The Amish Blacksmith

Paperback, 352 pages

Expected publication: August 1st 2014 by Harvest House Publishers

About The Book:  New from bestselling authors Mindy Starns Clark and Susan Meissner, The Amish Blacksmith (Book 2 in The Men of Lancaster County series) explores the men of an Amish community in Lancaster County, how their Amish beliefs play out in their unique roles, and the women who change their lives. Apprenticed blacksmith Jake Miller is skeptical of Priscilla Kinsinger's innate ability to soothe troubled horses, especially when he has own ideas on how to calm them. Six years earlier, Priscilla's mother died in an awful accident at home, and Priscilla's grief over losing her mother was so intense that she was sent to live with relatives in Indiana. She has just returned to Lancaster County. Not that her homecoming matters to Jake, who is interested in courting lighthearted Amanda Shetler. But Jake's boss is Priscilla's uncle, and when the man asks Jake to help his niece reconnect with community life, he has no choice but to do just that. Surprisingly, he finds himself slowly drawn to the beautiful but emotionally wounded Priscilla. Jake then determines to prove to her that it's not her fault her mother died, but what he discovers will challenge everything they both believe about the depth of love and the breadth of forgiveness.


About The Authors: 
Mindy Starns Clark is the bestselling author of the inspirational Million Dollar Mysteries, the Smart Chick Mysteries, and three standalone mysteries, as well as the nonfiction books The House That Cleans Itself and A Pocket Guide to Amish Life. Her novels include A Penny for Your Thoughts, Don't Take Any Wooden Nickels , A Dime a Dozen, A Quarter for a Kiss, The Buck Stops Here, The Trouble with Tulip, Blind Dates Can Be Murder, Elementary, My Dear Watkins, Whispers of the Bayou, Shadows of Lancaster County, and Under the Cajun Moon, and other books! Mindy is also the author of numerous plays and musicals which have been performed all over the United States. She has written textbooks, articles, short stories, and more than 75 computer software manuals. Other writings appear in the anthologies What the Wind Picked Up (Inspirational Fiction), Death Knell V (Mystery Fiction), Divine Secrets of the Yahweh Sisterhood (Inspirational Anthology), and A Novel Idea (Inspirational Nonfiction). A former singer and stand-up comedian, Mindy lives with her husband and two teenage daughters near Valley Forge, PA. She enjoys speaking to churches, civic groups, and libraries across the country. Her unique blend of humor and insight make her an audience favorite.
Susan Meissner - In 1995, she was offered a job as a part-time reporter for mher county newspaper. The publisher gave her a weekly column, In 1998, she was named editor of the Mountain Lake/Butterfield Observer Advocate, the town’s weekly paper, after the county newspaper purchased it. She was honored to win several awards over the years, but the best part of her four years as editor was having my paper named the Best Weekly Newspaper in Minnesota by the Minnesota Newspaper Association in 2002.  That year became a rather pivotal one for her as a writer. Her beloved paternal grandfather died in July 2002 — her Papa — and his passing had a profound effect on her.  Suddenly she had an incredible urge to write a book; a novel. She knew she didn’t want to come to the end of her life having only dreamed of writing one. She resigned as editor of the newspaper, which was a very hard decision to make, and set out to write Why the Sky is Blue. It took four months to write and ten months to be accepted by a publisher and she's been writing novels ever since. Her favorite genre is contemporary fiction with a historical thread running through it.
Currently, her husband is an associate pastor at a church in San Diego, and a chaplain in the Air Force Reserves. When she's not working on a new novel, she enjoys teaching workshops on writing and dream-following, as well as spending time with her family, listening to or making music, reading great books, and traveling.


My Thoughts About The Book:   I love Amish fiction and found this novel to be delightful.  I will say it was a bit different from other Amish novels I have read.  If you don't pay close attention to the fact that they don't drive you might miss the fact that this is an Amish family and not just a rural family.  This novel is number two in a series but it stands alone.  I had no trouble reading through it without having read the first installment.  It is the story of an Amish blacksmith(and horse whisperer) who feels he is following God's will, that is until a girl from his past shows up.  While trying to help her he finds out that he could be the one who needs help.  I felt I was part of the story and learned a great deal about the horse world, blacksmithing, and show horses.  The novel was a bit slow at times but it was still a good read.  I loved the ending and seeing God's will being heard and followed.  I recommend this novel and series to anyone fond of Amish and/or Christian romances!

STATEMENT OF DISCLOSURE: I received an ebook copy of this title from Netgalley Publicity and Harvest House as part of their blogger review program . I am disclosing this in accordance with the FTC 16 CFR, Part 255 'Guides concerning the use of endorsements and testimonials in advertising. I was not asked to write a positive review and all opinions expressed are entirely my own.