Miriam's Heart

Hannah's Daughters #2

by Emma Miller

Miriam Yoder always thought she'd marry Charley Byler. Steady, dependable Charley, who grew up on the neighboring farm, and has been sweet on her since they were young. But then local veterinarian John Hartman catches Miriam's eye. He's handsome, charming, cares for animals-and is not Plain. While Miriam is known as the "wild" Yoder sister, she is still expected to marry a good Amish man. But what if it's God's plan to match her with John? Miriam must listen to her heart to truly know which man will claim her love and her future.

Genres: Amish, Love Inspired, Romance, Christian Fiction, Christian, Fiction, Amish Fiction

297 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2011

Reviews

[LINDA BOURG · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book. Number 2 in the Hannah's Daughters series. From the moment i started reading it i could not put it down, It kept me intrigued as to who would win Miriam's Heart. Charley her best friend from childhood or John the local vet. Both vying for her love and attention. This book kept mew guessing to the very end, I kept going back and forth. But the reason she chooses the gentleman of her choice was exceptional and i respect her for that. Good Read, will be reading the others in this series to see what happens to the other Daughters.

[Jennie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Miriam finds herself in a dilemma to decide between John, who is a Mennonite, and Charlie, who is old Amish. She wants to choose the best person for herself, and in the end, she makes the best decision.

[⚜️XAR the Bookwyrm · Rating 3 out of 5]

I agree with another reviewer, this had a very abrupt ending! That being said, it wasn't a bad read, just moved too quickly for me to savor it. It reminded me of the old Sunfire romance novel line, just an Amish version of it. Most of what I enjoy seeing in an Amish romance was missing here, and I couldn't really get a good connection to Miriam or her beaus. It's more of a 2.5 star read for me, but since I did enjoy it somewhat, I've decided to round it up to a 3 star read.

[April Suter · Rating 4 out of 5]

Miriam was the daughter who loved the animals, not work in the tradional way in the home. She has been best friends with Charley since they were children, but should she continue with that path or explore the possibilities with John, a handsome Minnonite vet? How strong is her Amish ties?
216 pages

[Darlene Nichols · Rating 3 out of 5]

Miriam is a free spirit who prefers outside jobs around the Yoder farm. She is interested in two beaus and the story was a good one to make you turn the pages to see who she will choose. I recommend as a good read.

[Harlequin Books]

Miniseries: Hannah's Daughters

[Anna Marie · Rating 2 out of 5]

The first book in this series was 'Bad boy falls for...'. So naturally, book two in the series is 'bad girl falls for...'. Right? Cuz why not.

Truth? This book doesn't in any way follow book #1. In book one, Charley is just another mouthy, randy Amish guy in a group of Amish guys. Yes, he buys Miriam's pie at the box social, but it felt like the author just needed someone to buy it, and chose Charley since he was sort of the 'spokesperson' for the guy gang.

Suddenly, he's always been Miriam's true love and always has been? If that were the case, wouldn't he have been jealous when she was off riding around on the back of Eli's motorbike?

Miriam is supposedly 'one to never cry' (according to Charley at the beginning of the book), but then the author has her in tears or on the verge a handful of times, throughout the book. She's supposed to be the daring, flout-the-rules girl, but the only thing she does that's questionable is accepts a cellphone - which most Amish kids on rumspringa have, anyhow.

Charley's love for her is abrupt and unbelievable, while John's is written far better. But honestly, Miriam never comes across as having feelings for anyone but herself in the book. She basically pits them against each other, and then all but declares a 'competition' (which the author shies away from, but wants at the same time)...

It's painful. Not enjoyable.

And then there's the obvious unBiblical teachings. Like that loved ones go to Heaven when they die (Christ is the firstfruits, nobody else is there yet. See 1 Corinthians 15), that Sunday is the 'sabbath' (Blasphemy, right there - the 7th day, Saturday, is the Sabbath. Even the claim that Sunday is 'The Lord's Day' is blasphemy, as Christ said He was 'Lord of the Sabbath', and nowhere is 'The Lord's Day' declared a replacement for the Sabbath in scripture).

I also don't understand why Miriam would be given permission to continue her education to be a teacher. First, she NEVER showed interest in teaching in any of the books... Ruth was there helping her mother with the students, not Miriam. Second, she JUST got married - that means having babies and making a family/home... there's no reason the Bishop would give her permission to go to college. In fact, it flies in the face of EVERTHING said in Grace's book.

Not. Okay.

