Can love hold up in the darkest of times? This is a beautiful story of friendship and support in rough times. I highly recommend this book!

Over the past several years I have read several books that were about the Amish community. Matters of the Heart by Kelly Irvin was unique to this genre. It focused on genetic disabilities that occurred when families intermarried within their own families. This was a common practice within the Amish communities. No other book that I had ever read addressed the consequences of these practices or the way the Amish communities accepted these children into their society. As a community, the Amish people tried to provide educational opportunities for these children as well as monetary assistance to their families when it was necessary. Matters of the Heart took place in Lee’s Gulch, Virginia. I listened to the audiobook that was very well narrated by Lauren Berst.

Declan Miller had grown up in a family where all the males were expected to become auctioneers. His father had taken over the auction business Declan’s grandfather had started. From a very young age, Declan had been groomed to be an auctioneer. Declan had auctioneering in his blood. It came naturally to him. Now that Declan was in his twenties, he had aspirations of starting his own auctioneer company. Declan was a good looking young man with a good sense of humor. He enjoyed making people smile and always had a joke ready to be told. Declan had feelings for Bethel King. They had grown up together. Declan wasn’t sure how Bethel felt about him. He knew if he established himself as a successful auctioneer, he would be able to provide for Bethel and would be able to ask for her hand in marriage. He was still nervous about expressing his feelings to Bethel. Declan had two older brothers and a younger sister, Sadie, who was born with Downs Syndrome.

Bethel King had assumed the role of caretaker for her younger brothers and sisters when she was not working at the local plant nursery. Her twin brothers had been diagnosed with a form of muscular dystrophy, a degenerative genetic disorder that affected their muscles and had taken their ability to walk away from them. Her younger sister Claire was also displaying symptoms of the disease. Bethel knew that the gene for this condition could be passed down from one generation to the next. She was determined never to marry and have children. Even though she had not been a victim of this terrible disease, she could well be a carrier. Therefore, Bethel tried very hard to ignore and discourage Declan’s attempts of trying to help her and spending time with her. Then the most unimaginable thing happened to Duncan. Will Declan and Bethel find their way to each other or will their own sorrows keep them apart?

Matters of the Heart was the first book that I had the pleasure of reading by Kelly Irvin. I liked how she embraced a feeling of faith throughout the book. Every one of my emotions was affected while reading Matters of the Heart. Declan’s and Bethel’s characters were my favorites but all the characters in this book were well developed, relatable and interesting. There were genuine feelings of belonging, fear, concerns, coming together as a community in the time of need and romance. I really enjoyed listening to the audiobook of Matters of the Heart by Kelly Irvin and highly recommend it. I look forward to reading more books by Kelly Irvin.

Thank you to HarperCollins Christian Publishing for allowing me to listen to the audiobook of Matters of the Heart by Kelly Irvin through Netgalley in exchange for an unbiased review.

I honestly wanted to like this book. But the pace of it, even at 2x speed was so slow. I couldn't get into it. Even if you think of it as a period piece. It's too slow. I can't.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book on so many levels. First of all, the characters are dealing with debilitating health issues. Most readers can relate with them on some level because who doesn't have a close relative, or for that matter, they themselves are dealing with some sort of illness. Secondly, the author did a great job of developing the characters as they were figuring life out throughout the book. Lastly, I felt it all came together at the end beautifully. And may I add, I listened to the book and the narrator did a phenomenal job, especially since she had to speak with a raspy voice for Declan.
*I was given a copy of the book by Thomas Nelson Audio , and this is my honest opinion.

I had to read the first book before diving into 'Matter of the Heart' and I regret NOTHING!! I loved these books! I am looking forward to the series continuing. The way Kelly Irvin writes the story made it easy to feel a kinship with the characters. I am familiar with the auctioneer life (my dad having been an auctioneer) and that felt familiar/. I always enjoy Irvin's stories, the way she captures the warmth & love within the community ... even among struggles. I enjoyed this book, thank you.

I highly recommend this book! Although in a series, it can be read as a stand alone book. The book had strong characters that faced life struggles with the faith in God. A compassionate story with real life struggles. Thank you to Netgalley, the author and the publisher for a chance to read and review this book in exchange for an honest review.

