Reviewed by Vicki

TITLE: A Forbidden Rumspringa

SERIES: Gay Amish #1

AUTHOR: Keira Andrews

PUBLISHER: KA Books

LENGTH: 231 pages

BLURB:

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?

Note: Contains explicit sexual situations and graphic language. This is not an inspirational/Christian romance.

REVIEW:

Wow. What a fantastic book! I think I have read something by Keira Andrews, I saw this book mentioned on Facebook and the cover caught my eye, but I have lots of books to read and I didn’t really have the time to focus on it. Then I saw Heidi Cullinan freaking out about it on Twitter and  I decided I needed to have a closer look. I saw no one at Love Bytes had requested it and I got it! I am so happy I read it! It was very well done.

I don’t know much about the Amish lifestyle, only what I have read in a few books and seen on TV. But it seemed like an interesting setting for a gay romance novel, and I was curious to see how it would even be possible. So here we go!

Isaac Byler and his family have moved with a group that broke off from a slightly more progressive Amish settlement to a new one forming in Zebulon Minnesota. This new community has taken a step back, and is very restrictive, following much older rules. Very limited contact with the English, as they refer to anyone not Amish, no electronics of any kind, including telephones that some communities will use. No rubber wheels on their buggies, very specific types of clothing even to the point of determining how wide a hat brim is, how wide a ribbon is, how long skirts and sleeves are, and how long hair should be worn. But oddly enough they use plastic razors! They try to live off the land and only sell to one another, but a few are allowed to sell products to English. Isaacs family is huge, with one brother who has left the community all together, two sisters that stayed in the old settlement, still leaving four or so with their parents. Isaac is now the oldest and is ready to join the church and find a wife. The problem is, he doesn’t want a wife.

David Lantz has a sad story…. His father has died several years before, and something tragic has happened involving his older brother (I won’t tell you what!) that caused them to follow to this new settlement. As the story progresses we do learn more about his family issues and why they left. He’s now the oldest, responsible for his mother and four (maybe five?) sisters. He is a carpenter of some skill, keeping the settlement supplied with basic pieces and some fancy ones. He is plenty old enough to join the church and take a wife, but he’s been lingering. In theory his reluctance is due to the fact he’s now head of his family and has more responsibility than the average young Amish man. He has a secret though, that is the real reason he has been waiting.

Isaac begins working as David’s apprentice and the secrets start to come out. Both are slightly reluctant to work together, but secretly happy. They know each other a bit, as everyone in the settlement does, but aren’t really friends. That changes, they do become friends, but so much more than that. Each has been more aware of the other man than they should be, feeling some forbidden attraction, but not knowing how to act on it, or if the other feels it. Watching the two of them dance around each other, learning about each other, and finding out they share some attraction was exciting and sweet at the same time. David has had more contact with outsiders, and introduces Isaac to some naughty things. I wouldn’t say he’s more experienced sexually, but maybe he’s more aware of the possibilities than Isaac is, he seems to know more what he is doing. Isaac comes across as much more innocent.

So it’s a romance, they meet, they have sex, they fall in love, we’ve read it before, and will again. But. The whole Amish part throws a lovely wrench in their love. This is not acceptable at all. There is no way two men can ever have any sort of romantic relationship in this world. They will join the church, get married, and start having babies. End of story. Gay love goes against everything these two men believe in. They do begin to question, but not for quite a while. Even as they begin this forbidden relationship, neither thinks it’s going to go anywhere. A life together is not an option, and they don’t even have that expectation. I was obviously hoping for a good ending, but even at 90% of this book I wasn’t seeing how that was going to happen. There is a surprising amount of drama in this story, I wasn’t convinced it was going to end well at all. It drove me crazy, it seems so obvious to us on the outside that this way of life is nuts, but they don’t see that. It is their reality, and they believe it. For a very long time.

I don’t know much about the Amish, but this felt right. If felt believable. I could see this community, this family, these two men struggling with their feelings, with the restriction, and beginning to questions things. The old versus the new, elder versus young, tradition versus progression. I bought it, hook line and sinker. Keira has done her research and written a beautiful, believable story. Isaac and David are strong characters, Isaac seeming younger and more innocent, tragedy hasn’t hit him like it has David. David is a little dark at times, much more focused. But he’s the naughtier of the pair by far. All of the characters are wonderful and add so much. Isaac’s parents and siblings, a younger one beginning to question things. David’s mother and sisters, so traditional. The elders in the community pushing their agenda. Isaac’s friend who on one hand is looking at movies on a forbidden iPod Touch, but can’t deal with Isaac life as it comes to light. Every bit of this book works. I loved it.

The writing was perfect, flowing and flawless, the story deep and beautiful. I didn’t cry, it wasn’t really “angsty”, but I was concerned, I believed it, I wanted them to survive this as people and as a couple. I can’t even tell you how happy I am to see that there is more to this story! I stupidly find myself surprised by the fantastic writing of authors that I am not as familiar with. I have a stable of authors that I love, and I tend to get stuck in a routine of reading them, and I love them so…. I get what I expect. Since I’ve been reviewing for Love Bytes, I’ve stepped out of my box and I’ve read lots more authors, and I love that I am finding authors other than my select favorites that can write! Yes, I know that shouldn’t surprise me, but there you go!

RATING: 

BUY LINKS:

Amazon

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