Tag: Amish romance

REVIEW: Austin//His Amish Sweetheart by Jennifer Beckstrand

REVIEW: Austin//His Amish Sweetheart by Jennifer Beckstrand

Posted on by Jaymie

[I received a free electronic review copy of this book from Netgalley and Zebra in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.]

Summary

Alfie and Benji Petersheim have been working to get their three older brothers married and out of the house. They helped Andrew (♥♥♥♥♥) and Abraham find true love and now they just need Austin in love so all of the older boys will move out of the house and the twins can move out of the cellar and back into a room.  But Austin could be their hardest project yet.

Benji is convinced Austin is in love with his best friend, Hannah Yutzy. Alfie thinks they should get Austin interested in Priscilla Lambright who works at the library. With the twins at odds, they decide to work their own agendas – alone. May the best man win.

Review

This was a lovely wrap up to the Petersheim Brothers trilogy!

I’ve been a fan of this series from the start. This book, originally titled Austin, was supposed to release in the summer of 2020. And then Covid. And while the publisher waited for the right time to release it, they also determined that the book might sell better with an Amish woman on the cover. So this is the new cover and the new title. While I had no issues with the other titles and covers, I’m just happy to finally see how the series ended. It was a satisfying resolution.

I have to be honest, though. Austin is a hot mess in this book. I can’t say for sure who I grumbled about more – Austin or “Scilla.” She was obnoxious, and he was an idiot a lot of the time. It never got to the point where I thought about giving up on the book, but they were truly a mess. The twins and Hannah and some of the other events of the book helped balance out Austin’s moments.

I think my annoyance is part of what made things so awesome in the end, though. I loved the resolution here. Alfie and Benji really stole the show in this book. And the extra help they recruit for their quest was an added delight!

Newcomers can start here without too much trouble. There are pieces of the story with the larger community – and the twins’ quest to get out of the cellar – that play out in Andrew, Abraham, and the Honeybee Sisters books. And reading those will fill in around this story, but I think new readers can get along without those details to start. But I highly recommend the books in both series, so you should be sure to check them all out in the end.

Rating: ♥♥♥♥*

*♥♥♥♥ = Great! Might re-read

REVIEW: An Amish Cookie Club Courtship by Sarah Price

REVIEW: An Amish Cookie Club Courtship by Sarah Price

Posted on by Jaymie

[I received an electronic review copy of this book from Netgalley and Zebra in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.]

Summary

The “Amish Cookie Club,” a group of four friends who meet regularly to bake and chat, had been meeting for 4 years. It started when Wilma’s twins, Rachel and Ella Mae, had turned 16. She wasn’t ready for her “babies” to grow up and needed the support of her friends. Of course, now that they are almost 20, she is ready for them to find husbands and settle down.

To that end, Wilma volunteers the girls to help her friend Edna with her catering business. Edna’s daughter-in-law usually helps with the authentic Amish meals, served in Edna’s home to Englische guests visiting Shipshewana. But Bethany is pregnant and can’t keep up due to her morning sickness. Edna could use the help. But the twins have a reputation for being disagreeable, and they’ve never held a job for very long. In Wilma’s eyes, Edna’s two unmarried sons make her solution of sending the twins a brilliant one.

Unfortunately for Wilma, Rachel and Ella Mae couldn’t be LESS interested in Jeremiah and Jonas. Jonas is a prankster, always teasing and tormenting. And Jeremiah usually follows along as if he doesn’t have a mind of his own. Whatever their mothers might have in mind, these four young people are going to be a challenge for even the most dedicated matchmakers.

Review

This was a good continuation of this fun series. Edna has NOT learned anything about her meddling and matchmaking. I thought this might be the story where there’s some consequences for that, but it didn’t really materialize in the end.

I enjoyed the change in the twins as they had opportunities to work on their own and have individual, separate identities. But I felt like the book told me that these changes were happening more than showing them through the action of the book. I thought this idea for why the girls bickered, and what could help them grow up, was brilliant. But I didn’t get to enjoy the execution of it like I wanted to.

Jeremiah’s reputation as a follower didn’t really play out in the story either. It’s true he didn’t tell Jonas to knock it off when he teased, but the set up had me expecting a different dynamic between the brothers than what I actually saw in the story.  I enjoyed the hints at Jonas’ depth. I feel like the author did the most work developing his character over the course of the book. Perhaps trying to tell two romances simultaneously didn’t leave the page space to go as deep into the individual character development as I was craving.

Fans of the series will want to pick this up to see the latest story in the series after The Amish Cookie Club and An Amish Cookie Club Christmas (♥♥♥♥½). In addition to the romance, there are some fun, satisfying pieces here about the development of Edna’s business that I enjoyed, too.

