As the Civil War drives families from their homes, Ruby Weaver finds herself with a new best friend and a promise she isn’t sure how to keep. Suffering from the realities of a war he never wanted any part of, Gideon struggles beneath the weight of his word while also finding himself at a loss without Ruby’s help.

Jan Drexler writes the second book, The Roll of the Drums in her series The Amish of Weaver’s Creek. The war has dragged on for several years now and the effects have touched the lives of everyone. This book was a good read, however I believe it could have been improved by further fleshing out the dangers presented and adding more realistic suspense to the situation. Gideon’s reaction to the crisis seemed unrealistically calm considering all he had gone through and his PTSD. The switch in his attitude seemed too swift.

Ruby’s fear was justified, but again it did not seem to encompass the full reality of the situation. The protagonist, Bishop Beiler, also has a fast turn around in his own attitudes that do not come with much explanation. Overall, I give this book  3 star rating because the danger and the characters could have been given more depth into their motives and their emotions. It almost seemed as if the book, which started out with great depth into the motives and feelings of the characters was rushed to a conclusion and the story was not fully fleshed out to Drexler’s full potential.

Leslie