Tag: Sarah Price

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

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: Sadie: An Amish Retelling of Snow White by Sarah Price

REVIEW: Sadie: An Amish Retelling of Snow White by Sarah Price

Posted on by Jaymie

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

Summary

The forest is Sadie’s favorite place to be. She loves being in God’s creation, listening to the birds and watching the wildlife. It’s her happy place.

Her home used to be a happy place, when it was just her and her parents. Even after they lost her mother, Sadie and her daed were close, making the best of their life. And the early days with Rachel as Sadie’s step-mother were good. But as the years went by without Rachel getting pregnant, her personality changed. She became bitter and resentful. And a lot of her anger was directed at Sadie.

So the forest is Sadie’s refuge from Rachel’s hatefulness. The forest is also where Sadie meets Frederick, an Amish man from a nearby community. He loves teasing Sadie and goes out of his way to spend time with her. But Rachel has her own plans for Sadie. When Sadie feels trapped by her own family and their expectations, she flees to the forest in search of a safe place to hide.

Review

While Ella remains my favorite book in this series, Belle and Sadie are terrific! The author does a masterful job of weaving the classic story – Snow White in this case – into a believable Amish context. I zoom through chapter after chapter to see what elements she’s going to use and how she is going to fit them in.

I enjoyed the character of Sadie. I appreciated her wrestling between generosity and obedience regarding her neighbor and her strong boundaries where she stands up for herself with her family and others. The situation with Sadie’s step-mother built slowly and intentionally to the point where I was holding my breath to see how far Rachel’s manipulation would go. I was completely invested in what might happen to Sadie.

I hope there will be more stories in this series. I have adored each book so far. I cannot recommend this series highly enough!

Rating: ♥♥♥♥½

REVIEW: Belle AND Ella by Sarah Price

REVIEW: Belle AND Ella by Sarah Price

Posted on by Jaymie

[I received an electronic review copy of Ella from Netgalley and the publisher, Zebra. All opinions are my own. ]

Belle: An Amish Retelling of Beauty and the Beast – Summary

Belle’s father wasn’t really cut out to be a farmer. In his heart and his mind he is an inventor. Unfortunately, inventing doesn’t bring in any money if no one will buy his designs. As the youngest of three daughters still at home, Belle knows the best she can do is be sure the house is cared for, complete her chores, and hope maybe one of her sisters will get married. A husband could help with the things her father doesn’t do on the farm.

But an accident puts their whole family in jeopardy. Her father is woefully behind on the mortgage, his latest invention was destroyed in the accident before he could sell it, and in desperation he sold the family’s home and farm to the reclusive Adam Hershberger.

Belle knows the townspeople sometimes call Adam a “beast” because of his scars from a fire years ago. His gruff manner doesn’t help that reputation. But Belle is desperate to help her family. So she agrees to marry Adam if he will let her family stay at the farm.

Review

This was delightful! Beauty and the Beast is my favorite of the Disney princess stories. This Amish twist on the story was terrific. Early on, the parallels to the Disney version were almost too on point. But after the wedding, the story developed its own flavor and details that were original and perfect for the context.

I loved Belle and Adam. The Beast-ish moments – the growling, the secrecy, the anger and bitterness – were frustrating. Why wouldn’t he just TALK to her? I loved how Belle stood up to the people in the community for her husband even when she wasn’t sure where she stood with him. The only disappointment for me was the lack of a library scene!

Rating: ♥♥♥♥½

 

Ella: An Amish Retelling of Cinderella – Summary

Ella Troyer was a teenager when her father told her he was getting married again. Her mother had been gone for awhile and Ella needed a woman in the house to teach her all she would need to know as an adult in the Amish community. His new bride was a widow from another town who had two girls around Ella’s age. Even though her father had never met the woman before, they were to become a  family.

Six years later, Ella is a virtual servant in her family home. After her father’s death, Ella’s step-mother took over his business – the town’s general store – and Ella became the sole caretaker of the home She did all the chores around the house, tended the garden and the livestock, and did all the cooking.  If her step-sisters didn’t want to work their shifts at the store, she also did that. Between her fear of her step-mother and the promise she made to her dying mother, Ella felt she had to take the high road and suffer through all of the abuse without complaint, hoping God would eventually set things right.

When the store starts having money trouble, Ella’s step-mother starts looking into taking on a partner for the business. The family considering the deal sends one of their sons to check out the Troyer family and the business. Hannes is smart and funny. He makes Ella feel special and important. But Ella’s step-mother is determined to drive Hannes away – or claim him for one of her own daughters instead.

Review

This was fantastic! Even better than book one. I don’t read a lot of Amish fiction, but this series is so incredibly good I want to read it again and again.

The author does an excellent job adapting the original fairy tale to an Amish setting. I loved the nods to the classic – mice, a pumpkin, etc. – even though the magical elements are left out. And the way the author works in the “fairy godmother” and the “glass slipper” parts literally made me sit up and cheer. I could see the pieces start to come together, and when they finally did, it was perfect!

Ella’s situation through most of the story was infuriating. Her Amish step-mother used all the Amish traditions about hard work and peace and obedience to manipulate Ella, but didn’t apply them to her own daughters. I longed for them to be put in their places, and when it happened, I was supremely satisfied.

I highly recommend this for fans of romance novels, Amish fiction, Christian fiction and readers who enjoy re-fashioned fairy tales. This was a delight from start to finish. Book three – Sadie – which focuses on the story of Snow White is scheduled for Fall 2018. A new character mentioned in this book could be a hint at a fourth book in the series.

Rating: ♥♥♥♥♥