The Devoted is the third book in The Bishop’s Family Series.  This series by Suzanne Woods Fisher is a sequel series to The Inn at Eagle Hill Series.  It is not necessary to read the previous series to enjoy the book, but reading the first two books of The Bishop’s Family Series is advised.  The books skip several years in between the installments. 

The writing style of this series really seems to follow the slow and easy pace one would expect from an Amish-themed novel.  There are many characters and relationships that can get a little confusing, if the book is not read fairly quickly.  Fisher chooses to not inundate her stories with a lot of Amish facts which are rehashed over and over.  That is a very good choice. Fisher treats the Amish lifestyle as normal for her characters and tries to write as though things are seen from the eyes of people familiar with Amish culture.

Characters in this story face a wide variety of challenges which keep things interesting.  Some are struggling with religious questions, some with health challenges, others experience heartache and still others are trying to determine that best paths for their futures.  The ending of this book ties up all of the immediate questions readers might have about the main characters, but leaves plenty of room for interpretation.

This book was sent to Compass Book Ratings for review by Revell

Content Analysis:

Profanity/Language:  None 

Violence/Gore:  A man is bleeding from a cut; characters speculate that a man was murdered; a character is run over by a vehicle; explosives destroy various objects, including mailboxes; character grabs another violently resulting in bruises. 

Sex/Nudity:  Married characters embrace and kiss; non-married characters embrace and hold hands; reference is made to a baby born out of wedlock.

Mature Subject Matter:

Death of spouse and parent, addiction, life-threatening illness.

Alcohol / Drug Use:

Underage character drunk on many occasions; teens smoke marijuana.