Breaking New Ground (An Amish Legacy #3) by Amy Clipston

Korey Bontrager and Savannah Zook are just pretending to date—but could their feelings turn into something more?

Korey Bontrager knows he’s been an immature dummkopp. When his widowed dad remarried, Korey was unwelcoming to his kindhearted stepmother. Then he became estranged from his older brother. But after fourteen months in Ohio, God called Korey back to Pennsylvania.

Easier said than done. Back home, Korey feels left behind by his family and friends, who want to see him happily married. Instead of looking for a new relationship, he finds himself spending time with Savannah Zook: the most outspoken maedel he’s ever met. She’s also confident and brave, having raised her younger brother from a young age. And she’s a natural beauty. But, hard as her friends try to convince her otherwise, she has no interest in dating. Her priority is looking out for her bullied brother.

So when Savannah suggests they pretend to date as a way to get her friends—and his family—off their backs, Korey readily agrees. Soon, he can’t imagine life without her. But could Savannah ever truly be part of his future?

Set in the faithful Amish community of Lancaster County, Breaking New Ground gives the most stubborn Bontrager a chance to redeem his story.

My thoughts:

I have enjoyed this series, although I have wanted to knock some sense into Korey Bontrager from the very beginning.   The Bontrager family has had their share of heartache, so it made me happy when they started to find joy once again. 

In all honesty, I’m not a fan of fake dating, however it worked perfectly in this novel because I think it helped Korey finally mature and that’s what I have been waiting for.  I was glad when he returned home to reunite with his family and community.  He was so unkind to his stepmother before he left Pennsylvania for Ohio, his behavior towards his older brother was pretty awful, too, so I was glad when he left.  Of course there was a part of me that wondered about him and waited for his return. The author managed to make me care about a character that I doubted would ever have any redeeming qualities, but the transformation of Korey made him likable and he had the sweet, caring nature that had been hidden for far too long. What  a wonderful ending to this series.

I received a copy of this book from the publisher through Netgalley.  Opinions are my own.