With Winter's First Frost by Kelly Irvin

Good Day!  Chutes and Ladder by Marc Jedel is now available.  It is the second book in A Silicon Valley Mystery series.  Murder from Scratch by Leslie Karst comes out on April 9 with Deadly Vows by Jody Holford and A Dream of Death by Connie Berry.    

With Winter’s First Frost by Kelly Irvin is the final book in An Every Amish Season series.  Laura Kauffman has been a widow for the last eight years.  She has retired as a midwife and the arthritis in her hands limits her activities.  Laura is at loose ends and wonders what God has in store for her next.  She is visiting Rosalie and Ben Stutzman’s home when Rosalie goes into early labor with twins.  They need someone to stay and watch the three other children plus Ben’s grandfather, Zechariah who has Parkinson’s.  Laura volunteers herself for the job and looks forward to fulfilling days.

 

 Zechariah is a widower who has been moved out of home since his Parkinson’s started to worsen and forced to live with his various grandchildren.  He loves each and every one of them, but Zechariah misses his independence.  There is a long list of activities that he is not allowed to do including chopping wood, drive, build fires, and touch the cookstove (can you tell there was a fire incident at his last residence).  Zechariah has become grumpy and disgruntled.  He wonders if he has outlived his usefulness.  Zechariah does not feel he needs Laura’s help with the house and kinner, but he soon finds that he enjoys her company.  The days are filled with activities and the evenings with companionship.  Too soon Rosalie and Ben return home with their new babies and Laura is sent back to her own home.  Zechariah misses her company and their busy days.  When Zechariah’s family starts making new plans for his life, he feels defeated.  Laura has been missing Zechariah and decides to take matters into her own hands.  Is it possible to find love in your twilight years?

 

With Winter’s First Frost is a charming story.  If you have not read the other books in An Every Amish Season series, you will be fine.  Each book can be read on its own.  However, I do want to say that they are lovely to read as a collection (enjoy the four seasons with this delightful collection of characters).  Characters from the first three books appear in With Winter’s First Frost.  Winter refers not only to the season in which this book takes place, but to the later (or winter) years of our life (I like it phrased that way).  I found the characters and situations to be realistic and relatable.  I liked that With Winter’s First Frost features older main characters.  They have wisdom, knowledge, and understanding.  Just because they are over 65 does not mean they have nothing to contribute (or need to be put out to pasture).  Laura has had a busy and satisfying life as a wife, mother and midwife.  Now that arthritis has affected her hands, she finds her days empty.  She may not be able to knit or quilt, but Laura can assist with many other tasks.  Zechariah lost his wife two years prior and he has Parkinson’s disease.  His family was worried about him living alone and moved him in with one of his grandson’s.  After several months at that house, Zechariah is now living with Ben, Rosalie and their three children.  There are a number of rules for Zechariah and he is not allowed to do any of the activities that he enjoys.  Zechariah feels inept which has made his grumpy (a sourpuss).  No matter what our age and issues, we like to be helpful and busy.  No one wants to be burden on their family.  With Winter’s First Frost is well-written with a gentle pace.  While the story focuses on Zechariah and Laura, there are subplots involving members of their families as well as the picking of a new bishop.  With Winter’s First Frost we get to see that we are never to old to learn, adapt or find love.  God is full of surprises and has a plan for our lives as we see in With Winter’s First Frost.  We just need to trust Him.  If you are looking for a heartfelt Amish romance, pick up With Winter’s First Frost. 

The three other books in An Every Amish Season series are Upon A Spring Breeze, Beneath the Summer Sun, and Through the Autumn Air.  I hope you check out this engaging Amish series.  Tomorrow I am showcasing Canyons, Caravans and Cadavers by Tonya Kappes.  It is the sixth tale in A Camper & Criminals Cozy Mystery series.  Until next time, take care and Happy Reading!

Kris

The Avid Reader 

Through the Autumn Air: An Every Amish Season Novel

Hello!  A Deadly Brew by Lynn Cahoon will be out on September 4 along with Die Me A River by Denise Swanson.  Hitting the Book by Jenn McKinlay releases on September 11 (I cannot wait for this one).  Now is the time to start hinting for Amazon gift cards for Christmas.

Through the Autumn Air by Kelly Irvin is the third An Every Amish Season Novel.  Mary Katherine Ropp has been a widow for seven years and has just married off the last of her ten children.  Her family has been encouraging her to move out of the family home and into the dawdy haus at her eldest son’s home.  Mary Katherine has a vivid imagination which allows her to write creative stories plus she loves to read.  She has dreamed of opening a bookstore with her Englisch friend, Dottie Manchester.  However, the church elders prefer that Mary Katherine work in the Graber’s Amish-owned combination store.  Ezekiel Miller is a widower who owns the Purple Martine Café in Jamesport.   While he still misses his wife, Ezekiel is attracted to Mary Katherine.  There have been thefts at the local Amish homes.  The items stolen are not valuable monetarily, but they have sentimental value to the owner.  One-night Mary Katherine wakes up to a noise in her kitchen.  She finds a scruffy man assembling a sandwich.  Burke McMillan is a man who is lost spiritually after the deaths of his daughter and wife.  Mary Katherine fixes him a meal and allows him to bunk in the barn.  The next day she takes him to Ezekiel’s café where he gets a job as a cook and a place to live with Ezekiel.  Ezekiel and Mary Katherine see Burke as a project, but it could be that Burke was sent to help them.  Is it possible to get a second chance at love?  Are Ezekiel and Mary Katherine willing to risk their hearts?

