The Heart's Frontier

Title: THE HEART’S FRONTIER
Author: Lori Copeland and Virginia Smith
Publisher: Harvest House Publisher
March 2012
ISBN: 978-0736947527
Genre: Inspirational/historical Amish

Emma Switzer is traveling from Apple Grove, Kansas, to Troyer, Kansas, to help an elderly aunt. But enroute, her family’s wagon is robbed of everything, leaving them stranded and alone in the middle of no where. They manage to walk to a town that has not much more than a saloon, but who can they find to help them?

Luke Carson is heading up his first cattle drive, pushing to get his cattle to Hays in time to catch the train. But when his best friend deserts him in favor of whiskey and women, Luke heads in to the saloon to rescue him. Instead, he finds himself landing in the dirt in front of four Amish people, with the man saying, “Thank you, Lord, for sending us help.”

Luke had no intentions of helping anyone, least of all four destitute Amish. He had cattle to get to market. Besides, what happens when Amish meets the Wild West? Will they be able to mix?

THE HEART’S FRONTIER is the first historical Amish fiction I’ve read and the first book in the Amish of Apple Grove series. Luke is a total sweetheart, the stuff cowboy dreams are made of. He is a true hero. Emma is a mixture of characteristics, quiet and demur one moment, the next running and screaming, and the next manipulating people to do what they want. The father’s faith is enviable and I—and most readers—could learn from him. Mammi, Emma’s little sister, and Luke’s best friend added comic relief to the story. I laughed out loud in several places.

If you are looking for a different sort of Amish—a historical, instead of contemporary—then THE HEART’S FRONTIER is a book you might want to consider. It is interesting, and it held my attention all the way to the end. I never would have thought of mixing Amish and the Wild West—but it worked for these two talented authors. Discussion questions and an exerpt from the next book in this series, A Plain and Simple Heart is included at the end of the book. $13.99. 296 pages.