Review: An Amish Market & The Saddle Maker’s Son

Love Birds by Amy Clipston
While Ellie Lapp and her mother are still mourning the loss of her brother, Seth, Ellie starts working at one of the gift shops in town. Seth’s friend Lloyd is talented at carving wooden birds, but his father disapproves and expects him to take over the family farm someday. Ellie sees the beauty in Lloyd’s creations and insists Lloyd sell the birds in the gift shop where she works. As Ellie and Lloyd spend more time together, they begin to develop feelings for one another, but she accidentally betrays his trust. Will she lose any hope of a future with him?

A Bid for Love by Kathleen Fuller
Every week, Hannah Lynne brings her home-churned butter to the local market. And every week Ezra stops by to purchase some. Hannah Lynne knows not to read too much into it—Ezra is a confirmed bachelor and barely even glances her way, despite any hope to the contrary. But when Ezra bids an exorbitant amount to win the quilt she had her heart set on, Hannah Lynne can’t stop her heart from taking over her mind. Could Ezra finally be in the market for love?

Sweeter Than Honey by Kelly Irvin
Shattering a jar of pickled beets wasn’t the impression Isabella hoped to make on her first trip to the local Combination Store of Bee County, Texas. But as embarrassed as she was by the accident, she didn’t think it warranted the frosty reaction from the handsome manager of the store, Will Glick. As she soon learns, though, Will’s heart has been broken one too many times. And now, for some reason, Isabella finds herself determined to be the one to repair that broken heart and renew his faith in love.

Love in Store by Vannetta Chapman
Stella Schrock works at the Old Mill in Nappanee, Indiana, with new employee David Stoltzfus, a recent widower. When strange happenings begin occurring around town, it appears as if someone wants to close the mill. Stella and David have to work together to solve the mystery of what is happening at the Old Amish Mill, and in the process they might just find that God has more in store for their future than they would ever have dreamed possible.

Review: Four great Amish romances in one place. Each of these stories touched me in different ways.

In Love Birds, Ellie only wants to help Lloyd. Her intentions are good, but the result doesn’t turn out quite like she’d envisioned it. Through communication, the misunderstanding is rectified, but not before hurts abound.

Ezra, in A Bid for Love, made me chuckle. All that butter. Even now it makes me chuckle. (Sorry, I don’t write spoilers, so you’ll have to read to figure it out.)

I’ve read the prequels to Sweeter than Honey (though it’s not necessary to enjoy this story) and looked forward to Will’s story. Isabella struggles in a new place, and her struggle is compounded by miscommunication and misinterpretation of events. It’s a real quagmire until things are straightened out.

I enjoyed Love in Store, though it was more along the lines of an Amish romantic suspense. Vannetta Chapman has long been one of my favorite writers.

In all, each of the stories was enjoyable, and I will definitely read them again in the future.

Rating: 5 roses


Rebekah Lantz feels imprisoned by circumstances she didn’t create. Tobias Byler is haunted by regret. Can two young runaways from half a world away teach them the healing power of true family?

Rebekah isn’t like her sister who left the Amish faith, but the watchful gaze of her family and small, close-knit Amish community makes her feel as if she’s been judged and found lacking. The men avoid her and the women whisper behind her back. She simply longs for the same chance to be a wife and mother that her friends have.

Tobias Byler only wants to escape feelings for a woman he knows he should never have allowed to get close to him. Moving with his family to isolated Bee County, Texas, seemed the best way to leave his mistakes behind. But even a move across the country can’t erase the past that accompanies his every thought.

A surprise encounter with two half-starved runaway children forces Rebekah and Tobias to turn to each other to help a sister and brother who have traveled thousands of miles in search of lives of unfettered peace and joy.

In doing so, Rebekah and Tobias discover the key to forgetting the past is the one that will open the door to love and the future they both seek.

Review: A book of new beginnings and of overcoming past mistakes. Kelly Irvin is an excellent writer, and I have yet to read one of her books that I haven’t enjoyed a great deal. The Saddle Maker’s Son is no exception. Rebekah and Tobias struggle through life’s disappointments and people’s expectations, but they overcome and become better people.

Rating: 5 roses

I received these books free in exchange for an honest review.

Happy reading,

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