Review: A Place at Our Table by Amy Clipston

My rating: 4 stars / I really liked it

Synopsis

Kayla Dienner has suffered her fair share of heartache, which is why she vows to protect her heart at all costs . . . until she meets Jamie Riehl.

Along with his volunteer work at the local fire department, running his Amish farm keeps Jamie Riehl busy. He barely has time to eat at the family table, never mind find someone to date. But when he meets Kayla Dienner, he is smitten.

Kayla tries hard to deny her attraction to Jamie. After all, she’s spent the last year discouraging her younger brother, Nathan, from becoming a firefighter. The death of their older brother in a fire a year ago is fresh in her mind—she can’t bear the idea of putting her heart on the line every time the sirens blare.

Then tragedy strikes, and Jamie wants to extinguish any flame between him and Kayla. Can Kayla set aside her own fears to save the love she was determined to deny?

My Review

I unfortunately read this series out of order, and this first book is the one I read last! I already knew from the later books one of the major plot points in this story, but I still wasn't prepared for the emotion of the scene. I loved the way Kayla kept reaching out to Jamie and his family during their difficult times. The book description isn't correct- Kayla doesn't have an issue with Jamie being a firefighter, she has difficulty trusting men who keep letting her down and not following through with promises. Jamie never wanted to "extinguish their flame" as described, he was begging for another chance when he let Kayla down. The angst between the two of them was a bit immature and premature- I think their relationship needed to develop more for the type of expectations Kayla had for Jamie. I love Jamie's family and it was great to see the earlier days of those characters that have their own stories in the other books in the series.

Disclosure statement: A complimentary copy of this book was provided from a tour group, publisher, publicist, or author, including NetGalley, OR was borrowed from the library, including OverDrive, OR borrowed from Kindle Unlimited, OR purchased. A review was not required and all views and opinions expressed are unbiased and my own.

Don't miss the other books in the Amish Homestead series . . .