Review of "An Amish Miracle"

Review of An Amish Miracle

by Mary Ellis, Ruth Reid, and Beth Wiseman

Always Beautiful by Beth Wiseman

Becky Byler is eighteen and overweight. She is overwhelmed by the embarrassment she feels when comparing herself to other girls her age. Having lost all hope, she considers taking her own life. As she stands before rushing water, unable to swim, Becky begs God for a miracle. In just several months, Becky sees her prayers answered as food and temptation lose their hold over her. She s finally pleased with how she looks, but does she like the person she has become? And has the man she has dreamed of been right beside her all along, loving her exactly as she is?

Always His Providence by Ruth Reid

Widow Rosa Hostetler has one month to pay her delinquent taxes before the county auctions her farm. She's prepared to sell whatever is necessary to pay the lien, but she isn't willing to request money from the community s widow fund. She's embarrassed and refuses to admit she needs help. Rosa depends on income from selling eggs, but when that income is threatened, only a miracle can help Rosa accept the kindness of a neighbor.

Always in My Heart by Mary Ellis

Hope Bowman believes God is punishing her for giving up her firstborn son when she was a teenager. She s hidden this secret from her husband, who is thankful for their daughters but longs for a son. Hope prays desperately, but the son God sends her isn't a new baby but the fifteen-year-old boy she gave up years ago.

Includes Reading Group Guide and Old-Order Amish Recipes

MY REVIEW:   This is a delightful Amish novella collection by Mary Ellis, Ruth Reid, and Beth Wiseman.   In Always in My Heart by Mary Ellis, Hope is given a second chance with the son she was forced to give up for adoption.   God sends this young man back into her life at the age of fifteen.  Will James want to stay with his birth mother and get to know his family or will Hope's heart be broken once again?  Ruth Reid shares the story of a young, childless widow in Always His Providence, Rosa Hostetler is in desperate need of funds to save her home but she is too proud to ask for help from the Amish community widow's fund.    The man her husband died to save has promised to look after her and he wants to help her but she does not trust him enough to share her needs.  Will she let go of her pride and open her heart?  Becky Byler struggles with her weight and is the laughing stock of the Amish community in Always Beautiful.   Becky is pushed to the point of suicide because of her low self-esteem and asks God for a miracle.   He grants it as she loses weight and has not one, but two suitors.   Will she discover what both young suitors already know?  Will she learn that inner beauty matters far more than outer appearance?  Read the three novellas to find these answers and more.   The authors do a beautiful job of portraying forgiveness, love, inner beauty and sacrifice.   I love the way that the three novellas blend together and have characters who share in each others' lives.  I am quite curious to know if there will be a sequel to the three novellas as I would love to know what comes next for Hope, Becky and Rosa.  
I received a free pdf version of this book from netgalley and the publisher in exchange for my honest review.

About the Authors:

Mary Ellis grew up close to the Amish where she loved their peaceful agrarian lifestyle and strong sense of Christian community. She and her husband now live by the largest population of Old Order in the country where they take weekend trips to research her books. Mary enjoys reading, traveling, gardening, bicycling and swimming. Before “retiring” to write full-time, Mary taught Middle School and worked as a sales rep for Hershey Chocolate—a job with amazingly sweet fringe benefits. Her debut Amish fiction, A Widow’s Hope, first in the Miller Family series, was a finalist in the 2010 ACFW Carol Awards and received the Award of Merit for the Holt Medallion. She has since written ten best-selling novels. Her previous release, Living in Harmony, first in the New Beginning series, won the 2012 Lime Award for Excellence in Amish Fiction.

Beth is the best-selling and award winning author of the Daughters of the Promise series - Plain Perfect, Plain Pursuit, Plain Promise, Plain Paradise, and Plain Proposal. She is contracted with HarperCollins Christian Publishing. Her other series--the Land of Canaan Novels--begins with Seek Me With All Your Heart, then The Wonder of Your Love and now, His Love Endures Forever. Seek Me With All Your Heart is the first Amish fiction book selected as a Women of Faith novel in 2011. Beth has also written two contemporary Christian fiction novels, Need You Now published in 2012 and The House That Love Built in 2013. 

In a daring new novel, Beth jumps way outside the box. The story she is currently working on will take readers far away from Amish Country and small Texas towns to a dangerous place on the other side of the world. Inspired by a true story, Beth believes this is the book she’s been working toward for a long time. Expect more information on this exciting novel soon! 

You can also follow Beth on Twitter: @BethWiseman

Ruth Reid is a CBA and ECPA best-selling author of the Heaven  on Earth series. She's a full-time pharmacist who lives in Florida  with her husband and three children. When attending Ferris State  University School of Pharmacy in Big Rapids, Michigan, she lived  on the outskirts of an Amish community and had several  occasions to visit the Amish farms.