Spotlight – Someone to Trust

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Patricia Davids, Someone to Trust

This one is definitely on my TBR list. There is just something so uplifting and satisfying about Harlequin’s Love Inspired books.

*****

Someone to Trust

by Patricia Davids

Price: $5.99

ON-sale date: 26/01/2021

ISBN: 9781335488657

Blurb:

Some connections go beyond words…in this novel by USA TODAY bestselling author Patricia Davids. On an Amish matchmaking trip, can she avoid falling in love? Esther Burkholder has no interest in her stepmother’s matchmaking when her family visits an Amish community in Maine. Deaf from a young age, she’s positive a hearing man couldn’t understand the joys and trials of living in a silent world. But Gabe Fischer is certainly handsome, hardworking and brave. More importantly, he sees the real Esther. Might this Amish bachelor be her unexpected perfect match?

Harlequin: https://www.harlequin.com/shop/books/9781335488657_someone-to-trust.html 

B&N: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/someone-to-trust-patricia-davids/1137354172?ean=9781335488657&st=AFF&2sid=HarperCollins%20Publishers%20LLC_7651142_NA&sourceId=AFFHarperCollins%20Publishers%20LLC 

Booksamillion: https://www.booksamillion.com/p/9781335488657?AID=10747236&PID=7651142&cjevent=f086188b1ab711eb82f201570a240614 

Amazon: https://www.amazon.ca/Someone-Trust-North-Country-Amish-ebook/dp/B08D5MKPZV/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=Someone+to+Trust+%28North+Country+Amish%2C+4%29&linkCode=gs3&qid=1604066285&sr=8-1&tag=haperpublican-20 

Indie bound: https://www.indiebound.org/book/9781335488657

*****

Excerpt:

“I’m happy to tell you that your mother’s cousin Waneta is coming for a visit.”

Gabe Fisher looked up from the glowing metal wheel rim he was heating in the forge as something in his father’s voice caught his attention. Ezekiel Fisher, or Zeke as everyone called him, wasn’t overly fond of Waneta, so why was he trying so hard to sound cheerful?

Gabe glanced around the workshop. None of his three brothers seemed to have noticed anything unusual.

Seth continued setting up the lathe to drill out a wheel hub. “That will be nice for Mamm. She has been missing her friends back home. I know she and Waneta are close.”

Seth was Gabe’s younger brother by fifteen minutes. They might look identical, but Seth was the most tenderhearted of the brothers. He was twenty minutes older than no-nonsense Asher, the last Fisher triplet, who was readying wooden spokes to be inserted into the finished wheel hub. Asher bore only a passing resemblance to his two older brothers. Where Gabe and Seth were both blond with blue eyes, Asher was dark-haired with their mother’s brown eyes. All three men shared the same tall, muscular frame as their father.

“Is she bringing her new husband to meet the rest of us?” Moses asked, greasing the axle of the buggy they were repairing. At twenty he was the baby brother by four years and the one that looked the most like their mother, with his soft brown curls and engaging grin. He was the only one who hadn’t yet joined their Amish church. He was still enjoying his rumspringa, the “running around” years most Amish youths were allowed before making their decision to be baptized.

“This isn’t the best time for a visit,” Asher said, expressing exactly what Gabe had been thinking.

“Apparently your mother and Waneta have been planning this for ages, but she only told me last night. She wanted it to be a surprise for you boys.”

Asher’s brow furrowed. “Why?”

“You know Waneta. She likes to surprise folks. They should be here later today.”

Gabe continued turning the rim in the fire. Both his parents had gone to the wedding, but he and his brothers had been busy keeping the new business running. A business that didn’t look like it would support the entire family through another winter. If things didn’t improve by the end of the summer, the family would have some hard choices to make.

“They? Her new husband is coming with her, then?” Seth said.

Gabe glanced at his father and saw him draw a deep breath. “He isn’t, but his children are.”

Seth finally seemed to notice their father’s unease and stopped working. “How many children?”

“Five.” 

“The house will be lively with that many kinder underfoot,” Moses said. “How old are they?”

“The youngest is ten. The others are closer to your ages,” Daed said, keeping his eyes averted.

