AMISH? REALLY? WHO WOULD HAVE EVER GUESSED.

Title: The Beekeeper’s Son

Author: Kelly Irivn

Publisher: Zondervan (January 12, 2015)

Pages: 352

WOW! I freely admit that I am not a fan of Amish fiction. I also admit that I have not read many Amish books, nor many authors that write Amish fiction. What I can admit is how blown away I am with THE BEEKEEPER’S SON by KELLY IRVIN.

Upon receiving a copy of THE BEEKEEPER’S SON, I tossed in my pile of books in need to read and reviewed, not giving it much thought. Truth be told, at a glance I read the title as The Bookkeeper’s Son. Once it reached the top of my stack, it was then that I realized the true title. Suddenly my interest peeked.

THE BEEKEEPER’S SON is not the first I've read by KELLY IRVIN. I am not one for suspense or mystery, so once I read one of MS IRVIN’S stories that was in the genre I so love, I started to realize I might just become a fan of Amish fiction after all.

Deborah Lantz is not happy about the move she and her family is force to endure, all for the sake for her mother to remarry. Remarry a man who is nothing like Deborah’s deceased father.

Phineas King has scars. The ones on the inside are no less destructive to his life as the ones on the outside. Upon bumping into the new girl, he is not surprised at her response to his appearance. After all, it wasn't something he hasn't dealt with for the past twelve years.

Deborah’s mother, Abigail, may have come to Texas to marry a man she once turned down, and Deborah with every intention to leave Bee County as soon as possible, but it seems God has His own plan.

I found it most helpful to have a list of Amish vs English words to refer to, as well as a reference to the characters names grouped with family members. I appreciated that the Amish words were kept to a minimum. If not done so, for me, it makes for a difficult read.

This amazingly unique telling of Beauty and the Beast surpassed any hopes I had for Amish fiction. I LOVE the main characters. At first, I was not interested in Deborah’s mother’s situation, but before long, I found myself just as intrigued with Abigail and Mordecai as I was Deborah and Phineas.

I truly loved everything about THE BEEKEEPER’S SON. MS IRVIN is an amazing storyteller and writer. I cannot believe I am stating this, but THE BEEKEEPER’S SON has earned a place of one of my favorite novels. Never would I have imaged that to be true of an Amish story.

I urge anyone who is a reader of Christian romance, whether historical or contemporary, to give this amazing book a try, even if you never pictured yourself reading an Amish novel. You won’t be sorry you did.