The Alliance

Written by Jolina Petersheim

Narrated by Tavia Gilbert

When Leora Ebersole sees the small plane crash in her Old Order Mennonite community, she has no idea it’s a foreshadowing of things to come. Soon after the young pilot, Moses Hughes, regains consciousness, they realize his instruments were destroyed by the same power outage that killed the electricity at the community store, where Englischers are stranded with dead cell phones and cars that won’t start.
 Moses offers a sobering theory, but no one can know how drastically life is about to change. With the only self-sustaining food supply in the region, the Pacifist community is forced to forge an alliance with the handful of stranded Englischers in an effort to protect not only their supplies but their very lives.
 In the weeks that follow, Leora, Moses, and the community will be tested as never before, requiring them to make decisions they never thought possible. Whom will they help and whom will they turn away? When the community receives news of a new threat, everyone must decide how far they’re willing to go to protect their beliefs and way of life.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Oasis Audio
• Release date: Jun 1, 2016
• ISBN: 9781621886143

Reviews for The Alliance

[Andrew Price · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Excellent story, well written and well read. Bravo. 5 stars , on to the sequel!

[JoAnn Fredendall McGowan · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Oh wow ! Fabulous book! Very different than any other book ! So many twists and turn . Great characters and I just can’t wait to start the next book !

[Mary Powell · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

A beautifully told apocalyptic Christian story. There were twists and turns, no foul language. The ending surprised me, to the point I shook my head. I didn't see it coming, hadn't considered it, and it's fitting.

[Marianne · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This was an interesting twist on an EMP book. Old order Mennonite and English unite to form unlikely alliance. I would have given it 5 stars, but the end leaves you hanging and feels like there should be another book.
* I changed it to 5 stars because there is a conclusion in the book called “The Divide”

[khris · Rating: 1 out of 5 stars]

The narrator speaks rather quick and Staccato. The story is lacking depth

[tamarack804-1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Just finished the Alliance and was very pleased. EMP, forbidden love, family and loss. Very well written, will keep you reading till the end and wanting more. Ready for the next by this author.

[virginia51-1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This was quite different than I expected when I began to read this. I didnot know this would be dystopian with Amish but I loved it. This was well written and I loved the characters. I hope nothing like this ever happens because I really don't know how I would handle it. I loved the characters of Leora and Moses. I look foreward to reading The Divide soon. I received a. Loy of this book from bookfun.org for a fair and honest opinion that I gave of my own free will.

[becky_l-1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Jolina Petersheim presents an idea that is beginning to garner attention in her book, The Alliance. Could an electromagnetic shock wipe out all electricity and bring the world as we know it, to a halt? What sets Petersheim's book apart is that Englischers and Mennonites must combine forces in order to survive the coming depravity.

Filled with faith, doubt, loss, love, greed, and selflessness, I found this to be an engrossing story. What happened to Leora's father? to her sister? Which suitor will Leora choose? As Leora questions her theology versus her practical, pushed-to-the-edge attitudes and actions, I found myself soul-searching with her.

As I read the prelude for the sequel, I am just as anxious to find out how Petersheim gets her well-developed characters from point A to point B(hopefully where I want them to go).

Definitely worth the read. Petersheim's compelling prose thrusts the reader into a nightmare where survival is not guaranteed. You may be reevaluating the distance between black and white when you finish the story.

I gratefully received a copy of this book from the author and bookfun.org in exchange for an honest review.

[harley0326 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

What would you do if one day your computer, phone, TV and car stopped working? As you go outside to see what is going on, you hear a plane as it crashes onto your land. Do you start to think the end of the world is here? When the pilot of the plane approaches you, are you scared? These thoughts must have been going through Leora that fateful day. The Mennonites live in a quiet community with little luxuries, but they are being told that there is no electricity, cars are not working and there is no way to call for help. Towns everywhere are without power. The Nennonites are strong and they help each other out. They don't believe in violence. But that soon may change as Moses tells the community was has happened.

Everyone has just experienced an EMP which is an electromagnetic pulse. It is capable of taking out the power grid and ceasing all electric devices. Moses is trying to explain what is going on, but there is some doubt among the people. I think if I was in that community, I would start to blame Moses for everything. I loved Leora and her fierce determination to care for her family but she does have a problem with control. I sure know how trying to control everything can cause destruction and trust issues.

