A Long Bridge Home is Book Two in author Kelly Irvin's Amish of Sky Country Series. Even though it is Book 2, it could easily be read as a stand alone. Book 1 is exceptional, too.

This is the story of Christina Mast. Her family lives in Montana, and now her father decides to move them back to Kansas due to wildfires burning in the mountains. Christine wants to stay with her aunt and uncle because of Andy, her boyfriend. Christine meets Raymond Fox, a Native Amercan who shares his beliefs which are so different from her own.

I love Author Irvin’s style of taking me into her book. Her characters become friends and the setting like a place I am actually visiting. This book has many twist, surprises, inspiration, and life lessons. I highly recommend it and rate it 5 stars. A copy was provided by Net Galley.

4.5. A pretty good read in the Amish of Big Sky Country series by Kelly Irvin.

The beginning of this book rehashes the beginning of the first book a bit. I found this to be slightly annoying.

A Long Bridge Home is a mixture of Amish and Native American culture that created a mesmerizing story. This is a story about faith challenges, family, and ultimately trust in God.

I received a copy of this book from NetGalley and was under no obligation to write a positive review; all opinions are my own.

A fire unsettles the residents of West Kootenai, MT and they have to move to neighboring towns. A dating couple Christine Mast and her beau Andy, both head to different family havens. Christine, in a moment of honesty, thinks to herself that she likes the independence of living with her aunt and uncle and working at their general store. She meets a Native American, Raymond, and they become fast friends. This is against the way of life of the Amish and Christine has hurdles to overcome to stay in the good graces of her family. Andy returns to his parents' home and has family drama of his own to overcome. The young adults have been forced into new circumstances and they have to decide how they are going to deal with all the new circumstances.

One of my favorite authors of Amish romances Kelly Irvin writes books with an amazing story line that I will revisit time and again.
It's a treat to be back in Montana once again, The Big Sky Country ( which I really need to visit) with the same characters and some new we get to meet.
Christine has some tough decisions to make and with the complexity of her relationship with her beau Andy who seems to be holding onto secrets from his past will they be able to reach a compromise in their relationship?
In this book I also enjoyed learning about the areas Native American people.
Another powerful, faith filled book that will keep your attention and you'll not want to miss!

Published February 11th 2020 by Zondervan.
I was given a complimentary copy of this book. Thank you.
All opinions expressed are my own.

Forgiving small acts of transgression is easy. The true testing of faith is when the transgressions are enormous and painful. That's when a person must set aside his smallness, his humanness.

Set in the mountains of Montana, the Amish community scatters as a fire takes over their homes. Christina Mast must either go back with her family to Kansas or stay in Montana and live with her relatives. Choosing to live with her relatives in Montana so she can be close to Andy, her special friend. Andy has been courting Christina but has not proposed to her. He has his own family issues that forces him to go back home to his family to resolve these issues before he can propose to Christina. They make promises to each other but with the unknown, there becomes questions. Christina to make her way with her aunt and uncle, starts to work in their Amish store where she makes an unlikely friend in Raymond Fox. Raymond Fox suffers from an identity crisis as with his white father who abandoned him. Living now with his grandmother, he is looking for answers to who he is. With Christina and Raymond their friendship opens a door of faith. Christina desires to learn of the Indian culture and how Christians left a bad taste of who Jesus really is. She begins to seek answers that ultimately will decide her path. Their friendship is frowned upon with her relatives which question Christina's salvation.

Andy is dealing with forgiveness as his brother married his first love. There is a tension for Andy has he struggles to move on with life with Christina. Each of them must have understanding of their questions and insecurities to be able to move on and start their own life.

I loved how faith was interwoven with their stories. Each was different but with many ironies that cause you to look at your own faith. What is my faith based on and how do I respond to others. These are questions that will carry on in our own lives as we work thru own salvation with the Lord.

