A Daughter's Choice
About the Book
Book: A Daughter’s Choice (The Heart of the Amish Book Ten)
Author: Kelly Irvin
Genre: Amish/Christian Fiction
Release Date: November, 2025
Henrietta Is Set Against Love
Full of faith, hope, and romance, this series takes you into the Heart of Amish Country.
Henrietta Miller loves animals—especially her goats. She wants to marry and have children someday, but right now her goal is to have her own business selling snacks made from goat’s milk and goat’s soaps. Against her the wishes of her father–who’s also the bishop—she applies for a job as a veterinary assistant to earn money. Then newcomer Nicholas Byler snatches the job out from under her—or so it seems to Hen. Now Nicholas is treating Hen’s beloved animals as if he knows more than her. Hen turns her frustrations toward expanding her business to include wool-producing goats, even while her aunt hatches matchmaking plans—with Nicholas Byler, no less.
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About the Author
Award-winning author Kelly Irvin has published more than 30 novels and a dozen novellas. The bestselling novelist worked as a newspaper reporter before spending 22 years in public relations. She now writes fiction full time. She and her husband live in Texas. They are the parents of two kids, four grandkids, and an ornery senior cat.
More from Kelly
Research for A Daughter’s Choice leads to goats nips and cow cuddles
By Kelly Irvin
Each time I come up with a new story concept, I’m super excited about it. When a publisher lets me know the “pub” committee has approved a contract for the story, I get even more excited. Then I sit down at my computer, open a document, and zoom, my fingers take off on the keyboard . . . . nope . . . not exactly.
What really happens is that I suddenly realize this fabulous story idea will require a ton of research. In the case of A Daughter’s Choice, featuring goat lover Henrietta “Hen” Miller, I needed to be an “expert” on raising goats and tending to a horse with colic and making candy from goat’s milk, and delivering a foal that isn’t positioned correctly (and treating a crotchety cat!). The story also required a deep dive into several other kinds of livestock, veterinarians’ clinics and vet assistants, and facets of the Amish faith that I wanted to make sure I addressed properly.
Much of this information is easily available on the Internet and in the many reference books about the Amish I’ve acquired over the years. But on-line research doesn’t allow me to get up close and personal with key characters in my story—the animals. I especially wanted to hang out with some goats. To my surprise, I had trouble finding a place in the San Antonio area where I could interact with these frolicking creatures.
Then my daughter-in-law came to the rescue. She found Cavalry Farm, a nonprofit organization that takes in and cares for all sort of livestock animals in little Adkins, Texas, just south of San Antonio. They have frequent open houses where—for a nominal fee—the public can visit, pet, feed, and yes, cuddle some of the animals. My response? ROAD TRIP!
The farm is home to a small herd of pygmy goats as well as larger dairy goats. I have never been close to a goat, so I didn’t know what to expect. They were as curious about me as I was about them. They crowded around me, climbed up my rollator, chewed on my purse strap, nibbled at the zipper on my shorts’ pocket, and prodded my hands with their noses. I had a fabulous time!
The volunteer who stayed with us in the goat pen shared all sorts of tidbits about the care of goats. My grandson, who’s two and a half, chatted with them. I took lots of photos for marketing purposes. Most importantly, I gained an understanding of why Hen is so enamored of goats. They’re lively, friendly, and determined to learn all about their visitors.
Of course, Hen isn’t simply a “goat whisperer.” She also loves horses, which leads to her first encounter with vet assistant Nicholas Byler, a newcomer to Smicksburg, PA, and many other animals, including cats and dogs. At Cavalry Farm, I also was able to visit with horses, pigs, donkeys, alpacas, chickens, turkeys, and cows. I’m from Kansas so I’ve had my share of livestock sightings. However, I’ve never been offered an opportunity to snuggle a cow. Who knew that is a thing? My farmer family members will find it humorous, I’m sure.
The cows lounge on the grass just waiting for a visitor to come along, sit beside them, and snuggle up. It’s so stinking cute!
No cow snuggling occurs in A Daughter’s Choice. However, I can assure readers there is plenty of fun with a runaway puppy up for adoption, goats on the loose tearing through a wedding prep tent, and more. The story also moves beyond the humorous as Hen overcomes past losses and grief , allowing her to make important choices about her future. Nicholas too has to make hard choices about his occupation and his life as a faithful Amish believer. What they decide will determine if they find their happily-ever-after!
If you’d like to know more about Cavalry Farm and their mission, check out the website at www.cavalryfarms.org.
My Thoughts
A Daughter’s Choice by Kelly Irvin has two unique main characters for an Amish story. Henrietta “Hen” Miller prefers spending time
with her goats than keeping house. Her
father, the bishop, would rather she spend her time doing household chores like
the other women in the district. Nicholas Byler along with his sister, Lenora,
have come to town to take care of their grandfather who has dementia. Nicholas obtained the job with the local vet
that Hen had applied for, but her father nixed it. I felt for Hen. She has a wonderful spirit, and she is a
natural with animals. Her father did everything he could to discourage
her. I found him to be very harsh, and I
did not like that he was punishing a twenty-two-year-old woman like she was two. I also understood Nicholas’ desire to study
to become a veterinarian.
The story is well-written with steady pacing. I like that the story is told from Hen and
Nicholas’ point of view because it allows readers to see each of their
perspectives on the various issues. The
themes in A Daughter’s Choice are God’s will, faith, family, and community. A Daughter’s Choice is the tenth book in The Heart of the Amish series. It can be
read as a standalone for those new to the series. I enjoyed the humor sprinkled throughout the
story and the heartfelt ending. A Daughter’s Choice is a poignant tale with energetic
goats, an animated animal lover, a job robber, a cute canine, strained ankle
trouble, matchmaker mess, and rampant rumors.
Giveaway
To celebrate her tour, Kelly is giving away the grand prize of a $25 Amazon e-Gift Card and a copy of the book!! Be sure to comment on the blog stops for extra entries into the giveaway! Click here to enter. Good Luck!
A Daughter's Choice is available from Amazon*. The eleventh book in The Heart of the Amish series is Plain Jane's Secret Admirer and it will be out on January 1, 2026. You can find Kelly Irvin's other novels here. Thank you for stopping by today. On Wednesday, December 3, I am featuring All My Bones by P.J. Nelson. I hope that you have a terrific Tuesday. Don't forget to enter the giveaway. Good Luck! Take care, stay warm, and Happy Reading!
Kris
The
Avid Reader
Blog Stops
Texas Book-aholic, November 22
Life on Chickadee Lane, November 23
Simple Harvest Reads, November 24 (Guest Review from Marilyn Ridgway)
She Lives to Read, November 25
lakesidelivingsite, November 25
Debbie’s Dusty Deliberations, November 26
Truth and Grace Homeschool Academy, November 27
Happily Managing a Household of Boys, November 28
Stories By Gina, November 29 (Author Interview)
Nighttime Reading Center, November 29
For Him and My Family, November 30
Jeanette’s Thoughts, December 1
Fruitfully Planted, December 1
The Avid Reader, December 2
Holly’s Book Corner, December 3
Vicky Sluiter, December 4
The Mommies Reviews, December 5
Mary Hake, December 5
*I voluntarily
read an advanced copy of this book. I am not required to leave a
review. The comments and opinions expressed are strictly my own.
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