A Love Undone by Cindy Woodsmall

Jolene lost her parents to a flood when she was young and gave up her life with her fiance to keep her siblings together under one roof. Years later, after many interested men, Jolene has not found someone to steal her heart again. However, then Andy walks into her life. He takes up a job rehabilitating horses for an animal rescue and ends up working with Jolene because no one else is available to help him. However, Jolene misunderstands Andy's position as a grass widower (one where the spouse up and left but is still alive) and does not realize that he cannot remarry in the Amish Community. Stuck, these two make a path forward doing the best they can to not fall in love.

Compared to her past books, this entry in her repertoire seemed more raw and real.  From the quick death of the Keim family parents in the first chapter to the struggle Ray (mentally delayed from being struck by lightning as a kid) has with himself and society, I felt I was reading a story from real-life.  Cindy Woodsmall had me holding my breath to find out what would happen and cheering for the lovable well developed characters. The character arcs were engaging, and the ending was satisfying.  The only problem I had was the plot was slow at times and stretched out.  However, I highly recommend for romance lovers and fans of Amish fiction.

(I received this ebook for free from the publisher in exchange for a review and this is my honest opinion after reading the book.)

Fraying at the Edge by Cindy Woodsmall

Being the second book in a series, this review is bound to have spoilers for the first book so read with caution if you tend to dislike spoilers like I do.

The third and last book in this series comes out next month so this is the best time to get and read the first two books both of which I highly recommend.

Fraying at the Edge continues the story started in the previous book beginning right as Ariana and Skylar are learning about the lives they were meant to have been a part of. Switched at birth, Ariana grew up Amish when she was supposed to have grown up in an American broken household, while the vice versa is true of Skylar.  Ariana experiences going to movies and malls, cutting her hair, wearing colorful clothing, driving a car, and going on a cultural road trip all for the first time while coping with whether she is going against the very literal faith she grew up learning in the Amish community. She also has to learn to love her birth father who is an atheist constantly trying to prove her faith wrong. Meanwhile, Skylar is coping with her drug addiction and losing faith in living life as the Amish lifestyle gently shows her another side to life.

The part that stuck out the most to me was the character development. Through Woodsmall's relaxed and simple writing style, the story played out dramatically in the minds of her characters. Ariana learns how to reconcile her faith with the positive and negative truths she finds in the real world, which is something powerful that we go through everyday as Christians. Skylar starts to find unconditional love in an unlikely place, while her Amish twin, Abram, finds friendship even amidst his rejection from the first book. I look forward to seeing the end result of their journey as it concludes in Gathering the Threads.

Additionally, as Ariana explores the normal world, I love the references to pop culture such as the Disney movies she watched. It makes the series feel more like it is really happening here in our time and part of the world especially for those who have not seen Amish Country or horse and buggy firsthand.

Ties that Bind by Cindy Woodsmall

Ties that Bind is the first in a Trilogy of three books concerning an Amish community with many secrets. Ariana is a young Amish girl who was hurt in her past by her closest friend Quill.  He stole away with another of her friends, Frieda, and left the Amish lifestyle without warning using Ariana as his cover. Now he appears back in her life as she is just moving on and is about to start her own business. He gives her a cryptic message insinuating that one of her family members is about to leave the Amish, as well, bringing all the old pain back. However, he soon learns an even worse secret that could shake Ariana's life far worse.

Woodsmall has a way of writing that makes the Amish lifestyle and characters understandable and relatable. She comes up with new and exciting twists and story lines to keep audiences hooked upon her books. Especially in this series, I am excited to see her comparison of, what we call, the normal lifestyle and the Amish lifestyle, which is already apparent in this book for reasons that I do not want to spoil. She has a way of showing us what happens in the Amish community when extenuating circumstances occur such as found in this book. Read with me as I finish the stories and write reviews.

