Title: Love’s Dwelling by Kelly Irvin+*
Amish Blessings Series Book One
Publisher: Zondervan
Genre: Contemporary, Amish, Romance
Length: 368 pages
Book Rating: B+
Complimentary Review Copy Provided by Publisher Through NetGalley
Summary:
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.
Review:
Love’s Dwelling by Kelly Irvin is a heartfelt Amish novel of family, healing and love.
Twenty-two-year-old Cassie Weaver is a housekeeper for Job and Dinah Keim. Despite his advanced years, Job is still hard-working and takes care of his farm work on his own. Dinah’s diabetes has worsened over the years and while she has lost her sight, she remains thankful for her blessings. When their grandchildren unexpectedly arrive, their happiness is mixed with sorrow because their estranged daughter has passed away. With grandchildren ranging in age from four-year-old Jennie to twenty-two-year-old Mason, they open their hearts and their home to the grieving children. Cassie moves in full-time to assist with the care of the younger kids while Mason continues living and working in the city. With his visits to his grandparents’ farm filling a void within him, Mason considers converting to the Amish faith. He is also beginning to fall in love with Cassie who also falls for him, but until he has decided what life he wants, she knows they have no future together.
Cassie is an absolutely delightful young woman who years for a family of her own. She easily settles into helping with the younger children. She is charmed by young Jennie who thrives in her new home and basks in her grandmother’s care. Eight-year-old Kathy is very responsible for her age and she loves life on the farm. The two youngest boys enjoy working the farm with Job but sixteen-year-old Bobby chafes at the new rules and expectations. Cassie tries her best to assist the kids as they transition from their old way of life to their new one.
Mason has been raising his younger siblings for so long it is difficult for him to relinquish them into their grandparents’ care. With bills to pay, he keeps his old job but he is exhausted from driving back and forth to see his brothers and sisters. Mason soon grows to appreciate the slower pace and simpler life he enjoys at his grandparents’ farm. But does he want to become Amish?
With a lovely undercurrent of faith, Love’s Dwelling is a truly captivating novel with a serene setting and multi-dimensional characters. Dinah and Job are loving grandparents whose pain over their daughter’s death and their son’s continued absence is palpable. Cassie’s joy is contagious as she cares for the children and gently assists Dinah with daily tasks. Mason is a wonderful young man whose confusion about his future is easy to relate to. The storyline is engaging and Kelly Irvin brings this charming Amish novel to an uplifting conclusion. This first novel in the Amish Blessings series will leave readers eagerly awaiting the next installment.
