Her Amish Refuge – Vickie's Book Nook and Meditation Corner

About the Book

ISBN-139781335937193 Publisher:Harlequin Publication date:04/29/2025 Pages:208

Could her safe haven in a storm

Be a path back to her faith?

Caught in a blizzard pregnant and alone, former Amish woman Florene Schroder stumbles upon an unexpected sanctuary on an Amish farm. She never expects her rescuer to be Gil Kestler, a gentle giant from the community she left behind years ago. Forced together as they brave the storm, their wounded hearts slowly begin to warm toward one another. But as the snow starts to melt, can they conquer their fears to embrace love…or will the secrets they harbor keep them apart?

My Thoughts

What an uplifting story of hope and faith as Florene meets her destiny in her search for refuge from her abusive partner and from a blizzard! This story captured my heart and my imagination from the first page and kept me engrossed in it until the end. When Florene was tossed out of the car during a blizzard, she had no way of knowing that her rescuer would be a gentle giant named Gil. Taking shelter with his family, Florene learns the meaning of true faith and being willing to reach out to help others. I liked the dynamics between the characters and how realistically they were portrayed, with their raw edges exposed. I really enjoyed the story that had a hint of mystery to it involving the brother Eli’s shenanigans and desire to be free of his family’s homestead. The faith foundation was an integral part of the story as Florene needs to find her way back to God before she can be whole again and gentle Gil gives her the example she needs to do just that. This is a book that should not be missed by anyone who enjoys Christian romance with a hint of danger and a lot of family love and romance.
Disclaimer: I voluntarily received a complimentary copy of this book from the author. I was not required to post a positive review, and all opinions expressed are my own.

Love Inspired Romance, Clean Read, Rated G

About the Author

Pamela Desmond Wright grew up in a small, dusty Texas town. From the time she learned to read, books have been her passion. Beginning with Dick and Jane, progressing through Nancy Drew and then on to romances of all genres, Pamela devoured stories by popular authors such as Barbara Cartland, Jackie Collins, Rosemary Rogers, Shirley Conrad and many, many others. At one time Pamela was the proud owner of 5 library cards.

A veteran of the e-book revolution of the late ’90’s, Pamela moved into traditional print publishing, writing in the paranormal and adult romance genres for Kensington and NAL/Penguin. Nominated 2 times, she won the Romantic Times Reviewers Choice Award in 2010. Pamela was also a founder of the scam publishers and agents website, The Write Connection, which was transferred to the SFWA through (then) vice-president A.C. Crispin to become Writer Beware. Her experiences with scam agents and publishers was documented in Professor Jim Fisher’s book, Ten Percent of Nothing: The Case of the Literary Agent From Hell.

In 2013, Pam took a break from writing to reassess her career choices. Unable to shake the story bug, she came back in 2019 with a new focus and vision, fulfilling a promise to write inspirational and wholesome books her entire family could enjoy. Though her characters are often handed difficult challenges in life, they always persevere over the darker times through the power of faith and love.

After signing with Tamela H. Murray of The Steve Laube Agency, Pamela sold her first Amish Romance to Harlequin for the Love Inspired imprint. Released in September 2021, The Cowboy’s Amish Haven debuted on the Publishers Weekly Bestseller List. Since that time, her Love Inspired titles have consistently made the top 25. In late 2022, she signed a new deal with Harlequin Love Inspired for 6 more Amish titles.

Like the Amish, Pamela is a fan of the simple life. Her childhood includes memories of the olden days; old-fashioned oil lamps, cooking over an authentic wood-burning stove and making popcorn over a crackling fire at the cabin owned by her grandparents. She also loves needlepoint and has dozens of projects to work on! Website: Pamela Desmond Wright

Purchase Links

I don’t usually participate in First Line Friday, but I have a lot of books releasing next week, so I thought I would put a few of them on your radar.

I will not write my entire review here, but I will tell you that this book is humorous and offers practical advice that really makes you ponder how you do things. The main character, Lyla, is a newspaper columnist who writes her opinion about everyday circumstances and in so doing, she discovers truths about herself.

First Line: “Lyla Dune turned in to her parents’ driveway and parked, her gaze moving to the FOR SALE sign on the front lawn.”

Barnes and Noble has a 25% off sale now, so if you want to get this book at a good price, it’s a good time to get it. The sale ends today and requires the coupon code PREORDER25.

This quick read had me reading as fast as I could to find out what would happen to Florene. At the beginning of the story, she is tossed out of the car by her boyfriend, in the middle of nowhere and during a blizzard. What happens to her is God’s providence for sure!

First Line: “She’d made a mistake. And she was going to die. Florene Schroder lay on the hard, cold ground. Twisted and limp, she didn’t move.”

This quick read takes place in the Allegheny forest of Pennsylvania and is a book with riveting suspense and compelling characters. Eli is an FBI agent who hunts down cybercriminals and the focus of the story is that one of the bad guys doesn’t like being hunted so he is chasing down Eli and his young daughter who are on vacation in the Alleghenies.

First Line: “‘Daddy, why do you keep looking at the trees?’”

This story grabbed at my heart and wouldn’t let it go! It is the story of a young woman who has been rejected by her husband and is trying to start a new life for herself in a new town. Unfortunately, she has few resources and fewer items in her pantry and fridge, so she ends up at a food bank, much to her embarrassment. There she meets some welcoming and kind strangers who show her the way to acceptance and real love. Sigh! Great story!

First Line: “Kayla Harding had walked by the building at least a hundred times. She’d even dropped off items in the back on occasion. Back in another life.”

Again, if you would like to purchase any or all of these new releases, you can check them out at your local retailer. They all release on Tuesday, April 29th.

Question for you: Which book would you really like to see a blog about here on my page? Give me your opinion and I will try to accommodate your wishes, depending on my schedule.

Thank you for reading! I hope you enjoyed my first First Line Friday!