Lauren's Amish parents left their community when she was just 14. She - and they - became English, for reasons that were never explained to Lauren. Now she is back at her Amish community, working for a developer considering building a casino there. When she has car trouble, she meets Adam at the repair shop. Instantly, she is whisked back to her previous life. When they were both children, he was a bully and made her life a misery. Adam has changed, but Lauren is wary. He harbors a secret that is getting harder to conceal. In fact, her parents also have secrets. When these secrets are finally exposed, Lauren must come to grips to with some life-changing events. The story is everything readers want in an Amish romance - intriguing plot. likable characters, problems that are satisfactorily resolved, and a happy ending. ( )

I do love a good Amish story, and A Wish for Home grabbed ahold of me and wouldn’t let go until I reached the last page. Lauren and Adam’s story was one of redemption and second chances, letting go of old hurts and forming new memories.

From the very beginning, I was drawn into Lauren’s story of an Amish upbringing. Lauren’s parents left the Amish lifestyle when she was a young child, but she was never told the reason why. In the years since, she went to college and became a very successful professional who came back to Bliss Valley to help in the discussions of a local casino development. If not for a freak spring snowstorm putting her car in the shop, Lauren wouldn’t have landed back at her great aunt’s inn, nor have been roped into helping her run it. She also wouldn’t have run into Adam Hershberger, her childhood tormentor.

There was more to this story than just an English girl coming back into an Amish settlement, and I really don’t want to spoil all the surprises that were scattered all through this book. Lauren’s parents have kept a few secrets from her in her life, two of which had enormous consequences. She had to learn to forgive them while also forgiving Adam for his cruelty towards her when they were in school together. Adam had a secret of his own, and when I realized what it was, my heart broke for him.

Two characters that stole the show were cute little Mary Beth and Lauren’s great aunt Sylvia. Mary Beth’s personality was just the balm that both Lauren and Adam’s hearts needed to mend their past, and her desire to spend time with Lauren drew Adam like a moth to a fly toward her as well. Great aunt Sylvia was a no-nonsense lady who never failed to say exactly what she thought. I loved her for it.

With A Wish for Home being the first book in the new trade paperback line from Harlequin Love Inspired, it looks like great things are in store based on this novel alone. I enjoyed my first opportunity to read something by this author, and will be eager to see what happens next with the characters in the sweet community of Bliss Valley. ( )

I love the idea of being able to right a past wrong, bless someone else, and be blessed myself with a change of heart and a new beginning. Sometimes second chances come from a place that you didn't see yourself ending up, yet you blink and you're there, the opportunity hitting you in the face.

That's where we find Lauren, a woman that was taken out of the Amish community by her parents at a young age, and who fights forgiveness when it comes to the Lancaster community shunning her parents, three boys that had been in her Amish class that picked on her mercilessly, and her parents for keeping an enormous secret from her.

Instead of focusing on all the pain that permeates her heart, Lauren throws herself into her work, which is why she ends up stranded in Lancaster and face-t0-face with one of her former tormentors, Adam.

Adam isn't the same boy that Lauren once knew. Now grown, he has had his fair share of heartache, and when he reconnects with Lauren he begins to realize a lot about himself and the pain he caused his old schoolmate. I know that Lauren might not have liked him, but I sure did! It takes a real man to look inside himself and find his faults. Adam is a character with a heart of gold, a man strong in character, and is an incredibly hard worker. Lauren's character was one that I felt sympathy for, but at the same time I had hard time connecting to her, despite really wanting to.

The dynamic between Lauren and Adam is unmistakeable, and of course takes center stage, but what really captivated me were the moments with Adam and his young daughter and his cousins and great-grandfather. The pressure that Adam is under is crushing, but Lauren coming back into his life is a true blessing, and that makes me happy. I also loved Lauren's Mennonite aunt. So charming and witty!

A Wish for Home does have a slower start, but trust me you want to stick with it until the end. I love that the focus isn't all on romance, but rather on relationships, second chances and forgiveness; fresh starts and new beginnings. The author did a great job on adding a hint of mystery, which was enticing, and with satisfying writing, A Wish for Home was quite an enjoyable read, and I hope this sweet series continues!

*I have voluntarily reviewed a copy of this book which I received from the author/publisher through JustRead Tours. All views and opinions are completely honest, and my own. ( )

I enjoyed this story, it is really about forgiveness, and there are a lot of surprises that unfold.
Can you go home again? Well, with circumstances from her job and raging snow and ice storm, and a big pot hole, end up bringing Lauren Holt home! To make matters worse her worst nemesis comes to her rescue.
Adam Hershberger a single father raising a four year old daughter, taking care of his aging Great Grandfather, and helping with his orphaned teenage cousins. He also has a small engine repair, and works part time at an auto repair, along with becoming a fire fighter. Talking of fires, there has been an abnormal amount of them lately.
Come and see the love and surprises that open up here. Including where Lauren ends up staying! How Adams’s daughter winds everyone around her thumb, and how Adam deals with all that is on his shoulders.
I am now looking forward to the next book in this series!

I received this book through Net Galley and the Publisher Harlequin, and was not required to give a positive review. ( )