As the weather grows cold and the nights grow long, the cheer and warmth of the Christmas season is one thing all readers can find comfort in. This collection from bestselling Amish fiction novelists Leslie Gould, Jan Drexler, and Kate Lloyd finds the beating heart at the center of the holiday and offers three novellas that celebrate family, faith, and especially the sights and smells of a … bustling holiday kitchen.
Leslie Gould tells the story of how, in the wake of a heartbreaking loss, a young Amish woman finds unexpected comfort and hope in a yearly baking tradition surrounding the local Lancaster Christmas market. Jan Drexler offers a sweet tale of a shy Amish woman who decides to use her gift for sweets to woo a local Amish boy with her beloved Christmas cookies. And Kate Lloyd offers a heartwarming tale of a woman’s unexpected discovery about the truth of her past, and the warm and welcoming Amish family table she finds herself invited to on Christmas.
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AN AMISH CHRISTMAS KITCHEN by Leslie Gould, Jan Drexler and Kate Lloyd – a novella by each author. Each delightful novella is centered round the Amish, Christmas and the kitchen and includes a delectable recipe.
AN AMISH FAMILY CHRISTMAS” by Leslie Gould is the delightful story of Noelle. Still in anguish over her beau leaving town and taking all her hopes & dreams with him, she is still trying to find peace & her place in the world. After her sister’s need to be at home puts her out in public at their family booth at the Lancaster Christmas Market, two fears surface–her shyness & having to deal with the public & the prospect of running into her ex-beau Jesse, who is back in town.
Noelle develops a strong friendship with the adjoining booth’s owners, Holly (who has the same birthday) & her brother, Carlos. They help her to succeed in the booth making more money than her sister had.
Along the way she finds out the real truth about Jesse’s leaving & why he came back to town. Can it lead to a second chance for them both? Will Noelle be able to bring together things to fulfill her ailing Dad’s last wish for a family Christmas gathering? Can Noelle find the true meaning of joy, forgiveness and Christmas?
AN AMISH CHRISTMAS RECIPE BOX by Jan Drexler is he wonderful story of Ada Weaver and her desire to get the man she sees as her future to notice her. Her sister, Rose, convinces her that the way to a man’s heart is through his stomach talking her into making a different batch of Christmas cookies each week and delivering them to her Dad’s shop where Amos worked.
Matthias Yoder has recently moved back to Shipshewana with his mother after his father’s death and was glad to get a job at the furniture store owned by Ada’s Dad. He’s always thought fondly of Ada, but was sure she had no interest in him.
Will Amos show his true colors and have Ada doubting if he is “the one”? Will Matthias compliments on her baking draw him to the forefront of her attention? Or will his warning Ada about Amos ruin their blooming friendship? Will Ada always be the sister living at home?
AN UNEXPECTED CHRISTMAS GIFT by Kate Lloyd is the great story of Maria Romano, an Englisch girl, on a search to find answers and her true ancestry.
After her mother’s death, a DNA test and her father’s confirmation, Maria finds out that she was adopted. Having always felt different than her sister and how she was treated, it all begun to made sense. It also made her feel betrayed by parents who had emphasized telling of the truth.
Her search for her biological family led her to a Nancy Miller & the Miller’s Quit & Gift shop. She hadn’t expected to run into a snow storm or getting her car stuck just shy of her destination. Thankfully she’s rescued by Isaac and delivered to the Miller’s home.
Will Maria find more than her biological family – maybe what Christmas is all about? Why does she have this draw to the Amish lifestyle? Does that mean this is where she belongs? No way she could do without the Englisch luxuries – could she? Why does she feel so fondly for this Mennonite man that was her knight in shining armor on that snowy night? Will she reconnect with the birth mother? Who all will be surprised when the truth finally comes out? Will Maria finally feel accepted for who she is?
Each of these amazing authors delivered a wonderful story that will tug at your heart strings, reminding you of the real holiday spirit and leave you with a wonderful message of faith as well as a recipe to satisfy any holiday taste bud. I loved each novella and together they make a fabulous book that I highly recommend.
I love Christmas, I love novellas (they’re fast and easy to read!), and I love Amish, so what better combination than all three wrapped up into one amazing collection? There isn’t anything better, if you ask me. And, I have to say, this collection was worth the anticipation, worth the wait. All these authors did a fabulous job!
But, one specific story I want to focus on is Kate Lloyd’s An Unexpected Christmas Gift. After reading all of Lloyd’s other novels, I knew I needed to read this story. And, I will tell you, I was not disappointed! It was a quick read, I read it in just an hour, but it was packed full of amazing characters, and one heart warming, soul moving message of truth and forgiveness.
