In a world where every detail of life—down
to the width of a hat brim—is dictated by God and the all-powerful rules of the
community, two men dare to imagine a different way. At 18, Isaac Byler knows
little outside the strict Amish settlement of Zebulon, Minnesota, where there
is no rumspringa for exploration beyond the boundaries of their insular world.
Isaac knows he’ll have to officially join the church and find a wife before too
long, but he yearns for something else—something he can’t name.
Dark tragedy has left carpenter David Lantz alone to support his mother and sisters, and he can’t put off joining the church any longer. But when he takes on Isaac as an apprentice, their attraction grows amid the sweat and sawdust. David shares his sinful secrets, and he and Isaac struggle to reconcile their shocking desires with their commitment to faith, family and community.
Now that they’ve found each other, are they willing to lose it all?
Dark tragedy has left carpenter David Lantz alone to support his mother and sisters, and he can’t put off joining the church any longer. But when he takes on Isaac as an apprentice, their attraction grows amid the sweat and sawdust. David shares his sinful secrets, and he and Isaac struggle to reconcile their shocking desires with their commitment to faith, family and community.
Now that they’ve found each other, are they willing to lose it all?
Kay's Review
There are some books that grab you and keep you enthralled, making you turn the pages feverishly to see what happens next while also part hoping the story doesn't end. This is one of those books.
I have to admit I knew very little about the Amish lifestyle before I read this book. The author sets up the landscape very well. The detailing is astonishing and I have to give the author kudos for excellent research. Rather than sensationalism, this story is written from a perspective of respect for the Amish life.
I really connected with Isaac and the other young characters as they struggled to find themselves among the restrictive lifestyle and rigid rules laid out by their elders. I found myself asking: what would life be like if I wasn't able to ask questions, to learn knew things outside of the scope of my immediate community? To obey laws dictated by others unquestioningly. I knew I couldn't live like that and I really struggled to see how anyone else could.
And all these problems are magnified for Isaac and David, because not only do they have to live a restricted life but they are also having to come to terms with their love for each other among people who will never accept their love for each other. As I read this I was at the edge of my seat wondering how this was all going to be resolved. How could they ever make things work with so many things against them. Most of all, their own personal beliefs.
I wish I could tell you there was a satisfactory conclusion to this story. There isn't, yet. This book ends in a happy-for-now cliff-hanger of sorts and the next part of the story isn't out till 2015.
Overall, this is one great book. The conflict is heart-tugging and spot on, the chemistry between Isaac and David is off the charts and the writing voice is fabulous. Don't be fooled by the Amish setting. This is erotic romance. I just wished the final part is available now. Any how, this is highly recommended.
Disclaimer: The reviewer owns a copy of this book and bought a copy from here.
Find
out in A Forbidden Rumspringa!
Available now at:
Smashwords:
https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/470302
It was cool and cloudy, but sweat
prickled down Isaac’s spine. He straddled a thick joist near David, each of
them working silently on the frame, although Isaac gnawed his lip to keep from
rambling nonsense. Why he was nervous he had no idea. It was probably the
distance to the ground below.
He glanced up beneath the brim of his
straw hat. A few feet away on the other side of a post, David’s head was bowed
as he hammered, his hat covering his thick dark hair and the brim obscuring his
face as he bent to his work.
Isaac’s gaze roamed. The black material
of David’s pants stretched over his powerful thighs, and his forearms were
muscular where he’d rolled up the sleeves of his gray shirt. Dark hair
sprinkled his arms, and Isaac was gripped with the bizarre urge to sweep his
hand over David’s bare skin. His breath stuttered.
In an instant David’s head was up, his
light blue eyes fixed on Isaac. He was clean shaven since he wasn’t following
church yet, and his lips were full, and—
“I was just—” Isaac waved his arm,
tearing his gaze away from David’s mouth. His stomach dropped as he veered
dangerously off balance, still holding the hammer and nails. He yelped, but
then David had him, clutching Isaac’s shoulder with one hand and his knee with
the other. Nerves jumping, Isaac tried to smile. The calluses on David’s
fingers pressed against the base of his neck.
Isaac managed to croak out a word.
“Thanks.”
David didn’t let go. “Keep the nails in
your pocket and pull out one at a time. That way you can drop it if you need to
and it’s not likely to hit anyone down below.”
“Right. Good idea.” He nodded vigorously.
David still held him and Isaac felt as though his shoulder and knee were ablaze
even though it didn’t hurt at all. “How did you do that so fast?” He nodded to
David’s hammer neatly hooked onto the waist of his pants, where it had been in
his hand only moments ago.
David’s lips lifted into a smile and a
dimple appeared in his cheek. “Practice. Sure you’re okay?” He rubbed Isaac’s
knee.
Sticky desire spread through Isaac, and
he prayed he wouldn’t humiliate himself by tenting his pants. Lord, what was
wrong with him? He breathed deeply, tearing his gaze away from those pale eyes
as he shifted back on the joist and out of David’s grasp. “I’m fine!” He laughed
like a braying donkey. After a few long breaths, he glanced back up.
David still watched him, but now there
was something new in his gaze—a strange and wonderful shine that made Isaac
feel unbearably hot all over. He couldn’t look away, and the moment stretched
out, silence between them, and the sounds of work and men all around fading
into the damp spring air.
Isaac licked his dry lips, and David
jerked his head down again, his face hidden and his chest rising and falling
rapidly. He plucked his hammer from his pants, and didn’t say another word as
he went back to work.
Isaac realized he was clenching the nails
in his left hand so tightly they’d almost cut into his palm. His fingers
trembled as he tucked all but one into his pocket.
~
No comments:
Post a Comment
I love your comments. Leave me a comment and I'll return the visit shortly. Enjoy your day
Note: only a member of this blog may post a comment.