Amish Fiction

An Amish Year by Beth Wiseman

FTC: I received a free copy of this book from in exchange for my honest review. I received no other compensation and the opinions expressed in this review are one hundred percent true and my own.

Book Review Tur

An Amish Year by Beth Wiseman was an excellent book.  I love books like this because I love the shorter stories and the fact that I can read through one quickly and move on to a new thing.  I liked that they put definitions of some of the words that the Amish use so that if you haven’t read books in this genre before you will be able to understand and follow along with the stories.  I have read enough books that I don’t need the information, but if you are new, then I know you will love it.  Out of the four stories that are in this book, I think I liked the first story the most.  I felt like I could relate to Rosemary out of all the characters and her story was my favorite out of the four stories.  I would recommend this book to people who don’t have tons of time to read because since they are short stories you can just read one and then put it down and walk away from it for awhile without having to remember what happened before.

An Amish Year by Beth Wiseman

About The Book

Spend a year in Amish country with four sweet romances.

Rooted in Love (previously published in An Amish Garden )

Rosemary Lantz is doing her best to run her family’s household. She excels at all her tasks except one: gardening. Saul Petersheim has pursued Rosemary for years, but Rosemary keeps turning him down. What Saul doesn’t know is that she has good reason—something no one can know—especially not him.

A Love for Irma Rose

The year is 1957, and young Irma Rose has a choice to make. Date the man who is “right” for her? Or give Jonas a chance, the wild and reckless suitor who refuses to take no for an answer?  Irma Rose steps onto the path she believes God has planned for her, but when she loses her footing, she is forced to rethink her choice.

Patchwork Perfect

Eli Byler has been a widower for two years when he chooses to make a fresh start in Paradise, Pennsylvania. As Eli juggles the admiration of two women, he meets Miriam Fisher—the most unconventional Amish woman he’s ever met. She doesn’t fit the mold for what Eli is looking for, but it isn’t long before Eli realizes that Miriam is everything he wants. But Miriam has no plans to get married—ever.  Will Eli be able to change her mind?

When Christmas Comes Again (previously published in An Amish Second Christmas )

Katherine knows the first Christmas without Elias will be hard for her and the children. But when a mysterious Englischerappears with photographs of her late husband, Katherine begins to wonder what other blessings Christmas could have in store.

Beth Wiseman

About The Author

Beth Wiseman is the best-selling author of the Daughters of the Promise series and the Land of Canaan series. Having sold over 1.3 million books, her novels have held spots on multiple Bestseller lists. She was the recipient of the prestigious Carol Award in 2011 and 2013. In 2013 she took home the coveted Holt Medallion. Her first book in the Land of Canaan series–Seek Me With All Your Heart–was selected as the 2011 Women of Faith Book of the Year. Beth lives in Texas with her family.

 

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A Son’s Vow by Shelley Shepard Gray

Book Review Tur

A Sons Vow by Shelley Shepard Gray was another great book.  I love all of the books about the Amish that Shelley has written, but if I am honest, this book has to be one of my favorites.  I like Darla from the start and even though I didn’t like some of the things that Aaron did I had a soft spot for him because felt he was more relatable than some other characters.  I am a huge fan of these books because I love that I don’t have to worry about what will be in the books, and they always are such sweet stories.  I would recommend this genre to anyone who is looking for a change in what they are reading because I don’t think that anyone would hate these books.  They are always easy reading and great stories.  I love that I always feel good after I finish one of the books, and I know you will probably love it as well.

A Sons Vow by Shelley Shepard Gray

About The Book

Shelley Shepard Gray’s first book in her Charmed Amish Life series is set in the quaint Amish village of Charm, Ohio, and tells the stories of the Kinsinger siblings who are each struggling to find both forgiveness and love in the face of tragedy.

Three months ago, everything changed for Darla Kurtz and her family. Darla’s father was responsible for a terrible fire at Charm’s lumber mill which killed five Amish men. And though he, too, lost his life, the town of Charm hasn’t looked at her family the same since. Even Lukas Kinsinger—with whom Darla used to have a close friendship.

Now her brother’s anger at the town is spilling over onto Darla, and she has the bruises to prove it. The accident already cost five lives, but if something doesn’t change soon, Darla fears it will cost her—and her family—even more.

Lukas Kinsinger wants to mourn the loss of his father, but he can hardly find the time to breathe. Suddenly the head of his father’s lumber mill and responsible for taking care of his three siblings, he’s feeling the pressure. He has also never felt more alone—especially with the new tension between he and Darla. But when he learns of her troubles at home, Lukas knows he can’t simply stand by and watch. Someone has to help her before another tragedy occurs.

As Lukas and Darla attempt to repair their families, they discover something deeper than friendship growing between them. But will Lukas and Darla’s love be accepted after so much loss? Or will the pain of the past overcome any chance of future happiness?