Seth, Asher and Gabe exchanged knowing looks. They shared a close connection that didn’t always require words.

Asher’s lips thinned as he pinned his gaze on his father. “Would they happen to be maydels close to our age?”

Their father didn’t answer.

“Daed?” the triplets said together. Moses stopped what he was doing and gave them a puzzled look.

Their father cleared his throat. “I believe your mother said they are between twenty and twenty-five. Modest, dutiful daughters, as Waneta described them.”

“Courting age,” Moses said with a grin.

“Marriageable age.” Seth shook his head. “I don’t have any interest in courting until we are sure our business will survive.”

Gabe crossed his arms over his chest. “Has Mamm taken to importing possible brides for us now?”

There was a lack of unmarried Amish women in their new community in northern Maine, but that didn’t bother Gabe. Like Seth, his focus was on improving the family’s buggy-making and wheel-repair business while expanding the harness-making and leather goods shop he ran next door.

“Tell Mamm we can find our own wives,” Asher said.

“When we are ready,” Seth added.

Daed scowled at all the brothers. “That kind of talk is exactly why your mother was worried about sharing this news. She wants you boys to be polite to Waneta’s new stepdaughters and nothing more. Show them a nice time while they are here. No one is talking about marriage.”

*****

Author Info:

USA Today best-selling author Patricia Davids was born and raised in Kansas. After forty years as an NICU nurse, Pat switched careers to become an inspirational writer. She enjoys spending time with her daughter and grandchildren, traveling and playing with her dogs, who think fetch should be a twenty-four hour a day game. When not on the road or throwing a ball, Pat is happily dreaming up new stories.

Website: https://patriciadavids.com/index.html

*****

Book Review – The Amish Teacher’s Dilemma

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Book Review, Patricia Davids, The Amish Teacher's Dilemma

*****

The Amish Teacher’s Dilemma

by Patricia Davids

Blurb:

Taking a schoolteacher position in another district is just the change Amish spinster Eva Coblentz needs. And with her new neighbor, blacksmith Willis Gingrich, struggling to raise his three orphaned siblings, Eva is determined to help them heal. But when her relatives insist she come home, Eva must choose between the life she left…and the one she’s growing to love.

*****

Excerpt:

Willis thought he had enough time to fix the new teacher’s chair, put four shoes on Jesse Crump’s buggy horse and get supper on the table by six o’clock. It was seven-thirty by the time he came in to find his family gathered around the kitchen table with a scowl on every face. Thankfully, he couldn’t see Bubble but he was sure she was scowling, too.

“I know I’m late. One of Jesse’s horses had a problem hoof and I had to make special shoes for him. I’ll fix us something to eat right away.”

He went to the refrigerator and opened the door. There wasn’t much to see. “I meant to set some hamburger out of the freezer to thaw this morning but forgot to do it.”

“You should leave yourself a note,” Harley said. He was paging through a magazine about horses. He was always reading. Willis fought down the stab of envy.

If Willis could write a note, then he’d be able to read one. He couldn’t do either. The most he could manage was to write his name. No one in New Covenant knew his shameful secret. Children as young as Maddie learned to read every day but he couldn’t. No matter how hard he’d tried. There was something wrong with him.

He hid his deficiency from everyone although it wasn’t easy. He’d been made a laughingstock by the one person he’d confided in years ago. He’d never been able to trust another person with his secret. The bitter memory wormed its way to the front of his mind.

He’d been twenty at the time and hopelessly in love with a non-Amish girl. She was the only person he had told that he couldn’t read. He hadn’t wanted to keep secrets from her. She claimed to love him, too. He had trusted her.

Later, when they were out with a bunch of her friends, she told everyone. They all laughed. He laughed, too, and pretended it didn’t matter but the hurt and shame had gone bone deep. He didn’t think anything could hurt worse than Dalene’s betrayal, but he’d been wrong. She and her friends had much more humiliation in store for him.

He pushed those memories back into the dark corner of his mind where they belonged. He had to find something to feed the children gathered at his table. “I guess I can scramble us some eggs.”

“Again?” Otto wrinkled his nose.

“Bubble says to be thankful we have chickens.” Maddie beamed a bright smile at Otto.

