The Amish Midwife’s Secret

by Rachel J. Good

"A beautiful story of forgiveness and second chances.” -Shelley Shepard Gray, New York Times bestselling author

They won’t see eye-to-eye until they meet heart-to-heart…

Kyle Miller never planned on becoming a country doctor. But when he’s offered a medical practice in his sleepy hometown, Kyle knows he must return… and face the painful past he left behind. Except the Amish community isn’t quite ready for Kyle. Especially the pretty midwife who refuses to compromise her herbal cures and Amish traditions with his modern medicine…

The more Leah Stoltzfus works with the handsome Englisch doctor, the more she finds herself caught between the expectations of her family and her own hopes for the future. It will take one surprising revelation and one helpless baby in need of love to show Leah and Kyle that their bond may be greater than their differences… if Leah can find the courage to follow her heart

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About the Author

Inspirational author Rachel J. Good writes life-changing, heart-tugging novels of faith, hope, and forgiveness. The author of several Amish romance series, she grew up near Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, the setting for many of her stories. Striving to be as authentic as possible, she spends time with her Amish friends, doing chores on their farm and attending family events.

Rachel’s Amish series include Sisters & Friends (Charisma House/Harlequin), Love & Promises (Grand Central), Hearts of Amish Country (Annie’s Book Club), and Surprised by Love as well as several anthologies—Springs of Love, Love’s Thankful Heart, Plain Everyday Heroes—and the Amish Quilts Coloring Books.

Guest Post from Rachel

The Amish and Herbal Remedies

As many of you know, my Amish novels are based on real life. I get ideas from hanging around Amish friends, hearing their stories and observing their lives. I’d never invade their privacy by telling their stories exactly as they happen, but the things I learn trigger plot ideas.

I’ve always been fascinated by the way the Amish approach healing. Once thing I’ve learned is that, although they’re usually willing to visit doctors, they don’t always take the medicines that are prescribed. Instead, they often substitute herbal remedies. That, and several visits to one of my favorite Amish natural products stores, gave me an idea for one of the conflicts in The Amish Midwife’s Secret.

Leah, an Amish midwife, prefers herbal remedies. Of course, that puts her in direct conflict with Kyle, the new Englisch doctor in town, who only believes in science and traditional medicine. Put the two together and lots of sparks fly. Of course, some of those sparks are also of a romantic nature.

Leah is not only a midwife, but her family owns a natural products store. She knows the best herbs for healing. Rather than sending a small boy to the hospital for pneumonia, Leah covers the baby’s chest with a warm mixture of onions and other herbs and spices (some Amish friends prefer raw onion for congestion), and she feds the baby fresh pineapple juice for his cough.

As a doctor, Kyle is horrified. He wants to admit the baby to a hospital at once. And he expects the old country doctor he’s replacing to back him up. Instead, Dr. Hess informs Kyle that many of the Amish go to doctors for a diagnosis, but then rely on herbal treatments rather than prescriptions.

Kyle, who’s been debating about whether to stay in Amish country or move to a big-city hospital, decides to remain in Lancaster and make it his mission to prevent the Amish midwife from harming newborns and their mothers. He certainly doesn’t expect to have his eyes opened to other ways to handle illnesses. But he has to admit, Leah’s methods do seem to work. When a crisis comes, they soon discover that it takes both of them to save a baby.

A extra little secret: Those of you who get my newsletter already know this, but Kyle in The Amish Midwife’s Secret appeared in two earlier books. The Midwife story stands alone, but if you want to know more about Kyle and Emma’s past, you can find it in the Sisters & Friends series, Book 1, Change of Heart, and Book 2, Buried Secrets.

My Thoughts

The Amish Midwife’s Secret by Rachel Good takes us to Lancaster County, Pennsylvania. Dr. Kyle Miller is surprised when he receives a call from Dr. Martin Hess who is the local physician in his hometown. Dr. Hess is ready to retire, and he is offering his practice to Kyle. After what happened, Kyle is not sure he can face returning home. Leah Stolzfus is a midwife in training plus she is knowledgeable about herbal remedies from working in her families’ herbal shop. Kyle agrees to shadow Dr. Hess for three days, but he did not expect to butt heads to pretty Leah. Dealing with the past is overwhelming and Kyle is going to turn down Dr. Hess’ offer. But when Dr. Hess has a heart attack and needs someone to cover his practice, Kyle cannot say no. Leah fills in for Esther Hess as nurse/receptionist. She thrives in her new role in the doctor’s office and begins falling for handsome doctor. Leah is not willing to give up her family and faith for love until she falls in love with abandoned baby and Kyle is not willing to become Amish. Can Kyle and Leah compromise for the sake of the child?

The Amish Midwife’s Secret can be read alone if you have not read The Amish Teacher’s Gift. Kyle Miller is reluctant to return home because of an incident that changed his life. We learn what happened with Kyle as the story progresses. It is a sad story that is dealt with delicately. It is a wonderful opportunity for him, though, to obtain a doctor’s established practice plus a home. Leah Stolzfus is Amish, takes care of her sick mother, works in the family herbal supply store, and is training to be a midwife. However, Leah cannot become certified as a midwife because the Amish do not allow it (I do not understand the concept). There is drama in the Stolzfus family courtesy of Leah’s brother who jumped the fence and the father has been unable to forgive him. We see how this has affected the family and how they deal with the situation. Leah also has a secret and is afraid to share it with Kyle. I thought The Amish Midwife’s Secret was well-written and engaging. It has steady pacing which makes the story easy to read and enjoy. I like the characters, the setting and the issues addressed. We see how modern medicine can be balanced with herbal medicines if people are willing to work together for the good of their patients. I appreciated that the characters developed over the course of the story. Christian elements include forgiveness of others as well as yourself (harder to accomplish), prayer, having faith, and God’s will. I thought the Christian aspects were nicely incorporated into the story. Everything flowed together into one lovely story. It was interesting to learn about the different herbs and the symptoms/illnesses they can treat. The pair also visit the Clinic for Special Children that has been established (it is a real place) to research, prevent and treat the inherited diseases by Amish and Mennonite. The Amish Midwife’s Secret combines romance, mystery, drama, and faith into one engaging tale.

To celebrate her tour, Rachel is giving away a grand prize package of two faceless Amish dolls and an autographed copy of The Amish Midwife’s Secret and Plain Everyday Heroes. Be sure to comment on the blog stops (schedule below) for nine extra entries. Click here to enter. Thank you so much for visiting today. I will see you tomorrow when I return to review another book that I have read recently. Take care and Happy Reading!

Kris
The Avid Reader

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