The Amish Sweet Shop

GIVEAWAY
RANDOM RETRO READ DAY

MILLER, EMMA
BRADFORD, LAURA
ELLIS, MARY
THE AMISH SWEET SHOP

It's almost Valentine's Day, the busiest time of the year at Beechy's Sweets, where the Amish gifts of love and faith are even sweeter than the home-made candy.

The Sweetest Courtship by Emma Miller -- At age thirty-six, Jacob Beechy is a rarity -- a master candy maker, and a bachelor. His mother, however still hopes for grandchildren. With Valentine's Day around the corner, she convinces Jacob he will need extra help in the shop and interviews a string of applicants -- for his future wife...

The Sweetest Truth by Laura Bradford -- Sadie Fisher has accepted that she will never marry. Her scars from a barn fire are a daily reminder of why. So when she receives mysterious gifts leading up to Valentine's Day, including chocolate from Beechy's, she's bewildered -- yet curious. Sadie may not think she's pretty, but there's a young man who sees only sweetness when he looks at her...

Nothing Tastes So Sweet by Mary Ellis -- Pregnant and suddenly widowed, Hannah must give up the dreams she once had. But when she learns that her longtime English employer plans to sell his hardware store, she's determined to buy it. She doesn't realize that will mean following a clue from Beechy's to clear a man's name -- and finding a partnership in work, faith, and love...

My Review:

published in 2018

This title showed up a lot on the last Reader's Choice Amish day and it has been on my audible wishlist for months now so I took the hint from y'all and finally read (listened) to it! Perfect timing too with the Valentine's Day theme. I don't think I've ever read an Amish Valentine story before.

Warning: might induce strong cravings for chocolate. Read at your own risk.

This is a great collection that offers three distinctively different stories. Emma Miller's The Sweetest Courtship is exactly that -- sweet and funny and tender. A perfect lighthearted rom/com Valentine read. The Sweetest Truth by Laura Bradford has a more serious tone as Sadie struggles with self-esteem issues. This novella is full of touching, heartwarming scenes and Amos's determination to help Sadie see herself as he sees her is the ultimate example of romantic love. Nothing Tastes So Sweet by Mary Ellis doesn't focus on romance -- it reads more like a prelude of the romance to come which I was happy with since Hannah is a very recent widow. This novella is more about her struggle to find her way after the sudden death of her husband. Definitely a heavier read then the first two stories in this collection but I loved Hannah's spunk and determination to make her own way.

Honestly, what can be better than books and chocolate -- a chocoholic/bibliophile's dream collection. :-)

GIVEAWAY OPPORTUNITY:

If you would like a chance to win a copy of  The Amish Sweet Shop, leave a comment below or email me at kavluvstoreadATyahooDOTca. If you add an email to your comment, remember to use AT and DOT instead of @ and . in order to protect yourself from spammers. If you enter the draw via email, please add the title to the subject line so it's easy to spot your entry. Draw will be held and winner announced on Saturday February 8 2020 . Offer open to International Readers. Good luck!