The Amish Midwife's Secret

Kyle Miller, who recently became a doctor, receives an unusual request from an old friend and doctor in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania. He agrees to extend a small favor. However, he never expected to be butting heads with the highly opinionated and noncertified Amish midwife, Leah Stoltzfus. The two clash over the use of modern medicine versus herbal remedies and both are thankful he'll only be there a short time.

I enjoyed Rachel J. Good's latest story, The Amish Midwife's Secret. The story was well-paced and kept you turning the pages. Often, I guess a story's ending long before I get there. However, there were so many interesting twists to this tale that I didn't even try to guess the ending.

Good's focus on the difficult aspects of life is compassionate and thoughtful. Her characters struggle with making hard decisions, facing shocking truths and accepting losses. I also appreciated the faith theme running throughout the book.

The Amish Midwife's Secret is the second in the Love and Promises series, but it can be read as a standalone.

I received the book from NetGalley and Celebrate Lit. However, I was under no obligation to post a review.

The Amish Midwife's Secret by Rachel Good takes us to Lancaster County, Pennsylvania. Dr. Kyle Miller is surprised when he receives a call from Dr. Martin Hess who is the local physician in his hometown. Dr. Hess is ready to retire, and he is offering his practice to Kyle. After what happened, Kyle is not sure he can face returning home. Leah Stolzfus is a midwife in training plus she is knowledgeable about herbal remedies from working in her families' herbal shop. Kyle agrees to shadow Dr. Hess for three days, but he did not expect to butt heads to pretty Leah. Dealing with the past is overwhelming and Kyle is going to turn down Dr. Hess' offer. But when Dr. Hess has a heart attack and needs someone to cover his practice, Kyle cannot say no. Leah fills in for Esther Hess as nurse/receptionist. She thrives in her new role in the doctor's office and begins falling for handsome doctor. Leah is not willing to give up her family and faith for love until she falls in love with abandoned baby and Kyle is not willing to become Amish. Can Kyle and Leah compromise for the sake of the child?

The Amish Midwife's Secret can be read alone if you have not read The Amish Teacher's Gift. Kyle Miller is reluctant to return home because of an incident that changed his life. We learn what happened with Kyle as the story progresses. It is a sad story that is dealt with delicately. It is a wonderful opportunity for him, though, to obtain a doctor's established practice plus a home. Leah Stolzfus is Amish, takes care of her sick mother, works in the family herbal supply store, and is training to be a midwife. However, Leah cannot become certified as a midwife because the Amish do not allow it (I do not understand the concept). There is drama in the Stolzfus family courtesy of Leah's brother who jumped the fence and the father has been unable to forgive him. We see how this has affected the family and how they deal with the situation. Leah also has a secret and is afraid to share it with Kyle. I thought The Amish Midwife's Secret was well-written and engaging. It has steady pacing which makes the story easy to read and enjoy. I like the characters, the setting and the issues addressed. We see how modern medicine can be balanced with herbal medicines if people are willing to work together for the good of their patients. I appreciated that the characters developed over the course of the story. Christian elements include forgiveness of others as well as yourself (harder to accomplish), prayer, having faith, and God's will. I thought the Christian aspects were nicely incorporated into the story. Everything flowed together into one lovely story. It was interesting to learn about the different herbs and the symptoms/illnesses they can treat. The pair also visit the Clinic for Special Children that has been established (it is a real place) to research, prevent and treat the inherited diseases by Amish and Mennonite. The Amish Midwife's Secret combines romance, mystery, drama, and faith into one engaging tale.