Book Review with Featured Author: Love's Dwelling by Kelly Irvin

Loves Dwelling by Kelly Irwin

 

Publisher & Release: Zondervan, July 6, 2021

Setting:  Amish Country, Kansas

Genre: Amish Fiction

Length: 292 Pages

Heat Level: 1 Sweetheart

Rating: 5 Gold Crowns

Book Description: 

God always had a plan. But how could falling in love with an Englischer be God’s plan for one young Amish woman? 

Young Cassie Weaver only wants what is expected of an Amish woman: a good Amish husband and a large family. But she’s happy as Job and Dinah Keim’s housekeeper, helping Dinah, who is losing her sight due to diabetes. For two decades the Keims have prayed for the salvation of their two children who left the community in a cloud of shame and mystery. 

Mason knew there was more to his mother’s past than she let on, but nothing could have prepared him for learning about his Amish roots upon his mother’s sudden death. Even more surprising, his mother named her Amish parents, Job and Dinah, as guardians to her five children. Now Mason has to trust that this couple, and their pretty housekeeper, can take care of his younger siblings, even when all he wants is to take care of them himself. 

As the children adjust to this new lifestyle, Mason finds himself pulled back to the Keims’ home. Yes, he wants to see his siblings, but it’s the conversations with Cassie that keep him coming back for more. Is there more to this Amish faith and how does it play into his own past? Cassie guards against her growing feelings for Mason, because there can be no happy ending for a Plain girl in love with an Englisch man . . . right? 

Bestselling and award-winning Amish romance novelist Kelly Irvin is back with a heartwarming tale of the power of love to heal all wounds. 

 

Buy Links:

Amazon: https://smile.amazon.com/Loves-Dwelling-Amish-Blessings-Book-ebook/dp/B08NHXWT53

Barnes & Noble: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/loves-dwelling-kelly-irvin/1138270147

KOBO: https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/love-s-dwelling

Google Play: https://play.google.com/store/books/details/Kelly_Irvin_Love_s_Dwelling?id=4_YIEAAAQBAJ

Audible: https://www.audible.com/pd/Loves-Dwelling-Audiobook/0310364515?qid=1625531590&sr=1-1&ref=a_search_c3_lProduct_1_1&pf_rd_p=83218cca-c308-412f-bfcf-90198b687a2f&pf_rd_r=1MYXSNXZRW5Z7Z4S5873

 

Add to Goodreads & BookBub:

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/55918379-love-s-dwelling?ac=1&from_search=true&qid=6xZj3pXVt6&rank=1

BookBub: https://www.bookbub.com/books/love-s-dwelling-by-kelly-irvin

 

Vikki’s Musings

 

Thanks go to the publisher and Net-Galley for the complimentary digital copy of Love’s Dwelling by Kelly Irwin. I voluntarily agreed to read and review this novel prior to publication. My opinions are my own, and nothing has influenced my rating.

 

Love’s Dwelling is a well written Amish novel with endearing characters and an emotionally charged plot. The pacing pulled me in from the first page and kept me enmeshed until the very last page.

 

Cassie Weaver is the heroine, and her character has all the traits I look for in an Amish female protagonist. While she wants a family and a husband, she’s happy helping Dinah and Job as their housekeeper since Dinah is losing her sight. When they become the guardians to their five grandchildren, she’s more than happy to help her employers. Her immediate acceptance and love for the children in her care touched my heart.

 

Mason is the hero, and he is shocked when he learns his mother wants her parents to raise his half brothers and sisters. He didn’t even know his mother’s parents, or that his late mother was raised Amish. His reaction is what one would expect when facing such unusual circumstances. This has him questioning everything about his life. 

 

Because he wants to be in his sibling’s life, he finds employment and moves to be near them. As he gets to know his grandparents and the young woman helping them, his feelings for Cassie grow. 

 

I enjoyed the sweet romance between Mason and Cassie. It grows from their friendship and their mutual love for his adorable siblings. I truly wanted this couple to find their happy ending, but there are many things that must fall into place for it to happen.

