Leah Porte needs a new life, fast. She has to enter witness protection. Imagine if your busy city job had landed you in danger, and you had to move to an Amish farm and make cheese. Now imagine that you’re a journalist.

THE AMISH NEWCOMER has a whole different lifestyle to learn.

Isaac Sommer doesn’t know the truth behind Leah’s arrival at Pikeville, Ohio. He just knows a lovely young woman with a recent scar has turned up with a family he’s friendly with, Ivan and Edith Byler, just a mile’s walk from his home. He thinks maybe the good Lord has sent him a maid to court. So what if her Deutsche isn’t fluent? The two of them are the only ones in all Pikeville who have seen Jurassic Park.

I was laughing when an obvious match was provided, in that the keen Isaac has started producing a basic magazine for the Plain People, passing on farming news and household hints. But Leah, smarting from the gaping hole in her life where a career in investigative television journalism used to be, is too stressed out to want to put her skills to use in such a moderate manner. She’s also, sorry to say it, too ego-conscious. Most reporters would share their skills unhesitatingly, and indeed after a while Leah offers to help with some Adobe Indesign setup. But that’s it. And it’s not like she’s staying, or putting down roots, and anyhow the faith isn’t too keen on newcomers.

The summer brings plenty of practical work and shared family experiences. If you want a romance brimming over with fun and chat while carrying out gardening, cooking and carpentry, you’ve found it. The delightful read eased my cares, and anyone looking for an inspirational romance may consider the dilemmas faced by various characters. Author Patrice Lewis lives on a self-sufficient homestead in North Idaho, and she reminds us through the account that a sustainable lifestyle can’t get much better than living where your food is grown and reared. Enjoy THE AMISH NEWCOMER and count your blessings.

VoirSeries