Other Reviewers: Goodreads

This is an advance reader copy given to me by the author for an honest review.  As with all of my review, these are my own opinions.

This is book three in the Gay Amish Romance series by Keira Andrews.  It is highly recommended that you read the first two books first, otherwise you will be completely lost.  My previous reviews are here: Book 1 and Book 2.

Basic Plot:

David and Issac have made it out of their Amish background and are adjusting somewhat successfully with their new English way of life.  However, now there is a medical emergency back home that pulls Issac (and David) back to Minnesota. Will their love be strong enough to keep them to their dreams or will family and religion bring them back into the fold?

David & Issac:

This book review will not go into detail regarding David and Issac’s character development.  We continue to see their struggles individually with adhering to the new English world.  For David, his panic attacks and self medicating drinking has brought a wedge between Issac and himself.  Issac has been so focused on making new friends and reconnecting with Aaron that he lets David deal with his problems alone.  In A Way Home, we see them reconnect back and learn to communicate.

Theme Summary:

I feel in many ways, David’s friend June represents the reader.  In discussing her relationship with her deceased husband, June talks about how marriage is compromise:

Isaac stuck the rubber toe of his sneaker into the mud.  “I always thought once you loved someone, the rest just fell into place.”

June’s laughter echoed across the field.  “Wouldn’t that be nice?  Love counts for a lot, but you need a heck of a lot of patience and grit too.  Sometimes Conrad would frustrate me to no end.  I did the same to him.  But we’d talk it through.  Compromise.  But you and David can’t do that if you’re  not being honest with each other.”

These two men have been through so much throughout all three of these books, and most of the tension within the novels has been because of miscommunication.  They could not live in the life style of their Amish heritage, but at the same time living in the city is not an exact fit.  What they need to do is find a compromise where they can still honor their roots of heritage but still live successfully with each other and be honest to who they are.

Strong Points:

Andrews has the ability to draw the reader into the Amish culture and give the feel of suffocation of “properness” of the Amish to David and Issac.  I am not certain of the accuracy as I am not Amish, but I felt the isolation and how painful that was as Issac and David tried to hide who they were and their dreams.  I felt their pain so fully that I had a hard time reading through.

What could be better?

I like a little angst, but if there is so much angst I feel the urge to put the book into the freezer ala Joey I hesitate.  Toward the end, when we were dealing with the parents, I will be honest — I skimmed.  I was so afraid that they were going to be pulled back into the Amish world.  I felt a bit like I was watching a horror film and I was yelling at the book, “don’t go in there!”

I just had a week of my Mother-in-Law in my house, so in many ways I can relate to David and Issac.  I have come to realize that I will never be accepted by them because of religious reasons, and trying to be myself only seems to bring stilted conversation.  So I completely can relate to how David and Issac must feel:  wanting to fit back in but knowing that they would never be accepted in that world if they showed their true self.

Conclusions:

I am glad that we finally get a happy ending for David and Issac.  In the end, they find compromise and are still true to themselves.  I think that is something that we can all strive for in our lives.  I think that if you loved the first two books you will be satisfied with the conclusion.

Bea