 

If you enjoy Amish fiction with plenty of heart that has a lovely message of faith, and a plot that will bring tears to your eyes on more than one occasion, then you will love Love’s Dwelling as much as I did. This is the first book in Ms. Irwin’s newest series, and I can’t wait to read the next one. Happy reading!

 

Author Bio:

Kelly Irvin is the author of more than twenty-five Amish romance novels. She is currently working on her latest series, Amish Blessings, set in the Kansas Amish communities of Yoder and Haven.

She is the author of the Amish of Big Sky Country series, which focused on three Amish communities in northwestern Montana affected by devastating wildfires. These included Mountains of Grace, The Long Bridge Home, and Peace in the Valley.

She has also penned six critically acclaimed romantic suspense novels. Publishers Weekly said of Tell Her No Lies: “the action builds to a stunning conclusion. No one is above suspicion in a tale sure to appeal to readers beyond its main Christian audience.”

The first book in the Every Amish Season series, Upon a Spring Breeze, won the 2018 Readers Choice Award from the Faith, Hope, and Love Chapter of Romance Writers of America in the long contemporary romance category.

She is also the author of the Amish of Bee County series that includes The Saddle Maker’s Son, The Bishop’s Son and The Beekeeper’s Son. This last novel received a starred review from Publisher’s Weekly, calling it “a delicately woven masterpiece.” The Beekeeper’s Son was a finalist in the national 2016 ACFW Carol Awards Contest in the romance category. Kelly is also the author of the Bliss Creek Amish series and the New Hope Amish series, both from Harvest House.

Among her other works are novellas in seven anthologies with other best-selling Amish romance authors.

Kelly’s novel, Love Redeemed, was a 2015 finalist in the American Christian Fiction Writers (ACFW) Carol Awards contest.

The Kansas native is a graduate of the University of Kansas School of Journalism. She has been writing nonfiction professionally for more than thirty years, including ten years as a newspaper reporter. She retired in 2016 after working 22 years in public relations for the City of San Antonio Parks and Recreation Department. She is a member of ACFW and Alamo City Christian Fiction Writers. In her spare time, she blogs, reads fiction, and loves her family.

 

 

Social Media:

Website: http://www.kellyirvin.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Kelly.Irvin.Author

Twitter: https://twitter.com/Kelly_S_Irvin

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kelly_irvin/

Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/irvin0739/_saved/

BookBub: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/kelly-irvin

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/3331118.Kelly_Irvin

 

Book Review: An Amish Picnic, a collection of Amish novellas by a great group of authors

An Amish Picnic by Amy Clipston, Kelly Irvin, Kathleen Fuller, Vanetta Chapman

Publisher & Release: Zondervan, March 3, 2020

Time and setting:  Present Day, Amish Country

Genre: Amish Fiction

Length: 400 Pages

Heat Level: 1 Sweetheart

Rating: 4 Gold Crowns

Book Description: 

From bestselling authors in the Amish genre come four sweet stories about picnics and romance.

Baskets of Sunshine by Amy Clipston

Kevin Weaver has lived with his brother’s family since his parents passed away when he was young, but he craves a home and family to call his own. Freeman Kurtz owns a successful brick mason business, and Kevin takes the job as Freeman’s apprentice to pursue his own financial freedom. 

Phoebe Kurtz is helping her sister with her booth at the marketplace when she notices Kevin, her father’s employee. Their friendship grows, but Kevin is convinced that the difference in their ages makes a relationship between them impossible. Amidst summer outings, Kevin and Phoebe must decide if taking a chance on love is worth the risk.

Candlelight Sweethearts by Kelly Irvin

Esther Marie Shrock loves her job at Valley Grocery Store where she’s worked for four years. Despite a stutter that has plagued her since childhood, she thrives filling orders from a steady stream of customers. Still, at 25, she and her family wonder if romance is in her future.