A Special Thank you to Zondervan Publishing and Netgalley for the ARC and the opportunity to post an honest revie

A Long Bridge Home, Book Two in Kelly Irvin's Amish of Sky Country Series, a story of faith, love, and courage, and the history of the Native American people in Montana. I have read many Amish stories, but none by Kelly Irvin and this story did not disappoint. This was a completely different story line than most that I've read and that made it all the more enjoyable.

Christina Mast's father decides to move the family to Kansas due to a devastating wildfire burning in the mountains. However, Christine wants to stay with her aunt and uncle as she has a special friend, Andy Lambright and although they are not officially engaged, they have talked about marriage. Andy's family is also moving and he helps them, but then returns to confront some issues from his past..

While staying with her aunt and uncle Christine Raymond Old Fox, a Native Amercan who shares with her beliefs so different from her own. This doesn't make her aunt and uncle happy, but she wants to learn more and keeps meeting with Raymond. Of course this causes problems with her and Andy's relationship.

The author writes in a way that makes you want to keep reading and makes you feel like you are right there with her wonderfully detailed descriptions.

Thank you to the publisher and Net-Galley for the complimentary copy of A Long Way Home by Kelly Irvin

Irvin takes readers into the beautiful West Kootenai region of Montana in A Long Bridge Home. My heart ached for Christine and the entire community as the wildfires spread and took their homes. Irvin’s descriptive writing had me right there with them, running throughout the house, trying to get the necessary items. At times I felt as if I could even smell the smoke, see the haze in the distance, and feel the fear of having to escape. At a time when wildfires seem to be across the world, it certainly made them more real to this New Yorker, and my empathy for those in the path of the wildfires has doubled.

But Irvin paints a picture of how God can turn something tragic, life a wildfire destroying a community, into something beautiful. Christine meets Raymond Old Fox, and their friendships is perhaps the most beautiful part of this entire story, and just what readers needs to see in today’s world. Two people, with different cultures and beliefs, are able to come together and teach each other about their ways. Each had an open mind to listen to the other, contemplate what they’d heard, and amicably speak about their differences. Neither placed judgement. There was no heated arguments, or pressure to change viewpoints. It was simply talking, teaching, and inspiring. Christine learned that while Raymond’s beliefs were different, there was some value to them. There was away she could apply portions of it to her own life while still honoring God. And isn’t that what we are supposed to do? Find ways to honor our Lord? I can’t express how deeply their friendship moved me as I was reading.

Rest assured there is much more to this beautiful story. Romance, faith, community, family, restoration, and the beauty of God’s creation. I highly recommend reading this delightful read. I hope it speaks to your heart as much as it did my own! I received a complimentary copy of this book and was not required to write a favorable review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Thanks goes the publisher and Net-Galley for the complimentary copy of A Long Way Home by Kelly Irvin. I appreciate the chance to read and review this emotionally charged Amish fiction novel. My opinions are my own and are not influenced by the receipt of a copy.

A Long Way Home is a story of great hardship that turns a community’s life upside down. There are several main characters, some more interesting than others. There are several tragedies in this book, and my heart hurt for those.

Christine Mast’s character suffers the loss of her family when after the fire, they choose to return to Kansas. She doesn’t go with him since she hopes an Amish man wants her as her frau. While she lives with her uncle, she meets an Englischer, who shows her other ways to believe. I enjoyed her independence and determination to seek truth.

Andy Lambright is the hero. He’s in love with Christine and wants to make her his frau, but he has issues from his past he must resolve. He returns to his childhood home to confront those issues and see his father. I liked his character and enjoyed his determination to go to Christine with the past laid to rest.

As with many Amish novels, they interweave the romance around their Amish faith, so the primary focus is on their values and making sure they are following God’s plans and not their own desires. I enjoyed this couple’s journey to their happy ending.

If you enjoy Amish fiction with endearing characters and an intriguing plot, then you will like A Long Way Home. I’ve read many books by Kelly Irvin and enjoy her writing style and interesting plots. Happy reading!

