A Dream of Home - eBook

About this book:

When she moves to Amish country to find peace and healing, Madeleine finds a special community and a special man who pull her out of her solitude into a new life.

Moving to Pennsylvania wasnt in Madeleine s original plans. She should still be in California and should have married her pilot fianc a year ago but death has a way of changing everything. Now the former Air Force flight nurse is living alone in Paradise, Pennsylvania, and working as a maid at the Lancaster Grand Hotel. She isnt exactly a widow . . . but she sure feels like one.

Saul Beiler isnt exactly a widower . . . but his wife is long gone. His eleven-year-old daughter, Emma, doesnt know that her mother fled the Amish community and married another manbut she does know that her dat is lonely, and that a pretty young maedel just moved in next door. Madelines numb heart begins to thaw as she spends more time with the innocent and ever optimistic Emma. The stronger her friendship grows with the young girl, the more intrigued Madeline grows about the humble, strong, man raising her on his own.

But even as a strange attraction pulls Saul and Madeleine across a stark cultural divide, theyand everybody around themhave to wonder: What could they possibly have in common besides heartache? Will love allow Madeleine to finally find the home she s been dreaming of all along?

Series: Book three in the Hearts of The Lancaster Grand Hotel. (To completely understand this novel, its best to read in order.) {Book #1, A Hopeful Heart, I have read and reviewed (with the old rating system), but looks like Ive never posted itHmmm, Book #2s, A Mothers Secret, review is Here!}

Spiritual Content- Prayers & mentions of Prayers; Bible reading; Hs are capital when referring about God; Church going; Scriptures are quoted; When her fianc dies, Madeleines faith was shaken; Talks about God & His plans for us.

Negative Content- Minor cussing including: a stupid and a wimpy; Madeleine was an air force nurse & theres some nightmares over what she saw (boarder-line barely-above-not-detailed to semi-detailed); *Spoiler*(view spoiler)*End of Spoiler*

Sexual Content- Kisses on the forehead & cheek; A touch touches that cause warmth; a mention that Carolyn wasnt married when she had her son (which is a part of A Mothers Secret); Madeleine never knew her father; Love, falling in love, & the emotions.

-Madeleine Miller

-Saul Beiler

P.O.V. switches between them, Carolyn, Hannah, Lillian, Trey, Amanda & Emma

302 pages

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Pre Teens- One Star

New Teens- Two Stars

Early High School Teens- Three Stars

Older High School Teens- Four Stars

My personal Rating- Four Stars

Ahhh. Miss Amy Clipstons books just get better and better! A Dream of Home has really lead up to A Simple Prayer (coming April 2015), which I just cant wait to read! I also love how Madeleines name is spelt! Thats all I can say for risk of spoilers! ;)

*BFCG may (Read the review to see) recommend this book by this author. It does not mean I recommend all the books by this author.

*I received this book for free from the Publisher (Zondervan) for this review.

After absolutely loving the second book in the Hearts of the Lancaster Grand Hotel series, I was excited to read A Dream of Home (Hearts of the Lancaster Grand Hotel Book 3). I was instantly pulled into this story and kept wanting to read it.

One thing that really stood out to me as I read this book was the way the characters came to life. I felt like these characters were real and I was transported into their world. I felt the struggle for Madeleine as she wanted to befriend Emma and the relationship between them. I also felt the heartache between Lillian and Hannah. I think Amy did a great job brining these characters to life for me.

Since I loved the second book in the series with Josh and Carolyn, I was excited to read more about them in this book as well. I like how characters from earlier books showed up in this book as it gave me the chance to catchup with them. This has also helped me come to enjoy a few characters I had not previously really cared for.

This story ends on a cliffhanger and Im now ready for the next book in the series, A Simple Prayer. I think it is the last in this series. I think it will be sad to leave the characters I have come to know, but I at least have A Simple Prayer to look forward to first!

*I received a free copy of this product to facilitate this post.

Amy Clipston has been an author that I always enjoy. I keep track of when she has her new books coming out because I certainly don't want to miss a single one. She does a wonderful job moving the story along at a good pace, engaging the reader with just the right amount of detail, and using characters that are real and easy to relate to.

Madeline and Emma's relationship are probably one of my favorites. I understand why Saul might be a little cautious in letting Emma develop a close relationship with Madeline, but I'm glad that he finally relented. After all, she had so much that she could share with her. Both Madeline and Saul have faced major heartbreak and have had to grieve in their own ways. Moving on isn't easy for either of them, nor should it be. Despite never having been in their shoes, I felt like I was walking through these difficult trials with them.

Having read the previous books, I appreciated seeing some old faces and getting new updates on how they are doing. However, don't be deterred if you've missed the first two books in this series. You will easily be able to read this book and not feel as though you are missing out on anything.

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I received this book free from Thomas Nelson Publishers in exchange for my honest opinion of this book.

A Dream of Home by Amy Clipston is a well written story line and touches your heart. This is the third book in the series but any of the books can be read as a stand alone.

Madeleine didn't plan to move to Pennslvania but when her fianc died she moved to the home her grandmother had left her. She knew before going that her grandmother was Amish and spent many summers with her. Even though she was an Air Force flight nurse she finds a job working as a maid in a hotel.

Her neighbor, Saul and his daughter Emma are her closest neighbors. She hears through the Amish grapevine that his wife had left him, divorced him and remarried. She enjoys Emma's company and can understand why Saul doesn't want her to spend time with her. However, she enjoys teaching Emma how to cook, gives her grandmother's favorite recipe book to Emma to help her with her cooking. There are so many things that causes tension between the two, one that Emma finds reason to go see Madeleine and always with a good excuse.

The friendships that Madeleine makes are mostly with the Amish. She loves the peace and quiet after being a flight nurse. As she settles into her new home she hires Saul to do some of the repairs and to build new kitchen cabinets.

I've been reading Amy Clipston's books for 2-3 years now and I haven't found one that I've been disappointed in. No one has asked me to review this book. I bought this book, enjoyed it so much that I wanted to do a review and share it with others that enjoy a good Christian romance.

Amy will tug at your heart strings, make the characters seem real and her own faith comes through in her writing. Highly recommend any of Amy's books to you.

The story continues for the women working at the Grand Hotel. Madeline has been dealt a blow with the death of her fianc. Moving into her grandparents Amish house seems to be helping her come to grips with her life. Soon her Amish neighbor Saul and his daughter Emma start to steal a part of her heart but things prove complicated. Can love find a way with all the challenges it will face?

What I like: I have read a few books that had a storyline that had someone possibly converting to the Amish faith. This story came across with a real feel to it. Madeline was searching for a way back to God after the death of her fianc and even though she enjoyed Sauls company her search was for her. She had to find what God wanted for her. I liked how this book went about that. Saul was also dealing with the abandonment of his wife and raising his daughter Emma. The issues they faced were real and kept me interested.

What I did not like: Of the three books of the series so far I liked this one the most. I am still not liking the Hannah sub plot still being carried over from the first book but it did not bother me as much in this book.

Overall this was a good book. I also like how the books are very much tied together and Im looking forward to the 4th book due out next year as the three books seem to be leading up to what is about to happen and I am curious to see how it will all play out. Due to how intertwined these books are I suggest starting from book 1 and reading the whole series.