Sisters of the Quilt trilogy by Cindy Woodsmall

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Once again I have read an amazing Amish romance by Cindy Woodsmall and again I am thoroughly entertained.  I got this trilogy in one book and would recommend you do so to.  They are much better as one big book rather than three individual books since the first book has a melancholy ending, the second ending is a little better, and the last book's ending is awesome.

"When the Heart Cries" is the first book and a very heart wrenching beginning to the trilogy.  Hannah's world is all rosy with a new fiance and a bright future until one person's selfish actions bring her to her knees.  Can she find hope for her future despite a community and circumstances that are against her?

In "When the Morning Comes", Hannah tries to make it in the English world since her own Amish community abandoned her when in her greatest need.  Can Hannah get through the pain of the past and live in the present or is she doomed to a lonely life of sadness?  Hannah's Amish friends also must deal with the wounds of her leaving and try to move on in this interesting sequel.

Lastly in this trilogy is the page turning story named "When the Soul Mends".  Hannah returns to her community to help her sister, in her illness, and friend, in his loss, only to come face to face with the man she never wanted to see again.  Answers and confrontations long overdue finally take place but only in God's time can healing truly happen.  Hannah's biggest decision lies waiting for her answer but only with God's guidance can she know what is the right way for her.

I very much enjoyed these romance novels and learning about the Amish lifestyle.  The situation presented in the first story and the pain of the aftermath, is something many girls can relate to even if they are not Amish.  This book is encouraging in knowing that even if your world falls apart, God can bring good out of the bad, and give you a hope for the future.  The other romances going on between major characters and the multiple points of view make for a well written and worth reading book for older teen and adult Christian romance lovers.

(I received this book for free from Waterbrook Multnomah Publishing Group for this review and this opinion is my own.)

Read chapter one here: Click here
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The Christmas Singing by Cindy Woodsmall

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This book highly intrigued me when I read the description that consisted of Amish heartbreak and romance.  When I started reading the content, I was not disappointed and neither will you be. The story's starts three years after Gideon Beiler suddenly ends his engagement to childhood sweetheart Mattie Eash.  When God has life bring them back together after the three long suffering years, old wounds are opened again.  Will Mattie settle for security in her new beau or try to find out the truth about Gideon?  Can either of them find joy this Christmas season?

"The Christmas Singing" is the perfect book for all seasons, not just Christmas.  Not only was the story cute and unique, I could tell the author put a lot of thought and creativity into it.  The one saying about Mattie Lane was just hilarious and priceless.  Another of Cindy Woodsmall's books, "The Sound of Sleigh Bells" is also referred to in this book.  The kind of romances I like reading contain innocent Christian love and content and "The Christmas Singing" was no exception.  Teens and adults will both like this holiday romance story.

(I received this book for free from Waterbrook Multnomah Publishing Group for this review and this opinion is my own.)

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The Harvest of Grace by Cindy Woodsmall

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The Harvest of Grace was an awesome sequel to Cindy Woodsmall's A Bridge of Peace.  Not only do you get to read about a whole new kind of Amish romance that happens between Slyvia and Aaron but also the four other love stories from the Ada's House series books one and two are continued and expanded,  especially Cara and Ephraim's Story.  In The Harvest of Grace, Sylvia's life is turned upside down when an unexpected betrayal breaks her heart.  To escape the pain, she leaves her home and goes to work on the Blank's failing and debt ridden farm, hopeful in turning it around.  When the Blank's son Aaron returns from rehab, problems arise between him, his parents, and Sylvia.  Can Aaron and Slyvia find forgiveness and grace from The Father and hope for the future or will both their lives come crashing down in one bad incident?

This was a great and entertaining read.  I couldn't wait to read it each day after school work was done.  Even though having multiple romances in one book can get confusing, I still thoroughly enjoyed reading it.  I also liked that they had a character guide in the back of the book to help remember who everyone was which made it slightly less confusing.  The summary of the first two books in the Ada's house series at the beginning of this book was great, as well.  That way I didn't have to go reread the other two books and I could get on to the new story line found in book three.  I would recommend this to other Romance lovers.  Older teens and adults alike will love it for it unique and encouraging story.