Jasper Cotter isn’t good with people, but he’s found himself obligated to take over day-to-day operations of the family owned grocery store—a store he doesn’t have the first clue how to run. Thrown together, Esther Marie and Jasper don’t exactly see eye to eye. One night, the store loses power, and the candles aren’t the only things shooting off sparks. Esther Marie and Jasper are suddenly forced to discover common ground when it matters most, and they might be surprised with love along the way.

Reeling in Love by Kathleen Fuller

Nina Stoll and Ira Yoder are just friends. Just friends and fishing buddies. Every Saturday afternoon, they have a picnic at their favorite fishing hole and see who can out fish the other. Until Nina starts to wonder if there’s more.

Her plans to share her feelings go awry, and circumstances seem destined to keep Nina and Ira apart. With both Nina and Ira confused and hurting, it’s going to take courage, some help from the community matchmakers, and a little bit of divine intervention for Nina and Ira to realize they’re each other's perfect catch.

Picnics and Prospects by Vannetta Chapman

Faith Troyer is claustrophobic, and David Lapp builds tiny houses. They went on a date years ago with disastrous results. Now that they’re in their late twenties, their families and friends are beginning to wonder if either will ever find that special someone. When a picnic outing is diverted by the discovery of a package of letters dating back to the 1970s, they take it upon themselves to find answers to a mystery that causes them to rethink their past and consider their future.  

Buy Links:

Amazon: https://smile.amazon.com/Amish-Picnic-Four-Stories-ebook/dp/B07TBX9HXV

Barnes & Noble: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/an-amish-picnic-amy-clipston

KOBO: https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook

BookBub: https://www.bookbub.com/books/an-amish-picnic-by-vannetta-chapman-and-amy-clipston

Add to Goodreads:

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/50225714-an-amish-picnic

Vikki’s Musings

Thanks go to the publisher and Net-Galley for the complimentary copy of An Amish Picnic by Amy Clipston, Kelly Irvin, Kathleen Fuller, and Ranetta Chapman and for the opportunity to read and review these delightful novellas. My opinions are my own and are not influenced in any way.

An Amish Picnic is an enchanting collection of Amish stories with endearing characters and heartwarming plots. While I enjoyed each novella a great deal, Reeling in Love by Kathleen Fuller is by far my favorite. I fell in love with Nina and Ira. They are such an endearing couple. I’m a big fan of friends to lovers romances, and this one is an excellent example of that troupe.

If you enjoy Amish fiction with characters that will touch your heart, when you will love An Amish Picnic as much as I did. I have come to love this genre, and I’ve read quite a few books by each of these authors, and they are talented. Happy reading!

Book Review and Author Feature: A Long Bridge Home by Kelly Irvin

A Long Bridge Home by Kelly Irvin

Publisher & Release: Zondervan, February 11, 2020

Time and setting:  Present Day, Montana

Genre: Amish Fiction/Romance

Length: 336 Pages

Heat Level: 1 Sweetheart

Rating:  4 Gold Crowns

Book Description: 

After her community in the awe-inspiring Montana mountains is suddenly consumed by a raging wildfire, one young Amish woman finds herself in a new town where she’s introduced to the Native culture of the Kootenai people. 

When the Mast family is forced to evacuate their home in the West Kootenai region of Montana, Christine chooses not to move with her family to her father’s childhood home in Kansas. Instead, she wants to stay closer to home and to her beau, Andy Lambright, who has yet to ask for her hand in marriage and who seems to be holding tightly to secrets from his past. 

Now, living with her aunt and uncle in St. Ignatius, Christine is on her own for the first time in her life. While working in her uncle’s store Christine meets Raymond Old Fox, whom she befriends, and he introduces her to his rich native culture with strong ties to the earth and nature. Despite the warnings of her aunt and uncle, Christine is inexplicably drawn to Raymond, and her mind is opened to a history and heritage far different from her own. 

With her newly expanding horizons, Christine wonders if she can return to the domestic life that is expected of her. Her heart still longs to be with Andy, but she isn’t the same person she was before the fire, and she wonders if he can accept who she is becoming. Has too much distance grown between them? Or can they bridge the gap from past to present and find their way back together?