Shelley Gray

About The Author

Shelley Gray is the author of The Heart of a Hero series. Her Amish novel (written as Shelley Shepard Gray), The Protector, recently made the New York Times best seller list. A native of Texas, she earned her bachelor’s and master’s degrees in Colorado and taught school for ten years. She and her husband have two children and live in Southern Ohio.

 

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Digiprove sealCopyright secured by Digiprove © 2016 Margaret Margaret

The Bishop’s Son By Kelly Irvin

Fall Book Review Graphic

The Bishop’s Son By Kelly Irvin was a good book to read.  I have lots of Amish fiction books than this book was one of the better ones that I have read.  I have always loved to read these book so when I saw this book on BookLook I knew I had to requested and check it out.  I am so glad that I did because this is an amazing author who was able to make me feel like I was there with the characters and I also was able to understand why they made the choices that they did.  I enjoyed everything about this book and I can’t wait to check out the others books in this series as well as the other books that she has read.  If you love Amish fiction I would for sure recommend this book to you.  If you have read it what did you think about the story?

The Bishop's Son By Kelly Irvin

About The Book

Two men offer Leila two very different futures. Will she choose with her heart or with her faith?

Leila Lantz has been in love with Jesse Glick from the day she first saw him at his father’s store, but she can’t make sense of his intentions. One day he wants to come courting, the next he seems to be putting distance between them.

Jesse may be the bishop’s son, but his faith has been wavering of late. If he is so unsure, is it fair to give Leila false hope for a future he doubts he can provide?

Then there’s Will, Jesse’s cousin. He has been trying to keep his feelings for Leila a secret, but he also knows Jesse is wrestling with his faith. Would declaring his feelings for Leila be in her best interest or simply serving his own selfish desires?

Leila knows she can choose Will and be secure in her own future. But when her heart speaks, it’s Jesse’s name she hears. When will God make His will known to her? Could leaving everything she knows—even her own faith—be a part of God’s plan?

Kelly Irvin

About The Author

Kelly Irvin’s latest book in the New Hope Amish series, A Plain Love Song, releases in July 2014. She is the author of the Bliss Creek Amish series and the New Amish Amish series. The first series includes To Love and To Cherish, A Heart Made New, and Love’s Journey Home, published by Harvest House. Love Still Stands, the first book in her spin-off series New Hope Amish, released in September 2013, followed by Love Redeemed in March 2014.

Kelly is now working on a three-book series for Zondervan set in Bee County, Texas. The first book in The Amish of Bee County series, The Beekeeper’s Son, is set to release in January 2015.

Kelly has also penned two romantic suspense novels, A Deadly Wilderness and No Child of Mine, published by Five Star Gale in 2010 and 2011.

The Kansas native is a member of American Christian Fiction Writers and Sisters in Crime. She also serves as secretary of the ACFW San Antonio local chapter Alamo City Christian Fiction Writers.

A graduate of the University of Kansas William Allen White School of Journalism, Kelly has been writing nonfiction professionally for thirty years. She studied for three semesters at the University of Costa Rica, learning the Spanish language. As a journalist, she worked six years in the border towns of Laredo and El Paso.

She has worked in public relations for the San Antonio Parks and Recreation Department for 19 years.Kelly has been married to photographer Tim Irvin for twenty-six years, and they have two young adult children. They recently became grandparents for the first time. In her spare time, she likes to write short stories, read books by her favorite authors, and play with her new granddaughter.

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A Wedding At The Orange Blossom Inn by Shelley Shepard Gray

Book Review

A Wedding At The Orange Blossom Inn by Shelley Shepard Gray was great book the series.  I love that you don’t have to read all the books in order because there are times when you are just interested in one of the books.  I am never let down by the books that Shelley writes and this one was another amazing book.  I think the two main characters in this book are two of my favorite characters because I feel like these are two of the most relatable.  I had to laugh at the crazy things that Frankie did  throughout the book because I could total see a beagle doing those things.  If you love Amish fiction I would recommend this book as long as this author.

A Wedding At The Orange Blossom Inn by Shelley Shepard Gray

About The Book

A Wedding at the Orange Blossom Inn (Avon Inspire, September 2015)

A wedding brings together two young widowed parents . . . and gives them a second chance at love.

Emma Keim was heartbroken when her husband, Sanford, passed away, leaving her to raise three young daughters alone. Though several years have passed, her relatives have made it no secret that they expect Emma to remain a widow, mourning Sanford indefinitely. But when she meets Jay Hilty—a handsome widower with three young sons of his own—Emma is delighted to have a new friend who understands her struggles. Still, she is dismayed that her family is so opposed to their friendship—and the idea of it ever becoming anything more. She honors her husband’s memory every day, but is she destined to be alone forever?