Montana fires....massive, catastrophic, devastating, life altering!!! Christine, the Amish woman will face all of this, while Montana burns around her. She and Andy are supposed to get married, but the fires but that on the back burner because Christine Mast's family is evacuating and returning to Kansas. As a single woman what are her options....few to none!! But an uncle and aunt, in Montana, agree to be responsible for her until life settles down. But, settling down was not to be....thanks to and Native American who has taken her interest and Christine's desire to learn more about the natives who were in Montana, long before she was. This is a wonderful story of of 3 cultures that are so different but in reality are so the same in their hearts. So , sit down, in your comfy chair, get the beverage of your choice, light a candle and start to read a story that you will not want to put down, until finished!!

I’ve had the opportunity to have visited several of the places that Kelly Irvin described in this book. She did a wonderful job describing the incredibly beautiful scenery there, but also the devastation that the fires leave behind. But what I loved most about this book was the way she compared three different cultures in this book: the Amish, the English, and the Native Americans. It was interesting reading in watching how Raymond Old Fox and Christine connected, not on a romantic level, but in trying to understand the differences in their cultures. I also liked how that during the wildfires, all cultures came together to help each other as neighbors.

Christine and Andy have planned to be married and settle into their Amish community. But events happened in both their lives that make them question their future together. These issues are serious ones that each must settle in their own hearts and minds before their marriage can take place. This book is a family drama that kept me wondering, especially about Christine, about the decisions she would make. There’s tragedy in this book, but also the hope that come from a strong faith in God. I enjoyed the complex storyline in this book.

I received a copy of this book from the publisher. All opinions are my own.

A Long Bride home is a wonderful heart warming read! It is a quick read that pulled my heart strings!

Wow what a powerful story Kelly Irvin wrote! The fight to stay true to her Amish faith, Christine realizes there was and is a whole part of life she's never known about. While she's enjoying the history lesson from Raymond Old Fox, it's adding conflict with her Amish family and her baptism while staying with her aunt and uncle in St. Ignatius, Montana.

Will Christine stay in her baptized Amish community or be shunned?
Will her beau, Andy Lambright, be too late in asking for her hand in marriage?

I enjoyed the history Kelly Irvin added from Montana's Native Indian Reservation and other surrounding areas. I look forward to reading book three from the series when it's released later in 2020.

I received a free copy from NetGalley with no money exchanged only an honest review. This is my honest review in my own words.

A Long Bridge Home by Kelly Irvin – Interesting Likable Characters and Storyline, But Has Some Wrong Theology

Kelly Irvin has quickly become one of my favorite Christian fiction writers. Until I started reading her novels, I hadn’t read too many Amish theme books. I was excited at the opportunity to read Kelly’s newest book A Long Bridge Home, the second book in the Amish of Big Sky Country, which takes place during the same timeframe as the first book, Mountains of Grace. Wildfires are burning in the mountains near the community of West Kootenai, Montana.

Christine and the Mast family evacuate but do not intend to return to West Kootenai. Her mother and father have decided it’s time for their family to return to Kansas where her father’s parents live and need help in their older years. Christine is desperate to stay because of her special friend Andy Lambright. While they are not engaged, they’ve talked about marriage and seem to be heading in that direction. Andy is evacuating too, but he’s returning to his family’s home so he can deal with some unfinished business. Andy and Christine persuade her parents to let her stay a little bit closer in St. Ignatius, Montana.

Christine will be staying with family, but she will be experiencing a whole new world than what she’s used to. Andy returns home and finds old wounds still haven’t healed and the best remedy is forgiveness, even though he was one who was wronged. Will his lack of honesty drive Christine away? Will Christine remain faithful to her special friend? Or will she be lured away by the excitement of her new friend Raymond Old Fox and a culture that is foreign to her?

