In Pontotoc, Mississippi, the Amish way means a chance to rebuild, renew, and rekindle a love from long ago . . . Fifteen years. That’s how long it’s been since Hannah McLean set foot in the Amish community where she was raised. Through it all her heart has never forgotten Pontotoc—or Aaron Zook, her first love. Now widowed, and left with little more than her hurting teenager and her prayers, … hurting teenager and her prayers, she returns home, even knowing she and her son may be turned away.
When Aaron learns Hannah has returned, he nearly falls to his knees. He’s a strong man, but lately the care of his three motherless children and family land have been more than he can handle. Now providence has delivered the first woman he loved, and with her, the rush of feelings they once shared. But will his simple, removed way of life leave Hannah longing for something more, or can they begin anew, finding a new way forward together?
Praise for Amy Lillard and her Wells Landing novels
“An inspirational story of romance, faith, and trust . . . will appeal to fans of Wanda Brunstetter and Beverly Lewis.”
—Library Journal on Caroline’s Secret
“A beautifully written romance with an adoring character. Lillard writes stories readers can relate to.” –RT Book Reviews on Just Plain Sadie
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I really enjoyed reading Hannah’s story. This is such an exciting start to a new series by Amy Lillard, the Amish of Pontotoc. The author really knows how to pull on your heartstrings!
I went through a lot of emotions while reading this! After the death of her husband Hannah’s life is a struggle. She left the Amish for 15 years and is now returning with a teenage son. He doesn’t want to leave the comforts of his Englisher life, his cellphone,computer,etc. Hannah is torn and walking between two worlds, should she stay Englisher for her son and all he knows or go back to her old way of life and how she grew up and is familiar with. Can you even go back to this way of life or is it too late to make a new start? There also the little matter of her old boyfriend,Aaron who thought he was going to marry Hannah before she took off as a teen without a word to anyone. He is unsure how to take her return. Can he count on her to be in his life again? He has always loved her and will continue to do so! Can his heart take having her in the community and not being able to call her his a second time? When her son finds out a secret through gossip how will Hannah handle this? Hannah was the main character but her son Brandon played a big part in this book as well. I can’t wait to see how things go with him in the next book. The author emphasizes forgiveness and letting go, moving forward with life. The author portrays real life situations and I look forward to reading more about these characters in future books. I really enjoyed this book!
Pub Date 27 Feb 2018
Thank you to the author and NetGalley for a review copy. I was not require to write a positive review.
When I started the book I had two thoughts pop in my head. One was the saying, “You can never go home again,” and the other is “There is no place like home.” I know once I left home, I never wanted to return. There was nothing for me and I wandered lost in the world for many years. Hannah has come home to help out and I could feel her stomach as it did somersaults walking into her parents home. She has been gone for a long time and not everyone will be happy to see her. Can she regain the trust of her dat? Will the community welcome her home, or shun her until she asks for forgiveness?
It had to be a culture shock for her son Brandon. He must think he has traveled back in time, as he realizes there are no modern conveniences. His appearance will shock a few but he does have a stubbornness to him which I found to be endearing. Brandon has a lot to deal with and maybe by playing it cool he can hide in the background. The author knows how to write stories that tug on your heart and I wanted to hug Hannah and Brandon.
Aaron is a hard working man who has been in love with Hannah for a long time. He sure was surprised to see Hannah come home. I could feel the tension between the two when they first see each other. How would you feel if you ran into someone from your past? Can Aaron forgive Hannah from leaving him so long ago? Things have really changed in Aaron’s life and Hannah will have to make some hard decisions.
I loved how the story was about second chances and forgiveness. Hannah has walked away from her faith and will have a hard time allowing herself to heal. I was in for a big shock in the story and never saw it coming. The author is a master storyteller with wonderful characters and a theme that whispers of grace and compassion. I am honored that I read a book that captured real problems with answers that came from prayer and family. Can you really go home again? Find out in this first in the series from an author that keeps me coming back for more books from her.
I received a copy of this book from the author. The review is my own opinion.
Of the three books in this series, I liked this one the best it was the least predictable, it literally kept me guessing to the end.
