I was intrigued to receive a promotional copy of Huckleberry Hill, the first in The Matchmaker’s of Huckleberry Hill series by Jennifer Beckstrand. It is the first novel I’ve read by Beckstrand, but being an amishaholic, I was eager to explore a new author in this genre.
Huckleberry Hill tells the story of Lia Shetler, a too-tall Amish girl who is satisfied to live the life of a spinster – after all, that is all her family has ever thought of her….until a quaint couple in their eighties decides that Lisa in THE match for their grandson, Moses. Lia’s family disagrees when her beautiful, but irritatingly spoiled sister, Rachel, comes on the scene. And so begins the fight and pursuit for love to the very last pages!
I was given this book in exchange for my honest review. Jennifer Beckstrand is an excellent storyteller and I thoroughly enjoyed the playful banter between the various characters. However, that being said, I did not find this to be a true Amish fiction novel. Pennsylvania Dutch words were thrown in at will, the grandmother has a very non-Amish nickname, the normal Amish rules of physical distance and propriety are not recognized and perhaps the phrase that niggled me the most – the characters saying, “Blast!” when they were frustrated. Did we all of the sudden transport to England?
Again, Huckleberry Hill is a wonderful story and extremely entertaining. But as an amishaholic I felt it necessary to point out its inconsistencies with true Amish living. I still highly recommend this book – and it can easily be read as a stand-alone.
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 5-year old. While catching her breath, she feeds her Amishaholic tendencies by reading vast amounts of Amish literature!