Well. A series of far fetched plot devices that just kept coming. In one book we had an attempted rape, an almost death from falling in a cave, violently forced wedding between an Amish girl and an English man (who was engaged to someone else), a bear attack on a dog, beaver fever infectious epidemic which was casually ended by a call to CDC friends, 2 deaths, a secret divorce, an unknown dead twin, and yet these were all side missions to the primary point of the sexual life of the main couple. And that was still pandering to the woman's childlike innocence and her new husbands control over her in an unnerving way. It was just distracting and unbelievable. Also, I thought the jumping the broom for a wedding was a black slave tradition in pre-Civil War times, not a modern Amish one. And no mention of baptism vows and the English guy was accepted so quickly into the community at the end and put as teacher over Amish kids which seems a bit far fetched to me. There was much talk of forgiveness and the "doing the right thing" and Gott but most of it was centered on feelings anyway.

It certainly was a roller coaster.

The Amish Bride of Ice Mountain by Kelly Long is a sweet Amish romance. It is different from other Amish books on the market. It is set in Ice Mountain, Pennsylvania where a group of Amish live without running water and indoor bathrooms (their moral compose is stuck in the 1800’s). Jude Lyons is an associate professor from Atlanta that has spent the summer learning about the Amish of Ice Mountain. He is planning to write a book. Jude is engaged to Carol, but has grown close to Mary King. Mary is only eighteen years old, but she is attracted to Jude. One day Jude kisses Mary and unbeknownst to Jude, they are seen by Mary’s brother, Joseph. Joseph reports the kissing incident to Abner King, their father. Abner gets the Bishop and insists that Mary and Jude be married immediately (for kissing). Jude is reluctant to marry. He has a fiancé back home, but he is attracted to Mary. Abner states that Jude can either marry his daughter or all his research notes will go up in flames. Jude agrees to marry Mary. Jude thinks that after a couple of months he can get an annulment and send Mary back to her family. Jude does not know that annulment is not an option for the Amish.

Jude leaves the mountain the next day with his new bride. They travel to his parent’s home in Atlanta, Georgia. It is different from anything that Mary has ever seen. Jude’s parents do not welcome them with open arms. Jude’s father wants Jude to give up his Amish studies and teaching and join his firm. He also seems to have a deep resentment towards Jude. Jude’s mother is a socialite and likes to talk. Unfortunately, Carol (Jude’s fiancé) is staying with them. She is determined to get rid of Mary. The one welcoming person is Jude’s grandfather. He is a loving man who welcomes Mary into the family.

When Mary finds some of Jude’s notes about using her as a research project, Mary flees for home. After a devastating loss and betrayal by his father, Jude goes to Ice Mountain. He will have to decide what he wants in life. Can he make his marriage to Mary work?
The Amish Bride of Ice Mountain is a lovely and sweet story. The book is easy to read. I give The Amish Bride of Ice Mountain 4.5 out of 5 stars. There are some good points in the book, but it can be a little preachy at times. It is overall a good book with some interesting characters (I like how Mary is naïve but insightful. She can see the heart of a person). I look forward to reading the next book in the series.

This genre is not for me. Christian and/or Spiritual romance leaves me with a sense of 'meh'. Jude and Mary as a couple had very little depth, the obstacles they faced were resolve without much fanfare and the evil ex-girlfriend wasn't that evil at all. The sexual tension was there but again, meh. I tried. I read the whole book and it will be my last. Not Ms Long's fault. I'm the wrong audience for her books.

"2 out of 5 stars. This was a novel that didn't turn out as I had expected. And while that's fine, the turn of events that happen in this novel were just hard to overcome and appreciate, as I'd have liked too. So, I was able to read this up to Chapter 11 (27% on my Kindle)..."

Read more of my review and ONE TEASER here: http://frommetoyouvideophoto.blogspot.com/2015/08/disappointmentville-ice-mountain-series.html