The Amish Christmas Letters

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DAVIDS, PATRICIA
PRICE, SARAH
BECKSTRAND, JENNIFER
THE AMISH CHRISTMAS LETTERS

With Christmas around the corner, it's time for Amish families to include holiday greetings in their circle letters, each writer adding to a growing collection as it travels on to the next. In this delightful trio of stories, three cousins scattered across the country share their blessings -- and reveal news of romantic surprises...

Marybeth's Circle Letter by Patricia Davids: To win a friendly annual competition, matchmaker Marybeth Martin must bring one more couple together by Christmas. Her only prospect is a man more interested in a nanny than a wife -- until his little girl shows him the light.

Love Delivered by Sarah Price: Struggling farmer's daughter Katie Mae Kauffman discovers that she and a local widower and father of four can harvest more crops -- and more profits -- together than separately. But she'll have to put pride aside for unexpected love.

Sealed With a Kiss by Jennifer Beckstrand: Corralling an unruly brood of seven is not babysitter Carolyn Yutzy's first choice for celebrating the season -- but the sparks between her and their unsentimental yet irresistible uncle may be a gift neither was counting on.

Now, one by one, each resourceful young woman will have a holiday to remember -- and to write home about.

My Review:

published in 2018

I'm enamoured with anything Patrica Davids so when I saw her name on the cover of this Christmas novella collection I just had to have it! (And isn't that cover so cheery and inviting?) I also enjoyed becoming more familiar with Sarah Price and Jennifer Beckstrand's storytelling. Love that aspect of novella collections -- the chance to be dazzled by new-to-me (or in this case, fairly-new-to-me) authors. Each brings their own unique style to this collection.

Davids and Beckstrand told humourous tales that had me laughing out loud while Price's contribution had a more serious undertone with a kind of Taming of the Shrew retelling. They all kept me spellbound and Susan Boyce's narration of the audible edition was a delight to listen to -- though she did leave me in a quandary over the pronunciation of 'danke.' Would you say dank (as in tank) ee or dunk-a? I've always thought it was the latter but the narrator pronounced it like the first example. Let's take a poll. :-)

GIVEAWAY OPPORTUNITY:

If you would like a chance to win a copy of The Amish Christmas Letters, 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 October 19 2019. Offer open to International Readers. Good luck!

Kate's Song

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BECKSTRAND, JENNIFER
KATE'S SONG

Kate Weaver was raised in an Amish home and has always been expected to choose baptism and strict observance of the Ordnung. But Kate is blessed with a beautiful singing voice, and when another path leads her to the academy for vocal training, she struggles to understand God’s will for her life. She returns to Apple Lake, haunted by a violent encounter with a fellow student, and finds herself drawn to the peace and devotion of her Amish home. But can she give up her dreams? Or will her calling forever separate her from the people and the way of life she holds so dear?


Nathaniel King has never wavered in his commitment to the community and the Old Order Amish Church into which he is baptized. He has been in love with Kate for as long as he can remember, and he is devastated when she leaves Apple Lake to attend the academy. When Kate returns, will she make his most profound hopes a reality—or will she break his heart all over again?

My Review:

From the riveting first page, Beckstrand caught my attention and held it as I quickly became immersed in Kate's story. This is a thrilling read that packs an emotional wallop. Full of complex issues and important questions, I was pulled betwixt a rock and a hard place right along with Kate, frantically looking for some divine direction. It creeps up on her but not until a summer full of angst...and delight.

The angst stems from her own inner turmoil, events in her past and issues with some of the people in her community. The delight she experiences can be summed up in two words. Nathaniel King. Oh la la! But I fell hard and fast for the hero of this book. He seemed almost too perfect, but I wasn't about to complain even though he fell off his pedestal as the plot thickened and so did my ire.

Jennifer Beckstrand is a welcome newcomer to Amish fiction and I'm thrilled to report that Kate's Song is the first in a three-book series Forever After in Apple Lake. In fact, the second book comes out in August and I can't wait!

Giveaway Opportunity:

 

If you would like an opportunity to win a copy of Kate's Song, please leave a comment below or email me at kavluvstoreadATyahooDOTca. If you post a comment and add your email address, please use AT and DOT instead of @ and . in the address to protect yourself from spammers. If you enter the draw via email please remember to put the title in the subject line so that it's easy for me to spot your entry. Draw will be held and winner announced on Sunday June 17 2012. Offer open to international readers. Good luck!