of Angela and Rose, two sisters who are very different in nature, who come to Lancaster from Seattle to visit their widowed aunt.  Aunt Silvia is their recently deceased mothers' sister.  Rose is reluctant to leave Seattle for what she feels is a dreary area, while Angela is eager to get to know their aunt and for a break from the husband she feels doesn't appreciate her, and to give her kids a chance to miss her.  
Angela and Rose quickly feel strong affection for their quirky Aunt Sylvia, and they are both instantly attracted to Glenn, who owns a greenhouse in the area and is on the fence about returning to his Amish heritage.  Angela feels conflicted by her attraction to Glenn given her rocky relationship with her husband.  Rose feels unlovable due to past tragedy but wishes she and Glenn could have a future.  Meanwhile, Angela and Rose learn that Aunt Sylvia may not have much time left due to similar health issues that took their mother from them.  Throughout the story Angela and Rose are often at odds with each other, and strive hard to look at the others viewpoint.  
This story seems very real, given that the relationships between sisters are precious and often challenging at the same time.  Watching Angela and Rose come to a true understanding and appreciation of each other is very special.  As is their deepening affection for their Aunt Sylvia, and their appreciation for the slower lifestyle in Lancaster County.  This is definitely a book I recommend!