Review of "An Amish Christmas Quilt"

Review of An Amish Christmas Quilt 

by Charlotte Hubbard, Kelly Long, and Jennifer Beckstrand

A Willow Ridge Christmas Pageant--by Charlotte Hubbard

Seth Brenneman didn't expect his holiday would include rescuing pregnant Mary Kauffman and her two children....or having unexpected feelings for the still-grieving widow.  But when they must play the leads in an impromptu live Nativity pageant to help his Amish community, will their roles reveal their hearts--and work a miracle for a lifetime?

My Review:  Charlotte Hubbard has recreated the perfect Nativity scene with Mary and Seth and her two children.   How can their hearts help but turn warm with love at the very thought and act of recreating the very first Christmas night?  This is a precious novella full of love, forgiveness and plenty of surprises.   5 Stars

A Christmas on Ice Mountain--by Kelly Long

Matthew Beider and Laurel Lapp's secret wish to marry is a gift their feuding fathers definitely won't accept.  Can rediscovering the joys and friendships of Christmas past finally turn their families' futures bright?

My Review:   This is an Amish version of the Hatfields and McCoys....families or fathers at least feuding and no one even knows the reason for the feud.   When their children, Matthew and Laurel, fall in love and seek permission from the bishop to be wed, what will happen?  Will the families work things out?   A blizzard and a trip to Ice Mountain just might push things along in their natural way.   This novella offers hope to those who think love and forgiveness are not possible.   5 Stars

A Perfect Amish Christmas--by Jennifer Beckstrand

Anna Helmuth knows that Dottie Schrock is the perfect girl for her grandson Gideon.  Dottie is an excellent quilter and baker and she's having a party.  There's just one complication---Gideon is not invited.   Dottie has her reasons, but Anna trusts that the spirit of Christmas---and true love---=will change her mind, and her future....

MY REVIEW:   Anna Helmuth's favorite activity is matchmaking.  She always involves her sweet husband in her matchmaking whether he likes it or not.  This Christmas, she has her grandson, Gideon, and Dottie Schrock in mind to be matched.   Dottie is planning the perfect Christmas party for her mamm who was very sick with cancer in the previous years and now in remission and in need of the perfect celebration, according to Dottie.   But she does not want Gideon to be a part of the wondrous party as she remembers him as a pesky troublemaking teenager.   A snowstorm just might help Anna's matchmaking efforts along in this sweet snowfilled novella.   5 Stars

I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for my honest review.  

About the Authors:

Drawing upon her experiences in Jamesport, the largest Old Order Amish community west of the Mississippi, longtime Missourian Charlotte Hubbard (a.k.a. Naomi King) writes of simpler times and a faith-based lifestyle in her new Seasons of the Heart series. Like her heroine, Miriam Lantz, Charlotte considers it her personal mission to feed people—to share hearth and home. Faith and family, farming and food preservation are hallmarks of her lifestyle, and the foundation of her earlier Angels of Mercy series. She’s a deacon, a dedicated church musician and choir member, and when she’s not writing, she loves to try new recipes, crochet, and sew. Charlotte now lives in Minnesota with her husband and their border collie.

Kelly Long was born and raised in North Central Pennsylvania. There was an Amish hitching post at the small grocery store in her town. She loves to write Amish romance and is the author of novel, Sarah's Garden, the novella Amish Christmas Expanded Edition with some other great Amish authors, Amish Love with Beth Wiseman and Kathy Fuller, and Lilly's Wedding Quilt--the sequel to Sarah's Garden. She lives in Atlanta with her husband and children.

from Jennifer Beckstrand's goodreads' bio:

I grew up with a steady diet of William Shakespeare and Jane Austen. After all that literary immersion, I naturally decided to get a degree in mathematics, which came in handy when one of my six children needed help with homework. After my fourth daughter was born, I started writing. By juggling diaper changes, soccer games, music lessons, laundry, and two more children, I finished my first manuscript—a Western—in just under fourteen years. I now write Inspirational Amish Romance. My goal is to write uplifting, inspiring stories with happy endings and hopeful messages. If my books make readers want to give themselves a big hug or jump up and down for joy, I’ve done my job. I am a member of Romance Writers of America and American Christian Fiction Writers and am represented by Mary Sue Seymour of The Seymour Agency.

There are three Amish romances in the Forever After in Apple Lake Series (Summerside/Guideposts). Kate’s Song, Rebecca’s Rose, and Miriam's Quilt are all now available. Kate’s Song was the #1 Romantic Religious Fiction download in the Free Kindle Store in August of 2012, and Rebecca's Rose and Miriam's Quilt both spent time in the top 50 Religious Fiction books on Amazon.com.

I have six Amish Romances in the works with Kensington Books. The first book, Huckleberry Hill, will be released on January 7, 2014. Huckleberry Hill is set in Wisconsin on a little hill in Amish country.

The series, The Matchmakers of Huckleberry Hill, is about an elderly Amish couple who try to find suitable mates for their grandchildren. What could be more fun than throwing two young people together to see if sparks ignite? No one would ever suspect two octogenarian Amish folks of mischief.

Romantic Times gave Huckleberry Hill 4 1/2 stars, calling it "A sweet romance with a lot of heart that offers a new, refreshing take on the...matchmaking trope. The storyline is feasible, the characters are well written, with both their strengths and weaknesses on display. Readers will treasure this series and put the first outing on their keeper shelf."

I have four daughters, two sons, three sons-in-law, and two adorable grandsons. I live in the foothills of the Wasatch Front with my husband and one son still left at home.