Rating: ♥♥♥*

*♥♥♥ = Good/solid/fine

SATURDAY SMORGASBORD: Amish Christmas Twins

SATURDAY SMORGASBORD: Amish Christmas Twins

Posted on by Jaymie

[I received an electronic review copy of this short story collection from Netgalley and Kensington in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.]

“The Christmas Not-Wish” by Shelley Shepard Gray

After a series of foster homes, Jemima and Roy move in with Will and Elizabeth Ann right before Christmas. The kids’ last foster home was bad, and now they are gun-shy. When they find out EA is pregnant, the kids are afraid they’ll have to leave and take their chances on another foster home.

This was delightful! Nothing terribly surprising, but completely heartwarming and sweet. I loved the kids, and Will and EA worked well through the inevitable bumps along the way as they all adjusted to one another.

 

“New Beginnings” by Rachel J. Good

Elizabeth is a young widow trying to get through the holiday season. Then the hard season is compounded by an injury. But it does bring Luke into her life more often as he comes to her aid. Both are filled with regrets over what might have been.

This was a more painful, but also more precious and heart warming story. Lots of faith components in this one as both Elizabeth and Luke seek God for their struggles. It’s a toss up which of these two stories I liked more. Both were terrific. (CW: grief/loss, teen pregnancy)

 

“Twins Times Two” by Loree Lough

The Briskey twins – Paul and Peter – and their cousins the Hartz twins – James and Thomas – are known around town as Double Trouble. At almost 14, their antics are getting more serious all the time. Playing chicken with a bull is the last straw. As punishment, their parents require them to work for Jubal on his dairy farm to make up for the trouble they have caused.

This one was more slow moving than the other two stories. The love story shared equal time with this redemption story with the four boys. I found that story, with the teens, an absolute delight. Sadly, the romance really didn’t grab me at all in this one. Every scene with the boys, though, made this a worthwhile read. (CW: grief/loss)

 

Overall, the collection of stories here is lovely. I would read all three again. If you love Amish fiction, don’t miss these Christmas stories that all involve twins in one way or another.

Rating: ♥♥♥♥*

*♥♥♥♥=Great!

BONUS REVIEW: Abraham by Jennifer Beckstrand

BONUS REVIEW: Abraham by Jennifer Beckstrand

Posted on by Jaymie

[I received an electronic review copy of this book from Netgalley and Zebra in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.]

Summary

Alfie and Benji Petersheim are still on their quest to see their three older brothers married so they can move out of the cellar and back into a room at the house. (Their grandparents have moved in which bumped the twins to the cellar.) They helped Andrew and Mary get together (Andrew – ♥♥♥♥♥). Now it’s time to help their brother Abraham find a girl.

The girl is the easy part. Abe stares at Emma all the time. The issue is that Abe is so quiet and never speaks to ANY girl, much less to Emma.

So the twins start scheming, using Abraham’s affinity for animals along with a stray dog and Emma’s chickens to bring the two young people together. But Emma couldn’t be less interested in Abraham. She knows him from the community. Their families are neighbors. But Abe is like a blank wall. Emma’s having too much fun playing the field and flirting with other boys who make her feel special. And she makes her disinterest pretty plain right up front. But the twins are tired of sleeping with spiders. They aren’t giving up on this match any time soon.

Review

This is the second book in the Petersheim Brothers series. I read book one, Andrew, this summer and adored it. That was my first introduction to the author, Jennifer Beckstrand. Then I read two of her Honeybee Sisters books and loved them, too. (You can read my review of book one, Sweet as Honey, here.) It wasn’t until I started Abraham, though, that I realized these two great series are connected.

I fell in love with Abraham in this book. I have some strong introverts in my life whom I adore, so I felt for him early on. It was sad how little he thought of himself because he wasn’t at ease with others like Emma or his younger brother, Austin.  Abraham was resigned to being alone, and he thought that meant he would be a disappointment to his family.

Emma was harder to like. At first she comes across as breezy and fun. And I liked that she was up front with Abe about her feelings even if it did break his heart. But over time I started to see the difference between her public personality – flirty, bubbly, keeping her options open and her focus on fun – and who she was when she was alone with Abraham. When she chose the public personality over the private one, I was incensed for Abraham’s sake.

With Andrew, book one in the series, I loved the faith questions at the center of the story. Andrew wrestles with questions about sin, and I was 100% engaged in that wrestling with him. With Abraham, the wrestling is more with self, for both Abraham and for Emma. And I enjoyed that exploration, too.

I have adored everything I have read so far from Jennifer Beckstrand. She is now part of my must-read authors list. Pair her books with my favorites from Sarah Price for some fun, romantic Amish fiction. This one was romantic and funny and riling – and everything I hoped it would be. Do not miss out on this series! Book 3, Austin, releases in the summer of 2020.

