"With All Her Heart" by Kelly Irvin is a sweet Amish romance. Bonnie was diagnosed with Spinal Muscular atrophy as a young child and uses a rollator to get around. Her, along with 3 other friends who have disabilities in her Amish community run a store that caters to selling Amish made goods by disabled individuals in their community to tourists.

Bonnie struggles with coming to terms with her condition and it has impacted her thoughts on life, marriage and having kids though her doctor says she can still have children despite her condition. She knows her condition is progressive and will be a major factor in any relationship she forms. Her school friend Elijah suffers from crippling anxiety and even has an emotional support animal that goes everywhere with him. He's dealing with the expectations his father has for him to enter the family auctioneering business - something he just isn't able to come to terms with due to his anxiety.

Bonnie's mother, who is a widow also has her own chance at romance in this book. It was great to see a 50 year old woman's romantic journey being written about since so many stories revolve around younger individuals and their romances.

This sweet story does a great job of showing how disabilities are looked at in the Amish community. It touches on the "founder effect" in which due to the small gene pool in many Amish communities, there is a higher incidence of children being born with various disabling medical conditions. It is great to see that they are valued as gifts from God in most cases, but in others, they can also be looked down upon. The disability representation in this book is strong and multiple types of medical conditions are mentioned in this book.

There are also very strong faith themes which go throughout the book. The characters pray, encourage one another's faith and talk openly about God's will for their lives. This is a Christian fiction book, like most Amish fiction so readers should expect to see the faith themes throughout. The faith is well done and was encouraging to me as a reader to see.

I would recommend this book to anyone ages 16+. There is some kissing, but it sticks to just that and nothing else. Marriage, loss of spouse and worries about caring for children for disabled individuals are themes throughout, however it is tastefully done and done in a very caring, compassionate manor.

Thank you to Thomas Nelson and Zondervan Fiction Audio for the opportunity to listen to an ARC of this book. All opinions expressed are my own.

Kelly Irvin does it again! This is the third in the Amish Calling series and once again takes on one of the toughest of topics, disabilities. As a mother to several children with various special needs, this book was a powerful story of challenge and triumph. The romance woven between every day life with SMA and extreme shyness was sweet and raw. This was a sweet and lovely read that had me looking forward to each evenings reading time and left me so encouraged at the end.

With All Her Heart is a great Amish romance! I truly enjoyed getting into this world once again. This series highlights genetic diseases that occur in Amish communities due to a smaller genetic pool when having children. Bonnie is a gift store worker who has a physical disability that has left her wary of people helping her. Elijah crafts wooden toys to sell in her shop. He suffers from social anxiety and finds it difficult to talk to Bonnie despite his attraction to her. Their growing friendship and romance was really sweet. I also liked that at the same time Bonnie’s mother is trying to open herself up to love again. I would recommend this series if you like Amish reads! I received a digital copy of this book from NetGalley in trade for my honest opinion. My thoughts are my own.
YouTube Handle: KeenCat

Kelly Irvin’s third book in the Amish Calling series is a heartwarming tale of love and acceptance. The series begins with an insightful Author’s Note that delves into the concept of the “founder effect,” a phenomenon experienced by some Plain families due to a limited gene pool. Despite this, these families firmly believe that every child, regardless of disability, is cherished and considered special.

The story follows Bonnie Yoder, a co-owner of a successful gift shop with two other disabled Amish women. While Bonnie has managed her disability well and achieved success in her business, she has never imagined marriage or children in her future.

Elijah Miller, on the other hand, comes from a family of auctioneers but struggles with shyness, making it unlikely that he will follow in his father’s footsteps. Instead, he finds solace and passion in creating wooden toys from carvings. He has been working in a workshop behind his family’s home and dreams of turning his hobby into a business and eventually having his own family.

Elijah and Bonnie strike a deal for him to sell his wooden carvings at her gift shop. As they spend time together, they realize that there’s a deeper connection between them despite the challenges they face. Elijah’s shyness just might hold him back. And Bonnie struggles with the idea of being a good Plain wife and mother due to her disability. In fact, she finds it impossible to imagine.

While it is clear that there is a strong connection between Elijah and Bonnie, the couple struggle to find a way that will bring them both happiness. This book is a story of love and acceptance that celebrates the happiness of even less-than-perfect protagonists. The author’s sensitivity in portraying these characters’ struggles and their eventual happy endings is truly commendable.

While the main focus of the story is on Elijah and Bonnie’s love story, there’s also a delightful secondary love story that adds to the overall charm of the narrative. Additionally, I must mention the profound love and care shown by the Plain community towards disabled individuals and children in their midst. It’s a testament to the values and beliefs that reinforces their society’s ways.

Many thanks to Zondervan Fiction and to NetGalley for this ARC for review. This is my honest opinion.

A completely different genre from my usual usual choices of psychological thriller or police procedural , but I have read a couple of novels that involved Amish protagonists and find myself interested in their lifestyle .
This book was a refreshing change, people who live their lives with God at the forefront of everything they do, even when life is complicated and decisions are not clear cut or easy to make, there is no violence , no swearing , no high octane cliffhangers yet this book keep me listening , desperate to find out what happened to all the character's.
The relationship between Bonnie and her mother was equally as engaging as the romantic relationship between Bonnie and Elijah . All of the characters are interesting and well drawn and the descriptions of some of the foods were very tempting , so much so that I looked up a couple of recipes .

I really enjoyed listening to this book, the narrator did an excellent job and I will look out for more books in this series .