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Amish #1
Between Two Worlds
Aiden Cermak and Daniel Schrock are the definition of “worlds apart.” It doesn’t get more different than agnostic and Amish, and no one is more aware of this than Aiden. The young Chicago journalist travels to central Illinois Amish Country to research an article and ends up as a house guest of Daniel and his family after an act of bravery leaves the Schrocks in his debt.
Aiden is drawn to the solemn and mysterious Daniel and decides to hang around Amish Country for a while longer, despite the risk of terrible consequences for Daniel. But Daniel’s suspect sexuality might not be the only secret he’s harboring, and as Aiden becomes more and more enmeshed in the community, he discovers that a hidden past may make it even harder for Daniel to face his emerging feelings. It may be impossible to build a bridge between their worlds—their only hope may be to carve out a world of their own.
Aiden is drawn to the solemn and mysterious Daniel and decides to hang around Amish Country for a while longer, despite the risk of terrible consequences for Daniel. But Daniel’s suspect sexuality might not be the only secret he’s harboring, and as Aiden becomes more and more enmeshed in the community, he discovers that a hidden past may make it even harder for Daniel to face his emerging feelings. It may be impossible to build a bridge between their worlds—their only hope may be to carve out a world of their own.
240 pages, Kindle Edition
First published May 1, 2011
13 people are currently reading
185 people want to read
About the author
Shelter Somerset
12 books54 followersShelter Somerset's home base is Chicago, Illinois. He enjoys writing about the lives of people who live off the land, whether they be the Amish, nineteenth-century pioneers, or modern-day idealists seeking to live apart from the crowd. Shelter's fascination with the rustic, aesthetic lifestyle began as a child with family camping trips into the Blue Ridge Mountains. His “brand” is anything from historicals, mysteries, thrillers, and contemporaries, all with individualistic themes. When not back home in Illinois writing, Shelter continues to explore America's expansive backcountry and rural communities. His philosophy is best summed up by the actor John Wayne: "Courage is being scared to death but saddling up anyway."
Shelter Somerset's novels are available on Amazon.com: http://www.amazon.com/Shelter-Somerse...
Shelter Somerset's novels are available on Amazon.com: http://www.amazon.com/Shelter-Somerse...
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 34 reviews
March 16, 2013
What a romance novel!!! And when I say "romance", I mean it -- it is not a novel that is chock full of sex scenes. In fact, in the entire book, the two lead characters kiss only twice. But, that doesn't change the fact that this is one of the most romantic stories that I have ever read.
Aiden seems to follow supposed boyfriends to different cities throughout the US during his young life. When the story starts, he is just recovering from his most recent break-up. He is a freelance writer, and is given a job writing abut mid-western Amish life in a small town called Henry. Well, through a series of happenstances, he meets and becomes close with Daniel, an Amish man who is living with his parents and siblings after his own personal tragedies.
Over the course of time, a sweet relationship develops between these two men, but the restrictions of Amish life is just too much to overcome (or so we are lead to believe). We know that these two main characters love each other, if they would just be given the opportunity to show that love by fate, supreme being, or destiny.
Only someone with no heart would not want these two men to be able to find a life together.
I won't say how the novel ends, but suffice it to say that the romantic person that I am is smiling ear-to-ear about the ending of this novel. Congratulations to the author for writing an honest romance novel without relying on sex scenes to push it forward. I am looking forward to reading the sequel to this book, and I will let everyone know if it is as good as this first story.
Five stars from me!
Aiden seems to follow supposed boyfriends to different cities throughout the US during his young life. When the story starts, he is just recovering from his most recent break-up. He is a freelance writer, and is given a job writing abut mid-western Amish life in a small town called Henry. Well, through a series of happenstances, he meets and becomes close with Daniel, an Amish man who is living with his parents and siblings after his own personal tragedies.
Over the course of time, a sweet relationship develops between these two men, but the restrictions of Amish life is just too much to overcome (or so we are lead to believe). We know that these two main characters love each other, if they would just be given the opportunity to show that love by fate, supreme being, or destiny.
Only someone with no heart would not want these two men to be able to find a life together.
I won't say how the novel ends, but suffice it to say that the romantic person that I am is smiling ear-to-ear about the ending of this novel. Congratulations to the author for writing an honest romance novel without relying on sex scenes to push it forward. I am looking forward to reading the sequel to this book, and I will let everyone know if it is as good as this first story.
Five stars from me!
