Softly Blows the Bugle by Jan Drexler

...from the publisher...

When Elizabeth Kaufman received the news of her husband's death at the Battle of Vicksburg in 1863, she felt only relief. She determined that she would never be at the mercy of any man again, even if it meant she would never have a family of her own. Then Aaron Zook comes home with her brother when the war ends two years later.

Despite the severity of his injuries, Aaron resolves to move West and leave the pain of the past behind him. He never imagined that the Amish way of life his grandfather had rejected long ago would be so enticing. That, and a certain widow he can't get out of his mind.

Yet, even in a simple community, life has a way of getting complicated. Aaron soon finds that while he may have left the battlefield behind, there is another fight he must win--the one for the heart of the woman he loves.
Welcome back to the Amish community at Weaver's Creek, where the bonds of family and faith bind up the brokenhearted.

...my thoughts...

Softly Blows the Bugle brings all promises of a good series to fruition. Jan Drexler's story of the Amish Community at Weaver's Creek has been a treat to read.  The timing of this series, during, through and  at the end of an important time in our country's history is worth reading.  The Amish, pacifists at the core of their faith, were impacted by the Civil War, however remote it was geographically.  The remnants of a terrible war scattered across the continent and touched the lives of the untouched.   

 I watched Elizabeth Kaufman's plight with interest since The Sound of Distant Thunder, book one in the series. Her marriage to an abusive Englischer separated her from her beloved family. Loneliness became her normal way of life.  When  Aaron Zook came home with her brother, it seemed to me that her life was about to change.  Yet, it was not Aaron who captured her attention and that took the story to another level.  One where someone portrayed a life of someone who was just too good to be true.  

Considering the war had ended, there were those who pursued the leftover treasures to plunder.  To those most crafty, there were ways to fill their coffers, bit by bit stealing from those who had just enough to add to a pile of ill gotten wealth.  Jan Drexler's engaging style of writing keeps the reader's attention until the puzzle is solved and the hearts are truly won.

I recommend this book to anyone who loves historical fiction.  Although this book could be read as a standalone, it recommend reading The Amish of Weaver's Creek series.