An Amish Christams Love - Four Novellas to Get Your Christmas Spirit Roaring!

Take a reading break from all your Christmas preparations.  An Amish Christmas Love is a collection of four Amish novellas written for us by Beth Wiseman, Amy Clipston, Kelly Irvin and Ruth Reid. 

Winter Kisses by Beth Wiseman

I enjoyed this story of the three Stoltzfus women who all happen to be single living together on the family farm. Grandmother Ruth is a lonely widow, Barbara, also widowed is the mother to Naomi, who has never been married.  As luck or a Christmas wish would have it, three single men, working on a construction project have rented the Daadi house. What follows is a heartfelt, sometimes humorous story of love for all the ages. 

The Christmas Cat by Amy Clipston

 A big yellow barn cat adopted Emma Bontrager on Christmas Eve, her first Christmas without her beloved Henry, who passed away last July. Not one to allow cats in her home, the cat is persistent and undeterred as Emma tries to shoo it away.  A group of young people stop to visit and bring Emma a gift.  During the course of their visit, they are interested in hearing Emma’s story of her courtship with Henry.  A simple snowstorm turns quickly into a visit and all are snowbound at Emma’s, along with the big yellow cat.  What follows is a delightful story of how kind gestures can develop into lasting friendships.

  Snow Angels by Kelly Irvin

This is the story to test one’s faith. An Amish man falling in love with an Englischer during his Rumspringa.  Molly Shrock loves David Byler but he has yet to commit.  Could it be he hasn’t settled down yet?  David is content to be back among his family and is about ready to propose to Molly when his other love returns to add enough confusion to turn his head.  Will he choose Molly or Bobbi McGregor?  Can he be happy living as an Amish man with Molly after the thrill of the other lifestyle in Bobbie’s world?

Home for Christmas by Ruth Reid.

Ellie Whetstone parked her motorhome near the farmhouse she inherited from her aenti.  Short on cash she is bent on selling the home quickly and getting back to her profession as a trainer for competitive dog shows.  Ezra mistook the quirky Englisch woman for a burgler when he found her in his kitchen.  After directing her to her aenti’s home on the same property, he thought he was rid of her.  However, the beautiful English woman and the handsome young widower continually ran into each other.  Just when one thinks they are going to be rid of the other, the good Lord shows His hand and what follows is a wonderful story.

Four stories written by the masterful hands of award winning authors.  I recommend this collection as one to read and one to keep to re-read for seasons to come.

Reviewing: Home All Along

Home All Along ,Book 3 in the Amish Secret Series  by Beth Wiseman is not your typical novel about an Englisher living among the Amish. Charlotte has made a home for herself in her late brother Ethan's house.  It is quite a change from her first visit, posing as an Amish woman searching for answers about Ethan's death.

Life has had far too many ups and downs for such a young woman.
As a child she and Ethan lived in foster homes with time off to be returned home now and then when their parents were released from rehab or jail.  And now, she just wants to live quietly, join the church and marry Daniel.   The past, however, has a way of stirring things up. For Charlotte, the past included a sister she hadn't thought of for a very long time.  As a baby, Charlotte's sister Andrea was also placed in foster care but never saw her family again. Until, that is, when she tracked Charlotte down at their mother's funeral. It didn't take long for her to get herself moved in with Charlotte, along with her baby.  For Charlotte, having her family near was a blessing and she was determined to make them a home together.

In the beginning, it seems the book is about Charlotte and Daniel's love for each other.  It is more than that, however, as three families grapple with love, death, illness and how difficult it is to understand God's will under the modern marvels of medicine.  The questions Beth Wiseman raises in this novel are complex. I liked how the decisions were made. Sometimes we need someone to nearly hit us with a two by four to wake us up about putting others needs before our desires.

Daniel family struggles with major family decisions.  He loves Charlotte but is pulling away from her. Charlotte's beloved friend and motherly mentor Lena faces yet another bout of breast cancer. Andrea is slowly learning from Charlotte's love that life can be different.  So many trials are faced in this book yet through it all. Is there enough faith and love for Charlotte and her Daniel to marry?  This book is for readers who are looking for characters who are resilient and not willing to give up when life gets hard.  Once again, Beth Wiseman has delivered!