Amish Books

The Proposal At Siesta Key by Shelley Shepard Gray

Book Review

The Proposal At Siesta Key by Shelley Shepard Gray was a great story.  I did read the first book in this series so if you want to check out that review you can click here but you won’t be lost if this is the first book you pick up and read in the series.  I love all the books that Shelley has written about the Amish so going into this book I expected to love it as well.  I always get worried when I start reading a book and already expect the book to be amazing because I have been let down before but this book didn’t let me down at all.  I loved this book.  I instantly loved Penny from the first page right through the end.  At the start of the book I wasn’t a huge fan of Michael but after I was a few chapters in I did start to like him as well.  I loved that we got to check back in with some of the characters from the first book as well because I like to see how they are doing.  If you love Amish fiction than I would for sure recommend this book to you.

The Proposal at Siesta Key

About The Book

The Proposal at Siesta Key (Avon Inspire, May 2015)

A young Amish woman, yearning for freedom, crosses paths with a handsome Mennonite celebrity in a deeply moving tale of friendship and self-discovery—the second installment in the unforgettable New York Times bestselling author’s new Amish Brides of Pinecraft series.

Penny Troyer rarely disobeys her parents. In the years since her sister’s tragic death, they’ve wanted nothing more than to keep her safe…even if it means never leaving the house.

But tonight, she’s bending the rules because Michael Knoxx, the most famous member of The Knoxx Family Singers, a traveling Mennonite Evangelical family —is scheduled to speak. Penny has heard of Michael—how he lost part of his leg in a terrible accident and uses the experience to inspire others—and knows she must meet him. So, for the first time ever, Penny stands up to her parents and goes out on her own.

Though he speaks about living life to the fullest, Michael knows he needs to take his own advice. Life on the road is grueling and Michael wants to slow down, to rest…to perhaps meet someone who sees him as a man, not just a celebrity. So when a twist of fate allows him the chance to stay a little longer in Pinecraft, Michael knows God is showing him a new path, especially when he discovers how much he and Penny Troyer have in common.

But new friendships can’t stop time. Soon, Michael’s time in Pinecraft will be over and he’ll be back on the road. Her time with Michael has brought her happiness, but will she be able to follow her heart? Or will she be faced with the one thing she’s sure she’ll never have the courage to do?

Shelley Shepard Gray

About The Author

Shelley Shepard Gray is a two-time New York Times bestseller, a two-time USA Today bestseller, a finalist for the American Christian Fiction Writers prestigious Carol Award, and a two-time Holt Medallion winner. She lives in Southern Ohio, where she writes full-time, bakes too much, and can often be found walking her dachshunds on her town’s bike trail.

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Digiprove sealCopyright secured by Digiprove © 2015 Margaret Margaret

When Grace Sings by Kim Vogel Sawyer

Book Review

When Grace Sings by Kim Vogel Sawyer was a sweet romance story.  This book was slow in the beginning but it did pick up after a few chapters.  I love how she tells you who is talking when the narrator changes throughout the whole book.  I like when authors do that because than it makes it easier to read because you don’t have to try and guess who is talking.  I wasn’t a huge fan of Briley throughout most of the book and I am honestly not sure why but he just got on my nerves.  Towards the end I did start to like him and was sad to see this book end.  I didn’t read the first book in this series and I was able to figure out what was going on and follow along.  If you love romance novels than I would for sure recommend this book to you.

When Grace Sings

About The Book

When Grace Sings (WaterBrook Press, March 2015)

When trouble roars into quiet Arborville, Alexa and Anna-Grace find themselves the target for discord and exposed secrets. Can they continue to seek the God of all grace amidst the fog of confusion?

Alexa Zimmerman wonders if the Old Order Mennonite community in Arborville, Kansas will ever fully accept her. Her family roots here aren’t what anyone thought when she first arrived, but she is hopeful that her culinary and hospitality skills will win the skeptics over. The bed-and-breakfast she’s operating needs to succeed so Alexa agrees to allow Briley Forrester, the hotshot reporter from Chicago, to stay as a long-term boarder not knowing his real motives for being amongst the Plain folk.

But when Alexa agrees to host her cousin Anna-Grace Braun, the presence of extended family brings out Alexa’s insecurities and sets Briley on the trail to uncovering a web of hidden truths.

Plans for a secure future and the sweetness of young romance hang in the balance when Alexa and Anna-Grace have to face that their secrets are interconnected, binding the two in ways they could not have imagined. They must trust in a loving, heavenly Father and His plan for their futures.

