This Passing Hour

Author: Leslie Gould
Genre: Amish Romance
Series: Amish Memories #2
Pages: 400
Release Date: November 28, 2023
Publisher: Bethany House

After the death of her parents, Mennonite Brenna Zimmerman relocates to the Lancaster County farm of her Old Order Amish grandparents. There, she befriends Rylan Sanders, a disabled veteran, and commits to rising above her own grief to help him as much as she can. But when things take a turn for the worse, Brenna finds herself at a loss for what to do.

As Brenna struggles, her Mennonite friend Johann Mazur, a soldier in the Ukrainian Army, encourages her to distance herself from Rylan. But when she discovers that Rylan's army buddies are withholding secrets that could help with his psychological healing, Brenna is torn between her feelings for Johann and her commitment to help Rylan.

Inspired by the story of her distant relative who served with the Red Cross and supervised German POWs during World War II, Brenna considers her own future and must decide whether she has the courage to give up the comforts she craves for the life she truly wants.

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Reviewer: Elizabeth Eckmeyer

Leslie Gould tells the amazing story of two women a few generations apart. Brenna is a Mennonite woman who has found herself with a new "friend," Rylan. Martha is a progressive woman of her time, given the responsibility of taking care of her parents farm and also being a translator for the Red Cross during World War II. Both women fight the norm and learn to be brave to take care of friends and family. Both women learn who they are in the process.

The story is so intriguing and keeps you wanting to know more and more about the characters. This is a must-read.

I received a complimentary copy courtesy of Bethany House through Interviews & Reviews for my honest opinion.

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Reviewer: Marie Edwards

​While I enjoy Amish fiction, I was pleased to discover this was about the Mennonites. Even though the Amish have different Ordnung by district – some strict, others more relaxed—they're fundamentally the same. The Mennonites are entirely different in that they’re what I call half-Amish. They enjoy modern conveniences and can dress like the Englisch, but maintain a faith system and language dialect (Pennsylvania Dutch) similar to the Amish community.

Readers will greatly benefit from reading the first book, A Brighter Dawn, which I plan to read. I got it earlier this year. That book is where Brenna’s story begins, as it is when she’s involved in the accident that takes the lives of her parents and sets her on the course she’s on. 

In this book, she is still physically and emotionally struggling from the accident. Despite what she is going through, she is trying to help Rylan through his struggles. In addition, there is a sweet, but slow, potential romance between Brenna and Johann. 

Rylan comes across as quite unsympathetic due to either being bipolar or having PTSD. I had to applaud Brenna’s unwavering patience with him.

As far as the accuracy of Rylan’s military situation, the facts do seem a bit off. However, it is no secret that some military vets wait months for care, if it is approved at all. Frustration also builds up when the people in charge of that care haven’t been through combats or deployments, which causes a lack of understanding. Also, it leads to receiving inadequate care. PTSD is quite common and often unpredictable as to how it manifests. Gould does an exemplary job of conveying both messages. 

Brenna’s great-great aunt Rosene tells another WWII story, this time about German POWs on American soil. I didn’t know about this part of history, as it wasn’t taught in school. My grandmother didn’t even talk about it either. My grandfather died when I was four.

This isn’t the first book that featured that storyline, though. Another Christian fiction book published in June 2022 did. That’s when I first learned about it and researched it.

I absolutely love books like this because not only do they offer some entertainment about certain historical events, albeit fictionally, but they draw the reader into researching the history as well.

Emotional, complex, engaging, enlightening, and uplifting is how I’d describe this read.

I received a complimentary copy courtesy of Bethany House through Interviews & Reviews for my honest opinion.

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Reviewer: Lori Parrish

Wow! What a story! Lessons learned: Never assume anything about anyone, especially when you don’t know their story.

Quote for the day:

"We can’t assume we know someone’s story or even who they really are. And we should always live our values but also use our imaginations."

I didn't like Rylan from the get-go because I thought of him as a jerk. But as the quote says, we never really know a person unless they want us to know them. Fear is the big factor here. Fear is a strong emotion, just as love is, and I equally admired Brenna for her compassion and love shown to others.

Leslie Gould has really made me stop and think about others. What's their story? I will never look at someone the same again.

Just as the Lord says, we shouldn't judge others. That's His job. But being human, sometimes we can't help ourselves, as Arden Cooley points out. I loved how he stayed calm, cool, and collected throughout the whole ordeal. Mammi too. It showed their trust in God that He'd work things out to their benefit.

I really loved this story! I liked Brenna's character. My favorite was the example of prayer that was shown around the dinner table. I wish more families would do that. Maybe the world would be a better place for it. Who know? Only the Lord does. Just trust in Him to get you through the storms in life. I consider life one big adventure, just like Martha.

I happily give this book 5 stars. I highly recommend it.

I received a complimentary copy courtesy of Bethany House through Interviews & Reviews for my honest opinion.

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Reviewer: Jeanette Durkin

Wow! This is an exceptional book! It's modern but filled with glimpses of the past. It's a story of friendship, forgiveness, and courage.

Brenna is very relatable! She's been raised to help others, and she struggles with that. She also has anxiety and sees a therapist. Rylan is a difficult guy to like. He's got some scars, both physical and psychological. Once his history is explained, he becomes more likeable.

I loved the parts of the book that are Rosene's stories. She helps Brenna by telling her about her relatives. I especially enjoyed all of the history in the book. Leslie Gould does such a terrific job of making the past come alive. I never knew about the conscientious objectors being assigned to state medical hospitals. And that their photographs led to reform in mental hospitals.

This is a definite must-read! I would also recommend reading "A Brighter Dawn," the first book in this series. It has some of the same characters and is excellent.

I was provided a copy of the book from Bethany House through Interviews and Reviews. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

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Reviewer: Laura J. Davis

This Passing Hour by Leslie Gould is the second book in the Amish Memories series and is just as entertaining as the first!

Rosene is still telling her stories, only this time she shares them with Brenna, and as before, Rosene's stories help the character listening (in this case, Brenna) to make decisions that will help her in her personal life.

Brenna is still suffering mentally and emotionally from the accident that killed her parents. As she deals with her own trauma, she meets Rylan, a veteran who is also dealing with his own problems. I didn't like Rylan one bit. Not even after he changed. The author made me hate him so much that I had no empathy for him when everything came to light about why he was such a jerk. Perhaps it was because I have someone like Rylan in my family, and dealing with this person is so exhausting that I had to cut them out of my life for my own sanity.  There is only so much abuse at the hands of another that a person can take. Brenna is clearly made of stronger stuff than I am as is the rest of her family. While they did show Christ-like behaviour, I'm not sure how realistic it was.

I enjoyed Rosene's stories about Martha during WWII. I had no idea farms in the U.S. used German POWs for labour during that time. I love learning history like that!

While this book can be read as a standalone, I highly recommend you read the first book in the series, A Brighter Dawn, as it will help you understand Rosene and Brenna better.

If you love Amish fiction and WWII stories combined with a bit of romance, you will want to pick up this book!

I received a complimentary copy courtesy of Bethany House through NetGalley for my honest opinion.

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