May 5, 2011
The is long way love story. The plot captured me from the start and I couldn't put the book away. This story is the first one when I truly got a feeling for Amish people, their lives and how hard it is to be yourself as a Gay person in this community. The story is realistic and really well written. I loved how the the plot developed till the end, there were no loose ends, really nice. The end is TRULY awesome from my romantic point of believe and it gave me hope for true love. I simple loved this story!!
I HIGHLY RECOMMEND THIS STORY!
I HIGHLY RECOMMEND THIS STORY!
July 21, 2011
2.5 very, very slow ... then such an abrupt ending ... I think I could've believed more in the love story if we saw more of the two as partners. As is was, I'm left feeling very skeptical.
May 21, 2015
this isn't quite as bad as two stars might indicate. i wanted to like it more, and in spots i did, and then it fell off the buggy again.
there are a number of problems here. i could not warm up to aiden because he is a such a milquetoast guy who lets life buffet him around, alternating with making sudden impulse decisions without thinking them through. and he never seems to learn. he also romanticizes amish life, and while this book in general isn't doing too badly portraying it, both the novel and aiden stay on the surface. here is the sentence that i find symptomatic of that: “Amish do lots of things real people do.” says daniel. oh rly? an amish person would think of the english as "real" in comparison to himself? give me a break.
and at times aiden is hopelessly naive -- what, an amish teenager commits suicide and aiden never once wonders whether maybe the kid was gay? come on. his arguments with his editor also really bothered me, and showed why i felt his relationship with the amish was that of a romanticizing outsider.
the murder is a quarter-assed mystery, and there is one glaring inconsistency about the killer, who is in one place described as having a piercing stare that skewers people in the present day, and when daniel later talks about him he thinks the guy did it because he didn't look people in the eye anymore after the teenager's death.
then we have this relationship between aiden and daniel which isn't much of a relationship. and no, i am not referring to the lack of boinking (absolute, complete lack of any sexual stuff here, we have two kisses which are not even hot). i am ok with that if the book delivers the romance. but i didn't feel it. after the initial icy-cold behaviour by daniel, which only occasionally warms up to a not-totally-unfriendly grunt, and always returns to icy and distant whenever daniel feels gay panic, when the two actually get closer, we are told about their lunches and evening get-togethers, we're not shown. this is the death knell of the novel for me.
the ending is abrupt and absolutely unbelievable. this needed a lot more work on daniel's part, and he did not do that work beforehand. and i could have done without the sudden conversion of aiden, but being milquetoast man, sure, it's in character.
there's a good core here, the writing is decent, and for many people the treatment of the amish will be interesting, but it would need a hefty rewrite for me to like it.
there are a number of problems here. i could not warm up to aiden because he is a such a milquetoast guy who lets life buffet him around, alternating with making sudden impulse decisions without thinking them through. and he never seems to learn. he also romanticizes amish life, and while this book in general isn't doing too badly portraying it, both the novel and aiden stay on the surface. here is the sentence that i find symptomatic of that: “Amish do lots of things real people do.” says daniel. oh rly? an amish person would think of the english as "real" in comparison to himself? give me a break.
and at times aiden is hopelessly naive -- what, an amish teenager commits suicide and aiden never once wonders whether maybe the kid was gay? come on. his arguments with his editor also really bothered me, and showed why i felt his relationship with the amish was that of a romanticizing outsider.
the murder is a quarter-assed mystery, and there is one glaring inconsistency about the killer, who is in one place described as having a piercing stare that skewers people in the present day, and when daniel later talks about him he thinks the guy did it because he didn't look people in the eye anymore after the teenager's death.
then we have this relationship between aiden and daniel which isn't much of a relationship. and no, i am not referring to the lack of boinking (absolute, complete lack of any sexual stuff here, we have two kisses which are not even hot). i am ok with that if the book delivers the romance. but i didn't feel it. after the initial icy-cold behaviour by daniel, which only occasionally warms up to a not-totally-unfriendly grunt, and always returns to icy and distant whenever daniel feels gay panic, when the two actually get closer, we are told about their lunches and evening get-togethers, we're not shown. this is the death knell of the novel for me.
the ending is abrupt and absolutely unbelievable. this needed a lot more work on daniel's part, and he did not do that work beforehand. and i could have done without the sudden conversion of aiden, but being milquetoast man, sure, it's in character.
there's a good core here, the writing is decent, and for many people the treatment of the amish will be interesting, but it would need a hefty rewrite for me to like it.
