Time Out for Romance

“The Fiddler,” by Beverly Lewis is a sweet story about the chance meeting between a young, beautiful Englisher  woman and a handsome, charming Amishman.  Having lost her way in a rain storm, followed by a flat tire, and no cell phone service, Amelia Devries began to feel frantic, thinking she would probably have to spend the night in her car and wait for daylight before she could look for help.  As she sat staring out in the blackness, she caught a small glimmer of light in the distance and thought she saw a faint outline of a cabin in the clearing.  Making up her mind to check out the cabin, she got out of the car and sloshed through the water and mud to the cabin. 

When Michael Hostetler opened the cabin door, he was definitely surprised to find a beautiful, but wet and bedraggled, young woman standing in his door way.  When he found his voice, he invited her in, showing every kindness by providing a towel, some dry clothes, and a hot cup of tea.  Surprisingly, they felt quite at ease with one another and soon were sharing stories about their very different backgrounds.  Interestingly, they found that they had one thing in common – they were both trying to leave a life that was planned by others, definitely not what each personally longed for.  During the months that follow, Michael and Amelia develop a deep friendship with an undercurrent of romantic interest and an unexpected longing to spend time together.  They find that they share many of the same personal troubles.  As they continue to share their problems, trying to help each other find solutions, their budding romance is also challenged by many cultural obstacles.

Actually I prefer to read action and suspense novels, but once in a while it’s very relaxing to read a slow-paced book that’s almost like a fairy tale.   It was very interesting to read about the Amish and learn that living an Amish Plain life is not always as happy and peaceful as it’s made out to be. 

This is the first book I’ve read by Beverly Lewis.  Although I probably won’t have time to read many of her books, I would recommend it to those who like to read love stories.

*This book was received free through Bethany House Book Reviewers in exchange for my unbiased review.