I received a complimentary copy of this book from Netgalley and was under no obligation to post a review. No compensation was received for sharing this review and all opinions are my own.
Series: Hearts of Lancaster Grand Hotel #3, Hearts of Lancaster Grand Hotel
Published by Zondervan on October 27th 2014
Source: Netgalley
Genres: Amish & Mennonite, Christian, Fiction, Romance
Pages: 306
Suggested Age: 13+
Note: Teen Safe. There's a mention of Carolyn having a child out of wedlock and the mention of suicide. Nothing is graphic.
When she moves to Amish country to find peace and healing, Madeleine finds a special community--and a special man--who pull her out of her solitude and into a new life.Moving to Pennsylvania wasn't in Madeleine's original plans. She should still be in California and should have married her pilot fiancé a year ago--but death has a way of changing everything. Now the former Air Force flight nurse is living alone in Paradise, Pennsylvania, and working as a maid at the Lancaster Grand Hotel. She isn't exactly a widow . . . but she sure feels like one.Saul Beiler isn't exactly a widower . . . but his wife is long gone. His eleven-year-old daughter, Emma, doesn't know that her mother fled the Amish community--and married another man--but she does know that her dat is lonely, and that a pretty young maedel just moved in next door.
Madeleine's numb heart begins to thaw as she spends more time with the innocent and ever optimistic Emma. The stronger her friendship grows with the young girl, the more intrigued Madeleine grows about the humble, strong man raising her on his own.But even as a strange attraction pulls Saul and Madeleine across a stark cultural divide, they--and everybody around them--have to wonder: What could they possibly have in common besides heartache? Will love allow Madeleine to finally find the home she's been dreaming of all along?
A Dream of Home is one of my top favorite books of Amy Clipston’s. I have loved this entire series but I connected with Madeleine more than I thought I would. I’ve never served in the military, nor have I experienced a loss the way she has but there was just something about her that made it easy for me to relate to her.
This was a heartwarming love story that brings together a man and a woman in desperate need of healing. Madeleine and Saul both have emotional trauma in their lives caused by the ones that they loved and both must come to terms with loss so that their hearts can be open to love.
There were moments when I was so frustrated with Saul for judging Madeleine but then I thought about how hard it is to trust someone with your heart. It’s even harder when you have a child that you need to protect. I guess like real life—we often look at things on the surface and we never once consider the heart and how it may be hurting.
This is the third book in the Hearts of Lancaster Grand Hotel series. The fourth installment, A Simple Prayer is expected to be published on May 5th 2015 by Zondervan.
A Hopeful Heart|A Mother’s Secret|A Dream of Home|A Simple Prayer
About Amy Clipston
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. Amy lives in North Carolina with her husband, two sons, mother, and four spoiled rotten cats.
Hi Kristin. Just stopping by to see an old friend! Wanted to visit your blog ( big hugs to you)
Thank you so much, Suzie! (Hugs) I need to catch up with you soon! What do you think of the new site?