May 3, 2011
Between Two Worlds is easily the best m/m romance with an Amish character I've read so far. The reason why I didn't give it 5 stars was (in my opinion superfluous) the murder mystery and the ending which was rather rushed. There is no sex in the book which in my opinion is a good thing as it's a refreshing change from some books which more or less are one long sex scene and it's a great fit for a story about extremely religious people.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 6, 2012
This book is a disgrace to the noble tradition of gay Amish fiction. So boring/no boning.
February 21, 2023
2.5 stars. A nice story but too dry and slow. I liked the writing, the author has a nice voice, but I was dying for things to take off a bit. Unfortunately, they really never did. The introduction of the murder subplot was weird and felt out of place. The end brought very little resolution as far as Aiden and Daniel's future. That's clearly left for the next two books. But I simply didn't get invested enough to be sufficiently motivated to move on.
Read
August 14, 2012It’s always too easy to fall in an usual path while trying to deal with a subject that already many other authors used, and sometime abused, but I think Shelter Somerset did an honest job to the Amish community. And I’m using the word honest with all the positive meaning it bears.
First of all, the author didn’t idealize the Amish people, they are not some sort of perfect peace dream but they are not even those evil cartoon characters you read sometime about. They are people with different principles than most of who is living around them, but they are not even trying to impose those principles, they only want to be allowed to live by that.
Even if Aiden shares some of their idea, like living in the country a more simple life, far from the fast-moving rhythm of the big city, there is no way he could really live with the Amish; even if him being agnostic can be overcome, finding the faith is not an uncommon event, Aiden is gay and there is no way the Amish people will accept that, not even in a romance novel. Moreover if he wants to have a partner; if you are gay, and you want to remain in the community, you have only two options, being forever chaste or marrying a woman. That is what Daniel did, but in a way, I think that, for who harsh it can sound, God didn’t agree with Daniel’s choice, and He intervened.
Daniel will do everything in his powers to avoid Aiden and his blossoming feelings for him. This is not a novel about clandestine meetings in the dark, or about Daniel taking a decision more out of passion than anything else. Actually I think these two men shared barely a moment of intimacy that neither developed in a real kiss. All the novel is about what you want and what you have to do, and how hard taking these paths can be.
I liked both Daniel than Aiden, I think both of them have their feet firmly on the ground, and even if they are more than capable to feel love and passion, they don’t let those feelings pushing them, or at least they don’t let them hurrying their steps. With quiet and reasoning, they will arrive to the right point, sooner or later.
http://www.amazon.com/dp/1615818847/?...
First of all, the author didn’t idealize the Amish people, they are not some sort of perfect peace dream but they are not even those evil cartoon characters you read sometime about. They are people with different principles than most of who is living around them, but they are not even trying to impose those principles, they only want to be allowed to live by that.
Even if Aiden shares some of their idea, like living in the country a more simple life, far from the fast-moving rhythm of the big city, there is no way he could really live with the Amish; even if him being agnostic can be overcome, finding the faith is not an uncommon event, Aiden is gay and there is no way the Amish people will accept that, not even in a romance novel. Moreover if he wants to have a partner; if you are gay, and you want to remain in the community, you have only two options, being forever chaste or marrying a woman. That is what Daniel did, but in a way, I think that, for who harsh it can sound, God didn’t agree with Daniel’s choice, and He intervened.
Daniel will do everything in his powers to avoid Aiden and his blossoming feelings for him. This is not a novel about clandestine meetings in the dark, or about Daniel taking a decision more out of passion than anything else. Actually I think these two men shared barely a moment of intimacy that neither developed in a real kiss. All the novel is about what you want and what you have to do, and how hard taking these paths can be.
I liked both Daniel than Aiden, I think both of them have their feet firmly on the ground, and even if they are more than capable to feel love and passion, they don’t let those feelings pushing them, or at least they don’t let them hurrying their steps. With quiet and reasoning, they will arrive to the right point, sooner or later.
http://www.amazon.com/dp/1615818847/?...
March 27, 2012
I enjoyed it and I liked both characters. However, I think much of the 'falling in love' part took place off screen and we didn't get enough scenes of them together and growing closer. We more like heard about them bonding than actually seeing it. I also think it ended rather suddenly given the slow place and I didn't like the 'coincidence' of them showing up in the same place and deciding to spend their lives together. I just didn't buy it. There should have been more time together talking over a greater length of time. I didn't mind that there was no sex. I'm one of those people who like romance, but think there's far too much sex in most books and I find myself skimming over a lot of the scenes. Still, I liked it enough to buy the sequel.
