Honey Brook, Pennsylvania is the setting for this new series. Book 1 features Esther Miller who considers herself on old-maid because she's still single at 24. Her fiancé Jacob had died several years earlier and she just wasn't ready to start courting again. She has a growing business of making scented soaps in her home and selling them through an Amish retail store. Lucas comes to town as a PA. He is Jacob's brother but left the Amish years before. The Amish tradition still calls to him and he still lives a very simple life despite his car and electronics. When he meets Esther, he become very interested in her but he is hiding a secret about Jacob's death and he doesn't know if she or their church will forgive him. I enjoyed reading this book and I really like Esther and Lucas -- they were both strong in their religious views but both showed confusion on how to properly live their lives. I thought that Esther was a very strong woman - she followed the Amish ways but was still very interested in having her own business. Is it possible for two flawed people to be happy with each other and follow the Amish ways? ( )

Never an Amish Bride is a captivating love story written by Ophelia London. Never having read anything by this author before, I wasn't quite sure what to expect but I enjoy reading the Amish genre and this one did not disappoint. The characters were realistic and relatable. Esther, struggles with her faith since her former fiancé died and wonders if being a wife and mother is ever going to be in God's plan for her life. Luke, a physician's assistant, has returned to the town he left as an Amish teen, and he knows he's not willing to completely change his new lifestyle, not even for a girl! I really liked Esther's Mamm, it just seemed like she knew what was happening in Esther's heart and was rooting for her, perhaps even prompting and helping things along. The plot moves along quickly and the author knows how to keep the tension high. I kept trying to figure out how in the world Esther and Luke would ever make things work out. She's Amish. He's not. And the two do not mix. Would she change? Would he? Or would they just give up and go separate ways. This may have been my first book by Ophelia London but it won't be my last. Readers who enjoy Amish fiction will not want to miss this enjoyable romance.
I received a complimentary copy of this book via JustRead Publicity Tours. A favorable review was not required, and opinions are my own. ( )

Never an Amish Bride by Ophelia London is the first novel in the Honey Brook series. Honey Brook, Pennsylvania is a cozy town in Lancaster County. Gossip spreads quickly in this small Amish town. Esther Miller was to marry Jacob Brenneman two years ago, but he died a few weeks before their wedding day. After Jacob passed, no one would talk about him or how he died. Esther is struggling right now especially with her faith. Esther’s younger sister, Sarah is getting wed in November and she has roped Esther into planning the event as well as sewing the wedding dress. It is the last thing that Esther wishes to do. Lucas Brenneman left town when he was sixteen on a mission and he returned six months ago. He wonders about his family and if he has made the right choices. I thought Never an Amish Bride was well-written with developed main characters. The characters are realistic with their struggles involving family, faith, and tragedy. The romance is sweet and progresses at a gentle pace. I enjoyed the way they could talk to each other and their playful banter. There is humor in the story and light moments that I enjoyed. I love the three kids (baby pygmy goats) that were dressed in various costumes. I could just imagine them in Christmas sweaters. I loved the Anne of Green Gables references where Esther likens Lucas to Gilbert Blythe. Esther made some wonderful soap. I would not mind her clove soap myself. I like how the soap played into Esther and Lucas’ romance. I thought the author should have included a recipe at the end (or tips for making soap). Never an Amish Bride is a delightful Amish story and I wish that we did not have to wait for spring for The Amish Cowboy’s Homecoming. I appreciated the epilogue at the end. Never an Amish Bride is a charming Amish tale with soap bar battles, a wayward wagon, plush pygmy goats, wedding woes, soaring scents, a dress dilemma. ( )

In “Never an Amish Bride,” Esther and Lucas develop romantic feelings for each other, although their commitment is tested. Trials await them as they try to find a common ground in which their relationship can survive and thrive.

After two years, Esther still mourns the loss of her fiancé, finding it difficult to move on to another relationship. She feels sorrow as others in her own family and community marry and begin families. Esther stays busy with her soap-making business, which gains immense popularity with non-Amish customers.

Lucas left the Amish 10 years ago to study medicine in the Englisch world. However, he returns to his community and seeks to reunite with his family. Meeting Esther just complicates things.
Themes of grief, family ties, long held secrets, questions of faith, grave illness, and moving beyond the past are the themes that support the action in this novel. The characters are flawed and realistic, grappling with lifestyle, family, faith, and community issues. Readers will find this a clean, faith-based novel, with no strong language or descriptions of sex or violence.

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

This book felt so real, whether Amish or Englisch, could be any family. I even had a teacher who never married, she had lost her fiancée, so very sad.
The author gives us a young man who is a Physician’s Assistant, and has a lot of compassion for his fellow man, and we see him going the extra mile. Now he is working in a town he left ten years ago, and struggling to reunite and forgive his family.
Esther and Lucas seem so perfect for each other, but there is a big obstacle between them, she is baptized in her faith, and although he is not shunned, he is an outcast, or so he thinks.
Follow these two hurting individuals as they try and fight their attraction, and many hurdles that are placed in their way.
I also thank the author for the Epilogue, I love looking into the future!

I received this book through Net Galley and Entangled Publishing, and was not required to give a positive review. ( )