I really liked the characters in A Long Bridge Home. My favorite was Andy, he was an honest and vulnerable and was growing and maturing. I liked Christine but found her secrecy about her relationship with Raymond betrayed her conscience. Raymond Old Fox was an interesting character and I liked him. I wondered what attracted him to pursue a friendship with Christine. I found it interesting to learn about the Native Indian history and culture and to see some of the similarities to the Amish culture and the contrasts.

Where I ran into some discomfort with this book was how Christine wrestled with the differences in her Christian faith and spirituality from Raymond’s Native Indian culture. It is interesting to learn of other cultures and what they believe but, as a Christian, we cannot forget that the Bible is the plumbline of truth and of right and wrong, heaven and hell, sin, rebellion, truth, righteousness, forgiveness, repentance, and salvation through Jesus Christ alone.

Christine hesitated to share her faith, in part, because of the mistreatment of Raymond’s Native Indian ancestors at the hands of people who said they were Christians.

I tried to let Christine wrestle through what she was learning and how that differed from what she knew of the Bible. I struggled with her trying to see her Christian faith and Raymond’s spirituality as equivalent. Christine seemed to think that Raymond’s belief in a Creator was the same as her belief in the God of the Bible. At one point she said, “He’s your God too.” I wanted to tell Christine, “No He’s not…not at this point.” But I did appreciate that Christine wanted to pray for Raymond and she felt the need to tell him about Jesus Christ even though that was not done in her Amish culture. I appreciated Andy’s trust in Christine and his more mature understanding of the differences between the Amish and Indian religious beliefs.

Christine had some wrong theology and I highlighted a number of statements and made many notes. I tried to let the character wrestle with her thoughts and theological understanding. Ideally, I would like to have wrong theology corrected in the novel, perhaps by another character or by a character’s growing understanding.

Is the right theology important in a fiction novel by a Christian author? Yes, because that book may influence a reader for right or wrong.

There was much that I liked about A Long Bridge Home, the characters and storyline. But I struggled with some of the wrong theology the main character expressed.

I would like to thank Zondervan Publishers and NetGalley for the opportunity to read A Long Bridge Home by Kelly Irvin. I was under no obligation to give a favorable review.

A Long Bridge Home by Kelly Irvin is the second novel in Amish of Big Sky Country. It can be read on its own for those new to the series. A Long Bridge Home is different from other Amish novels (in a good way). I like the setting of Montana with its beautiful mountains. I thought the story was well-written with developed, engaging characters. Christine Mast was content in her world until the fire made them flee. She has been waiting for Andy Lambright to propose (it has been a long courtship). When Christine learns that her family is relocating to Haven, Kansas, she does not wish to be that far away from Andy. Christine had no idea that living in St. Ignatius with her aunt and uncle would be lifechanging. She meets Raymond Old Fox. Raymond teaches her about his native heritage and culture. She is fascinated by their views and is eager to learn more (I found the information fascinating as well). I could certainly understand Christine’s thirst for knowledge even though her relatives did not. Christine finds herself in the position of making a difficult choice. I like seeing Christine grow as a person. While I wanted her to find happiness, I did not want to see her spirit broken (she was so happy learning and meeting new people). Andy has an issue from his past that he feels he needs to resolve before he can move forward with Christine. The problem is that Andy fails to share (communicate) with Christine. Forgiveness is one of the main themes in A Long Bridge Home. We learn the importance of forgiving others and ourselves. Prayer and trusting in God are two other topics addressed. A Long Bridge Home gives us a glimpse into the life of the Amish in Montana where a woman must decide which path to follow. There are discussion questions at the end along with an excerpt from Kelly Irvin’s Over the Line. A Long Bridge Home is an emotional story where love, a strong faith, close family, a loving God and good friends can help us overcome any difficult situation.

