“Kelly understands the human heart and writes about it with beauty and resonance.” —Beth Wiseman An Amish homecoming . . . Disgrace drove Stephen Lambert from Ice Mountain, but honor drives him back to his Amish home. After rescuing a pregnant young woman from a burning house, the rugged firefighter knows the remote Amish mountain community is the only place Ella Nichols will be safe. … the only place Ella Nichols will be safe. Abandoned by the father of her child, the brave Englischer beauty needs him like no one before. Determined to protect her, Stephen claims the unborn babe as his own—and prepares to return to the town, and the family, that once falsely accused him . . .
From the moment she is caught from peril by Stephen’s strong arms, Ella feels sheltered, nurtured. How else could she agree to sequester herself on Ice Mountain, among the Plain folk there, but for the promise of Stephen’s loving protection? But as she steps deeper into his world and discovers his haunting secrets, Ella longs to heal the heart of the man who has captured hers forever . . .
“Delivers a sense of escape from today’s hustle and bustle into a gentler and simpler world.” —Publishers Weekly
“Long creates storylines that captivate her readers.” —RT Book Reviews
“Long’s writing style is smooth and engaging, her characters true to the period yet timeless in their hopes and flaws and personal battles.” —USAToday.com
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For a book about the Amish, I was disappointed in the constant talk about sex and sexual feelings. A little is fine, but this was too much for me.
Good, multi-layered story of love, faith, and overcoming the past. Stephen left his home on Ice Mountain after he was accused of murder and shunned. Even though he was proved innocent, he no longer felt at home there. Instead, he moved to an Englisch town and worked as a firefighter. His life took a dramatic change when he rescued a young woman from a burning building. Ella was pregnant, abandoned by the father of her baby, and in danger from a greedy aunt and uncle.
I really liked Stephen and Ella. He is kind, honorable, and protective. He is well-liked by his fellow firefighters and has a strong friendship with his doctor roommate. Though he no longer lived in the Amish community, his faith was still strong and guided his behavior. Ella is sweet, determined, and feisty. She was determined to give her baby the best life possible, even under the most difficult of circumstances.
Stephen and Ella met when he saved her from a burning building. There was a connection between them from the very start, both physical and emotional. Stephen was drawn to Ella in a way that he’d never experienced before. He wanted to take care of her and her baby, at the same time he found it almost impossible to keep his hands off of her. Stephen’s kindness to her is something that Ella hasn’t felt in a very long time. She’s attracted to him but doesn’t feel she deserves the compassion of such a good man. I loved the protectiveness Stephen experienced when she went back to her old job, and the actions he took to show it. When they found out that the fire was deliberately set in an attempt to kill Ella, Stephen was determined to save her, even if that meant returning to Ice Mountain.
I liked the development of the relationship between Stephen and Ella. Stephen fell fast and hard for Ella and wanted nothing more than to make her part of his life forever. I loved how he already thought of her baby as his own. Ella felt the same about him but worried that their differing lives would make it impossible. I loved how easily she fit into the community and the hope that it gave her for the future. There were many sweet scenes between them as they got to know each other. I especially loved the way Ella took care of Stephen after the bear attack. There were also some fun scenes of his friends giving him a hard time over his feelings for her. Both were a little wary of expressing their feelings, but when a crisis threatened their lives, they realized that life was too short not to take the risk.
There was an element of mystery/suspense that ran through the book. We found out early on that Ella’s life was in danger. There were several twists and turns that kept me guessing as to what would happen. I was intrigued by the first man sent to kill her. His actions were not what I expected, and I found my opinion of him changing rapidly. He redeemed himself quite nicely by the end of the book. The second killer was creepy and evil, made even worse by the connection he already shared with Ella. The final confrontation was intense and had me on the edge of my seat until it was over.
Part of the story dealt with Stephen and his relationship with his mother and aunt. After meeting them, I completely understood the strain he’d been under as a kid and teenager. I thought it said a lot about his need to protect Ella that he even considered going back to that toxic atmosphere. It was interesting to see how the time away, plus his feelings for Ella, helped Stephen move past the resentment toward forgiveness. I also liked seeing the changes that Stephen’s mother went through and how she faced up to her mistakes. There was a neat little twist involving her at the end of the book.