“Bubble can’t say anything because she isn’t real, stupid.” Otto pushed his plate away.

Willis rounded on him. “Never call your sister or anyone else stupid, Otto. You know better than that. Apologize or go to bed without supper.”

“Sorry,” Otto murmured. He didn’t sound apologetic.

A knock at the door stopped Willis from continuing the conversation. Who needed a blacksmith at this hour? He pulled open the door and took a step back. Eva Coblentz stood on his porch with a large basket over her arm.

She flashed a nervous grin. “I’m used to cooking for more than just myself and I made too much tonight. I thought perhaps you could make use of it for lunch tomorrow. It’s only chicken and dumplings.”

Willis was speechless. Maddie came to stand beside him. “Teacher, how nice to see you.”

Eva smiled at Maddie. “It’s nice to see you again, too. How is Bubble?”

Maddie stuck her tongue out at Otto. “She’s fine but kinda hungry. We haven’t had our supper yet. Willis had to give Jesse Crump special shoes so he was going to make scrambled eggs again, but Otto isn’t thankful for our chickens.”

Eva blinked her lovely green eyes. “I see.”

“Do you?” Willis couldn’t help smiling at her perplexed expression. “Then you’re ahead of me most of the time.”

Harley came to the door. “Let me help you with that.” He took the basket from her and carried it to the table. He began setting out the contents.

Otto pulled his plate back in front of him. “That smells great.”

Harley dished up his own and then passed the plastic bowls along. Willis thought his siblings were acting like starving animals. He could hardly blame them. He was going to have to learn to cook for more than himself. Normally, he didn’t care what he ate or when he ate it. That had changed when the children arrived, and change was something he didn’t handle well.

Eva folded her arms across her middle. “I will be going so you can enjoy your meal in peace. Have a wonderful night, everyone.”

He didn’t want her to go. He stepped out onto the porch and closed the door from the prying eyes of his family. “How’s your head?”

She touched it gingerly. “Better.”

“I fixed the chair. You won’t have to worry about tipping over again.”

“I appreciate that.” She turned to go.

“The school board hired me to supply and install the hardware in the new building. I’ll get the rest of the coat hooks, cabinets and drawer pulls installed tomorrow. Have you had your supper? You are welcome to join us.”

“I have eaten. Danki. Don’t forget to feed Bubble. She’s much too thin.”

Willis raked a hand through his hair. “I don’t know why Maddie makes things up.”

She gave him a soft, kind smile. “Don’t worry about it. A lot of children have imaginary friends.”

“Really?” He wanted to believe her. When she smiled he forgot his worries and his ignorance.

“Absolutely. She will outgrow her invisible friend someday soon. Until then, enjoy her imagination.”

“I reckon you have seen a lot of things like this in your teaching career.” It made him feel better to know Maddie wasn’t the only child who had a pretend companion.

“This will be my first year as a teacher. I was actually surprised that the position didn’t go to someone with more experience. Perhaps my enthusiasm won the school board over.”

“I think you were the only applicant.”

She laughed and clasped a hand over her heart. “You have returned my ego to its normal size. How can I ever thank you?”

He smiled along with her. “We are blessed to have you.”

She leaned toward him slightly. “We will have to wait until we have Bubble’s assessment of my teaching skills before jumping to any conclusions. Guten nacht, Willis Gingrich.”

“Good night, Teacher.”

She walked away into the darkness. He watched until he saw her enter her house across the way. There was something attractive about Eva Coblentz that had nothing to do with her face or her figure. She was the first woman in a long time who made him want to smile.

He went back inside the house. The children were still eating. He took his place at the head of the table, bowed his head for a silent prayer, then reached for a bread roll. It was still warm. He looked at Maddie. “What did you say to your teacher that made her bring food here tonight?”

Maddie shrugged her shoulders. “I don’t know.”

“You must have said something.” He took a bite of his roll.

Maddie had a whispered conversation with the empty chair next to her. She looked up and grinned at him. “Bubble says that she told teacher you need a wife who is a good cook.”

He started coughing. Otto pounded on his back while Harley rushed to give him a glass of water. When he could catch his breath, Willis stared at Maddie in shock. “Eva thinks I’m looking for a wife?”

