Through the Autumn Air

Kelly Irvin

Aug 2018 · HarperChristian + ORM

About this eBook

The third book in the beloved Every Amish Season series by bestselling author, Kelly Irvin.

"Kelly Irvin’s Through the Autumn Air is a poignant journey of friendship and second chances that will illustrate for readers that God blesses us with a true love for all seasons." —Amy Clipston, bestselling author of Room on the Porch Swing

The past filled her mind even as her heart yearned for stories yet to be told . . .

The mother of ten and a widow of seven years, Mary Katherine is a bundle of energy, always willing to step in and help her friends around her Amish community. Now that her last child is married, she pours her abundant creative spirit into writing stories, even as she speaks aloud to her late husband every day. Her dream is to open a bookstore with an English friend, but the church elders want this wayward widow to work in an Amish-owned store instead. When her old school friend, Ezekiel, offers her a position as a cook in the restaurant he opened after his wife died, she knows she should accept. But does she really want to spend her time working over a hot stove? 

When a mysterious English stranger breaks into her house to make himself a sandwich one autumn night, Mary Katherine doesn’t call the sheriff. She turns to Ezekiel. They both see that Burke is need of more than a meal, and Ezekiel offers him the job at the restaurant. 

As they set out to care for their new friend, Mary Katherine and Ezekiel find themselves often working together. Mary Katherine is drawn to Ezekiel, but she remembers the terrible risk of giving her heart to someone. Can two people in the autumns of their lives and so well-versed in the pain of loss put the past behind them and trust in the hope that comes with each new season?

“A moving and compelling tale . . . that reminds us how we become strongest in our most broken moments.” —Library Journal review of Upon a Spring Breeze

Ratings and reviews

Through the Autumn Air by Kelly Irvin is the third An Every Amish Season Novel. Mary Katherine Ropp has been a widow for seven years and has just married off the last of her ten children. Her family has been encouraging her to move out of the family home and into the dawdy haus at her eldest son’s home. Mary Katherine has a vivid imagination which allows her to write creative stories plus she loves to read. She has dreamed of opening a bookstore with her Englisch friend, Dottie Manchester. However, the church elders prefer that Mary Katherine work in the Graber’s Amish-owned combination store. Ezekiel Miller is a widower who owns the Purple Martine Café in Jamesport. While he still misses his wife, Ezekiel is attracted to Mary Katherine. There have been thefts at the local Amish homes. The items stolen are not valuable monetarily, but they have sentimental value to the owner. One-night Mary Katherine wakes up to a noise in her kitchen. She finds a scruffy man assembling a sandwich. Burke McMillan is a man who is lost spiritually after the deaths of his daughter and wife. Mary Katherine fixes him a meal and allows him to bunk in the barn. The next day she takes him to Ezekiel’s café where he gets a job as a cook and a place to live with Ezekiel. Ezekiel and Mary Katherine see Burke as a project, but it could be that Burke was sent to help them. Is it possible to get a second chance at love? Are Ezekiel and Mary Katherine willing to risk their hearts? While Through the Autumn Air is the third novel in the series, it can be read alone. Each story focuses on a different character who has lost the love of their life. The series is set in Jamesport, Missouri is a close-knit Amish community where everyone knows your business. I thought Through the Autumn Air was well-written and had good pacing. There are smooth transitions between sections as the point-of-view switches between Ezekiel and Mary Katherine. I liked that the characters are older. Mary Katherine is sixty years old, but she is not ready to sit in a rocking chair and knit. She has raised ten children and they have provided her with twenty-seven grandchildren. Her children (especially her oldest son Thomas) are trying to force changes on Mary Katherine along with Bishop Freeman and the church elders. One of my favorite characters is Dottie Manchester. She is a lively woman with an unusual style of dress. It is lovely that Ezekiel likes Mary Katherine’s attitude (along with her creativity and curiosity) and does not want to change her (thank heavens). Some of the Christian themes present in the book are God is in control, to have a strong faith, power of prayer, events happen in God’s timing, and accepting God’s will and plan for our life. While I liked some aspects of Through the Autumn Air, I have others infuriating. I did not like how Thomas, Bishop Freeman and the other church elders were trying to control Mary Katherine (I understand it is the Amish way and Mary Katherine states it is a woman’s lot in life to have men in charge). They wanted to make her move out of her home of thirty-six years, tell her where she could work, who she could or could not go into business with, how she should react to situation, etc. Mary Katherine is a grown woman who, as long as she is not hurting herself or breaking the law, should be able to manage her own life (I will quit ranting now). I thought the name of the bookstore was clever along with the tagline (I do not want to spoil it for you). There are some entertaining moments in Through the Autumn Air that had me chuckling. One of my favorites is Mary Katherine riding in Tony’s rickety car. My rating for Through the Autumn Air is 3.5 out of 5 stars. Through the Autumn Air is sweet Amish novel with romance, mystery, humor, good food, and a love of books.

About the author

Kelly Irvin is a bestselling, award-winning author of over twenty novels and stories. A retired public relations professional, Kelly lives with her husband, Tim, in San Antonio. They have two children, four grandchildren, and two ornery cats. Visit her online at KellyIrvin.com; Instagram: @kelly_irvin; Facebook: @Kelly.Irvin.Author; Twitter: @Kelly_S_Irvin.