Reviewed by Lynette Fowlston for Readers' Favorite

Simple Choices is the third book in The Harmony Series where we find the Mennonite Community’s way of life was being threatened by outsiders. When Hannah Mueller’s parents agree to let her go to Wichita to study art for 6 weeks under Gracie Temple’s wing, she changes. Gracie would love to go back to the peaceful town of Harmony where it is mostly old order Mennonites, and Hannah would love to stay in Wichita away from Harmony and do her own thing. When Gracie finds Hannah wearing jeans and a t-shirt along with makeup and jewelry, she knows it’s time for her to return to Harmony even though she has been offered a place in the art school by the instructor. When Gracie returns to Harmony, she is finalizing her wedding plans with the love of her life, Sam Goodrich, but these plans soon get put on hold. Hannah, who regards Harmony as a prison, has disappeared. Is it a simple case of a run-a-way as the sheriff believes, or is there more involved? Gracie, who likes to play a little bit of Nancy Drew and sleuthing, thinks there is more to this than a simple matter of running off. Will Hannah be found and will the wedding go on as planned.

I have not read the first two books in this series, and from my reading, I feel they need to be read in order to understand some of the sequences in this book. Nancy Mehl is a master at characterization. Her characters come to life on the pages. It is a great Christian suspense book filled with intrigue, and that’s what led me to read this book. I have read other books by this author, and I find she is able to hold the reader's interest throughout. Look for this book on the bookshelves of your favorite bookstore in June, 2011.