April 27, 2011
I loved this story! I loved the characters, both the MCs and the supporting characters. I loved the details of Amish life. I loved the writer's style. So why not 5 stars? While I loved both characters, I needed to see more interaction to really feel their connection.
June 22, 2021
Aiden is enamored of the Amish way of life, off grid, simple and rustic. He has dreams of living a similar life in a cabin in the mountains, but first he has to find his way back to the freeway. Daniel struggles with the loss of his wife and baby son, and his true desire to be with a man, but knows that it's impossible because of the dictates of his Amish faith. When impending disaster strikes Aiden and Daniel are thrown together. Both men want part of each other's world, but how can they make it work? To Daniel and his extended family Aiden is both their savior, but also English, an outsider who if Daniel were to accept would cost Daniel everything he is and knows. Daniel and Aiden have resigned themselves to their separate worlds until a chance meeting allows them to forge a new world. A very interesting read and I'm very much looking forward to the next in this series.
October 18, 2018
If you are a new reader in the MM romance genre then this is a good book to get you started. It is a story of romance and relationships, without any sex ( explicit or otherwise). Detailed descriptions of people and places make the slow spots intriguing and help the reader understand the culture in which this tail occurs. With witty and cleverly descriptive prose like "God has put you before my path more often then goose poop." and heart-melting revelations like "I can see the clues clear now, Aiden Cermak. Finally I can see." This book has lots a feel-good without the tired and overused clichés of many modern Romance novels.
April 5, 2021
This book was just ok... it felt rather rambling and labeling it a "romance" is a bit of a stretch.
April 15, 2013
3 Stars
Aiden Cermak was driving through the Amish country when he sees an out of control truck driver getting ready to smash into a buggy full of people. Aiden makes a lighting quick decision and swings his car in front of the buggy so the truck hits him instead. From there he gets invited to stay in the home of the Schrock’s for saving them. Aiden tries to decline the invite but Samuel won’t hear of it. He is very grateful for what Aiden has done.
“No greater man of God than he who lays down his life for another.”
Aiden becomes friends with the whole family, well everyone except the oldest son Daniel. Daniel has a hard time coming around, but once he finally lets himself have the friendship he wants with Aiden things get better between them.
We soon learn that Daniel had been married and lost his wife and child in a tornado. There are many things going on with Daniel that made me feel sad for him. He knows what he’s supposed to do with his life in the Amish community but he has all these weird feelings for Aiden. He doesn’t understand if it’s a test from God or what he should do about it. Aiden on the other hand knows how he feels about Daniel and even makes a decision to get a job at the local paper and move to Henry just to stay close to the other man, even knowing nothing can really come of it.
When Aiden starts getting a bit to nosey in a suicide case that happened years ago, people start to become angry. They don’t want him getting into their business and making them look bad. Daniel tries talking Aiden into dropping his investigation but to do that he has to tell him his big secret. Just when I thought it would finally happen for these two, Daniel gets scared and runs away. He leaves in such a hurry that he forgets to turn on his buggy lights and gets side swiped by an SUV. While he’s in the hospital he makes a hard choice and asks to be married to another woman. Aiden is hurt. In his mind he really thought him and Daniel had something special. With all the community upset with him and Daniel getting engaged he’s unsure what to do until Daniel’s father asks Aiden to stop hanging around their son. With nothing left for him he resigns from his job at the paper and moves back to his hometown in Maryland.
Many months pass when he gets an unexpected visit from his ex Conrad. Conrad wants him back after 3 years and Aiden considers it until he realizes that Conrad still doesn’t want the same things as him, so Aiden packs up his car and heads out to Montana to backpack through Glacier National Park. His second day in and he comes across a face he never thought he’d see again. Standing there in front of him is Daniel. Daniel was backpacking through the park trying to clear his head before he was to be married, but when he got there and saw Aiden’s car and then his name signed in, everything became clear to him.
“I can’t marry Tara. I’ll have to fly home and let her know. I’ll have to tell her face to face, that I can’t marry her. I figure I never could. After running into you out here…. If God doesn’t want for you and me…. Ach, then what does he want? I can see the clues clear now, Aiden Cermak. Finally, I can see.”
This book was not what I expected. I assumed it was going to be a sweet romance, and I’m sure to some it was, but it was all a bit bland for me. I really enjoyed all the details about what it was like living on a Amish farm. The Amish have always fascinated me and getting a look into their lives what pretty amazing.
