25 Book Reviews

Monday, March 9, 2020

A Great Read to Get You in the Mood For Summer! A Collection of Super Amish Novellas!

                  "An Amish Picnic"

                By Amy Clipston, Kelly Irvin
           Kathleen Fuller , Vannetta Chapman

About the Book:
Genre: Amish; Christian Romance
Release Date: March 3, 2020
From bestselling authors in the Amish genre come four sweet stories about picnics and romance.
Baskets of Sunshine by Amy Clipston 
Kevin Weaver has lived with his brother’s family since his parents passed away when he was young, but he craves a home and family to call his own. Freeman Kurtz owns a successful brick mason business, and Kevin takes the job as Freeman’s apprentice to pursue his own financial freedom.
Phoebe Kurtz is helping her sister with her booth at the marketplace when she notices Kevin, her father’s employee. Their friendship grows, but Kevin is convinced that the difference in their ages makes a relationship between them impossible. Amidst summer outings, Kevin and Phoebe must decide if taking a chance on love is worth the risk.
Candlelight Sweethearts by Kelly Irvin
Esther Marie Shrock loves her job at Valley Grocery Store where she’s worked for four years. Despite a stutter that has plagued her since childhood, she thrives filling orders from a steady stream of customers. Still, at 25, she and her family wonder if romance is in her future.
Jasper Cotter isn’t good with people, but he’s found himself obligated to take over day-to-day operations of the family owned grocery store—a store he doesn’t have the first clue how to run. Thrown together, Esther Marie and Jasper don’t exactly see eye to eye. One night, the store loses power, and the candles aren’t the only things shooting off sparks. Esther Marie and Jasper are suddenly forced to discover common ground when it matters most, and they might be surprised with love along the way.
Reeling in Love by Kathleen Fuller
Nina Stoll and Ira Yoder are just friends. Just friends and fishing buddies. Every Saturday afternoon, they have a picnic at their favorite fishing hole and see who can out fish the other. Until Nina starts to wonder if there’s more.
Her plans to share her feelings go awry, and circumstances seem destined to keep Nina and Ira apart. With both Nina and Ira confused and hurting, it’s going to take courage, some help from the community matchmakers, and a little bit of divine intervention for Nina and Ira to realize they’re each other’s perfect catch.
Picnics and Prospects by Vannetta Chapman
Faith Troyer is claustrophobic, and David Lapp builds tiny houses. They went on a date years ago with disastrous results. Now that they’re in their late twenties, their families and friends are beginning to wonder if either will ever find that special someone. When a picnic outing is diverted by the discovery of a package of letters dating back to the 1970s, they take it upon themselves to find answers to a mystery that causes them to rethink their past and consider their future.

Click here to get your copy!

About the Author


Amy Clipston is the award-winning and bestselling author of the Kauffman Amish Bakery,
Hearts of Lancaster Grand Hotel, Amish Heirloom, Amish Homestead, and Amish Marketplace series. Her novels have hit multiple bestseller lists including CBD, CBA, and ECPA. Amy holds a degree in communication from Virginia Wesleyan University and works full-time for the City of Charlotte, NC. Amy lives in North Carolina with her husband, two sons, and four spoiled rotten cats. Visit her online at AmyClipston.com; Facebook: AmyClipstonBooks; Twitter: @AmyClipston; Instagram: @amy_clipston.
Kelly Irvin is the bestselling author of the Every Amish Season and Amish of Bee County series. The Beekeeper’s Son received a starred review from Publishers Weekly, who called it a “beautifully woven masterpiece.” The two-time Carol Award finalist is a former newspaper
reporter and retired public relations professional. Kelly lives in Texas with her husband, photographer Tim Irvin. They have two children, three grandchildren, and two cats. In her spare time, she likes to read books by her favorite authors. Visit her online at KellyIrvin.com; Instagram: kelly_irvin; Facebook: Kelly.Irvin.Author; Twitter: @Kelly_S_Irvin.
With over a million copies sold, Kathleen Fuller is the author of several bestselling novels,
including the Hearts of Middlefield novels, the Middlefield Family novels, the Amish of Birch Creek series, and the Amish Letters series as well as a middle-grade Amish series, the Mysteries of Middlefield. Visit her online at KathleenFuller.com; Instagram: kf_booksandhooks; Facebook: WriterKathleenFuller; Twitter: @TheKatJam.
Vannetta Chapman writes inspirational fiction full of grace. She is the author of sixteen novels, including the Pebble
Creek Amish series, The Shipshewana Amish Mystery series, and Anna’s Healing, a 2016 Christy Award finalist. Vannetta is a Carol award winner and has also received more than two dozen awards from Romance Writers of America chapter groups. She was a teacher for fifteen years and currently resides in the Texas hill country. Visit Vannetta online: VannettaChapman.com, Twitter: @VannettaChapman, Facebook: VannettaChapmanBooks.
My Thoughts:

Four talented authors of Amish fiction have worked together to produce this wonderful collection of novellas, just in time for the sunny days of spring, soon to arrive, I hope! 

Each tale is written in the author's unique style, resulting in well developed, heartwarming stories all dealing with the picnic season in the Amish communities. The stories, although different in characters and outcomes, complement one another in dealing with a developing romance , despite fears, miscommunication , uncertainty and challenges, some apparent, others hidden deep within the characters. Quirky characters, mystery and love abound within the pages of this book.

I always am leery when reading a novella, afraid that the plot will not hold my attention, as it is a short piece of work, and this type of book doesn't always leave me feeling satisfied and fullfilled. "An Amish Picnic", to my delight, was a book that I will read again! The stories seemed to lead into the following one , all the while holding me captive until the last page was read. The plots were well developed with just enough twists and turns to keep one thoroughly engaged in the characters' lives. 

These four authors came together to write Amish tales that will quickly get you into the mood for the nicer weather that is sure to come our way very soon!

Definitely a five star book! Don't miss it!!




This book was supplied by CelebrateLit. The thoughts and opinions expressed are honest and my own. A positive review was not required.


Read an Excerpt

Read an excerpt here.

Blog Stops

Batya’s Bits, March 6
The Avid Reader, March 6
Bigreadersite, March 8
Quiet Quilter, March 10
Splashes of Joy, March 15
Artistic Nobody, March 18 (Guest Review from Donna Cline)
EmpowerMoms, March 18

No comments:

Post a Comment

Another Fantastic Read by One of My Favorite Authors, Vannetta Chapman!

An Amish Proposal for Christmas  By Vannetta Chapman Synopsis: Her deepest Christmas wish will bring more than she imagined…in this novel by...