While Through the Autumn Air is the third novel in the series, it can be read alone.  Each story focuses on a different character who has lost the love of their life.  The series is set in Jamesport, Missouri is a close-knit Amish community where everyone knows your business.  I thought Through the Autumn Air was well-written and had good pacing.  There are smooth transitions between sections as the point-of-view switches between Ezekiel and Mary Katherine.  I liked that the characters are older.  Mary Katherine is sixty years old, but she is not ready to sit in a rocking chair and knit.  She has raised ten children and they have provided her with twenty-seven grandchildren.  Her children (especially her oldest son Thomas) are trying to force changes on Mary Katherine along with Bishop Freeman and the church elders.  One of my favorite characters is Dottie Manchester.  She is a lively woman with an unusual style of dress.  It is lovely that Ezekiel likes Mary Katherine’s attitude (along with her creativity and curiosity) and does not want to change her (thank heavens).  Some of the Christian themes present in the book are God is in control, to have a strong faith, power of prayer, events happen in God’s timing, and accepting God’s will and plan for our life.  While I liked some aspects of Through the Autumn Air, I have others infuriating.  I did not like how Thomas, Bishop Freeman and the other church elders were trying to control Mary Katherine (I understand it is the Amish way and Mary Katherine states it is a woman’s lot in life to have men in charge).  They wanted to make her move out of her home of thirty-six years, tell her where she could work, who she could or could not go into business with, how she should react to situation, etc.  Mary Katherine is a grown woman who, as long as she is not hurting herself or breaking the law, should be able to manage her own life (I will quit ranting now).  I thought the name of the bookstore was clever along with the tagline (I do not want to spoil it for you).  There are some entertaining moments in Through the Autumn Air that had me chuckling.  One of my favorites is Mary Katherine riding in Tony’s rickety car.  My rating for Through the Autumn Air is 3.5 out of 5 stars.  Through the Autumn Air is sweet Amish novel with romance, mystery, humor, good food, and a love of books. 

The first two novels in An Every Amish Season series are Upon a Spring Breeze and Beneath the Summer Sun.  Thank you for dropping by today.  Tomorrow I am sharing my thoughts on Cottage by the Sea by Debbie Macomber.  May you have a gleeful day.  Take care and Happy Reading!

Kris

The Avid Reader

 



Beneath the Summer Sun: An Every Amish Season

Welcome!  I want to share with you some upcoming releases of Amish novels.  They include Amish Cooking Class - The Celebration by Wanda Brunstetter (February 1), Liza's Second Chance by Molly Jebber (January 30), and Phoebe's Light by Suzanne Woods Fisher (February 6).

Beneath the Summer Sun by Kelly Irvin is the second installment in An Every Amish Season series.  Jennie Troyer is a widow with seven children in Jamesport, Missouri.  It has been four years since her husband, Atlee passed away, and Jennie is content to live without a spouse.  Jennie never told a soul about the type of husband Atlee was and how she can still hear his voice in her head belittling her.  Leo Graber has been in love with Jennie since they were young.  His guilt over his father’s death has prevented him from pursuing a relationship with Jennie or living a happy, fulfilling life.  Nathan Walker is a Mennonite traveling book salesman who has fallen for Jennie.  He visits her farm whenever he is in the area and enjoys spending time with Jennie and the children.  Nathan has been unable to settle down in one place because of resentment towards his parents for their mission work and leaving him behind when he was younger. He is contemplating becoming Amish to be with Jennie.  Matthew Troyer, Jennie’s oldest son, has been moody, rude, sneaking out of the house at night and refuses to discuss what is troubling him with Jennie.  What will it take for the four of them (Jennie, Leo, Nathan, and Matthew) to resolve their issues and move forward with their lives?

While Beneath the Summer Sun is the second book in the series, it can be read alone.  You need not have read Upon a Spring Breeze which involves different characters (but in the same community).  Beneath the Summer Sun is well-written and engaging. I appreciate this author’s writing style (makes for an easy and enjoyable novel).  I was drawn in right away and my attention was held until the end of the book.  The story contains lovely characters that are nicely constructed and develop over the course of the book.  They are realistic and relatable as well as the issues that they are experiencing.  I like how Ms. Irvin handled the subject of domestic abuse (physical and mental).  It is an issue that is generally not addressed in Amish novels and the author shows that abuse is not limited to Englischers (as we are called).  I am grateful that the author does not paint the Amish in a picture-perfect world.  The author has a way of incorporating Christian values into the book (light touch).  It flows nicely with the story and does not come across as preachy.  Some of the issues that are addressed are faith, following God’s path for your life, power of prayer, scripture, trust, forgiveness (of oneself and others), love, grace and guilt.  Beneath the Summer Sun is a captivating book that will stay with you long after you finish it.    I am eager to read the next book in An Every Amish Season series which is Through the Autumn Air.  We get Mary Katherine Ropp’s story who is in Beneath the Summer Sun.

Thank you for taking the time to read my review.  I will be featuring The Orphan Girl by Lindsey Hutchinson tomorrow.  I am off to continue my work in the attic.  I am only able to do a little at a time (small cramped space).  May you have a beautiful day.  Take care and Happy Reading!

Kris

The Avid Reader