Kim Vogel Sawyer

About The Author

Kim Vogel Sawyer is the author of twenty-nine novels, including several CBA and ECPA bestsellers. Her books have won the ACFW Book of the Year Award, the Gayle Wilson Award of Excellence, and the Inspirational Readers Choice Award. Kim is active in her church, where she leads women’s fellowship and participates in both voice and bell choirs. In her spare time, she enjoys drama, quilting, and calligraphy. Kim and her husband, Don, reside in central Kansas, and have three daughters and nine grandchildren.

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Digiprove sealCopyright secured by Digiprove © 2015 Margaret Margaret

Called To Be Amish by Marlene C. Miller

Book Review

Called To Be Amish by Marlene C. Miller was one of the most interesting books that I have read in a long time.  It has been years since I have read any biography/autobiography and I realize how much I love those kind of books.  I love getting a first hand account of what it would be like to live if you were Amish and to help me better understand some of the fiction books that I read that have to do with the Amish.  This is another book that I didn’t want to put down.  Anyway in this book you get to hear about Marlene’s childhood and how her life was up until the time she chose to join the Amish and how things were for her after she joined them.  I loved being about to see what her childhood was like and also what lead her to join the Amish.  There are other books in this series and I am for sure going to be buying them and reading them because I love the behinds the scenes look at what life is really like for them and how things really are.  If you love books about the Amish and/or biographies than I know you will love this book and need to check it out!

Called to be Amish

About The Book

Called to Be Amish (MennoMedia, February 2015)

Fewer than one hundred outsiders have joined the Old-Order Amish—and stayed—since 1950. Marlene C. Miller is one of them.

In this rare memoir, Marlene recounts her unhappy and abusive childhood, how she throws herself into cheerleading and marching band, and how she falls in love with Johnny, the gentle young Amish man who helps her lace her ice skates.

Against the wishes of both sets of parents, Marlene and Johnny get married and begin a family. Follow the author on this unusual journey to find out how God’s love called her out of bitterness and depression and into the warm embrace of her new Amish community.

Accompany her as she dons an Amish dress and prayer covering and gets baptized. Learn how she endures the strain of ten children, a hundred-acre farm, and accidents and tragedy, and find out how she comes close to walking away from it all. Turning Amish has proven to be anything but plain and simple for this former majorette. But nearly fifty years later, Marlene is still living out God’s call as an Old Order Amish woman.

About The Author

Marlene C. Miller joined the Amish as an adult and has been a member of the Old Order Amish for almost 50 years. She and her husband of 48 years live on a farm in Ohio surrounded by their nine children, more than 40 grandchildren, and five great-grandchildren.

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Digiprove sealCopyright secured by Digiprove © 2015 Margaret Margaret

The Promise of Palm Grove by Shelley Shepard Gray

Book Review

The Promise of Palm Grove by Shelley Shepard Gray was an amazing book.  I have read several books by this author and I have loved all of them.  I have become a huge fan of Amish fiction and in my opinion Shelley writes the best books for this genre.  I loved this book because it was a nice change from some of other books I have read before.  I loved all of the characters in this book and it has made me want to go and visit Pinecraft because I want to experience what it would be like.  Even though I know that this is a fiction book I still would love to experience the place where this story takes place.  If you love Amish fiction than this is one that you have to read.

The Promise of Palm Grove

About The Book

The Promise of Palm Grove (Avon Inspire, January 2015)

Leona must decide: Does she follow the path set out before her? Or take a chance with only the promise of what could be to guide her?

A young Amish woman finds herself torn between the man she’s pledged to wed and the man her heart desires in this heartwarming story of chance, duty, and choice in the face of love—the first volume in the beloved New York Times bestselling author’s new Amish Brides of Pinecraft series.

Amish bride-to-be Leona is thrilled to be in Florida, on a mini-vacation in the pretty town of Pinecraft. Her girlfriends think she’s happy because she’s away from the stress of wedding planning. They have no idea that Leona’s real joy is in being away from her fiancé.

Edmund is a good man, and will make a decent husband . . . just not for Leona. The more time she spends with him and his overbearing ways, the less she wants to be his wife. Her cousins are sure Edmund is the right man for her—and their certainty makes Leona begin to doubt herself. But when a chance encounter with a wayward cat brings her face-to-face with a handsome, fun-loving Amish man named Zachary Kauffman, Leona’s faced with two vastly different futures.

