Review: Becoming Bea

Becoming Bea by Leslie Gould is the fourth book in The Courtships of Lancaster County series. All of the books in this series are based on one of Shakespeare's works, and they are some of the best Amish fiction I've ever read. :-) This particular story is mirrored after Much Ado About Nothing.

Beatrice Zook is a loner, a reader, and a lover of words. When she finds out she is supposed to be going with her sister and Mom to visit Montana, she is dismayed and angry. Determined to find a job so she can stay behind, she is surprised to find work so quickly as a helper to Cate's stepmom, Nan, who just had triplets! They already have one other helper, Hope, but they are still struggling especially since the babies are preemies with one still in the NICU. Bea hasn't been around babies much and finds it awkward at first, but before too long she becomes the one everyone relies on. Not used to actually being accepted and appreciated, Bea thrives there. The only problem is Ben Rupp.

Ben and Bea went to a couple of singings a few months ago, but for some reason Ben just stopped coming around. Really hurt by his actions, Bea's love turned into bitterness and anger. But at Nan and Bob's, Bea has no choice but to work through her anger since Ben is an employee in Bob's shop. She comes to realize she really does love him, but her critical spirit has turned people away. Will they ever be able to reconcile? Or is she destined to be an old maid?

I loved this book! The uniqueness of the characters, the problems with relationships, learning to be more Christlike - it was very much a story of growing up. Plus, I enjoyed reading about a bookish Amish girl since I'm bookish myself. ;-) The interactions between Ben and Bea were pretty funny when they were mad at each other which was quite often, and the whole thing about their spelling bees from school was the perfect touch. It got you right into the mood of the story. :-)

If you've never read Amish fiction please try this series out. It is so good!! You won't regret it. :-)

I was given this book free from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

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Review: Minding Molly

Minding Molly by Leslie Gould is the third book in the The Courtships of Lancaster County and is based on Shakespeare's play, A Midsummer Night's Dream.  All the books in this series can be read as stand alone novels. One of my favorite things about this series is the author's different personality types for the main characters. I find it very refreshing and unique. On the other hand, one of the things I don't like in this series is how the characters never get to fully explain things to their sisters/family members. It irks me! They never address the misconceptions or try to fix it, and they still misunderstand each other at the end. It makes me feel like the book isn't complete, and I keep waiting and hoping for some real closure between everyone.

Molly Zook has been struggling to adjust to her father's death two months ago, and now she is faced with the possibility of losing their flower farm. Plus, her mother hasn't been well, and the only way Molly can handle everything going wrong is to be even more controlling than ever before which in turn makes her sister and friends turn away from her. To add to all her problems, her mother wants her to marry Mervin Mosier so they can join their two farms and save their farm in the process. Desperate to keep her home, Molly thinks about accepting Mervin, but then she meets Leon which throws a kink in her mother's plans.

Leon Fisher came from Montana to get more experience training horses. When he meets Molly, he wants nothing more than to become better acquainted with her, but with her controlling ways will they ever get a chance?

I liked this story. I thought Molly was interesting and oftentimes completely misunderstood. So many things just kept going wrong for her. Plus, her best friend, Hannah, was so irritating and immature. And Molly's sister, too. I did like that I wasn't sure who would get Molly there for awhile, and I was so glad that the person I was hoping for worked out. :-) I'm looking forward to more from this author.

I was given this book free from Bethany House in exchange for an honest review.