An Amish Second Christmas, by Kathleen Fuller, Beth Wiseman, Ruth Reid, and Tricia Goyer

Title: An Amish Second Christmas

Author: Beth Wiseman, Kathleen Fuller, Ruth Reid, and Tricia Goyer

Publisher: Thomas Nelson

Date: October 7, 2014

Paperback: 432 pages







About the Book
“When Christmas Comes Again” by Beth Wiseman
Katherine knows the first Christmas without Elias will be hard for her and the children. But when a mysterious Englischer appears with photographs of her late husband, Katherine  begins to wonder what other blessings Christmas could have in store.

“Her Christmas Pen Pal” by Ruth Reid
Joy was expecting a wedding proposal from Henry; what she got instead was news of another woman. But when her heartfelt letter to a cousin ends up in the hands of a young cabinetmaker, an unexpected correspondence between two strangers gets interesting fast.

“A Gift for Anne Marie” by Kathleen Fuller
Anne Marie and Nathaniel have been best friends since they were kids. Now things are evolving . . . in ways everyone else predicted long ago. But when her mother suddenly decides to remarry in another state, Anne Marie’s new chapter with Nathaniel looks doomed to end before it begins.

“The Christmas Aprons” by Tricia Goyer
Vanilla crumb pie has been Esther’s mem’s calling card for decades. But when Esther finally gets her hands on the secret recipe, she discovers that vanilla crumb pie is more than just dessert . . . it’s bachelor bait.

My Take
I love Amish stories. And what better book to read during the holiday season than, An Amish Second Christmas. This book contains four different novellas from four different authors. The great thing about this is that they all have their own style of writing, so it is like four books in one. I actually own books by Kathleen Fuller and Beth Wiseman, so I knew what their stories were going to be like. The other two authors, Ruth Reid and Tricia Goyer, I had never heard of and wasn't sure what to expect. For me, Ruth Reid and Kathleen Fuller had the best stories. Ruth Reid has me feeling like I was the main character going through the story with everyone else. I think I have found a new Amish author to follow.

At the end of each story there is a small discussion section. It will help you go even deeper into the story and perfect for group discussions. There is also a glossary section at the beginning of each story to help out with the words you might not understand that are in Pennsylvania Dutch. You will also find a recipes from each story that you can make. I love this, because it can make you feel a part of their community.

So, if you love to read Amish books or want to see how different writers interpret their versions of the Amish, this is the perfect book for you.

About the Authors
Beth Wiseman
Award-winning, bestselling author Beth Wiseman is best known for her Amish novels, but she has also written several successful contemporary novels, set primarily in her beloved Texas, including Need You Now and The House that Love Built. Both have received glowing reviews. Beth's The Promise is inspired by a true story. Website: www.bethwiseman.com Twitter: @bethwiseman Facebook: Fans-of-Beth-Wiseman


Kathleen Fuller
Kathleen Fuller is the author of several bestselling novels, including A Man of His Word and Treasuring Emma, as well as a middle-grade Amish series, The Mysteries of Middlefield. Website: www.kathleenfuller.com Twitter: @TheKatJam Facebook: Author Kathleen Fuller


Ruth Reid
Ruth Reid is a CBA and ECPA best-selling author of the Heaven on Earth series. She's a full-time pharmacist who resides in Florida with her husband and three children. Facebook: Author-Ruth-Reid Twitter: @authorruthreid


Tricia Goyer
USA Today best-selling author Tricia Goyer is the author of 35 books, including the three-book Seven Brides for Seven Bachelors series. She has written over 500 articles for national publications and blogs for high traffic sites like TheBetterMom.com and MomLifeToday.com. Tricia and her husband John live in Little Rock, Arkansas where John works for FamilyLife. They have six children. Twitter: @triciagoyer Facebook: authortriciagoyer

I received a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Plain Proposal, by Beth Wiseman

Paperback: 296 pages

Publisher: Thomas Nelson

Release Date: March 29, 2011

Language: English






This story, Plain Proposal, is about a young Amish girl who is going through some changes in her life to see where she really truly wants to be. Miriam is on her rumschpringe and is really enjoying it. The one thing she hasn't done is left her small little community. She loves it there and doesn't plan on leaving. One thing she does know for sure is that her heart belongs to a young Amish boy named, Saul. She has liked Saul for many many years. Even though he is shy and hardly ever speaks to her, she knows that he is the one for her. He is also known as the community "bad boy", but she doesn't let that faze her. Nor does she believe all the rumors going around about him saying he is not going to be baptized and will be leaving the community.


Saul has issues of his own that Miriam doesn't know about. He happens to care for her also, but tries to veer from her so that leaving will be easier for him. On top of that, his father has become an alcoholic, since his sister and mother were killed. He also is caught up with having to help or practically raise his two younger brothers. The one silver lining for him is that he has been offered a job in another city as an apprentice chef. Cooking is something he enjoys a lot and that job would be a dream come true.

Shelby is Miriam's cousin and is an English person (someone who isn't Amish) and has been sent to stay with Miriam and her family for a while. Shelby's parent's divorce has been hard on her and the fact that her boyfriend broke up with her left her getting into all sorts of trouble. What better place for one to go and stay and get one's life situated, an Amish community. At first she doesn't seem to like it much, but then realizes that there is a family unity that they have that she has been missing with hers. She also starts to enjoy the company of one of Saul's friends. Unfortunately, Shelby gets blamed by Miriam's mother for her daughter's new behavior. And for a slight minute, she thinks that maybe this place isn't for her.

Once Miriam and Saul realize that they do honestly care for each other and nothing can or will stand in their way. They do whatever possible to make it happen. Of course, once their parents are on board, they also help them out.

I really enjoyed reading Plain Proposal. Beth Wiseman does a really good job of writing and getting the reader involved in the story. At the beginning of the book, she has a list of Amish words and their English meanings and at the end of the book are a couple of Amish recipes. One could really immerse themselves in the Amish culture while reading the story. If you love Amish stories, I recommend this one for your bookshelf.

This book was given to me for my honest review.