Shelley Shepard Gray

About The Author

Shelley Shepard Gray is a two-time New York Times bestseller, a two-time USA Today bestseller, a finalist for the American Christian Fiction Writers prestigious Carol Award, and a two-time Holt Medallion winner. She lives in Southern Ohio, where she writes full-time, bakes too much, and can often be found walking her dachshunds on her town’s bike trail.
Find Shelley online: website

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Digiprove sealCopyright secured by Digiprove © 2015 Margaret Margaret

Becoming Bea by Leslie Gould

Book Review

Becoming Bea by Leslie Gould was such a fun story to read.  When I first started reading this book I wasn’t a huge fan of Bea.  I could see a lot of myself in her as well but as the story went on I started to really like her as she changed and grew.  I haven’t read the other books in this series but I didn’t feel like I was missing any pieces so if you just want to check this book out you won’t be lost.  If you love Amish fiction then I know you will love this book.

Becoming BeaAbout The Book

Can Bea and Ben Turn Rivalry Into Romance?

Beatrice Zook knows God wants her to learn patience toward others. When assisting a family overwhelmed by triplets proves surprisingly successful, her confidence in dealing with others, both young and old, grows.

One person she’ll never be able to find peace with though is Ben Rupp. They’ve known each other forever, and Ben understands precisely how to antagonize her. What neither she nor Ben will admit is that beneath all their bickering, attraction awaits. When friends decide to try and bring the couple together, will the pair be able to find true love? Or will they damage their relationship beyond repair?

Leslie GouldAbout The Author

Leslie Gould is the coauthor, with Mindy Starns Clark, of the #1 CBA bestseller The Amish Midwife, a 2012 Christy Award winner; ECPA bestsellerCourting Cate, first in the Courtships of Lancaster County series; and Beyond the Blue, winner of the Romantic Times Reviewers’ Choice for Best Inspirational Novel, 2006. She holds an MFA in creative writing from Portland State University and has taught fiction writing at Multnomah University as an adjunct professor. She and her familyl live in Portland, Oregon.

Find Leslie online: website, Facebook, Twitter

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Digiprove sealCopyright secured by Digiprove © 2014 Margaret Margaret

Christmas at Rose Hill Farm by Suzanne Woods Fisher

Book ReviewChristmas at Rose Hill Farm by Suzanne Woods Fisher was a sweet Christmas story.  I am not usually one for stories based around Christmas but I loved this one and I was so glad to have read it.  I loved the story and all the characters in the book.  It was kind of predictable to me but I still enjoyed it and fell in love with the characters.  I was sad that this book was so short because I really did love these characters so I wish the book was longer or  that it was a series of books.  If you love Amish fiction I know you will love this book.

Christmas at Rose Hill FarmAbout The Book

Bess Riehl is preparing Rose Hill Farm for her Christmas wedding, but her groom isn’t who she thought it would be. Billy Lapp is far away from his Amish roots working as a rose rustler for Penn State and wants nothing to do with Stoney Ridge, his family, or Bess. And that suits Bess just fine. Why should she think twice about a man who left without a word, without any explanation? It’s time she moved on with her life, and that meant saying yes to Amos Lapp, Billy’s cousin and best friend. But as Bess and Amos’s wedding day draws near, her emotions tangle into a tight knot. She loves Amos. Yet she can’t forget Billy.

When a “lost” rose is discovered at Rose Hill Farm, Billy is sent to track down its origins. Get in, identify the rose, and get out. That’s his plan. The only catch is that he’s having a hard time narrowing down the identity of the lost rose, and he can’t get those tropical blue eyes of Bess Riehl out of his mind.

As the history of the lost rose is pieced together, it reminds Bess and Billy—and Amos, too—that Christmas truly is the season of miracles.

“Filled with heart-twisting moments amid the sweet anticipation of love, this story will charm readers into the holiday spirit.”

Suzanne Woods FisherAbout The Author

Suzanne Woods Fisher is the bestselling author of the Inn at Eagle Hill series, Lancaster County Secrets series, and the Stoney Ridge Seasons series, as well as nonfiction books about the Amish, including Amish Peace. She is also the coauthor of a new Amish children’s series, The Adventures of Lily Lapp. Her interest in the Anabaptist cultures can be directly traced to her grandfather, who was raised in the Old Order German Baptist Brethren Church in Franklin County, Pennsylvania. Suzanne is a Carol Award winner and a Christy Award finalist. She is a columnist for Christian Post and Cooking & Such magazines. She lives in California.

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Digiprove sealCopyright secured by Digiprove © 2014 Margaret Margaret