See Jen's full review at Live Your Life, Buy The Book
Aiden Cermak was driving through the Amish country when he sees an out of control truck driver getting ready to smash into a buggy full of people. Aiden makes a lighting quick decision and swings his car in front of the buggy so the truck hits him instead. From there he gets invited to stay in the home of the Schrock’s for saving them. Aiden tries to decline the invite but Samuel won’t hear of it. He is very grateful for what Aiden has done.
“No greater man of God than he who lays down his life for another.”
Aiden becomes friends with the whole family, well everyone except the oldest son Daniel. Daniel has a hard time coming around, but once he finally lets himself have the friendship he wants with Aiden things get better between them.
We soon learn that Daniel had been married and lost his wife and child in a tornado. There are many things going on with Daniel that made me feel sad for him. He knows what he’s supposed to do with his life in the Amish community but he has all these weird feelings for Aiden. He doesn’t understand if it’s a test from God or what he should do about it. Aiden on the other hand knows how he feels about Daniel and even makes a decision to get a job at the local paper and move to Henry just to stay close to the other man, even knowing nothing can really come of it.
When Aiden starts getting a bit to nosey in a suicide case that happened years ago, people start to become angry. They don’t want him getting into their business and making them look bad. Daniel tries talking Aiden into dropping his investigation but to do that he has to tell him his big secret. Just when I thought it would finally happen for these two, Daniel gets scared and runs away. He leaves in such a hurry that he forgets to turn on his buggy lights and gets side swiped by an SUV. While he’s in the hospital he makes a hard choice and asks to be married to another woman. Aiden is hurt. In his mind he really thought him and Daniel had something special. With all the community upset with him and Daniel getting engaged he’s unsure what to do until Daniel’s father asks Aiden to stop hanging around their son. With nothing left for him he resigns from his job at the paper and moves back to his hometown in Maryland.
Many months pass when he gets an unexpected visit from his ex Conrad. Conrad wants him back after 3 years and Aiden considers it until he realizes that Conrad still doesn’t want the same things as him, so Aiden packs up his car and heads out to Montana to backpack through Glacier National Park. His second day in and he comes across a face he never thought he’d see again. Standing there in front of him is Daniel. Daniel was backpacking through the park trying to clear his head before he was to be married, but when he got there and saw Aiden’s car and then his name signed in, everything became clear to him.
“I can’t marry Tara. I’ll have to fly home and let her know. I’ll have to tell her face to face, that I can’t marry her. I figure I never could. After running into you out here…. If God doesn’t want for you and me…. Ach, then what does he want? I can see the clues clear now, Aiden Cermak. Finally, I can see.”
This book was not what I expected. I assumed it was going to be a sweet romance, and I’m sure to some it was, but it was all a bit bland for me. I really enjoyed all the details about what it was like living on a Amish farm. The Amish have always fascinated me and getting a look into their lives what pretty amazing.
See Jen's full review at Live Your Life, Buy The Book
December 2, 2012
I recently finished reading "Between Two Worlds" by Shelter Somerset (hmmm, cool name---but sounds a bit like a nom de plume!):
There are not huge numbers of Amish in my own immediate neighbourhood (for that, one has to travel to areas a short distance away), but still it’s not uncommon to see horses and buggies on the public road that runs at the end of the lane here. And due to a certain penchant for nostalgia, I’ve always been somewhat drawn to the Amish, or the idea of this sect at least. It seems fascinating to me, for a group to exist in the modern world while in many ways still living in the past. Oh, I know I romanticize these people, who surely are not so very different in basic human nature than everyone else. But since I’ve never gotten to know any Amish personally, this fascination remains, despite the fact that I am well aware that I would never fit into such a society. Couldn’t do without my technology now, could I---too attached to my movies and music and messing about on the computer! Oh, and of course there’s the fact that my own religious beliefs are completely incompatible with the Amish---remember, it simply is not possible to be openly, happily gay and a member of the Amish community.
This lengthy introduction is meant to illustrate that I have a predilection for stories about the Amish, though at this point I’ve only read one gay-themed story that would fit the bill. (That being one from Andrew Grey’s “Love Means…” series---and that story wasn’t actually set in an Amish community.) At any rate, "Between Two Worlds" was every bit as satisfactory as I could hope for; I loved this book. It was one of those stories that I simply hated to set aside, I wanted so much to know what would happen next.
