The Bake Shop - Amy Clipston (Zondervan - Nov 2019)

Series: Amish Marketplace (Book 1)

Christiana Kurtz loves to bake, but when her bake stand becomes too busy, her mother encourages her to move her business to the local market. Her new bake shop becomes so inundated with customers that the line blocks the leather and woodcraft shop next door, which is run by Jeffrey Stoltzfus. When Jeffrey complains that her stand is driving away business due to the lines, she complains to him that his personalization machine smells. Though their relationship starts off on bad footing, they eventually forge a friendship.

When Christiana’s father makes a surprise visit to the market, he is upset to find that Jeffrey uses the building’s electricity to personalize his items. He tells Christiana that Jeffrey is too modern for her, and she’s forbidden from dating him. Christiana is crushed, but she knows she must obey her father.

When Jeffrey’s shop catches fire one day, he puts the entire market in jeopardy—including Christiana’s bake shop. Christiana, however, can’t deny how she feels about Jeffrey despite his mistakes. Though the odds are against them, can two young people find a way to rebuild both their businesses and their relationship?

Good story about love, friendship, and forgiveness. Christiana is a wonderful baker and runs a bake stand from her family's home. It is such a success that it nearly takes over her entire life and that of her family. When customers start knocking on her door at all hours of the day and evening, Christiana's mother suggests that she look at opening a booth at the local farmer's market. Her two cousins, who also have shops there, are all for the idea, but Christiana's father worries that being around so many Englischers will pull her away from the Amish faith. With a great deal of effort, Christiana convinces her father to give her a chance. She's excited for the opportunity to grow her business, and with the market only open three days a week, she may have enough free time for a social life too.

Her first day gets off to a rough start when she collides with a young Amish man, spilling his coffee on him. Jeffrey doesn't react well, and both are dismayed when they realize that their shops are next door to each other. The situation becomes even more contentious when the lines to her shop block the entrance to his. There are some harsh words spoken between them, as neither wants to admit to being the problem. Cooler heads encourage Christiana and Jeffrey to talk through the issue and find a compromise.

I found both Christiana and Jeffrey a little on the stubborn side. Christiana seems to be quick to judge and slow to forgive, something unusual in Amish books. She doesn't seem to like to admit when she is wrong and digs in her heels. Jeffrey started his wood and leather business as a new beginning after a huge disappointment. He is low in self-confidence in his abilities but blames Christiana's shop for his lack of sales. But under the antagonism are sparks of interest. Unfortunately, Jeffrey's heart was broken when his fiancée left him for another man, and he is reluctant to trust his heart to another. Christiana falls foul of his distrust several times, causing her to pull away from any interest she might have in him.

Slowly, Christiana notices that there is more to Jeffrey than his attitude and becomes curious about the sadness she senses in him. With patience on her part, they become friends, sharing lunches and laughs. Jeff's depression begins to lift a little, but the past continues to haunt him. Christiana works hard to show him that she can be trusted. But just as each begins to think that there could be something more between them, Christiana's father discovers that Jeffrey uses electricity in his shop. Furious, and convinced it's just the first step on the road to leaving the Faith, he forbids Christiana from spending any more time with Jeffrey. Both are heartbroken.

I ached for both Christiana and Jeffrey, as it looked like they would be separated for good. I was also angry at Christiana's father for his refusal to listen to either of them. I became a little more sympathetic to him after Christiana's conversation with her grandmother, but I wasn't sure if he would ever let go of his fear and anger. I loved Jeffrey's determination to find a way to reach him and make him understand his intentions and the depth of his faith. A near tragedy almost ends Jeffrey's hopes altogether, but love wins the day. I loved the way things worked out and what finally brought Christiana and Jeffrey back together.

Love Bears All Things - Beth Wiseman (Thomas Nelson - Oct 2016)

Series: Amish Secrets (Book 2)

Could God be o­ffering Charlotte a second chance at true love?

Charlotte Dolinsky needs time to recover after breaking up with her boyfriend, Ryan. But when a surprise visitor shows up on her doorstep in Texas, she's forced to put aside her own worries to help her Amish friends in Lancaster County. Soon she is entangled in a web of deception -- and this time, she isn't the only one keeping secrets.

Daniel Byler struggles each day in his Amish community to heal from his fiancée's betrayal. When he discovers that a member of his family is in danger of being shunned, his pain turns to fear. His only way to help is by partnering with Charlotte, a woman he barely knows who has already deceived them all before.

Charlotte begins building a friendship with Daniel that she'll need to lean on when more surprises surface from her past and she once again finds herself torn between two worlds. Will Charlotte's friends in the Amish community be able to show her the power of redemption and lead her home? And can she help young Jacob realize that God offers second chances at happiness when she isn't even sure herself?

Good book. Though it is the second in the series, it can be read as a stand-alone. I have not read the first book, but the references to it were well done, and I did not feel lost. I was immediately drawn into the story and quickly became interested in the characters' lives.

After the events in the first book, Charlotte returned home to Texas, but her life is still in turmoil. A breakup with her boyfriend leaves her feeling adrift, and financial difficulties compound the problem. She needs time to get her head and heart back in order and decides to return to Lancaster County and the friends she made there. But when one of her Amish friends shows up in Texas, Charlotte does her best to help him before leaving,  even though it leaves her in an awkward position. When she makes it back to Paradise, she is amazed at the warm welcome she received after the deceptions she carried out before. Now she is determined to make amends and in doing so finds herself drawn into the unexpected drama.