Maddie nodded.

Willis hung his head. Nothing could be further from the truth. There was no way he could keep his secret from a wife. Even if he found the courage to reveal his handicap to a woman again, there was still one pressing reason he had to remain single.

Amish ministers and bishops were chosen by lot from the married men of the congregation. At baptism every Amish fellow vowed to accept the responsibility of becoming a minister of the faith if he should be chosen. What kind of preacher would he make if he couldn’t read the Word of God? The humiliation didn’t bear thinking about. He would remain a single fellow his entire life. That was God’s plan for him.

He turned his attention back to Maddie. “You were wrong to tell your teacher that I’m looking for a wife. I’m not. Now what am I supposed to do?”

Maddie lifted both hands. “Just tell her you don’t want a wife. How hard can that be?”

*****

Review:

I’ll be honest, I know very little about the real lives of today’s Amish people but I absolutely LOVE reading these romances. There’s something so sweet and true about them – the community unit they create, the way they support each other, and the honest way they face life. They have their troubles too and with The Amish Teacher’s Dilemma they can’t escape some very modern issues.

I really enjoyed Willis as a character – he’s strong (in mind and body), responsible, and truly loves his siblings. But he’s been hiding a secret and it’s definitely affected the way that he interacts with others. It’s not one that is easy to admit to and it has impacted how he sees himself & what future he can have. I admire that it doesn’t stop him from being a good man and stepping up to create a family for his orphaned brothers & sister.

Eva’s role in the community and her family is very different than one I can imagine. She’s only allowed certain responsibilities and they have been dictated for so long by her older brother. This is the first time she’s had a chance to do something that she wants and I admire her for it. Moving somewhere new, doing something new, isn’t easy but she takes it on with gusto … but for how long?

These two together are a great match and I enjoyed their banter as they get to know one another, learn how to support each other, and begin to have deepening feelings. Their lives may not be something that I’ve experienced but their troubles, and how they handle them, are all too real and understandable. Davids does an awesome job of bringing them to life on the page.

*****

Author Info:

USA TODAY best-selling author Patricia Davids was born and raised in Kansas. After forty years as an NICU nurse, Pat switched careers to become an inspirational writer. She enjoys spending time with her daughter and grandchildren, traveling and playing with her dogs, who think fetch should be a twenty-four hour a day game. When not on the road or throwing a ball, Pat is happily dreaming up new stories.

*****

Plain Admirer

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Book Review, Patricia Davids, Plain Admirer

New review is now up.

*****

So what if Joann Yoder’s Amish community deems her a spinster?  She’s content to stay single.  In the meantime, she’s working hard to finally buy her dream house.  So it’s problematic when she’s fired from her job to make room for the owner’s nephew, Roman Weaver.  His blue eyes aside, she simply can’t stand him!  Good thing she has the secret letters she’s been exchanging with a mystery man to keep her going.  But who is writing her letters?  And could she possibly fall for him in real life, too?

Joann Yoder is a spinster in her little Amish town, and she’s ok with that.  But she’s not ok with being shifted from one house to another, living with each of her brothers for a few months before being moved on.  She wants a home of her own and she’s just a few weeks away from being able to buy her dream house … except she’s been fired from her dream job in favor of her boss’s nephew.  Roman Weaver used to work side by side with his father and brother in the family’s saw mill until an accident lost him the use of his arm.  Now he’s a liability and being shuffled off to work for his uncle at his printing company.  As if that wasn’t bad enough, he’s forced to learn from bookish (and hostile) Joann.

Readers know where the story is going as soon as the secret letters come into play, but it is still a sweet journey.  I really enjoyed both Joann and Roman and their growth, not just with each other but with themselves.  There is also a little intrigue involving some attacks on their community that makes them take a good look at their faith and their responsibility to their town.  Honestly I love these Love Inspired books about the Amish because the romance is almost always tender and wholesome, while readers are given a quiet peek into the lives of the Amish as a family and a community.  It’s intriguing to me and I’m always left with a renewed look on my own life.

Plain Admirer is a part of the “Brides of Amish Country” series but it can definitely stand alone.  It’s a sweet look at a man and a woman trying to find their place in the world and with each other.