I wasn't fond.
But I know Anna's book is next, so...!!!

[Gaylina · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’m glad this was a stand alone book. It was enjoyable but Miriam is a very different Amish woman from any other character in a book. Her behavior did not seem in line with her faith. Her mother, Hannah, and her sisters are wonderful. I love the way the author portrays Suzanna, the sister with Down Syndrome. I read the first book, “Courting Ruth” so I got to know Miriam a bit but it is nice getting to know the sisters better. I’m hoping that in a future book the mother, Hannah marries. She is such a wonderful, strong woman, and I love her wisdom.

[Chelsea · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was such a disappointment. I don't really like love triangles, but if done right can still enjoy the book. One good thing for this story is that both men were fairly good guys, but neither were particularly great. Furthermore, the romance was entirely unbelievable. I don't think Miriam loved either guy as anything more than a friend. This leaves me very unsatisfied with the ending. What makes me saddest is that I can see potential for such a better story here, one that I could really love.

[Jo M. Knight · Rating 5 out of 5]

Miriam Heart

It took me a long time to finish reading this book, and I guess it is because I don't like when someone is going to get hurt. I could tell someone was from the beginning, so I took a while to completely read it, I am glad I did finish. IT had twO TYPE SERIES. This book would have bothered me of knowing what happened. I suggest reading all of this book. It is good. JO

[Nova · Rating 3 out of 5]

I've read enough Amish romances by now to realize that they're typically pretty formulaic and this one was really no exception. Still it was a sweet, lighthearted story that was a nice quick read over the holiday. I'm curious enough about the world the author created and the characters to look for the other books in the series.

[Alice · Rating 5 out of 5]

An Mennonite or an Amish guy that she grew up with as best friends....that is the question.
Miriam is torn between the veterinarian who is Mennonite but willing to become Amish in order to marry Miriam and an Amish guy that is not willing to give up his Amish ways in order to marry her. A great book with a great story of why you make the choices that you make.

[Susan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sweet Amish romance. Unusual story line, Miriam needed to choose between two men. Charley is Amish, and everybody expects them to get married. But there's also the local Mennonite vet in the picture, and Miriam thinks she has feelings for him, too. Whatever will she do?? You'll have to read the book yourself, I'm not gonna tell you.

[Linda Ortiz · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed the story of Miriam. She has to choose which young man is right for her. Charley who is Amish, or John who is Mennonite. I could not out the book down because I needed to know who Miriam was going to pick. Don't want to give too much away if the story. Great read!!

[Sherri · Rating 3 out of 5]

Quick read.

[Debbie West · Rating 5 out of 5]

great book

[Rachel Brand · Rating 4 out of 5]

Emma Miller's Hannah's Daughters series is probably one of the strongest ones I've come across from the Love Inspired line. Although the Amish community is a bit stricter than I'd usually enjoy reading about (no unchaperoned courting or rumspringe, etc) I love reading about Hannah's family and being immersed in their daily life. I've actually read the books that follow on from this one (about Anna and Leah) so Miriam's final decision in this book wasn't such a surprise for me, since I could remember who she was married to in the later books in the series. But if I hadn't read this series out of order, I'm not sure if I would have figured it out on my own!

I'm not a big fan of love-triangles, simply because I've never seen one in real life. They're pretty popular in the fictional world, particularly among young/teenage characters, but I just can't imagine having two men vying for my attention and genuinely not knowing which one I truly loved. However, I could understand Miriam's position. She still isn't sure what she wants to do with her life, and although Charley is her dependable, steady best friend, John offers excitement, and this appeals to her, and makes Charley seem a little boring. For any of her sisters, a love-triangle would have seemed a bit silly, but considering Miriam's confusion over whether she should stay Amish or pursue her education, it seemed possible that she really couldn't choose between them.

The ending seemed to be a little rushed. I know these books are short, but Miriam seemed to make her decision rather suddenly. Despite this, it was still a fun, sweet book and a good addition to the series. I still prefer Ruth and Anna's stories, but I was glad to have the chance to fill in the blanks before going on to read the other later books. If you don't mind love-triangles--or even like them!--you'll probably end up enjoying this book more than I did, since that was my main niggle with this novel.

