Member Reviews

Oh, what a wonderful book this was. I have really enjoyed Kelly Irvin’s series about characters dealing with different disabilities. And this book does not disappoint.

The story centers around the extremely shy Elijah Miller who is desperate not to be a part of his auctioneering family’s business. Elijah is gifted at woodworking and creating beautiful toys and children’s furniture. He would like to be able to sell his work and have his own business. His family does not understand his shyness and why he gets painfully tongue-tied in front of most people.

Bonnie Yoder and her mother have been struggling since the death of Bonnie’s beloved father. Bonnie also has a terrible degenerative, crippling disease that will ultimately put her in a wheelchair. She has fought her diagnosis for years and has opened a successful gift shop with two other disabled women. Bonnie and Elijah attended school together and she often stuck up for him when they were kids. When Elijah shows up at her shop, she is pleased with his work, and despite his awkwardness, contracts with him for more pieces. She finds herself attracted to him but shuts down any possibility of interest since she sees herself as someone who will have to spend her life alone as a result of her disability. Elijah finds her pretty and has always liked her. She is one of the few people he can stammer out a few words with.

In the meantime, Bonnie’s widowed mother Jocelyn has been in a deep hole unable to move past her grief. That is until the hired hand, widower Theo comes into the picture. He too, had lost his wife a year before and is trying to start his life over.

Kelly Irvin takes the reader on a double journey through both of these love stories. Questions hover about how God could have allowed such hardships, and how people deal with such insurmountable problems. God’s grace and forgiveness echo from the pages. Both Bonnie and her mother have to learn to deal with their pride and determination to do everything themselves. Elijah has to face his issues and his family and discover what God truly wants for him. Theo, too, has to find forgiveness from his son. These are weighty problems that can cause heart-wrenching decisions, but the story moves sweetly through the obstacles to get to an HEA. I do like that Kelly Irvin does not try to put a happy face on the very real circumstances the characters face, and I love that the story emphasizes that people with serious issues can and do find love and fulfilling lives. It was a wonderful and compelling read and I highly recommend it.

I received an advance reader copy of this book for free and I am voluntarily leaving my honest review.

Was this review helpful?

A heart warming story of two Amish friends who are both carriers of a rare genetic disorder called Limb-Girdle Muscular Dystrophy, very prevalent in Northern Indiana Amish. Both Declan Miller and Bethel King have younger siblings with this disorder. Bethel feels her obligation is to her family, helping with daily care and chores to ease the burden placed upon her family. Declan dreams of having his own Auction Calling service, a family and possible future with Bethel. When he gets his own health scare, both Declan and Bethel feel their futures are never to be had. Their friendship is deep and both must overcome the uncertainty of the what if's in life. The Author did a wonderful job of putting you in the charactor and hearing the voices of their plea for help.
I received a complimentary advanced copy of this book. Opins expressed in this review are completely my own.

Was this review helpful?

As always I love this authors books. This was amazing!
I finished in one evening it was so good.
Bonnie is such a wonderful character but so stubborn! That's why she's my favorite person. Her mamm is too. It never hurts to ask for help but on the side note I do understand a lot! No one wants to be beholden to anyone.
Elijah made me shake my head at times too. Even made me grin sometimes.
Bonnie and Elihah are opposites. I really loved them both.
Faith, Hope, and love are depicted a lot in this story which is another reason I loved it so much. It gives the reader hope when they read these wonderful books.
The Lord does have a way with perfect timing doesn't He?
5 stars.for keeping me engaged. I loved every minute of it. I highly recommend. You will learn much.
My thanks for a copy of this book. I was NOT required to write a positive review. All opinions expressed are mine.
I learned a lot about SMA.
I'm so proud of these three young ladies who works hard to not or try not to think about their disabilities.

Was this review helpful?

Such a sweet story! I love how the three young ladies overcome so many obstacles and run their own store. The relationship between Elijah and Slowpoke is so sweet!!! I thought Theo was such a fun character and one I wished to hear more about. The authors telling of these stories with the challenges faced by the characters was insightful and memorable.

Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for the arc. The opinions are my own.

Was this review helpful?

This is book three of the series and so far my favorite. The Miller family own a auction busy started by their grandfather. Each Miller boy has loved following in the family busy, except for Elijah, he's never had a passion for it like his brothers and dad, he enjoys working with wood making toys. He finally gets the nerve to go to the local shop in town and show his work and ask to sell his toys. Bonnie is part owner with two of her friends, all three girls have disabilities but have learned to make it work. When Elijah goes in to talk with Bonnie things don't go exactly as he hoped. This is a really good book of faith, love and acceptance. I really enjoyed it.
I was given this book by Netgalley but not required to leave a review. .

Was this review helpful?

I have loved getting to know the families in this wonderful series and I was delighted to find out I could learn more about Elijah Miller, another of the Miller boys. In addition to keeping tabs on the Miller boys I've already grown to love, we get to know better three more friends in the community, Bonnie, Carol and Sophia. I love how the author brings in their disabilities in such a natural way and shows how people can lead productive and happy lives despite some physical limitations. Once again, this author knocked it out of the ballpark. Her characters always come to life for me and I want to be part of this amazing community of friends and family.

I received a copy of this book from Netgalley and did not have to write a review. All opinions are solely mine.

Was this review helpful?

I always enjoy this author’s books and With all Her Heart was no exception. Beautifully written with a good plot and characters you will love. My thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for my advance ebook. This is my unbiased review.

Was this review helpful?

Another great book in this series! The Miller sons are all so different and have their challenges to overcome, but they learn to rely on God for help. I love that the main focus is the genetic disabilities as a result of the Amish closely intermarrying. I knew that certain diseases are prevalent among the Amish, but few fiction books mention it, preferring the romanticized version of this simple lifestyle. But I appreciated the author addressing it head on in a very respectful way. The characters in this book view all life as a blessing. It is an attitude we should also aspire to.
The dialogue throughout the series has been choppy, but this book was better. There were still times I was not sure which character was speaking, which made the conversation difficult to follow sometimes.
Overall, I enjoyed this book and read through it in a couple of days. For a refreshingly honest trip to Amish country, I recommend it. You do not have to read the other 2 books first, but it is helpful to get the background before reading book 3. I would love to see more in this series.
*I received a complimentary copy of this e-book from NetGalley and Zondervan Fiction. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Was this review helpful?

"I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own."


Did you know that because of intermarrying unintentionally that the Amish and Mennonites have an increase in their population of mental and physical birth defects ?
This story tells how Bonnie one of those people with a birth defect of SMA, which affected her ability to walk normally, her arm strength and her ability to do the physically demanding tasks all Amishwomen excelled in meets shy Elijah, a young man who creates beautiful toys and furniture for children.
Bonnie co owns a store that employs other handicapped women and sells handcrafts made by her and others and she never expected to meet someone who would not be overwhelmed by her limitations, so when Elijah who can hardly talk without stuttering shows an interest in her - she can't believe she is worthy.
Elijah has his own battles, you will enjoy their story.

Was this review helpful?

There is something incredibly uplifting about reading an Amish romance. I never imagined how much I would enjoy them until recently. 𝗪𝗜𝗧𝗛 𝗔𝗟𝗟 𝗛𝗘𝗥 𝗛𝗘𝗔𝗥𝗧 is the third book in Kelly Irvin’s 𝗔𝗺𝗶𝘀𝗵 𝗖𝗮𝗹𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗴𝘀 series and was a truly special story. The thing I enjoyed most about this book was the incredible challenges the characters face and overcome. It’s a reminder to all of us to count our blessings and enjoy them. I savoured watching Bonnie and Elijah come together despite all the odds and find a healing kind of love. It made for an unputdownable read. I highly recommend this book and am giving it the judy.ann.loves.books stamp of approval, TBR and Enjoy!

Was this review helpful?