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An Amish Christmas Love Review

Happy Wednesday Guys, and Welcome Back to the Preppy Book Princess.



I'm Kirby, and today I'm excited to share a new book review with all of you guys.


I recently had the pleasure of receiving an upcoming Christmas novella book to review from Thomas Nelson, and I can't wait to tell you all about it.


An Amish Christmas Love by Beth Wiseman, Amy Clipston, Kelly Irvin, and Ruth Reid







Publisher: Thomas Nelson

Publication Date: September 12th, 2017

Source: Publisher via Netgalley.



I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. This in no way influenced my thoughts or opinions on this book.



My Review:

Ever since discovering Beverly Lewis' books when I was a young teenager, I've always loved inspirational Amish fiction. The Amish culture is something I was never really familiar with before that, but I've come to really appreciate their culture through the beautiful books I've read about it. As well, anyone who knows me knows that I'm completely Christmas crazy, and I'll honestly read Christmas themed books at any time of the year, even in the crazy heat of summer like was the case with this one. So needless to say, when I found this book on Netgalley, the fact that it's a Christmas inspirational novella collection about the Amish culture, had me beyond belief excited to jump right into it, and I was pleasantly surprised by these beautiful stories about second chances, finding love, the importance of friendship, and relying on our Heavenly Father and faith through Him despite any obstacles thrown our way.

This book contains four separate novellas that don't connect to each other, and I'm going to quickly talk about each, and say which ones were my favorites.

The first story is Winter Kisses by Beth Wiseman, and this one focuses on three Amish women, and the home they've made for themselves together. Ruth, who's living with her daughter in law and granddaughter after the passing of both her beloved husband and son, Barbara; who often finds her mother in law trying her patience, and has never been herself after the loss of her husband, and Naomi; who's hesitant to ever fall in love after seeing how much the loss of love has affected her mother and grandmother. Their world changes in ways they never expect when three Amish gentlemen rent the daadi haus on their property, and soon each woman is questioning which direction God is telling them to go. This was definitely one of my favorites in the collection, as I really adored Naomi's character and her hesitancy to fall in love. Plus Ruth's antics definitely had me smiling and laughing throughout the story, and the connection between these three generation of women was beautifully told. 

The Christmas Cat Amy Clipston was definitely my favorite of all the stories. This one focuses on an elderly Amish woman named Emma, who's spending her first Christmas alone since the death of her husband. Her and her beloved Henry always wanted children, but they were never blessed with any, and she's left feeling like she's all alone in the world. On Christmas Eve a stray cat finds its way to her porch, and soon she finds herself appreciating the companionship that's been sent her way in this furry creature. Younger members of the community decide to stop by and pay her a visit, and between visiting with the younger generation, and reminiscing about the beautiful marriage she shared with Henry, Emma comes to realize God's abounding love for her, and I can't recommend this beautiful story enough.


Snow Angels by Kelly Irvin was definitely my least favorite of this particular collection. It focuses on a young Amish man named David, who's been courting a lovely young girl named Molly, and its obvious to everyone that she's fallen head over heels for him. However, a blast from his past sets everything spiraling out of control, when the Englisch girl he pledged his heart to during his Rumspringa reappears, and states she still has feelings for him. While I did still enjoy this story overall, I really couldn't stand the way that David treated Molly for most of it, but I did love the sweet event that inspired the name for the story, and I really admired Molly's strong character, and her devotion to her faith.


Home For Christmas by Ruth Reid tells the story of Ellie, a dog trainer who's come back to her Amish roots she doesn't remember from childhood, after her beloved aunt passes away, and deeds her property to her. Ellie soon finds herself immersed in the Amish culture, and the welcoming way they make her feel. Her handsome next door neighbor, and his delightful daughter might also have something to do with it. Ellie's finally starting to wonder if this is the place she could truly belong, but could her heart truly reside somewhere that's been so different from anything she's ever known. This was another delightful Christmas tale, and I loved the fact that it was about an Englischer returning to her roots.


All in all, I completely adored this beautiful novella collection, and the way it emphasized the true reason for the season. I hadn't personally read anything else by any of these authors, but I definitely hope to change that in the future. I gave this one four out of five stars, and I hope come this holiday season that you'll all take a chance on this endearing novella collection that reminds us all of of what's truly important: family, friendship, love, and a personal relationship with our Heavenly Father.

I rated this one four out of five stars, and I can't thank Thomas Nelson enough for the opportunity to have read this!


Thanks so much for reading guys! And I'll see you again on Friday for another bookish post.


The photo does not belong to me, and all rights to the respective owners.   

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