Review: An Amish Christmas Gift

An Amish Christmas Gift is a good collection of stories perfect to read around Christmas or to just get you in the mood for Christmas. Each of the novellas are quick, easy to read stories for the hectic Christmas season.

Amy Clipston wrote the first story, Naomi's Gift, about Naomi who believed she would never get married since she had been too bold running after guys. Imagine her surprise when someone does become interested in her.

Ruth Reid wrote the best story out of the collection by far. An Unexpected Gift was superbly done, and I was really cheering the main character on! I loved that she wasn't quiet and reserved but instead very talkative. Since she was talkative, nobody wanted to be her beau. Or so she thought.

Kelly Irvin wrote an okay story. A Christmas Story is about a girl in love with an Englischer. When the guy comes to visit her, she is conflicted. I wasn't that into this story. It was okay but could have been much better.

I didn't really enjoy the first novella; I found it kind of boring. But the second book was great! It kept my interest the whole way through, and I loved such a unique main character. I wasn't surprised the story was such a fun, in depth read because it was written by Ruth Reid. She writes such real stories instead of just some fluff. The third novella wasn't that intriguing to me, but it was better than the first story. Usually these Amish sets are pretty good, but this time it wasn't. For that reason I'm only giving it 3 stars.

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

Review: A Woodland Miracle

A Woodland Miracle by Ruth Reid is the second book in The Amish Wonders Series. I loved the first story A Miracle of Hope so when I saw this book I knew I had to read it! Needless to say, I was not disappointed. :-)

Ben Eicher and his friend, Toby, are forced to leave Pinecraft, Florida and go to Badger Creek, Michigan where Toby's uncle lives. Weighted down with grief and his many sins, Toby just wants to be back at home, but he knows his father won't welcome him.

Grace Wagler is afraid she has muscular dystrophy like her mother who died a few years ago, but her father doesn't want her to go to the doctors in Ohio to find out. Grace needs to know the truth. It's better than the fear that engulfs her at the thought of dying young and in pain like her mother. Her aunt stays with them 6 months out of the year, and Grace is hoping to go home with her to Ohio for a few months to see some specialists and find out the truth about her health.

Grace has no time for fun or so she thinks until Ben Eicher comes to town. Ben is full of life and fun compared to Grace's dogged determination and serious outlook on life. Grace really does long for a home and family of her own, but would anyone ever look past her disabilities to see all she can offer?

I enjoyed this story especially since there was a disability involved. The author did a good job of portraying the fears and pain involved in having any sort of health problem. Some parts of the story seemed far fetched and unrealistic, but for the most part it was pretty good. The two main characters were written well, but I found myself irritated with a lot of the secondary characters. Trusting in God was weaved into the story seamlessly, and how the main characters felt and acted was done very well. Overall, I would recommend this story to anyone who likes a good story. :-)

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

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Review: A Miracle of Hope

A Miracle of Hope is the first book in The Amish Wonders series by Ruth Reid. The two main characters were complex, realistic, and extremely likable. Even though I haven't been through what they have, the author portrayed their emotions so well I could feel their angst as they tried to keep looking to God amidst their pain.

Feeling unloved and unwanted, Lindie Wyse, agrees to her brother's proposal to marry a widower in far away Michigan. What will her betrothed think when he finds out she is three months pregnant?

The only reason Josiah Plank agreed to Eli Wyse's arrangement was for the sake of his deaf, eight year old daughter, Hannah. Determined to make Lindie understand that she will be forever trapped in a loveless marriage, Josiah makes it clear that their marriage will be in name only. When Lindie still agrees to marry him, they get married that day.

Lindie begins to feel overwhelmed with all the challenges of being newly wed. Learning sign language, dealing with a disgruntled child, morning sickness, running the house, and becoming adjusted to a new community are only some of the myriad problems she has to face. Meanwhile, Josiah has his own issues to deal with one of which is a persistent cough. As they navigate their many problems, they come to rely on each other more than they ever thought they could. How can Josiah possibly love Lindie when even her fiance couldn't?

I could not put this book down and read it in a couple of days. It was just sooo good! I was pulled in right from the get go so be prepared for a reading frenzy. haha I think Lindie was the best part of the book. She seemed so normal with how she was dealing with her pregnancy and marriage, and I loved the focus of this book on trusting in God no matter the circumstances. What a great story of how God can redeem anything!

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

Review: An Amish Miracle

An Amish Miracle is a collection of three Amish novellas by Beth Wiseman, Ruth Reid, and Mary Ellis. I really enjoyed these stories, and I loved the length of them all. I liked how all the stories connected so you could still hear about the other characters.

Always in My Heart by Mary Ellis follows the story of Hope Bowman. When she has her fourth daughter, she becomes convinced that God is punishing her for giving up her son at sixteen. Hope doesn't know if she can handle the pain of it all anymore. She decides to finally tell her husband the truth, and when she does amazing things begin to happen. I really enjoyed this story of forgiveness and hope. It was filled with so much raw emotion for everyone involved. But the ending was too abrupt for me. I really thought there would be another chapter!

Always His Providence by Ruth Reid is about Ruth Hostetler, a widower for the last two years, who is facing the loss of her farm. Determined to keep her home, Ruth does everything she can to raise the money without telling anyone, but when all her efforts start crumbling around her Ruth is left with only one option. Moving. I think this novella is my favorite out of the three. Ruth is such a believable character! Sometimes it can be so easy to rely on ourselves more than God, and this story was a great reminder to always trust in the One who never fails.

Always Beautiful by Beth Wiseman tells the story of Becky Byler. Becky has always struggled with her weight, but all that changed one day when she asked God for a miracle. Once she started losing weight, Becky began to change but not for the better. Is being thin really that important? Or should she worry more about who she is on the inside? I enjoyed the suspense of which guy Becky would choose, but this story was my least favorite.

If you are a fan of Amish fiction, you will like this book. :-)

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