Book Review: An Honest Love

Author: Kathleen Fuller
Title: An Honest Love
Publisher: Thomas Nelson
Publish Date: March 15, 2010
Buy: Amazon
Book Blurb:  Lukas Byler is the man of Anna Esh's dreams--and he's asked her to marry him. But Anna has a secret she can't bring herself to reveal; she may not be able to bear children. She knows how much having a large family means to Lukas, but she's afraid of losing him so she doesn't tell him.She's thrilled when, after several months of being married, she gets pregnant. But when she miscarries, her worst fears are confirmed. Can she bring herself to be honest with Lukas? And will he still love her when he learns the truth.

Review:  An Honest Love is 2 intertwined romances. The primary story features Anna Esh who has recently moved to Middlefield with her mother to take care of her curmudgeonly Uncle Zeb. Zeb is really quite a hoot at times.

When she is working on her new Amish shop she meets Lukas Byler who is instantly taken with her. Lukas is also the brother of Elisabeth who is part of the other couple. She's a young girl of 18 who is just starting out at her first job. Aaron Detweiler works at the blacksmith shop. He's had his share of troubles. He's spent time in jail for drugs.

You have two very different couples but each are finding their way to each other. Both couples are very likable. Anna is very sweet and hardworking. She's trying  to get over a heartbreak and she tries to stay clear of Lukas and his advances.

Elisabeth and Aaron have trouble getting together because Aaron is really beating himself up over his time spent in jail. He's scared to show any signs of having fun.

Each couple has a lot to work through to get to where they need to be. Anna has a health issue she's keeping a secret, and Elisabeth is just a little to hard headed at times.

I like the way the two stories are separate but weave together in spots because of the families involved.

I admit to liking Elisabeth and Aaron more than Anna and Lukas, because though Anna was all that was good, a lot of her misery was brought on herself. She didn't put her trust in those that loved her and that made her a bit frustrating at times.

I hope that these couples appear in other stories. I also hope that Elisabeth's friend Deborah gets a story, or that Deborah's predicament ends up helping Anna and Lukas at some point down the line.

Rating: 5 flowers

Book Review: An Amish Cradle

Author: Beth Wiseman, Amy Clipston, Kathleen Fuller & Vanetta Chapman
Title: An Amish Cradle
Publisher: Thomas Nelson
Publish Date: Feb 10, 2015
Buy: Amazon

Review Copy Provided By: Net Galley
Book Blurb: 

In the Father's Arms by Beth Wiseman
Ruth Anne Zook is excited that she and her best friend are due with their children the same week. But when Ruth Anne's baby is born with Down Syndrome, she and her husband struggle to understand God's plan.

A Son for Always by Amy Clipston
Carolyn and her husband Joshua are thrilled to be pregnant with their first child. A teenager when she had her son Benjamin, Carolyn still feels obligated to work to secure Ben's future, even though Josh adopted Ben. She struggles to realize that Josh will love and protect both of their children equally.

A Heart Full of Love by Kathleen Fuller
Ellie's mother loves to meddle in her personal life-especially now that Ellie's pregnant. Since Ellie is blind, her mother worries that she won't be able to handle the baby. When Ellie gives birth to twins, her mother insists on moving in. Just as everyone reaches the breaking point, a miracle draws them closer to each other and to God.

An Unexpected Blessing by Vannetta Chapman

At 42, Etta thought her time of having children was over, but she's pregnant again. She goes into labor during a blizzard, and complications with the delivery raise fear. Etta struggles to accept Gotte's wille for the baby and her son, David, who moved away two years earlier in search of what he would do with his life.

Review: An Amish Cradle is a wonderful collection of stories of Amish couples becoming parents, some for the first time and others a welcome addition to the family

Each couple has some hardships that go along with the arrival of the boppoli (baby).

In The Father's Arms is the first novella, and it is my favorite of the four.  Ruth Anne and Levi have their first child and he has Down Syndrome. This story details a woman coming to terms with a child's disability as well as with a husband that his struggling with it. There are many times during their journey as new parents that you'll want to cry

A Son For Always is Amy Clipston's offering here, and it is a novella that is part of the Lancaster Grand Hotel series. Carolyn has found love with Joshua, and they are expecting their first child together, but she has doubts about him accepting her son Ben, that she had out of wedlock as a
teenager.

