Jennifer Beckstrand

A man comes from a small Amish community to see if he can find a wife and mother for his two little girls, and he has given himself a month to find a new wife. Wow, a girl should be really flattered to have a man, no real relationship, want to marry her. Well, I know for a fact that this does happen!

We journey with Menno and Joanna, will they ever see what is in front of them? Will one of the forward girls win his heart?

Will Menno stop putting his foot in his mouth?

I love the sweet father with his daughters, and how the community rally around this young family, and seem to want to help his bishop and have him remarry!

I received this book through Net Galley and the Publisher Zebra, and was not required to give a positive review.… (meer)

The Amish Quiltmaker’s Unlikely Match by Jennifer Beckstrand has Mary Yoder meeting baseball player, Clay Markham when he runs into their family barn (and almost into Mary). Mary is twenty-eight, a baptized member, and unmarried. Clay is Englisch and a baseball player. Mary’s father insists on Clay repairing the damage himself instead of writing a check and walking away. I found The Amish Quiltmaker’s Unlikely Match to be easy to read. It is a cute story, though, there are repetitive details. My favorite character is Cathy, the Englischer driver and quilter. She is a hoot. I found it hard not to roll my eyes several times while reading the story, particularly over an incident near the end. It appears some of the Amish rules were thrown out the window. The drama was upped in the story. There is one persistent, dislikeable reporter. There is humor to help offset the drama. The goats provide several amusing moments. The ending is sweet. I enjoy Jennifer Beckstrand’s Amish novels and I look forward to each new release. Unfortunately, The Amish Quiltmaker’s Unlikely Match was a strikeout.… (meer)

I enjoyed the book immensely. There was some mystery to the story. The reader doesn't know how long Clay and Mary can remain to be friends given that Clay was not Amish. I kept waiting to read that they stopped seeing each other. However, one thing after another happened to Clay that brought him and Mary together. As with all Amish fiction, there is a happy ending. The suspension of belief that you see with cozy mysteries is evident here. I believe that suspension of belief was a little far to be believable but hey, at least it's a happy ending.… (meer)

Mary Yoder lives a quiet life on her family farm with her dad and sisters. She enjoys working with the goats, making quilts, and helping with the family cheese business. When Clay crashes his car into their family barn, Mary helps her dad to rescue their barn as well as Clay. As the family gets to know Clay, they are surprised to discover that he is a professional baseball player! Clay quickly becomes a well-loved part of the family, as he works to repair the damage to the barn and fence. Mary falls in love with Clay, but reporters, fans, and gossip related to his profession keep interfering in their romance. The characters experience growth and change, while confronting their own inner demons.

Readers who enjoy a new angle on the Amish romance story will find this to be a refreshing change up! The story is a clean and sweet one, without explicit sex, strong language, or violence. The Christian message is overt, but not preachy.

I received this novel from the publisher and from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. The opinions expressed here are entirely my own.… (meer)