Description
“When wildfires threaten her Montana home, Mercy Yoder finds herself torn between the Amish man who proposed without a declaration of love and the Englisch smoke jumper who can’t seem to stay away.
Mercy Yoder loves her students and her life in the tiny village of West Kootenai, nestled at the foot of Montana’s most northern mountains. And she is in no rush to get married . . . much to the disappointment of her parents. In fact, she has turned down the one marriage proposal she’s received. Her beau, Caleb, has yet to tell her he loves her, stoking her fears that they simply aren’t right for each other.
When a devastating wildfire threatens to destroy her beloved community, Mercy and her family evacuate to the nearby town of Eureka. There she meets Spencer McDonald, an Englisch smoke jumper. Her conversations with him are unlike any she’s ever had with a man. She finds his directness and ability to express his feelings refreshing and completely different from Caleb, who is tightlipped about his past.
But what would her family and community say if Mercy chose a relationship with an Englischer? Is Mercy willing to give up all she has known and loved for someone who finally understands her? Or can Mercy find the love she has always longed for closer to home?”
My Review:
This is a unique Amish story as the setting involves wildfires that happened in Montana. As both the English and the Amish have to flee their community for refuge from the fires, they come together to take care of their families and meet needs. Both Amish and English lose their homes, and although the Amish elders have concerns about the mixing together of their two cultures, they find that working together has great benefits for both. I liked the gracious way the author incorporated this aspect of community spirit into the story.
Caleb and Mercy are two of the main characters in this book, but there are quite a few others who have storylines going, too. All are interesting and I wanted to keep reading, but at one point I had to stop and try to sort out who belonged together and untangle their stories.. All these storylines meet together at the end of the book, and I was glad I kept reading.
I do want to mention this about the book: One of the characters, Juliette, had suffered sexual assault in her teenage years. The author handles this part of the story in an appropriate way. The trauma that Juliette suffered is discussed in the book. I know reading about something like this, even if it’s handled in a gentle way, can be a “trigger” for some readers if they are recovering from trauma of their own. The author made sure that Juliette’s story has hope and recovery, and I think this aspect could be encouraging to all readers.
All in all, I liked this book. Kelly Irvin’s fans will not be disappointed.
I received a copy of this book from the publisher. All opinions are my own.