Even if you don't usually read Love Inspired novels, I'd recommend this series to Amish fans. Despite the shortness of these books, the community and its traditions are well fleshed-out, as is Hannah's family and all the extended family in Delaware and other States. I'm continually impressed at how much detail and development Emma Miller manages to fit into these little books. Definitely one of my favourite Love Inspired authors! 3.5*

[Melissa · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm normally not too thrilled with the Love Inspired series. They're somewhat preachy and a little sappy. But I do have to say that I liked this one. Maybe because I considered it more of an Amish romance, which is a genre I do enjoy.

Miriam has been running the farm since her dad died. She has plenty of sisters, but in the Amish world, the women mainly do the indoor chores while the fields and barns are left to the men. But she feels more at home there. Luckily she's pretty enough that she catches the attention of two different men who want to court her. The one, Charley has been her friend forever and she's not sure she has that kind of spark for him. The other is just a little bit different, a little bit wild, and Mennonite, she'd have to leave her faith for him. Miriam's not sure what to do, and her heart isn't helping things. Should she go for the friend, or the man that can offer her the world.

I have mixed feelings about Miriam. She's a little wishy washy and it drove me up a wall at times. I did like her two beaus though. They both had good aspects and seemed like decent guys, although very different from each other. She had a good group of sisters too, which makes me excited that there seems to be a book for each of them. So really it was just Miriam that didn't thrill me as much in the book. The side characters are great!

The plot, well let's just say that the ending didn't go the way I wanted it to and Miriam didn't make the decision I would have made. But I guess there's plenty of people out there who probably think differently from me so they'll be happy. It was an interesting notion having an Amish girl courting two boys, just not very common. So I enjoyed that unique aspect of the book. And despite being a Love Inspired book and Amish fiction, the religion was tolerable and not preachy.

I look forward to the other books in the series. Should be interesting to see what happens with Miriam's sisters.

Miriam's Heart
Copyright 2011
216 pages

Review by M. Reynard 2012

More of my reviews can be found at www.ifithaswords.blogspot.com

[DJ · Rating 5 out of 5]

This story is one of my favorites, although it doesn't lead the way I wanted it to! I wanted Miriam to not be so attracted to John, who is a Mennonite. I have to admit, I was holding my breath, waiting to see who was going to win Miriam's heart!

I like how Emma thinks "outside the box" and sees Miriam as a tomboy, preferring to work outside in the fields, instead of the norm (which is what we think of as "women's work".

The synopsis says Miriam always intended to marry Charley, but that isn't the way it seems to me. Miriam is best friends with Charley... her FAMILY has always expected her to marry Charley. But Charley too, seems shocked when he begins to have more than "friendly" feelings for Miriam!

I love how Emma makes her characters so true-to-life. Perhaps a little too true-to-life at times... since I keep getting tense, waiting for Miriam's decision.

There is one very special part in Emma's books... at the end of each book in the series, Emma skips ahead and gives us an epilogue - a look at a few weeks, months, or even a year down the road. Then when the next book in the series is written, Emma returns to the end of the previous book - before the epilogue, so that you can begin again just where the previous story ended (not counting the epilogue) so we don't miss anything. I love this! Thank you, Emma!

[Shari Larsen · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the second book in the Hannah's Daughters series, telling the story of Miriam, one of 6 daughters in an Amish family.

For years she always thought she'd marry Charley Byler, a steady, dependable man who grew up on a neighboring farm, who was also a life long friend. But then local veterinarian John Hartman catches her eye. He's handsome and charming, and loves animals as much as Miriam does, but he is Mennonite, not Amish. Miriam has a reputation as the "wild" Yoder sister, but she is still expected to marry an Amish man, but she questions whether or not God has other plans for her, and she must listen to her heart to figure out which man she truly loves.

I really enjoyed this book, as much as I did the first one, and the way the story lines of the rest of the family were continued in this one, I've already started book number three and I am enjoying that one as well.

[C Janet · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the first time I have read books by this author. I was intrigued because all of Miller's books take place near Dover, Delaware. I have read many Amish genre but this was very refreshing.

Miriam is Hannah Yoder's wild daughter. She is spirited and has been handling the farm since the death of her
father. She develops an interest in a Mennonite Vet, John Hartman. Now she is wondering if she could leave the Amish faith. Charley, who is Amish, wants to marry Miriam but Miriam has only considered him a good friend. Miriam now realizes she has a choice and must choose a path ...one that could affect her family and her future children. It was a very good book, well written and I enjoyed the characters especially Susanna, her downs syndrome sister. Would have rated this book a 4.5....