The situations, characters---I thought it was all fascinating, all the while wondering if there was any way that Daniel and Aiden could actually end up together in the end. I’m not exactly giving anything away by saying there is a most satisfactory conclusion---but so many questions remain. Remember---from what I understand, once a person is baptized in the church, if he should want to come out as gay, he would be shunned by every member of the church----he would lose his entire family, his community; it would all be gone.
The moment I finished the book I looked up the author and saw---whew!---that there is in fact a follow-up volume titled "Between Two Promises." And I’m going to jump into this one right away; can’t wait! Shelter Somerset also has a few other titles out; I have the feeling that I’m going to enjoy reading all of his work.
Recommended.
There are not huge numbers of Amish in my own immediate neighbourhood (for that, one has to travel to areas a short distance away), but still it’s not uncommon to see horses and buggies on the public road that runs at the end of the lane here. And due to a certain penchant for nostalgia, I’ve always been somewhat drawn to the Amish, or the idea of this sect at least. It seems fascinating to me, for a group to exist in the modern world while in many ways still living in the past. Oh, I know I romanticize these people, who surely are not so very different in basic human nature than everyone else. But since I’ve never gotten to know any Amish personally, this fascination remains, despite the fact that I am well aware that I would never fit into such a society. Couldn’t do without my technology now, could I---too attached to my movies and music and messing about on the computer! Oh, and of course there’s the fact that my own religious beliefs are completely incompatible with the Amish---remember, it simply is not possible to be openly, happily gay and a member of the Amish community.
This lengthy introduction is meant to illustrate that I have a predilection for stories about the Amish, though at this point I’ve only read one gay-themed story that would fit the bill. (That being one from Andrew Grey’s “Love Means…” series---and that story wasn’t actually set in an Amish community.) At any rate, "Between Two Worlds" was every bit as satisfactory as I could hope for; I loved this book. It was one of those stories that I simply hated to set aside, I wanted so much to know what would happen next.
The situations, characters---I thought it was all fascinating, all the while wondering if there was any way that Daniel and Aiden could actually end up together in the end. I’m not exactly giving anything away by saying there is a most satisfactory conclusion---but so many questions remain. Remember---from what I understand, once a person is baptized in the church, if he should want to come out as gay, he would be shunned by every member of the church----he would lose his entire family, his community; it would all be gone.
The moment I finished the book I looked up the author and saw---whew!---that there is in fact a follow-up volume titled "Between Two Promises." And I’m going to jump into this one right away; can’t wait! Shelter Somerset also has a few other titles out; I have the feeling that I’m going to enjoy reading all of his work.
Recommended.
May 25, 2011
From Dreamspinner Press:
Aiden Cermak and Daniel Schrock are the definition of “worlds apart.” It doesn’t get more different than agnostic and Amish, and no one is more aware of this than Aiden. The young Chicago journalist travels to central Illinois Amish Country to research an article and ends up as a house guest of Daniel and his family after an act of bravery leaves the Schrocks in his debt.
Aiden is drawn to the solemn and mysterious Daniel and decides to hang around Amish Country for a while longer, despite the risk of terrible consequences for Daniel. But Daniel’s suspect sexuality might not be the only secret he’s harboring, and as Aiden becomes more and more enmeshed in the community, he discovers that a hidden past may make it even harder for Daniel to face his emerging feelings. It may be impossible to build a bridge between their worlds—their only hope may be to carve out a world of their own.
There was just a portion of one line on the last page of novel where I felt a little awkward with the context. I have read a lot of Amish fiction but this was my first gay Amish fiction. I’m not sure what I was expecting, maybe some discomfort with the topic, but over all I liked it. I enjoyed the characters, their strengths and their flaws. Aiden was much like any Englisher in the Amish community, naïve and curious. We always see something new that our fictional Amish friends do that the English think curious but I had to chuckle when Daniel told Aiden, “Amish do lots of things real people do.” Daniel’s family and community was much like any other fictional Amish family & community – tight knit, caring, and devoted to each other. I enjoyed reading what was going through the characters minds, not just their actions, it made their actions more realistic. It was nice that the tension between Aiden and Daniel was built on emotion and not sex – one of the reasons I so enjoy Amish fiction. I enjoyed the side stories that made the whole story come together.