Rating: ♥♥♥♥½

BONUS REVIEW: The Amish Cookie Club by Sarah Price

BONUS REVIEW: The Amish Cookie Club by Sarah Price

Posted on by Jaymie

Summary

Edna, Verna, Wilma and Mary gather together every couple weeks to bake cookies for Sunday worship services. Family and friends flippantly call it their “cookie club,” but it’s more like cookie therapy. As they gather and bake, they share one another’s burdens.

Mary’s daughter is painfully shy and probably over-protected. The women wonder how she’ll ever make her way in the world. Wilma’s twins seem to be in constant battle with one another. Perhaps Wilma’s own abrasiveness has rubbed off too much. Edna grieves that she was never able to raise a daughter. Her sons are almost all grown, but they don’t seem to have any interest in courting or starting a family. And Verna’s daughter, Myrna has just lost ANOTHER job. Her strong and vocal opinions cause her problems with employers and customers alike.

Edna has the idea of helping Myrna find a job in an Amish home where her hard work might be appreciated and she could learn some more agreeable methods. And Ezekiel Riehl’s farm could be the perfect solution. Ezekiel has four children including a baby less than a year old. The story is that his wife developed cancer, and Ezekiel refused to let her get treatment, insisting they pray and trust it to God. Myrna doesn’t quite like the sound of that, but she doesn’t have to agree with him to watch the kids and clean the house. She needs a job, and he needs help at home. It’s just a business arrangement.

Review

This was delightful! I loved Myrna! Her strong opinions and organizational skills felt very familiar to me. She needed a place that both needed AND appreciated those skills. And she found that.

The author does a good job of setting up the four moms and their concerns which will be covered in future books while also focusing on Myrna’s story. The balance between those threads was great. Personally, I got  a little tired of Wilma. I’m glad the next book (An Amish Cookie Club Christmas, out now) will focus on Mary’s daughter and Edna’s family.

It’s clear early on that this medical care situation is going to be a factor in Myrna’s relationship with Zeke. As often happens in novels, gossip, assumptions and lack of communication go a long way towards thwarting love. Readers will have to check this book out to see if Myrna and Zeke  can triumph.

This is another fantastic Amish story from Sarah Price. She is now a must-buy author for me. I love her work! I recently read the second book in the series – An Amish Cookie Club Christmas – and it was just as good! (♥♥♥♥½)

Rating: ♥♥♥♥½

REVIEW: Sweet as Honey by Jennifer Beckstrand

REVIEW: Sweet as Honey by Jennifer Beckstrand

Posted on by Jaymie

Summary

Lily, Poppy, and Rose Christner have been raised by their Aunt Bitsy since their mother and father died. Bitsy’s a little unusual for an Amish woman, but she has done well by her nieces. They have built a honey bee farm on their property, and their honey and other bee products take care of their family.

Dan Kanagy is back in town after two years in Pennsylvania. He went to learn more about raising cattle to help on his family farm. His parents hoped he might find a wife there, but no luck. He has always been in love with Lily Christner.

Lily can’t believe that mean Dan Kanagy is back in town. He made fun of her braces and thick glasses when they were in school together. His nicknames for her always hurt so much. Thankfully, Paul Glick has always pulled her away from the teasing and been her one true friend. He seems to be talking a lot about their “future.” But Dan’s arrival leaves Lily’s feelings very confused.

Review

The author has launched a new series – the Petersheim Brothers – and I ADORED the first book, Andrew (Rating: ♥♥♥♥♥). While I was waiting for book 2 (Abraham, out now), I decided to try one of her other books to see if I enjoyed more of the author’s work than just that one title. I read this in a day, and I loved it. In fact, when I finished it, I gave it back to the library and bought the whole three-book series for myself.

The characters are my favorite part of this series, although the story is terrific. I fell in love with all three of the Christner girls – responsible Lily, spunky Poppy, and wary yet sweet Rose. And their Aunt Bitsy is delightful. Dan is terrific – although his cluelessness is cringe-worthy. I kept watching him screw up this relationship with Lily because he has NO idea his nicknames and teasing tear her apart.

Lily’s boyfriend shows a lot of examples of gaslighting. The more strict parts of the Amish life and community reinforced the awful things he said to her. My heart broke for Lily as she accepted his manipulation as her due, and I was quite vocal about my dislike of that man as I read. But I especially loved that Lily worked out her own issues. No one rescued her. In fact, when someone tried, it caused even more trouble. This was something she had to do for herself.

I enjoyed the second book in the series, A Bee in Her Bonnet (Rating: ♥♥♥♥½), and I read book three, Like a Bee to Honey, in a day (Rating: ♥♥♥♥♥). I highly recommend this series as well as the Petersheim Brothers series!

Rating: ♥♥♥♥♥