[Janice · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this on the Kindle

This is the 2nd in a series of 8 books which is about Hannah's daughters but there is twists in that title from the books i seen in this series

Miriam has a choice to make & as you read the story of whether she goes for Charley or John i know who i was rooting for & i will say she does go with which one i hoped for but that said

The ending was very good on how she made her choice

In this she is really courting or getting to know both men each knows this so nothing is behind anyone's back

I have really enjoyed this book & the previous one (Courting Ruth) & have started the 3rd book i will be getting all the books in this series

Yes it is a Mills & Boon style book in that you get a happy ending even if it not one you think it will be or may be it is but have found these easy to read but you still don't want to put them down

[Laura · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a book about how we can drift into relationships with someone we knew from childhood and know that they are the person for you until another person with a different personality comes into the picture and is all the things the other person wasn't. This is Miriam with Charlie who has been there forever and how this changed when she met John who was not Amish although he knew of the religion because he was a Mennonite which by the way was the religious order her Mom was before marrying Miram's father.

She finally know that she had to chose between the two men and in pondering her choice came up with a question which she posed to both of the young men and the surprise is the one she chose and the reason which had me smiling and feeling blessed to know her even though it was a novel.

[Bonnie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Just as great as the first in the series (Courting Ruth). I enjoyed this one as well.

Miriam is the wild child of widow Hannah Yoder. Well, she's wild for an Amish girl anyway. She would much rather be outside doing the chores than inside cooking and cleaning. The local veterinarian is a young, good-looking Mennonite man who shares her love of animals. She forms a friendship with him that is frowned upon by the Amish community because she is of marrying age. Then there's her friend Charley. He's always been there for her and has been her best friend for years. When the Mennonite, John, begins coming around more, Charley gets jealous, trying to force Miriam to choose. She eventually decides to court both to see if it is John or his world she enjoys the most.

[Ausjenny · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the second book about Hannah's Daughters. I haven't read the first book but I was still able to follow the book without having read book one. I love Miriam, I love how she is different, she wants to work outside and with animals. It is interesting seeing how Miriam is attracted to John who is not Amish and also Charley who she sees as a friend. Watching the way the family interact was fun too especially their younger sister who has down syndrome. She has a habit of saying what is happening when its not always the best thing to say which can be interesting. The way she is treated was really good to see also. This is a good read and I cant wait to read the next one in the series.

[AnnMarie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Well obviously I am completely engaged with this series.

After just finishing, book 2, Courting Ruth, I immediately moved on to book 3, Miriam's Heart.

I just need to know what happens with each one of the seven sisters and Emma Miller knows how to real me in.

I really liked Miriam's Heart a lot. Normally triangles are not my thing, but the triangle of Miriam, John, and Charley just made sense in that it gave you a sense of a true life's decision. A decision that would be final.

This series is so engaging, so well written, and visually appealing. A step in to a world so very few know, let understand. All wrapped up in pure romance.

[pam · Rating 5 out of 5]

i really liked this book it is book two in the series.
Miriam she amish and has a passion for animals she rather be out in the barn instead of kitchen. She has and interrest in this minnanite vet. He has and interrest in Miriam also. Then there is her long time friend. that has liked her since grade school. Miriam is so confused she likes them both who will she pick.
this book was a page turner it keep going back and forth between the to boys i did not know till the very end. really enjoyed it.

[Mara · Rating 5 out of 5]

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. I normally don't read series out of sequence but this book can and does stand on it's own. Miriam is beautifully strong yet Amish, she knows that she has to wait on God to help her make the best choice and in the end she does. The character of Wilmer made me realize that even among the Amish there are abusers. I had never considered that before, although it is not the typical picture of the Amish I really hope that there will be a follow up on that story line.
Thank you for this Ms. Miller, now I will read book one Courting Ruth.

[Vicki · Rating 5 out of 5]

Miriam had a special way with animals. After her father died she worked on the outside on the farm
taking care of everything her father would have. She had help from her sisters and her adopted brother Irwin. She has a best friend Charley, they grew up together and he is in love with her. John is the Vet whom she is drawn to because of her love for animals. He falls in love with her too. She loves both of them and can't decide which one to marry. It is also a conflict for her to choose between the Amish life or freedom in the English world.
It is a sweet read.

[Mary · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed this read, it was an easy one and I read it in one night. While I liked the story and characters and even the fact that she chose her husband because of how strong his faith was, it wasn't too different from other Amish books I have read. Maybe if I read the other books about the different daughters I will see if a little differently and change my rating. 3 is good for me, 4 very good, and 5 spectacular.