Aiden Cermak and Daniel Schrock are the definition of “worlds apart.” It doesn’t get more different than agnostic and Amish, and no one is more aware of this than Aiden. The young Chicago journalist travels to central Illinois Amish Country to research an article and ends up as a house guest of Daniel and his family after an act of bravery leaves the Schrocks in his debt.
Aiden is drawn to the solemn and mysterious Daniel and decides to hang around Amish Country for a while longer, despite the risk of terrible consequences for Daniel. But Daniel’s suspect sexuality might not be the only secret he’s harboring, and as Aiden becomes more and more enmeshed in the community, he discovers that a hidden past may make it even harder for Daniel to face his emerging feelings. It may be impossible to build a bridge between their worlds—their only hope may be to carve out a world of their own.
There was just a portion of one line on the last page of novel where I felt a little awkward with the context. I have read a lot of Amish fiction but this was my first gay Amish fiction. I’m not sure what I was expecting, maybe some discomfort with the topic, but over all I liked it. I enjoyed the characters, their strengths and their flaws. Aiden was much like any Englisher in the Amish community, naïve and curious. We always see something new that our fictional Amish friends do that the English think curious but I had to chuckle when Daniel told Aiden, “Amish do lots of things real people do.” Daniel’s family and community was much like any other fictional Amish family & community – tight knit, caring, and devoted to each other. I enjoyed reading what was going through the characters minds, not just their actions, it made their actions more realistic. It was nice that the tension between Aiden and Daniel was built on emotion and not sex – one of the reasons I so enjoy Amish fiction. I enjoyed the side stories that made the whole story come together.
June 5, 2011
*****4.5 stars*****
I really enjoyed Between Two Worlds, the plot held me captivated from the beginning to the end. While I don't claim to be an expert on the Amish communities, I have done extensive reading about them and it seemed obvious to me that Shelter Somerset has done a great deal of research for this book.
I really liked how respectful she was of the Amish culture and did not include sex scenes just for the sake of it because in my mind Daniel would have seemed a whole lot less believable if this had happened.
I found both Daniel and Aiden to be well rounded characters each with their own struggles and doubts to overcome.
The reason I didn't give five stars was that there were a few things that were not satisfactorily resolved. I really wanted to know if Kyle did commit suicide or if he was in fact murdered like Aiden suspected. Why had Reverend Yodder changed since the suicide?
I even wanted to know who was responsible for the graffiti on Aiden's door and throwing the pumpkin. Small things like this in a plot that are either unexplained or unresolved don't add to the story, they just annoy me as I like all the loose ends to be neatly tied up at the end.
Even with the unresolved plot issues I enjoyed this book and highly recommend it. If you don't mind a story with no sex at all in it I am sure you will enjoy this entertaining story.
I really enjoyed Between Two Worlds, the plot held me captivated from the beginning to the end. While I don't claim to be an expert on the Amish communities, I have done extensive reading about them and it seemed obvious to me that Shelter Somerset has done a great deal of research for this book.
I really liked how respectful she was of the Amish culture and did not include sex scenes just for the sake of it because in my mind Daniel would have seemed a whole lot less believable if this had happened.
I found both Daniel and Aiden to be well rounded characters each with their own struggles and doubts to overcome.
The reason I didn't give five stars was that there were a few things that were not satisfactorily resolved. I really wanted to know if Kyle did commit suicide or if he was in fact murdered like Aiden suspected. Why had Reverend Yodder changed since the suicide?
I even wanted to know who was responsible for the graffiti on Aiden's door and throwing the pumpkin. Small things like this in a plot that are either unexplained or unresolved don't add to the story, they just annoy me as I like all the loose ends to be neatly tied up at the end.
Even with the unresolved plot issues I enjoyed this book and highly recommend it. If you don't mind a story with no sex at all in it I am sure you will enjoy this entertaining story.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 3, 2011
I'd been looking forward to reading this for a while because of the unique concept-a m/m romance where one of the men was Amish. I was really curious and intrigued with the struggle an Amish man might go through, in figuring out he was gay and then reconciling that with his belief system that told him it was a sin and abnormal.
For the most part the author did a pretty good job with this. If you're looking for lots of smut this is not the book for you. The attraction and realization between the two characters, Aidan and Daniel is slow building, as it should be, with one of them being Amish. Both characters end up going through a lot of introspection, figuring out who they are and what they really want in life.
The only thing I thought could have been better was the ending-it seemed a bit rushed and I think another 10 or 20 pages could have stretched it out a bit more and give the ending the time that the rest of their story was given. It could be argued that Daniel had spent most of the book trying to deal with his attraction to Aidan and his devotion to his church and lifestyle, but I still think he would have taken a bit more time to accept that it was okay for he and Aidan to be together.
