His Amish Teacher

This was a sweet romance with a touch of suspense for added excitement. Lillian is the teacher for forty young scholars in their Amish community. It isn’t just her calling, it is the closest she’ll ever get to having children of her own, and the reason she will never marry. She accepts that it means occasional loneliness, though that loneliness is often alleviated by her best friend, Timothy. Besides being her friend, Timothy is also a volunteer firefighter for their community. When a fire threatens the school, Timothy is among those that come to the rescue.

I loved both Lillian and Timothy. Both are good people who live up to their faith and the traditions of their people. I liked seeing their interactions with both Amish and Englischers. Timothy is an especially friendly and cheerful young man, which occasionally gets him in hot water with the powers-that-be, who wish that he would be a little more standoffish with outsiders. I loved seeing Lillian with her scholars and how important they were to her. There was a fun twist to her teaching when she finally got a second teacher to help her out.

I enjoyed the development of the relationship between Lillian and Timothy. Their friendship has always been a strong one and very close. I loved their ability to tease each other, and also how much they had in common. I especially liked that they shared a love of reading. They have always looked at each other as friends, until the day of the fire. The danger that they experienced made each of them realize that there was more than friendship between them, but both tried to deny their feelings. Timothy was afraid that giving voice to his feelings would ruin their friendship. Lillian was harboring a secret that made her feel that marriage was not an option for her. I ached for them both as their feelings continued to grow and their fears right along with them. I liked how Timothy tried to find a workaround for what he thought was the problem and cried for him when she told him the truth. I felt that both had realistic reactions, which made them even more emotionally charged. I loved the ending as both of them realized that they belonged together and that as long as they had each other, their lives would be blessed.

As a complication to their growing relationship, their community is dealing with an arsonist. The torching of property owned by both Englisch and Amish families puts a strain on the relationships between the two groups. Each side believes that the attacks come from the other group, and suspicion runs rampant. It is especially disheartening for the Amish when it begins to look like the arsonist may be someone in their own community, and the fires continue to escalate. I ached for the community as the frequent fires brought devastating losses. I had a suspicion of who it was and was happy to see that I was right, even though there were doubts about another character.

I liked the various secondary characters. The nurse, Debra, was my favorite. I loved how easily she and Lillian became friends. She has as big a heart as Lillian does, and I enjoyed seeing her come to know and love the Amish people. She was terrific during the fire that threatened the school, and I liked how she stayed close afterward. Her appreciation of the Amish and how they look out for each other ran deep, and I loved how she found a way to help them all at the end. I also liked the insights into Amish culture, from their relationships with the outside world to the way they supported each other in times of trouble. There was a neat twist to that support at the end, and the surprise that was in store for one of those affected by the fires. I was impressed by the view of special needs children as being a gift rather than a curse, and the focus in this book on people with dwarfism. This was my first book by Patricia Davids, but it won’t be my last. I definitely want to go back and read the other books in this series.