Talk about caring for relatives! Hannah Lambright already cares for her great-grandmother and now a baby girl under two years is dumped at her door. To complicate matters, Hannah's father has left a note claiming that the girl Shelby is Hannah's sister; oh, and she looks to have a learning disability. AN AMISH REUNION of a different sort comes about when handsome lad Daniel Stoltzfus offers to help Hannah.

Daniel walked out with Hannah a few years previously, but her father jumped the fence - went to live in the outsideworld after his wife's death. When Daniel, in turn, decided he didn't want to get serious with the lovely girl, but would prefer to build up his own business first, Hannah believed she could not rely on any man. She's busy working as a beekeeper and caring for family, and that has been enough for her.

Never having had siblings, she's not easy about raising a little girl. And she's pretty sure it's a crime to abandon a baby anyway. Chalk up one more for unreliable men. Daniel's working as a builder and he's got a contract to restore a nearby bridge for traffic. He thinks maybe God sees this as a way to bring them closer.

I enjoyed reading about Hannah's obvious capability with and care for her bees. I also liked Daniel's professional attitude and determination to build with plain tools, not modern ones, as a demonstration to customers. As Daniel is from a large family he's well versed in caring for children, and he seems good-natured. But the two of them have a lot to learn about caring for little Shelby, while grandmama's not always in her right mind. Life seems full of challenges.

This is fourth in a series called Amish Hearts and I enjoyed the read, full of characters and lively scenes. Particularly nice is a dance and supper at the firehouse, attended by the whole community of Paradise Springs, Amish, Mennonite and English alike. The dramatic finish underlines the necessity of accepting aid which is kindly meant. As author Jo Ann Brown tells us, we can't do everything by ourselves. AN AMISH REUNION will be enjoyed by romantics who like a good family-oriented story, whether they have read Amish tales before or not.

Book Summary

Amish Family Ties 

Hannah Lambright becomes an instant mother when her estranged father abandons his toddler daughter on her doorstep. The pretty beekeeper knows all about honey—and nothing about tending to a kinder, especially one with special needs. She's grateful to Daniel Stoltzfus for offering to help care for her sister in exchange for Hannah's beekeeping skills on a hive at his workplace. But the handsome carpenter broke her heart years ago and she's afraid it's never quite mended. Yet spending time with the boppli whisperer and the sweet little girl has love-shy Hannah hoping the family they're forming will last forever.