Bethel has the grace and humility to put all others before her. It is not done for praise but rather a sense of duty. A duty that is entrenched in her Plain beliefs and love of family. As her younger sister receives a diagnosis of LGMD, Bethel realizes that her dreams of marriage,and motherhood may be just that…dreams. So when Declan, awkwardly tries to gain her attention, she appears aloft and distant. Declan is an auctioneer with a wonderful yet somewhat corny sense of humor. Bethel fears that Declan’s humor is a sign of immaturity. With the genetic marker for LGMD , she desires suitor who can shoulder this burden. Meanwhile Declan has burdens of his own. This story poignantly reveals the pains and joys that faith filled people experience. It also highlights that God’s will can be exciting and scary simultaneously. Uncertainty is par for the course. Learning to rest in the Lord is a journey and Matters of the Heart expertly weaves a tale of what this looks like. Beautifully written with endearing characters, it’s a must read faith filled romance. #MattersoftheHeart #NetGalley.

Matters of the Heart is a romantic book on facing life’s struggles with faith in God. Growing up together in their Amish community, Bethel and Declan now feel their mutual attraction growing. Bethel is unsure of taking a risk as her family has a genetic disease that would potentially be passed on to future children. When Declan receives bad medical news, he too struggles with keeping his distance from Bethel. Their journey through their fears while trying to leave it in God’s hands was powerful. I really enjoyed this book! I received a digital copy of this book from NetGalley in trade for my honest opinion. My thoughts are my own.
YouTube Review: 07/31/24
YouTube Handle: KeenCat

Another beautiful book from #KellyIrvin with Christian ties, but not overwhelmingly so…

We are once again privy to some of the Amish culture, traditions, and daily life. This time with Bethel and Declan.

She works at a plant nursery, and helps with her many siblings, several who have a debilitating form of Muscular Dystrophy.

He works with his family as an auctioneer, and is very good at it! He’s also a comedian in his daily life.

Although he has feelings for Bethel, he doesn’t think she will ever be able to see past his corny, immature side…

On the other hand, she doesn’t think he deserves to be saddled to someone who has such terrible ties to this disease running in her family…

This is such a sweet, humble love that is painted and grows right before our eyes! The love exudes from each of the characters, and so you’ll feel that you have a special bond with each of them!

Beautiful, sweet, sad and heartbreaking all at once…but, so happy I was given the opportunity to review this one!

#MattersOfTheHeart by #KellyIrvin and beautifully narrated by #LaurenBerst.

Thanks to #NetGalley and #HarperCollinsChristianPublishing and #ZondervanFiction for an ARC of the audiobook which was released on 7/16/24…so you should be able to find it already!

4 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ for me!


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What a great story! Kelly Irvin captures every emotion in this one, from despair to hope and joy.

This one follows on the heels of The Heart's Bidding where auctioneer Toby Miller falls for Rachelle Lapp. Most of the characters are the same but this book follows the journey of 2nd brother Declan Miller who is also an auctioneer. Declan is known for being a jokester so when he seriously starts to pursue Bethel King, she thinks he's kidding. Both come from HUGE families, which are typical among the Amish. Bethel's family, however, is anything BUT typical as more than half of the children have something called Limb-Girdle Muscular Dystrophy, a super rare form of MD. Bethel feels that marriage for her is out of the question, as she will one day be called upon to care for her brothers and sisters who are afflicted with the disease. She's the oldest and one of two who are not afflicted. Her friendship with Declan Miller takes a bit of a turn, though, when Declan is hit with a diagnosis that threatens his livelihood as an auctioneer. Will his health challenge just add to Bethel's burden, or can they work together to make both of their burdens lighter?

Ms. Irvin does a great job telling about the unique challenges of something called The Founder Effect among the Amish. I'd heard of it often, and knew it was the reason behind so many "special children" in Amish homes. Focusing on a family with 7 children, 3 of whom present with the same disability, 2 of whom don't have it, and 2 of whom are too young to show signs yet, helped me see the gamut of emotions these families face.

