The Divide (The Alliance Book 2)

****2018 INSPY Award Winner: Speculative Fiction****In this gripping conclusion to The Alliance, nearly six months have passed since Leora Ebersoles Old Order Mennonite community fled to the mountains for refuge after an attack destroyed the power grid and altered life as they knew it. Since then, Leora has watched and waited for news of Moses Hughes, the young Englischer pilot who held off invading looters long enough for everyone to escape. Unsure Moses even survived, Leora has begun to warm to the affections of Jabil Snyder, who has courted her patiently. But she struggles to see herself as the bishops wife, especially when she learns that Moses is alive and has now joined a local militia.An unexpected encounter in the woods deepens Leoras crisis, as does a terrifying new threat that brings Moses militia into the communitys shaky alliance with the few Englischers left among them. When long-held beliefs are once again put to the test, Leora wrestles with the divide between having faith and taking action. Just how much will her shifting landscape change her? Review Petersheim completes the tale begun in The Alliance in this entertaining post-apocalyptic romantic adventure. After an electromagnetic pulse permanently changed modern life, Moses Hughes, an Englischer pilot who helped Leora Ebersole?s Old Order Mennonite community escape to the mountains, can only hope that her new beau, Jabil Snyder, will make Leora happy. Jabil, the bishop?s nephew and heir apparent, is a good, kind man and, despite Leora?s lingering feelings for Moses, she agrees to marry Jabil. But when Moses, who left the camp after delivering Leora to safety, returns to the Mennonite compound, life quickly becomes complicated and all are forced to face the reality of their feelings. This love triangle is set against the backdrop of a fight for survival, battling nature as well as other humans. The Agricultural Resource Commission, a quasi-government agency, is attempting to violently round up those still living and enslave them in work camps. The Alliance is necessary reading to fully appreciate the characters and plot of this sequel. Petersheim invites readers to contemplate the question of what really matters when nearly all earthly objects are lost. Publishers WeeklyIntriguing plot, character depth, and riveting storytelling capture biblical end-time possibilities amid romance, grief, forgiveness, trust, and why-God-allows-suffering issues. Discussion questions follow. Recommend to fans of well-written Christian fiction. Christian Market