5 Stars: 5/5 star rating scale
I believe this is now my favorite Kelly Irvin novel! I could feel for each of the character's and their positions. Christine, Raymond Old Fox, and Andy all stirred feelings within my own heart. Forgiveness and lifelong learning are themes explored as well as traditional male-female roles among cultures. An entire community is ravaged by fire in this story and this serves as a backdrop to the story. I highly recommend this book to readers of Amish fiction and Christian fiction. This book would be appropriate for teen readers as well as adults.
I received a digital ARC of this book from netgalley and Zondervan Publishing. All opinions expressed in this review are my own.

I found this book a bit different than the typical Amish novels in that the author has taken two different cultures, that of the Native American and the Amish and created an engaging story meshing the two. Living in an Amish community in the beautiful Kootenai mountain area, Christine is forced out of her secluded community when a fire threatens her town. When she meets Raymond Old Fox, he introduces her to the pleasure of basking in the beauty of nature and how the Native American faith is intertwined with the animals, plants, and wildlife. Opening up this new world to her tempts her to compromise her cherished Amish beliefs. This is a story about faith challenges, family, and ultimately trust in God.

I received a copy of this book from NetGalley and was under no obligation to write a positive review; all opinions are my own.

You'd love this book if you love history. I got to learn some history of the Amish people, native Indians and their history.

The major characters of the book Andy, Christine and Raymond all had figuring out to do about their lives before they could add meaningfully to each other's life. I love a love triangle story.

A fire disaster caused Christine to live her home, community and the man she loved. The journey away was not just a physical one but a spiritual and emotional one that strengthened her faith in God.

Andy was running and the whole secrecy was hurting any meaningful relationship he could have with Christine. I loved how the time apart strengthened their love.

One of the most captivating aspects of this book for me was the importance of raising up children in the way of the LORD, because no matter the temptation they would always come back home.

I received a copy of this book and this is my honest opinion.

I received an ARC copy of this book from Net Galley in exchange for my honest opinion of it. I love reading books about the Amish but lately the books that I have read are just typical love stories. I really enjoyed this book as it did address some difficult situations they were going through. However, my rating is lower because I really did not enjoy the overkill of all the history. Just too boring and had me skipping alot.

Christina Mast is happy, comfortable and content living with her parents and cleaning houses for people. She has a 'special friend, Andy. Will her ever declare his love for her and ask her to be his fraa? Before this can happen, everyone is evacuated due to wildfires in Montana. Her daed has chosen to move the family back to Kansas. Christina, instead, goes to live with her aunt and uncle in St. Ignatius to be near Andy. Instead of cleaning house for her aunt and uncle, they put her to work in their general store, which Christina grows to enjoy. She enjoys meeting new people, including Raymond Old Fox.
Christina becomes curious about Raymond's native heritage and the ways of his people. From Raymond, she learns to appreciate the beauty around her and even the animals so much more. She begins to sneak away with Raymond against her aunt and uncle's wishes to learn more. She finds herself drawn more and more to him and yearns to learn so much more about the ways of his people. Sadly, he doesn't have a belief in her God. The Jesuits had came to evangelize the natives and their methods only turned them more against the faith of these people. This saddens Christiana and for the first time, she asks herself questions? Will these nice people burn in hell for not believing in the one true God? Her people do not evangelize, and why not? How can one not share truth with those who do not believe? Christiana has a firm belief that there is only way to Christ.
Christina learns that Andy has kept something of the upmost importance from her. Can she trust him now? Does she want to?
Andy has his own questions about Christina and her new friend, Raymond and her desire to explore things outside their community. They are taught to be kept apart from the world, and here she is, diving right in with her desires to know more about other cultures. Can she be happy as an Amish fraa and mother?
Christiana's aunt and uncle call her parents in Kansas to come for Christina after being caught again spending time with Raymond. Will she be forced to leave her friend, and what about Andy? Does he even want to marry her? Does she want a life with him? A must read to find out.
I was given a complimentary copy to read by the publisher, Zondervan and Netgalley. I was under no obligation to leave a positive review, but it is my pleasure to do so.