The town comes together to make a safe place for the families and is only allowing a few English people into their compound. The author really delivers on writing the raw emotions of desperate people as they try to survive. How do you turn away children who are starving? It was so emotional to read the struggles that people faced . I loved the struggle that had some doubting their faith. They had always been taught to never fight and always open their home to others. The story is gripping, full of action and I enjoyed how the author touched on trust issues. We all have a time where we start to doubt our faith and wondering if we can ever trust anyone. Will the Mennonites be able to protect themselves from outsiders trying to break their barricade? Can they trust each other or will they turn and fight amongst themselves?

The story is riveting and brings to light the impact an EMP would have on each of us. I can't imagine having to beg for food, look for shelter and keep my family safe. The author has written such a compelling story that I couldn't put it down. The ending is dramatic, powerful and an adrenaline rush. There is a moment in the book where the compound comes together to eat. I loved when the author wrote, "Sometimes it is necessary to celebrate life, despite being faced with defeat and death." It reminded me of the Last Supper Jesus had with His disciples. He knew what was coming, but He wanted that time with His disciples. We all need to be reminded that we are not guaranteed one day on this earth, but while we are here we need to make every moment count. Make sure you don't miss this gripping story and be sure to check out the discussions questions at the end of the book. The author has included an excerpt from the next book that you won't want to miss reading.. I am anxiously awaiting the next book in this unforgettable story and know it will be just as explosive as this one was.

"We'll find protection in the shadow of his wings."

I received a copy of this book from The BookClub Network for an honest review.

[alekee_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Wow! What a different type of Plain story, an old order Mennonite community is our setting in Ohio. Can you imagine seeing a small plane falling out of the sky and crashing, and the pilot is really not seriously injured.
At the same time the plane crashes everything else stops working, and he seems to have landed, or crashed where he is needed, in an Old Order Mennonite Community, in Ohio. Now why would he need to be here?
As you turn the pages of the book, all law and order has ceased, and people start coming for handouts, as you would expect, but gangs are on the horizon, and out for no good.
The compassion and love these people showed others, but they are Pacifists and who will be able to help them. Moses Hughes is the pilot, and Leora Ebersole is the other main character, and these two opposites seem to click. The community takes in others, and a few other non-mennonite along with Moses take on an alliance to help.
When things go from bad to worse, I loved Moses reference of why he was staying where he was, back to Moses leading the Israelites out of Egypt, and who told he wasn’t that Moses, made me chuckle.
We rather end this story on a cliffhanger, and I don’t know who made it, and how they are going to survive, or what happens. Sure can’t wait for book two in this, I need to know!
I received this book through Tyndale House Publishers, and was not required to give a positive review.

[anne_rightler-1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

The Alliance by Jolina Petersheim is not your typical book about the Plain people and the Englischers. Petersheim gives readers a glimpse of what might happen if the two had to become one to survive. Can the Mennonite community, devout pacifists with a strong belief in the sanctity of life be in accord with the Englischers who insist guns and resistance might be needed to protect their lifestyle and their lives? What will this alliance mean—have survival instincts ‘mixed black and white until…consciences are color-blind to anything but the indefinite shade of gray?’ Englischer pilot and military veteran, Moses Hughes’ plane has crashed into this Mennonite community. He seems to understand that what has happened is catastrophic and reasons that drastic disasters call for drastic measures to ensure the safety of all. It might just be 'time to change some of these old-fashioned rules’. Leora Ebersole senses her loss of control over her life and environment as she struggles to care for her younger brother and special needs sister. Jabil Snyder, a young leader in the community, is in love with Leora and senses there is too much chemistry happening with Leora and Moses. Who will win her heart? Can she even give her heart when she has a duty to care for her family? Secrets kept, secrets shared, affection and devotion given and rejected, family ties, community bonds, the author gives the reader much food for thought with this apocalyptic novel. The characters are marvelously evocative and her story is filled with strong prose. Thought provoking passages such as ‘she’s put her glasses back on, like a veil. I am wearing my own kind of veil. But I guess, in a way, we all are’. And 'Is this, then, what draws people to each other? Not the combination of perfect selves, but the mirrored fragments we see reflected?’ Suspense, romance, drama, twists and turns to the plot—The Alliance has it all. A compelling read, not to be missed.