I listened to the audio version of this book, but really wish I'd read the book instead. As someone whose father and grandparents spoke Penn Dutch as their first language, I was unbelievably distracted by the number of mispronunciations the narrator had in this book!!! Every time she pronounced buwe as "boo-we" instead of "boo-va" I cringed, and mentally fixed it. I wish they'd hire narrators who have a passing knowledge of the language, or are willing to ASK SOMEONE who speaks it how to pronounce each word they find.. Other than the language thing, the narrator did a great job, but wow did she ever butcher the "Deutsch!" For me, the narration knocked it down from 5 to 4 stars, but I'd give the book all 5!

A beautiful story of God’s love and resilience in the face of adversity. Many families in the Amish community are faced with various debilitating diseases. In this story they rely on God’s will to see them through. A wonderful audiobook.

Matters of the Heart
Kelly Irvin
Matters of the Heart is an Amish romance and so much more. This book deals with love, disabilities, and leaning on God. All children are a blessing from God to be cherished and loved.
Declan Miller and Bethel King have known each other since they were children. They are adults now and still attracted to each other, but life may be standing in their way.
Declan is an auctioneer, a jokester and now bad looking. Bethel is pretty, kind, loyal and has a great sense of responsibility. She works in a greenhouse and helps with her siblings.
Declan’s family own an auction company. From the time he was a child he wanted to be an auctioneer. He loved holding the microphone and teasing people into bidding. Naturally his voice was important. Trouble began with hoarseness and then a persistent cough. The diagnosis changed Declan’s world.
Bethel’s two brothers have muscular dystrophy and now one of her sisters is showing the symptoms. She thinks Declan is funny, good looking, hardworking and kind; any girl would be blessed by a marriage to him. However, she doesn’t see marriage in her future. The gene for muscular dystrophy brought a harsh reality to the King family. Bethel was loyal and nurturing, she was determined to take care of her siblings for the rest of their life. Marriage would be difficult with the future she has set for herself. Bethel is concerned she may have the gene that could pass the disease on to her children.
Both Declan and Bethel had forgotten something very important, they were not alone. The Amish community is willing and eager to help and God has a message for them and for all of us “rest in me.”
Thank you NetGalley for providing a copy of this book for review.

Loved listening to book 2 in this series and hearing Bethel and Declan's love story and having to overcome obstacles and heartache. I did feel a couple of the characters voices were very baby sounding but overall the narrator did a great job!

I love finding a unique approach to an Amish novel and this one is phenomenal! So much heart and angst and real life (and faith) struggles for both Bethel and Declan which kept me riveted.

Kelly Irvin gently explores hereditary conditions specific to the Amish with compassion and understanding. Bethel’s family carries a gene that can result in a rare form of muscular dystrophy. Three out of her six siblings are living with the condition and Bethel is dedicated to supporting their every need. She’s so wrapped up with daily logistics and worrying that she’s letting the chance at her own future pass her by.

She is, in fact, resigned to the fact that her life’s role is to be the carer for her siblings. Notice I said ‘the’ not ‘a’ because Bethel has fallen into the trap of thinking she’s the only one who can. She harbours a kind of false pride out of her need to be there for her family. She hasn’t forgotten that the Amish are all about community and sharing life’s difficulties, she just thinks that isn’t needed as long as she can do it all. And isn’t that so relatable no matter what kind of community we live in?!

By contrast, fun loving Declan seems to have it all. A family run business he loves and the freedom from responsibility that Bethel can only dream of. These two are exact opposites. He’s the extrovert to her introvert. The jokester to her serious demeanour. And yet, there’s every indication that there could be so much more if only Bethel could let go of some of her responsibilities and a whole lot of her worries.

But then Declan faces a health challenge of his own and — whoa — this story, their romance, spun in a completely different direction. Heartbreaking and tender but ultimately hopeful though there’s a lot of overcoming to be done before the last page. I appreciate the way the author portrayed their unique challenges through their faith journey. She explores the age old question of why God allows suffering as Bethel and Declan wrestle with untenable circumstances.

A beautifully crafted story that shines grace into the darkest corners of our lives.

I enjoyed listening to the audio book narrated by Lauren Berst. She did a wonderful job with these characters — especially Declan with his evolving situation. Her performance helped me feel my way through the story, rather than just listen to it.

My thanks to Thomas Nelson and Zondervan Fiction Audio and Net Galley for providing me with an audio copy of this book.

