Good book - recommend reading book #1 first though

This was my first time reading a book by Cindy Woodsmall. I am impressed. Very well written, gripping story.

Lena is a woman with a physical blemish. She has a birthmark on the side of her face. She has learned how to cope with it, and not let the remarks of others influence who she is, although the the remarks themselves do hurt. She learns, though, that everyone has a blemish, a stain. Some are outward, while most are inward. She is able to use that knowledge to help reach out to others.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. Although, since it was the second in a series, there were times that I was confused. There were characters and instances that were mentioned that I was unsure about. It left holes in the story. My recommendation is that you read book #1 in the Ada's House Series, The Hope of Refuge. I did not read it first. In fact, I didn't even know there was a book #1, as it is not mentioned anywhere that I could find.

Overall, I give this book 3.5 stars.