Overall I found it to be a good read and kept me interested till the end.
For the most part the author did a pretty good job with this. If you're looking for lots of smut this is not the book for you. The attraction and realization between the two characters, Aidan and Daniel is slow building, as it should be, with one of them being Amish. Both characters end up going through a lot of introspection, figuring out who they are and what they really want in life.
The only thing I thought could have been better was the ending-it seemed a bit rushed and I think another 10 or 20 pages could have stretched it out a bit more and give the ending the time that the rest of their story was given. It could be argued that Daniel had spent most of the book trying to deal with his attraction to Aidan and his devotion to his church and lifestyle, but I still think he would have taken a bit more time to accept that it was okay for he and Aidan to be together.
Overall I found it to be a good read and kept me interested till the end.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 27, 2013
3.5 stars - I enjoyed the writing immensely, and was totally immersed in the book and its characters. I found Aiden and Daniel's love unique and hard earned. The world of the Amish was amazing to behold. I truly felt for Daniel as he fought to stay true to his faith while embracing his love for Aiden, an outsider. Aiden was a wonderful man, one who saved Daniel and his family from tragedy, embraced the plain life of the Amish, and never pushed his love onto Daniel, suffering in silence and willing to walk away until their paths crossed once more, irrefutable proof that their love was meant to be. I only wish their reunion at the end of the story would not have been such a short one. But, hey, I really shouldn't complain since there's a second book to enjoy!
February 5, 2012
I devoured this last night and this morning, because yes, I have a long-standing Witness kink, but the end was a minor let down. The reason? Well, I kept thinking there would be hot sex and all I got was a hug and a kiss. With spit.
To be fair, it was a wonderful story. The characters were well drawn and I ended up rather loving them both, but after everything they went through...I wanted some hot clinches. That's just me, though. I like things spelled out, especially between the sheets.
If you enjoy lovely, sweet romances, definitely buy this. I have the sequel and I plan to read it with my expectations more firmly in line. :)
To be fair, it was a wonderful story. The characters were well drawn and I ended up rather loving them both, but after everything they went through...I wanted some hot clinches. That's just me, though. I like things spelled out, especially between the sheets.
If you enjoy lovely, sweet romances, definitely buy this. I have the sequel and I plan to read it with my expectations more firmly in line. :)
May 8, 2011
What a joy to come across a book about my two favorite topics: the Amish and gay male romances. Not only is this one of the best gay male romances I've ever read, but, surprising to me, one of the best Amish fictions I've read. The Amish life was depicted so authentic, I have to assume Shelter Somerset was raised Amish. It immersed me in the Amish world entirely. The slow buildup of the love between the two male protagonists--one Amish the other "English"--was very gratifying. A very well written heartbreaking story.
June 5, 2016
After reading Keira Andrews' Amish trilogy I needed more MM stories with an Amish plot. Glad I found this one. The Amish community Aiden meets is not as strict as the one Isaac and David were from in Keira's trilogy making contact with the English a little easier. I enjoyed it, but not as much as Forbidden Rumspringa. That was just so special.
October 30, 2011
"[His parents] were as malleable as the rubber fittings his father used to fix bathroom sinks in his plumbing business."
That's good, smart writing. A metaphor used to not only describe personality trait, but a person's job and a sense of place--working class America. Loved it!
That's good, smart writing. A metaphor used to not only describe personality trait, but a person's job and a sense of place--working class America. Loved it!
May 1, 2012
I really did enjoy this book, was a lovely story and I did love the characters. I've always been interested in scenarios like this one, they just intrigue. Very believable can believe Daniel's anguish over this situation. Would recommend to people, nice read :)
August 9, 2015
A book that tells a love that grows slowly, but it becomes very powerful. The end seemed to have their "happily ever after" even arrives. Leaves some questions unresolved but it is the beginning of uan saga, so look forward to reading the other books soon.
October 11, 2011
Nicely done!
January 5, 2012
Admittedly, I was looking for graphic sex but the writing is so polished and professional and the characters so engaging, five stars no prob.
November 29, 2012
Surprisingly well crafted and sweet story. The descriptions of Amish farm life were vivid and realistic. Loved the slow burn romance.
August 13, 2014
I dumped this book, not because it wasn't interesting, but because it was moving too slowly and I needed something with a quicker pace.
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