Henrietta Rabor, a widowed Amish woman, is beginning to have heart issues and decides to move back to her late parents’ farm in Cedar Grove, Kansas. The move from Lancaster, Pennsylvania, is a shock to both her strong sons. In particular, Levi can’t forget THE PROMISE he made to his late father to take care of his mamm and brother. Some amusing and emotionally complicated events follow this situation.

Levi trained Standardbred horses for trotting races, with his father. This is one of the unusual faces of community life in this romance novel. Training horses is acceptable, in Lancaster anyway, but the Amish - men, need it be said - are not supposed to ride or drive them in races, which would be prideful, or to bet on the outcomes. Henrietta sells her husband’s breeding stock, and all Levi has left is his splendid black filly Wing and a Prayer. The young man is fixed on returning to Lancaster and racing. When his mother declares that the son who marries first will inherit the farm, his way seems clear. He’ll set Isaac up with a lovely neighbour.

Sarah Yoder was sweet on Isaac Rabor when he spent a summer here with his grandparents, but that was some years ago and they are both old enough to take courting to a serious level. Sarah doesn’t have a lot of unattached young men nearby, so the two brothers arriving makes life exciting. If only she could settle on which one she likes better.

The matchmaking antics, racehorses, picnics combined with fishing, and more than one romance, fill this already busy summer. The old house needs to be worked on, clothes need mending, and crops need cultivating and harvesting. Add in extra care needed for Henrietta and there is never a dull moment. We also see that here in Kansas, due to the heat, workhorses may be replaced by basic tractors. Everyone has a choice of driving a buggy or a tractor along the roads. Cars would be frowned upon. The young people also get more freedom to use cell phones, but it’s not polite to use one except in an emergency.

The decisions and obligations of all the characters reflect how life is never as simple as it may appear. Patricia Davids continues her series The Amish of Cedar Grove and some characters recur, perhaps too happy to be realistic. Getting married doesn’t mean that nothing ever goes wrong again. THE PROMISE is a lovely read with a positive message and the timeless work of summer. Fans of Patricia Davids can consider this quite up to her usual standard.