I loved this book. Two people struggling with their own illness issues fall in love and marry. Faith helps all.

Kelly Irvin does it again! Such a sweet yet raw story of two families combating life threatening health issues and their journey of faith through their trials. These types of stories can be hard to accomplish because illness and death can be hard subjects to tackle without making the reader depressed. However, the author does an amazing job of bringing the real and hard aspects of health challenges to the reader while intertwining a love story for the ages. The narrator is amazing, as well. Five star read!

Book Title: Matters of the Heart
Author: Kelly Irvin
Series: Amish Calling #2
Format: 🎧
Narrator: Lauren Berst
Publisher: Harper Collins Christian Publishing/Zondervan
Genre: Amish
Pub Date: July 16, 2024
My Rating: 4.Stars
Pages 368

This book features Amish families who have had some difficult health issues and physical handicaps which believe to be a result of the Amish closely intermarrying.
I have read many Amish stories and always enjoyed them. Typically the stories I read are mysteries; this one is a bit different for me. I have not read another that dealt with certain diseases that are prevalent among the Amish,
Author Kelly Irvin writes Amish romances and romantic suspense, so this is a bit different for her as well.

Declan Miller has always had feelings for Bethel King.
Bethel is attracted to Declan but Bethel has a big responsibility at home-two of her younger brothers have a rare form of muscular dystrophy, and her sister Claire is now showing signs of having it as well. Bethel has promised herself her siblings will always come first.

Story turned out better than expected. Love Declan ‘sit-down comic’ routine plus Bethel is sure one special lady. I sure was hoping for HEA

Want to thank HarperCollins Christina Publishing/Zondervan Fiction for this early audiobook.
Publishing Release Date scheduled for July 16, 2024.

One of the main focuses of this book is on the “special” children of the Amish community. Bethel has a couple siblings with a type of muscular dystrophy. She helps her parents take care of her siblings to the detriment of her own life and future. When Declan comes into her life and challenges her thoughts on her future, they have much to consider.

Declan has his own issues that make him wonder if he should pursue a woman. I enjoyed Declan’s humor. I felt he was a good foil to Bethel’s seriousness and I liked seeing her come to appreciate his humor and outlook on life. This book also has a strong message on trusting God and his will in times of suffering knowing He will help you. I appreciated that.

I listened to the audiobook and it was very easy to follow. It had a good reader with a nice voice. I’d recommend it.

Thank you to Zondervan for providing me with a free audio copy of this book. All opinions are my own.

I koved this narrators voice. It was so soothing but at the same time she felt so invested in the book. It was a very emotional book, with strong characters. I could feel what they went through. I understood their decisions. I highly recommend this book. Thank you to netgalley for letting me read this e arc in exchange for an honest opinion

4 Stars ✨

Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher, and author for granting me an audio ARC in return for my honest review.

“ In order to keep me from becoming conceited, I was given a thorn in my flesh, a messenger of Satan, to torment me. Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me. But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.”
‭‭2 Corinthians‬ ‭12‬:‭7‬-‭10‬

Audio Version 🎧
Narrator 5/5

Declan Miller is an auctioneer and the community jokester. Bethel is a caregiver for her siblings who have special needs. They suffer from muscular dystrophy. She would love nothing more than to fall in love and become a wife and mother, but she can’t see ever leaving her parents to handle her siblings on their own. Declan has a secret health issue of his own, but that doesn’t stop him from pursuing and trying to change Bethels mind on courtship. Can they both overcome their fears enough to make it work?

Matters of the Heart definitely lived up to its name. This book made me so emotional, it was a hard read -but also so good. It was a book about patience, letting go of fear, and trusting in God. Also, learning how to rest in his peace. I loved Declan and his cheesy personality. He went through a lot and always seemed to try his best to hold on to his joy. Bethel had the best heart, and I loved the conversations she had with herself and God about her struggles and the fairness of it all. The faith content was beautifully crafted and I really enjoyed it. I closed this book with admiration and a thankful heart. It made me think and to be grateful for all the things (good and bad) that God allows me to go through. Each trial is just another notch in the belt of becoming stronger, the more we learn to lean on him and not ourselves. He truly is stronger in our weakness. Would recommend!!