Buy Links:

Amazon: https://smile.amazon.com/Long-Bridge-Home-Amish-Country-ebook/dp/B07T8STLQS

Barnes & Noble: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/a-long-bridge-home-kelly-irvin

KOBO: https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/a-long-bridge-home

Add to Goodreads:

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/50092958-a-long-bridge-home

Vikki’s Musings

Thanks goes the publisher and Net-Galley for the complimentary copy of A Long Way Home by Kelly Irvin. I appreciate the chance to read and review this emotionally charged Amish fiction novel. My opinions are my own and are not influenced by the receipt of a copy.

A Long Way Home is a story of great hardship that turns a community’s life upside down. There are several main characters, some more interesting than others. There are several tragedies in this book, and my heart hurt for those.

Christine Mast’s character suffers the loss of her family when after the fire, they choose to return to Kansas. She doesn’t go with him since she hopes an Amish man wants her as her frau. While she lives with her uncle, she meets an Englischer, who shows her other ways to believe. I enjoyed her independence and determination to seek truth.

Andy Lambright is the hero. He’s in love with Christine and wants to make her his frau, but he has issues from his past he must resolve. He returns to his childhood home to confront those issues and see his father. I liked his character and enjoyed his determination to go to Christine with the past laid to rest.

As with many Amish novels, they interweave the romance around their Amish faith, so the primary focus is on their values and making sure they are following God’s plans and not their own desires. I enjoyed this couple’s journey to their happy ending.

If you enjoy Amish fiction with endearing characters and an intriguing plot, then you will like A Long Way Home. I’ve read many books by Kelly Irvin and enjoy her writing style and interesting plots. Happy reading!

Author Bio:

Kelly Irvin is the author of more than a dozen Amish books. Her latest series I Every Amish Season, featuring recently released Through the Autumn Air as well as Beneath the Summer Sun. The first book in the series, Upon a Spring Breeze, won the 2018 Readers Choice Award from the Faith, Hope, and Love Chapter of Romance Writers of America in the long contemporary romance category. The series is published by Zondervan/HarperCollins Christian Publishing.

She is also the author of the Amish of Bee County series that includes The Saddle Maker’s Son,  The Bishop’s Son and The Beekeeper’s Son. This last novel received a starred review from Publisher’s Weekly, calling it “a delicately woven masterpiece.” The Beekeeper’s Son was a finalist in the national 2016 ACFW Carol Awards Contest in the romance category.  Kelly is also the author of the Bliss Creek Amish series and the New Hope Amish series, both from Harvest House. She has also penned two romantic suspense novels, A Deadly Wilderness and No Child of Mine.

Among her other works are novellas in four collections, including  An Amish Christmas Gift (Snow Angels),  An Amish Market (Sweeter than Honey), An Amish Heirloom (The Midwife’s Dream), and An Amish Summer (One Sweet Kiss)

Kelly’s novel, Love Redeemed, was a 2015 finalist in the American Christian Fiction Writers (ACFW) Carol Awards contest.

Kelly is also the author of Tell Her No Lies, a romantic suspense novel that releases in November from Thomas Nelson Publishing. Publishers Weekly called her first romantic suspense novel, A Deadly Wilderness, “a solid romantic suspense debut.” She followed up with No Child of Mind. She worked as a newspaper reporter for six years writing stories on the Texas-Mexico border. Those experiences fuel her romantic suspense novels set in Texas.

The Kansas native is a graduate of the University of Kansas School of Journalism. She has been writing nonfiction professionally for more than thirty years, including ten years as a newspaper reporter. She retired in 2016 after working 22 years in public relations for the City of San Antonio Parks and Recreation Department. She is a member of ACFW and Alamo City Christian Fiction Writers. In her spare time, she blogs, reads fiction, and loves her family.

Social Media:

Website: http://www.kellyirvin.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Kelly.Irvin.Author

Twitter: https://twitter.com/Kelly_S_Irvin

Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/irvin0739/

BookBub: https://www.bookbub.com/books/a-long-bridge-home-by-kelly-irvin

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/explore/tags/kellyirvinauthor/