Emma’s gentleness with Jay’s boys stirs something in his heart that’s been quiet for far too long. But when his oldest son becomes engaged to a local woman, suddenly Jay, Emma, and their children are swept up in wedding preparations. Witnessing his son’s joy, Jay wonders if it’s time for him to move forward, too, and find happiness again.

Once again, love has come to Pinecraft. But can these two parties of four become a happy, healthy family of eight?

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, Facebook, Twitter

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Digiprove sealCopyright secured by Digiprove © 2015 Margaret Margaret

The Photograph by Beverly Lewis

Book Review

The Photograph by Beverly Lewis was a great Amish fiction story.  I love fiction stories about the Amish and this book didn’t let me down in the least.  This is the first book that I have read by this author and I can’t wait to check out more of her books.  Anyway let’s get on to my review of this book.  I loved all the characters and the setting of this book.  It is always refreshing to read this books because you don’t have to worry about what might happen in the books because they are always clean and they are also up lifting.  This book was all of those things and so much more.  If you love Amish fiction than I know you will this book.

The Photograph by Beverly Lewis

About The Book

Eva Esch and her sisters are in a predicament. With the passing of their widowed mother, Eva’s older brother plans to move his growing family into the Eden Valley farmhouse where they all grew up, leaving little room for his three single sisters. Unless they marry within the year, the only apparent option is for two sisters to go to Indiana to live with an elderly great aunt. Eva hopes to be married, but she isn’t sure she wants to give up her sweet shop for the life of a farmer’s wife. And she can’t see how her prospects would be any better in Indiana.

When younger sister Lily disappears in the night, leaving only a brief note, Eva fears she has been wooed away from the People by an outsider. And when Jed Stutzman, a young Amish buggy maker from Ohio, shows up at Eva’s market stand in Lancaster with a photo of a Plain young woman, Eva’s world begins to tilt.

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About The Author

Beverly Lewis, raised in Pennsylvania Amish country and both a schoolteacher and an accomplished musician, has been an award-winning author for over a dozen years. Her acclaimed novel, The Preacher’s Daughter, was a 2006 Quill Book Award finalist in the romance category. Her books have appeared on numerous bestseller lists, including USA Today and The New York Times. She and her husband, David, live in Colorado.”

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Digiprove sealCopyright secured by Digiprove © 2015 Margaret Margaret

Balm of Gilead by Adina Senft

Book Review

Balm of Gilead by Adina Senft was a good Amish fiction book to read.  This is the 3rd book in the series and I didn’t read the first two and I was able to figure out what was going on for the most part.  That being said you can read this one first but if it were me I would start from the start because there were parts of the story that I wished I knew the back story but I was still able to read this book and not get too lost.  I really enjoyed this book it was a little slow during certain parts but not so slow that I wanted to put the book down and not come back to it.  If you love Amish fiction than I would for sure recommend this book to you.

Balm of Gilead

About The Book

The third installment in the Healing Grace series finds young Amish widow Sarah Yoder facing her greatest challenge–herself. Sarah hasn’t seen Henry Byler since he became engaged to an Englisch woman, which is best for her peace of mind. She’s busy with her family: welcoming her son back from the ranch in Colorado, finding a husband for her sister-in-law, and making the teas and tinctures that heal the members of her church. Then Henry seeks her out, desperate for a balm for his hands before his success as a potter is jeopardized, and Sarah has to call on every ounce of strength to deny the cry of her heart. Yet there is someone who just might have a special cure in mind–a healing balm with the power to change everything. But with Henry’s wedding only days away, is it already too late?

About The Author

Adina Senft grew up in a plain house church, where she was often asked by outsiders if she was Amish (the answer was no), she made her own clothes, and she perfected the art of the French braid. She holds an M.F.A. in Writing Popular Fiction from Seton Hill University in Pennsylvania, where she teaches as adjunct faculty.

Writing as Shelley Bates, she was the winner of RWA’s RITA Award for Best Inspirational Novel in 2005, a finalist for that award in 2006, and, writing as Shelley Adina, was a Christy Award finalist in 2009. Three of her books have shortlisted for the American Christian Fiction Writers’ Carol Award for book of the year. Of her fiction, publisher and industry blogger W. Terry Whalin has said, “Readers will be lost in the vivid world that [she] paints with incredible detail and masterful storytelling.”

A transplanted Canadian, Adina returns there annually to have her accent calibrated. Between books, she enjoys traveling with her husband, playing the piano and Celtic harp, and spoiling her flock of rescued chickens. These days, she makes period costumes and only puts up her hair for historical events and fun.

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Digiprove sealCopyright secured by Digiprove © 2015 Margaret Margaret