Series Review: A Gay Amish Romance by Keira Andrews

 Title: A Forbidden Rumspringa, A Clean Break, Way Home

Author: Keira Andrews

Publisher/GR Link: GR

Genre: MM Contemporary, Amish

Vice: OFY, Amish (is that a vice?!)

 

Rating: 5 out of 5 for each book, and for this great series

Lock this book up: 4 sturdy keys...These former Amish boys figure things our very quickly!

Length: Trilogy of novels

Satisfaction: HEA

Cover Impressions: They are truly gorgeous.  

Synopsis:  Book 1: 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? 

Book 2: David and Isaac have found happiness in each other’s arms. In faraway San Francisco, Isaac’s brother Aaron helps them explore confusing “English” life and move beyond the looming shadow of their Amish roots. For the first time, David and Isaac can be openly gay, yet they struggle to reconcile their sexuality with their faith. At least they don’t have to hide their relationship, which should make everything easier. Right?

But while Isaac thrives at school and makes new friends, David wrestles to come to terms with the reality of the outside world. Haunted by guilt at leaving his mother and sisters behind in Zebulon, he’s overwhelmed by the hustle and bustle of the city as he works to get his carpentry business off the ground.

While David and Isaac finally sleep side by side each night, fear and insecurity could drive them miles apart. 

Book 3: Isaac and David never thought they'd go back to the Amish world. But when Isaac’s younger brother is stricken with cancer, they don’t hesitate to return. Their relationship is on the rocks after insecurity and fear drove a wedge between them in San Francisco, and David is determined to make things right. Yet if they thought navigating “English” life was confusing, being back in Zebulon is even more complicated.

Their families are desperate to bring them back into the fold, and pressure from the community builds. Isaac and David yearn for a future together, but each day it becomes harder to hide the truth about who they really are. They're caught between two worlds, and if they’re not careful it could tear them further apart.

Can Isaac and David make their way back to each other—and find a place to call home?

Impressions:  I had heard great things about the series, and I was waiting until I had a few days to lose myself in a  new trilogy.  Andrew's series was like my emergency chocolate chip cookies I hide from my family...ready to savor when I needed a good treat.  Little did I know, this was more like a brownie sundae WITH hot fudge.  It was sweet, indulgent, and SUCH a perfect reward.

From the start of book 1, I was hooked.  I loved Isaac and David, and I was so interested to learn about their culture.  How does someone come to terms with an identity that, for all intents and purposes, they were completely shielded from?  Isaac and David are an amazing couple, and I could not get enough of them, individually or together,

Andrews developed amazing characters who set the backdrop for the struggle these boys face.  Despite their upbringing, there was a sense of genuine, if sometimes very misguided, love from their families and friends, and it was powerful ow watch them reconcile their fears about homosexuality with the knowledge they have about the young men that they know and love.  

Watching the Amish interact with the "English" world was also fascinating.  In some ways, I can see how this taste of English life can be such  powerful lure, while simultaneously being a fearful experience.  

I truly cannot recommend this series more.  Each book was a strong, engaging addition to the series, and I fell in love with each supportive character that David and Isaac encounter.  Trust me, don't download this one a book a time...get the whole set first and get ready to surround yourself in a wonderful story that is full of love, sex and all the feels!

Highly recommended as a whole series.  Like a chip, you can't have just one!