I love that this story tackles an issue that you don't usually see in Amish fiction. It shows that the Amish have the same problem as the rest of the world

I did think that Carolyn's worries about Joshua were a bit excessive, but it also showed her deep love for her son.

This was an absolutely beautiful story that reminded me I have to get some more of Amy's books.

A Heart Full Of Love had my nerves on edge. I loved this story, but I wanted to reach into the pages and shake Ellie's mother most of the time. Ellie is blind and the mother of twins and Edna really steamrollers her after their birth with her over protectiveness.

There is a reason for her behavior and it will break your heart for her.

More than that, it shows what a strong, capable woman Ellie is.

The final story in the book is Vanetta Chapman's An Unexpected Blessing. I love Vanetta's books, and this was really a sweet story of a couple having a child later in life. Etta is 42 and her husband is 45, so there are challenges with her pregnancy.

I didn't quite feel that Mose should be acting as old as he was. OMG he was only 45!!!

There was more to this story than the new baby, there was also the return of their son, who was away on his rumspinga.

I liked the different family dynamic in this novella. I loved how the cradle was being passed back from Etta's son to his mother.

Four wonderful stories to warm your heart. Highly recommended to those of you that can't get enough Amish fiction

Rating: 5 flowers

Book Review: An Amish Garden

Author: Beth Wiseman, Kathleen Fuller, Tricia Goyer, Vanetta Chapman
Title: An Amish Garden
Publisher: Thomas Nelson
Publish Date: March 18, 2014
Buy: Amazon

Review Copy Provided By: BookLook
Book Blurb: 

"Where Healing Blooms" Vannetta Chapman

Emma discovers a run-away teen in her barn, and the bishop asks her to provide a haven for a woman and her two children. Then her mother-in-law reveals a secret about her garden. Will Emma choose loneliness or learn to accept God's gifts?

"Flowers for Rachael" Kathleen Fuller

Rachael's garden is beautiful, but she is lonely. Gideon is in love with Rachael, but when Rachael finds her garden in shambles after a crisis, she rejects his help. Will she realize she doesn't have to do everything on her own?

"Seeds of Love" Tricia Goyer

When a corporation shows interest in buying Sadie's heirloom seeds, she panics. They are all she has left of her Dat and Mem. Eli believes he can help Sadie, but a misunderstanding leaves her heartbroken. Will she trust him again, and will the seeds of a new relationship take root?

"Rooted in Love" Beth Wiseman

Rosemary is doing her best to run her family's household. She excels at all her tasks except one: gardening. Saul has been interested in her for years, but Rosemary has turned him down repeatedly. Saul begins helping with her family's garden, but someone is sabotaging his efforts-and keeping a secret that could change their lives.

Review:  This collection of garden themed stories has many of the best Amish romance author contributing. Each novella takes you to a different Amish settlement with the characters finding love through life's challenges.

Beth Wiseman's "Rooted In Love" opens the book. Rosemary has been taking care of her family and putting of stepping out with Saul for years, because of something in her past. I felt terrible for Saul because he loved her all of those years when she had a misconception about something. I also felt bad for Katherine, who loves Rosemary's father.

Rosemary does a little too much thinking of herself, but as she becomes more accepting her life starts to change.

"Flowers For Rachel" was probably my favorite of the three stories. Rachel is the caregiver for her grandfather who suffered a stroke. She's a bit too protective of him and some of the clashes between the are quite fun. Then there's Gideon who has set his cap for her, but just doesn't quite know how to tell her.

There's a lot of mis-communication but there will be a happily ever after for these two that will give your heart warm fuzzy feelings.

Tricia Goyer is one of my favorite Amish writer's and I really enjoyed Sadie and Eli's story. Eli writes for The Budget and his letters/articles really make the story, along with a yearling bear, the folks call Goliath. Eli and Sadie's romance involves tomatoes and the seeds given to her by her mother, who passed away.

I was a bit disappointed in her behavior towards Eli's Opa, but I was pleased with how everything worked out in the end.

"Where Healing Blooms" is Vanetta Chapman's contribution to the book, and she deliver's something different. Emma is a widow and Danny is her former beau, who come together when they discover a young runaway in her barn.

I loved reading about more mature characters and I especially loved Emma's relationship with her mother-in-law, Mary Ann.

These were four really fabulous novellas that are perfect for an afternoon read. I'm a huge fan of Amish romance, so this book did not disappoint.

Rating: 5 flowers