(I received this book for free from WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group for this review and this opinion is my own.)


Read Chapter One here: http://waterbrookmultnomah.com/catalog.php?isbn=9781400073986&view=excerpt

Lilly's Wedding Quilt by Kelly Long

When reading books, I look for the unusual stories or ones that stand out.  That's why I was intrigued once I had read the description for this book.  It is about Lilly Lapp, who has always admired the strong spirited Jacob.  The thing is that he has had his sights set on another girl, Sarah King, since childhood.  One day though, she marries another man and Jacob is crushed.  Without much of a choice or a heart left to give, he agrees to marry Lilly.  Can true love blossom between these two down spirited young adults?  They can only trust God with their future to find out, but you have to read the book to know what happens.

Besides it being a charming amish book, the romance was very different.  The thing is that they, from their point of view, agreed to a marriage without love.  That in itself makes for an interesting story.  Much of how they became engaged is also interesting.  This book is the second in the "A Patch of Heaven" novels and I recommend buying and reading the first one before this book.  The first book is called Sarah's Garden and if it's as good as this one, then you will be pleased.  I think the first one is about Sarah King's, the girl Jacob likes, romance.  So if you are looking to buy some intriguing amish love stories, I recommend these two.

(This was a book, of my choice, that booksneeze.com sent to me for free if I agreed to read it and review it honestly.)

The Bridge of Peace by Cindy Woodsmall

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This was a very interesting Amish story about how love isn't always enough to overcome some obstacles.  Lena is an Amish schoolteacher who has a very visible birthmark on her cheek.  She doubts that she'll ever find a special someone to look beyond the mark and see who she really is.  The school board is also giving her a hard time about some of the incidents happening while she has been the school teacher.  They are sure she is behind the mishaps because of her lack of submission to them.  Grey Graber is trapped in a disheartening situation where there is strife and silence within his marriage.  When his wife, Elsie, and him finally take steps to a second chance, the unthinkable happens.  When it seems like the world is against Lena and Grey, can they get past the heartache of the past and build a bridge of peace toward a better future?

The book was very unique, well written, and the second in the Ada's House Series.  I would read the first book of this series, The Hope of Refuge, before you read this one.  Even though the story was very encouraging and the characters were memorable, it progressed very slowly and I had a hard time getting into it.   Besides Lena, Grey, and Elsie's stories, there are two to three other romances between couples integrated in the book.  This makes the book a little hard to remember who everyone is but there is a character list at the back of the book.  There is also one very creepy character and some sad parts so only older teens and adults should read it.  If you like complex and amish stories then this is the book for you.

(I received this book for free from WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group for this review and this opinion is my own.)

An Amish Love by Beth Wiseman, Kathleen Fuller, and Kelly Long

When you buy An Amish Love, you get three novellas for the price of one. This inspiring book includes three touching Amish love stories by three talented authors.  All three of these cute stories happen in the same community of Paradise, Pennsylvania. 

The first novella is called A Marriage of the Heart and is about a girl who schemes her dad into marrying her to this young man after only meeting him the day before.  All she wants is to get out from under the thumb of her sullen father but she gets more than she bargains for.  Can the two young adults find love in a forced marriage?

What the Heart Sees is about an Amish girl who loses her sight in an accident and believes that she will never be able to marry because of her impairment.  But God has special plans for her that can overcome any obstacle.

I thought the last story was one that all married couples should read.  Healing Hearts is about an Amish man who leaves his wife for almost a year and returns, hoping that his family can find it in their hearts to forgive him.  Can God bring good out of this despairing situation?

I was very impressed with all three of these thought provoking and spiritual love stories, even with this being the first Amish book that I've ever read.  There were many sexual references (used within marriage) though so I really wouldn't let young teens and children read it.  I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book and am happy to recommend it to other older teens and adults who love to read Christian Romances as much as I do.

(This was a book, of my choice, that booksneeze.com sent to me for free if I agreed to read it and review it honestly.)