A wonderful Amish book
what a sweet, romance ,and look into the heart of a young lady trapped by circumstances beyond her control to be stuck with consequences of a poor decision she had made ,good read
Sorry, I’ve enjoyed many novels about the Amish in the past…but I just thought the first chapter had very little that was interesting and a lot of angst. I was bored and put it down. Please let me know if I was wrong.
All I can say is this authors books are always amazing I get hooked and feel like I’m actually there in the situation myself I don’t want to finish reading or put the book down until I am finished reading I can’t wait till I get the next book awesome
Choices from the past affect their future…
For several years now Amy Lillard has been one of my main go-to Amish fiction authors so I was pretty excited to find out that she had a new series coming out, A Home For Hannah being the first book. One of the things I like about her books is that she writes about Amish communities in locations that we wouldn’t traditionally think of as Amish, this time in Mississippi.
While I am in a much different season of life than Hannah and Aaron, Amy Lillard painted them in such a sympathetic light that I was totally invested in their story, their circumstances, the choices they made. Even when I had to go about other things I found myself thinking, and wondering, about the characters and what might happen next.
It really didn’t take me long to read A Home For Hannah, as with most Amy Lillard books, and I definitely enjoyed my time in Pontotoc. If you are an Amish fiction fan this is a series to check out!
(I received a copy of this book from the author/publisher. All opinions are entirely my own.)
A Home For Hannah is such a good family story, a mother and son, a father and three small children. Then there is A Mother and Father and their daughter who left for the Englisch world who has come back and wants to be accepted. Then there is true love. You have first love who was and then wasn’t and then they both got married to others and both lost them and now have found each other again – isn’t that awesome? Is that love going to rekindle? especially with children involved and with Hannah being in the Englisch world? Will Hannah’s family accept her and her son, being that she went to that world? This is such a book of love and a great book of the beginning in the Pontotoc Series and I cannot wait until the second one comes out and I pray for the privilege to be able to read that one as well. I received a copy of this book from the Publisher and Netgalley; all the opinions expressed in this review are all my own.
A home for hannah is a clean inspirational romance. I love that I can pick up any of Amy Lillard’s books and be entertained and imspired by her characters.
Hannah has some hard choices to make. She struggles with wanting to return to her former Amish life but with a son who has never lived Amish and a former Amish 1st love… She is having to learn that to return to her Amish family she will have to return to her faith and to confess to some secrets that may tear her whole family and life apart. I enjoy reading about the Amish and this book has a story line that shows us how family and their faith is so very important. I really liked this story about Hannah. I was gifted a copy and my review is voluntary..
A Home for Hannah by Amy Lillard is the first story in Amish of Pontotoc series. Hannah McLean is returning home to Pontotoc, Mississippi with her son, Brandon after the death of her husband. Hannah needs a place for them to stay until the estate is settled (her husband left her with a mess). She had left the community fifteen years prior to explore the Englisch world. Pontotoc is a conservative Amish settlement that does not have indoor plumbing (that is so wrong). It will be a big adjustment for her son, Brandon. When Hannah left she broke Aaron Zook’s heart. Aaron is now a widow with three children to care for as well as his farm. He prefers training horses, but there is little opportunity for that in his area. Aaron just received an offer for a job in Ohio working with horses which he is thinking about accepting until Hannah returns. His feelings for Hannah have not changed, but they can only be together if Hannah joins the Amish faith. But can they overcome the past to have a future? Can Hannah return to a simpler way of life?
A Home for Hannah is a sweet Amish romance. It does contain some nice writing, but I found the pace slow (which made the book feel long and drawn out). In some places the story stalled out (failed to move forward). The POV moves between Hannah, Aaron and Brandon. I enjoyed Brandon’s story more than Hannah and Aaron’s. He is taken away from everything that is familiar and thrust into a world with no computer, gaming devices or a phone (or indoor toilet). Brandon’s cousin, Joshua Gingerich befriends Brandon and shows how to enjoy life without modern technology (fishing for example). I failed to connect with Hannah. Her indecision, blaming others and her life choices were frustrating (after 15 years you cannot use lack of education and naivete as an excuse). There was too much redundancy in A Home for Hannah. The same questions or thoughts are repeated in each chapter (mostly in the first half of the book). A Home for Hannah just seemed off. I found it lacking (like the author was holding back and not letting the story flow naturally). I wanted more depth added to the story and less predictability. A Home for Hannah could have used a rewrite.
