Shelter in the Storm Book Review

About the Book

In this moving Amish romance, two broken hearts find hope in each other after a terrible loss.

Unspeakable tragedy strikes the Amish hamlet of Johns Mill when an unstable Englischer opens fire in the Hochstedler’s General Store. In the aftermath, and under the media’s spotlight, Joseph Hochstedler struggles to hold his shattered family together, drawing unexpected comfort from a faithful childhood friend.

Born with a serious heart defect, optimist Naomi Schrock has always longed to live a life of service. She rolls up her sleeves, determined to help Joseph cope with this terrible crisis. But dare she hope that his friendship will finally deepen into love?

As the media’s obsession with the Hochstedler shooting escalates, Joseph and Naomi find themselves caught between tradition and compromise, lingering sorrows and uncertain hopes. And in the end, two people who’ve already lost far too much must find the courage to trust their hearts one last time.

My Thoughts

I have seen this book everywhere over the past few months (kudos to this author and her marketing team), and was honored to be asked by the author to review a copy. Little did I know how much I would enjoy a book that could be taken straight from Amish community headlines over the past few years. The book blurb tells enough of the plot on its own, and I definitely do not want to spoil anything by revealing too much.

Joseph and Naomi’s chemistry was evident from their first interaction. Naomi’s health has always been fragile, largely due to a heart issue. Because of this, everyone treats her like a doll, allowing her to contribute little to her family and community which the Amish do as easily as breathing. Joseph was the only one who saw past this and treated her as a person, not an illness. Naomi’s torch burned for Joseph for years, only he had no idea, and when they finally have a chance to become more than friends, he saw what he’d been missing all along.

Joseph’s portion of the story was heartbreaking for more than one reason. Due to his parents’ sudden death, he became responsible for all of his siblings and their family’s farm. One sibling in particular gave him more trouble than he bargained for as he tried to seek justice for the wrong done to their parents. Joseph felt responsible to try and fix everything, but some doors were best left closed which he slowly began to realize.

This was one of the grittier Amish storylines I’ve read, so hold on to your hats when you start reading! Even though it was published by a general market publisher, this author did not shy away from presenting God as real and present in the lives of her characters, and for that, I say “bravo.”

5 Stars

**Many thanks to the author for providing a copy for review.

**Jewelry is definitely coming for this book! You should see how many sticky notes I have sticking out of the pages of the books – it is brimming with ideas! 🙂