The Heart’s Shelter

Kira has no interest in dating and putting down roots in Pennsylvania—that is, until she finds a kindred spirit in Jayden Bontrager.

Kira Detweiler doesn’t plan to be in Lancaster County for long. She’s left her family in Indiana to help her aunt after the birth of her fourth boppli. Or at least that’s what she tells people. Deep down, she’s trying to escape the heartache of a broken engagement and has no plans to date again anytime soon.

Jayden Bontrager watches his older brothers with admiration, and he prays that someday he’ll have the kind of life they do. Even so, he’s only twenty-three and not in a hurry to marry and start a family. He’s content to watch from the sidelines and is happy to see his brothers enjoying a close relationship once again.

When Jayden and Kira strike up a friendship, they are each drawn to the other’s gentle and humble demeanor, and they feel things for one another unlike anything they’ve felt before. But Kira is torn between her heart and her home. She sees no point in pursuing a relationship with Jayden when she doesn’t plan to put down roots in Pennsylvania. The last thing she needs is another heartbreak.

Will Jayden and Kira be able to overcome the obstacles in their path to find the future they both dream of?

In this fourth and final book of the Amish Legacy Series, readers will find out if the youngest Bontrager brother will get his happily ever after.

My Review:

A lovely slice of Amish family life with a sweet friends to more romance trope.

The strength of this story is in the rich details of the Amish community. I loved reading about the day to day goings on in both Jayden’s and Kira’s extended families. And the way they are drawn together and slowly open themselves up to love made for a rich, satisfying read.

Of course it doesn’t all go smoothly. Clipston captures both the anxiety and thrill of starting a relationship and I was unaccountably nervous off and on through the whole read. I mean, I knew there’d be a happily ever after, but still the emotional twists and turns kept me angsting…as did one very annoying maidel. ‘Nuf said.

Of Note: This is the fourth book in the author’s Amish Legacy series but reads perfectly fine as a standalone. If you are familiar with the Bontrager men, you’ll be thrilled to catch up with them and their Frauen. This was my introduction to the series and I had no problem using this story as my starting point. You can bet I’ll be backtracking to catch up with this series sometime soon.

I listened to the audio edition of this novel and Lauren Berst’s narration brought an extra level of enjoyment. It was fun to actually hear various Pensylvania Dutch words spoken (as opposed to the mangled pronunciations rattling around in my head!) And she did a fantastic job of giving the characters distinctive tones and inflections which helped to flesh out the characters in my mind.

My thanks to Thomas Nelson and Zondervan Audio and Net Galley for providing me with an audio edition of The Heart’s Shelter.