Book Description:
After a devastating loss, Cindy Riehl is still searching for peace. Will she find it in the community she calls home—or will love send her down a new path?
Over the last few years, Cindy Riehl—the youngest of the Riehl siblings—has watched her brothers and sister find love and happiness in Lancaster County. But as her family has settled down and grown, Cindy has continued to grieve her mother, whose death left an enormous hole in her heart. Since that haunting day, Cindy has struggled to find peace and wonders if the community is the place for her—and if her faith in God will ever feel the same as it once did.
When a handsome and kind Englisher named Drew crosses Cindy’s path one surprising day, the two of them become fast and easy friends. Drew dreams of starting a family after some losses of his own, and before long, he and Cindy discover that their feelings for each other are romantic. As they spend more time together—often in secret—Cindy is drawn further and further away from the Amish community and the family she loves. In time, she is faced with a difficult choice that threatens to upend her world.
Will Cindy find contentment and love, and will she ever find restored comfort in God and her beloved community? In this final installment of the Amish Homestead series, we return to the charming town of Bird-in-Hand for a story of healing, family, and God’s perfect provision.
About the Author:
Amy Clipston has been writing for as long as she can remember. Her fiction writing "career" began in elementary school when she and a close friend wrote and shared silly stories. She has a degree in communications from Virginia Wesleyan College and is a member of the Authors Guild, American Christian Fiction Writers, and Romance Writers of America. She is the author of the bestselling Kauffman Amish Bakery series with Zondervan, which is part of HarperCollins Christian Publishing. An advocate for organ and blood donation, Amy donated a kidney in 2011 at Johns Hopkins Hospital. Through her donation, her husband received a second kidney transplant. Amy and her husband matched another couple and swapped kidneys with them. Amy's memoir, A Gift of Love, will be available in early 2014. She hopes her story inspires others to become organ and blood donors. Amy lives in North Carolina with her husband, two sons, mother, and four spoiled rotten cats. You can find her on the web at https://amyclipston.com or on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/AmyClipstonBooks.
My Thoughts:
One of the many things I like about this author is that she has a somewhat different style of writing Amish fiction. One of the things she includes in her stories is a viewpoint that this culture, as with all groups, is not 100% perfect. Although this is a work of fiction, including this gives the story a sense of realism.
The reality in A Welcome at Our Door has to do with the the Riehl family’s convictions. The family members are loving and caring. They are also friendly and hospitable to their neighbor, Drew Collins, an Englisher. Or rather, they are friendly and hospitable towards him until something occurs that goes against their convictions.
Although the Riehls are a loving and caring family, Cindy, the youngest of the Riehl children, just doesn’t feel like she fits in. Since her mother’s passing, she feels like no one understands her. That all changes when she meets Drew. And that’s also when the Riehls’ friendship and hospitality toward Drew changes, all in the name of their convictions.
The story takes you through the friendship, a budding romance, hurts, hard choices, and finally, forgiveness. It had me laughing in some parts, crying in others, frustrated in many, and left me with a feeling of peace seeing that no matter what the situation, God’s love and forgiveness make all of the difference. Add to that a surprise twist that I didn’t see coming and you have a lovely story that is well worth the read.
***I received a complimentary copy of this book from Zondervan through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.
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