An Amish Christmas Love ~ Literary Foursome Strikes Gold!
When Beth Wiseman, Amy Clipston, Kelly Irvin, and Ruth Reid get together, you know you’re in for a treat. What a group of stellar authors to collaborate! And these collections are so satisfying – you can read for a while and already have finished a story. The latest collection, An Amish Christmas Love, does not disappoint.
Here’s a brief synopsis on each novel, as well as my take on each one.
Winter Kisses by Beth Wiseman tells of three generations of Amish women living together: Naomi, who is young but has already given up on marriage; Barbara (Naomi’s maam), who is widowed and uncertain about ever marrying again; Ruth (elderly widowed mother-in-law to Barbara)…who is as spry as a Cheshire cat – and constantly on the hunt for a man!
When three eligible men rent the women’s’ daadi haus for a month, is there a love match for each?
My Take: A wonderful novella full of fun and a bit of intrigue. Each character is winsome and worth knowing!
The Christmas Cat by Amy Clipston tells of newly widowed Emma Bontrager, who is experiencing her first Christmas without her beloved of 45 years. When a plump orange cat appears at her doorstep, she tries to scram the critter away….until he finds a way into her home and her heart. Then on Christmas Eve, four youths appear at Emma’s home to bring her some Christmas cheer. As the five gather around, Emma reminisces about the love of her life.
My Take: This was such a heart-warming novella. I really enjoyed the love of the younger generation towards Emma – if only more youngsters were that way!
Snow Angels by Kelly Irvin shares the story of David Byler, who couldn’t decide which world he wanted to belong to, has finally found sweet, endearing Molly Shrock. But when his red-boot-wearing, Englischer ex-girlfriend, Bobbie McGregor comes back home – she wants David back. Now David can’t decide what world – or what girl. And what about poor Molly?
My Take: Fans of Irvin’s Amish of Bee County series will be thrilled to finally flesh out David’s story. It was also great to catch up with Lupe and Diego. A satisfying end to David’s storyline.
Home for Christmas by Ruth Reid tells of dog-loving Englischer Ellie Whetstone, who heads to her deceased aenti’s home that she inherited. When her GPS takes her to Amish Ezra Mast’s house, he is quite surprised to find an Englischer and her large dog in his home! How will this story resolve, especially since Ezra has a child with an exceptional health problem. Read and find out!
My Take: This was a very charming novella. I was hooked in as soon as Ellie plopped her RV behind Ezra’s barn. The characters – including (if not especially!) the dog – are fantastic. Definitely my favorite of the four novellas.
I was given An Amish Christmas Love in exchange for my honest review. I found the stories engaging – to the point that I wanted to keep reading to find out more about each character! This literary foursome has struck gold again – add this to your TBR pile – even if you don’t get to it before Christmas!
Susan Ferrell and her husband make their home in the Atlanta Metro area. Although Susan struggles with chronic migraine headaches, she stays very busy as a stay-at-home mom to one very precocious little girl. While catching her breath, she feeds her Amishaholic tendencies by reading vast amounts of Amish literature!