Author Amy Lillard wrote an amazing storyline for A Home for Hannah. I loved how she weaved all her different characters together. I never knew which way the story would turn and this kept my attention. A Home for Hannah is a delightful book to read. It’s well-written and I would be astonished if it did not keep your attention. I encourage everyone to read A Home for Hannah by Author Amy Lillard. The book is Book One of the new series, Amish of Pontotoc. I’m looking forward to reading Book Two.
I received a copy from the publisher, but was not required to review it. This review is one hundred percent my opinion.
Amy Lillard’s newest release A Home for Hannah is inspirational and has characters who will win your heart. Hannah and Aaron and Brandon have stolen my heart and I cannot wait to read book #2 in this New Series by Amy Lillard. I can honestly say that Amy has once again delivered the beginning of this new series with a page turner. I loved every page and every character in this book. Once again she has me yearning for an Amish road trip to the place in the book. Pontotoc, Mississippi. (And this time it is a REAL location). If you are a fan of Amish Fiction and detail you will not be disappointed. Grab your copy and snuggle up with that cup of tea and enjoy your trip to Mississippi.
Can you imagine not seeing your family for fifteen years? This is what happened to our heroine Hannah, and then to her son, but circumstances upon circumstances thwart any return previously.
The author has emphasized the theme of forgiveness, a part of your faith in God, easy to say, but very hard to truly do. Now our girl appears to have a foot in both worlds, and each are pulling on her, how can she decide, and yet her loves need her.
I thoroughly enjoyed this book and we see all of the characters being pulled in different directions, and yet they never waver in their faith in God.
Watch as big secrets unfold, and then see how each of these characters are able to deal with the bombshells, some you will never see coming.
Big tangled web here, and it seems impossible to untangle, is there any possibility?
I received this book through Net Galley and the Publisher Kensington, and was not required to give a positive review.
A Home for Hannah
By Amy Lillard
Hannah Gingerich McLean and her son Brandon return to Hannah’s Amish roots in Pontotoc, MS after a devastating blow to her marriage. Hannah plans to get back on her feet and secure a normal life for her son and herself after a stay with her Amish family whom she has not seen in 15 years. After being welcomed back into her childhood home, Hannah tries to piece together her existence while her former life in Pontotoc subtly flows into her veins again as she remembers what and who she loved while growing up. A simple decision to stay or go weighs heavy on her heart as mistakes of the past cloud her future keeing her in limbo. Hannah must grasp at the remnents of her faith to build her strength to deal with God’s plan for her. A plan that will change many lives.
Amy Lillard’s new series is hard to put down. The story focuses on three major protagonists Hannah, Brandon, and Aaron. Amy takes us into their minds as they dissect the lives they are living as well as the hopes and dreams they have. I loved Brandon (Hannah’s son). His character portrayal is especially rich…ripe with emotion, dealing with typical teenage issues, but yet possessing a mind that sees a greater plan, one with spiritual implications. All this coming from a young man who has barely graced the insides of a church!
I look forward to traveling along with these characters as they follow their destinies in Pontotoc, MS. This is definitely a book you want to add to your collection!
A Home for Hannah is the first book in Amy Lillard’s new series Amish of Pontotoc.
It has been fifteen years since Hannah (Gingerich) McLean left her home in Pontotoc Mississippi., now a widow, she returns to her parents Amish farm with her son Brandon. A lot has changed since Hannah left Pontotoc, for one her “first love” Aaron Zook married after she left and is now a widower left to raise his children and run his farm. Hannah becomes “confused” after being home- one time you can find her wearing Amish clothes and another time wearing English clothes. When Hannah sees Aaron she realizes that her feelings for Aaron have not changed and she is also hiding a “secret” from everyone. For her son Brandon he is trying to adjust to life without his cell phone, electric and all the other modern conveniences that he was used to. Whatever decision Hannah makes in her own life she will put Brandon “first”. A Home for Hannah is a well written story of romance, trust, and learning to have faith. I highly recommend reading A Home for Hannah. I am looking forward to reading the other books in this new series by Amy Lillard Patti Bond