Jacob, who showed up in Texas, feels trapped by the restrictions of his Amish life. He longs to experience the wider world and left family and fiancée without a word. I liked how Charlotte helped him, but also tried to make him see the perils of the Englischer world. Meanwhile, things are going on back in Pennsylvania that could have a profound effect on his plans for the future. His fiancée, Annie, has a secret that could see her shunned if Jacob doesn't return soon. Charlotte soon finds herself playing go-between among the various factions. She is helped in her efforts by Annie's brother, Daniel.

Daniel is wary about trusting Charlotte after the way she deceived everyone during her previous stay in Paradise. It doesn't take too long for him to see that she has changed. As they spend time together trying to help Jacob and Annie, they develop a strong friendship. I liked how Daniel began to understand the demons that drove Charlotte to her previous actions and supports her in the changes she attempts to make in her life. That friendship deepens into something more, though both try to resist it. Charlotte is not Amish, and Daniel is.

When someone from Charlotte's past shows up in Paradise, the faith that she gained from her time, there plays a big part in the way she faces it. I loved her strength, her determination, and her newfound ability to forgive. She also gets an unexpected show of support from one of the people she had wronged before. It was an emotional and heartwarming scene.

There is a lot going on in this book. Forgiveness, redemption, secrets, love, and fear all have their moments. I liked seeing the growth that Charlotte experienced and how she took control of her life. I liked how Daniel learned to look past the surface of Charlotte's deception to the vulnerable woman behind it. Annie and Jacob are young and have the insecurities and youthful mistakes common to that age, with the added complications of their Amish world. By the end, I felt that Annie had matured, while Jacob had not. Both Annie and Charlotte have understandable misgivings about Jacob's actions and what they will mean to him.

 

An Amish Match on Ice Mountain - Kelly Long (Kensington - Nov 2018)

Series: Ice Mountain (Book 5)

An Amish homecoming...

Disgrace drove Stephen Lambert from Ice Mountain, but honor drives him back to his Amish home. After rescuing a pregnant young woman from a burning house, the rugged firefighter knows the remote Amish mountain community is the only place Ella Nichols will be safe. Abandoned by the father of her child, the brave Englischer beauty needs him like no one before. Determined to protect her, Stephen claims the unborn babe as his own -- and prepares to return to the town, and the family, that once falsely accused him...

From the moment she is caught from peril by Stephen’s strong arms, Ella feels sheltered, nurtured. How else could she agree to sequester herself on Ice Mountain, among the Plain folk there, but for the promise of Stephen’s loving protection? But as she steps deeper into his world and discovers his haunting secrets, Ella longs to heal the heart of the man who has captured hers forever...

Good, multi-layered story of love, faith, and overcoming the past. Stephen left his home on Ice Mountain after he was accused of murder and shunned. Even though he was proved innocent, he no longer felt at home there. Instead, he moved to an Englisch town and worked as a firefighter. His life took a dramatic change when he rescued a young woman from a burning building. Ella was pregnant, abandoned by the father of her baby, and in danger from a greedy aunt and uncle.

I really liked Stephen and Ella. He is kind, honorable, and protective. He is well-liked by his fellow firefighters and has a strong friendship with his doctor roommate. Though he no longer lived in the Amish community, his faith was still strong and guided his behavior. Ella is sweet, determined, and feisty. She was determined to give her baby the best life possible, even under the most difficult of circumstances.

Stephen and Ella met when he saved her from a burning building. There was a connection between them from the very start, both physical and emotional. Stephen was drawn to Ella in a way that he'd never experienced before. He wanted to take care of her and her baby, at the same time he found it almost impossible to keep his hands off of her. Stephen's kindness to her is something that Ella hasn't felt in a very long time. She's attracted to him but doesn't feel she deserves the compassion of such a good man. I loved the protectiveness Stephen experienced when she went back to her old job, and the actions he took to show it. When they found out that the fire was deliberately set in an attempt to kill Ella, Stephen was determined to save her, even if that meant returning to Ice Mountain.

I liked the development of the relationship between Stephen and Ella. Stephen fell fast and hard for Ella and wanted nothing more than to make her part of his life forever. I loved how he already thought of her baby as his own. Ella felt the same about him but worried that their differing lives would make it impossible. I loved how easily she fit into the community and the hope that it gave her for the future. There were many sweet scenes between them as they got to know each other. I especially loved the way Ella took care of Stephen after the bear attack. There were also some fun scenes of his friends giving him a hard time over his feelings for her. Both were a little wary of expressing their feelings, but when a crisis threatened their lives, they realized that life was too short not to take the risk.

There was an element of mystery/suspense that ran through the book. We found out early on that Ella's life was in danger. There were several twists and turns that kept me guessing as to what would happen. I was intrigued by the first man sent to kill her. His actions were not what I expected, and I found my opinion of him changing rapidly. He redeemed himself quite nicely by the end of the book. The second killer was creepy and evil, made even worse by the connection he already shared with Ella. The final confrontation was intense and had me on the edge of my seat until it was over.

Part of the story dealt with Stephen and his relationship with his mother and aunt. After meeting them, I completely understood the strain he'd been under as a kid and teenager. I thought it said a lot about his need to protect Ella that he even considered going back to that toxic atmosphere. It was interesting to see how the time away, plus his feelings for Ella, helped Stephen move past the resentment toward forgiveness. I also liked seeing the changes that Stephen's mother went through and how she faced up to her mistakes. There was a neat little twist involving her at the end of the book.