Following Maria Romano and her story was moving. I loved every minute of this holiday novella. I fell in love with Naomi, Nancy, Anna and Silas, the Amish family that invited her in, I fell in love with Maria herself and Naomi’s sister Linda, I loved Troy Bennett and despite my food allergies and not able to eat a lot of delicious amazing food, I fell in love with the recipe that Lloyd included in the story. I will definitely be making the Christmas Caramel Cake for my guys!
If you’re a fan of Christmas, Amish, and working in the kitchen, then I will tell you right now. This is a collection of stories you don’t want to miss. All the stories are worthy of 4 stars and have a touch of romance woven in. Don’t miss it! You’ll be sharing this collection of holiday stories with all your book loving, Amish loving friends.
*I received a complimentary copy of this book from Publisher, Bethany House Publishers and was under no obligation to post a review, positive or negative.*Kate Lloyd
An Amish Christmas Kitchen by Kate Lloyd, Jan Drexler and Leslie Gould contains three heartwarming holiday stories. I thought all three novellas were well-written and engaging. I started reading An Amish Family Christmas one evening and just kept reading until I finished all three (it was a late night). The novellas contain great characters and lovely settings. We see how the Amish focus on family and the true reason for the holiday season. I like the life lessons featured in each story with my favorite being a person’s heart is more important than their appearance. The romance plays out softly in each story which I appreciated. The stories are realistic with feel good endings. One of my favorite phrases is, “Life is only as short and hard as we make it.” It is important to remember the true meaning of Christmas and that only He can bring us the peace and joy we desire. There is a recipe for one of the mouthwatering baked goods featured in the story at the end of each novella. An Amish Christmas Kitchen will have you wanting to drag out your Christmas decorations and start baking your favorite Christmas cookies.
An Amish Family Christmas is a great story to show how gossip is usually incorrect and hurts those involved. Sometimes the hurt can be mended but not always.
An Amish Christmas Recipe Box is a fast-moving love story filled with sweetness to get you in the mood for Christmas baking.
An Unexpected Christmas Gift was a surprising story of how even in close-knit families we don’t always know everything.
this book has 3 stories about amish on Christmas holiday.
-An amish family Christmas – Leslie Gould
Noelle is the youngest daughter of Schrock family, she takes care of Dad, and bakes pies and cakes for Christmas market to help the family.
Nice and lovely story, inspirational and attractive. I barely put down the book, eager to read about all the wonderful characters.
-An amish Christmas recipe box – Jan Drexler
Leroy’shop grows: new goods to sell, new employee to work in, and hope new customers and tourists buy wood works and fornitures, cookies baked by Ada.
“Don’t delay in mending fences. Bad feelings quickly become offenses.” Nice amish lifestile story.
-An unexpected Christmas gift – Kate Lloyd
Maria, after unexpected revelation about their family, goes away to search her heritage: a new world welcome her.
“Don’t judge a book by its cover”, in fact before judge a person and the choices he/she made, you must know his/her history and past.
This story could be realistic, it makes me cry, love it.
I’ve been binge reading Amish novella collections, and loving it! This is a lovely one with a baking theme and unique stories of vulnerable young women. I enjoyed the first story the most, with Noelle going out of her comfort zone to sell her baked items at the busy Christmas market, and the unlikely friendship she develops with the Latina girl at the booth across from hers. Also a frustrating story of second chance love… let’s just say I wasn’t a fan of the older sister and the gossip she spreads.
I felt sorry for Ada and how she idolizes a young man at her father’s shop who does not deserve her. Matthias can see his true colors, but it drives a wedge in the sweet friendship he has developed with Ada as she makes cookies for them. It’s always difficult when someone falls off the pedestal we put them on. I liked the interactions Matthias had with Ada’s father and the encouragement he receives with his work.
The last story was definitely one I haven’t read anything similar to, but I wasn’t a fan of the first person perspective. Maria’s recent discovery that she was adopted leads her to the Amish family via a DNA test and database. It was neat to see her immersed in the family with their holiday traditions during a snowstorm, and the potential for romance with the Mennonite neighbor.
Disclosure statement: A complimentary copy of this book was provided from a tour group, publisher, publicist, or author, including NetGalley, OR was borrowed from the library, including OverDrive, OR borrowed from Kindle Unlimited, OR purchased. A review was not required and all views and opinions expressed are unbiased and my own.
An Amish Christmas Kitchen. Three stories each with a mesaage from God about Trust, Hope. Authors Leslie Gould, Jan Drexler and Kate Lloyd joined to bring this beautiful stories in this book. Each with it’s own recipe after each story. An Amish Family Christmas is about a young Amish girl who learns how to overcome her shyness. How to be stronger with the help of Holly a girl she became friends with. She learned to stand up to rumors her sister made, while she also helps her dad that his health is failing after her mom’s passing. And she learns how strong she is after all.
In An Amish Christmas Recipe Box. A young single girl hides behind her ability to bake to get a boys interest. Until an old friend returns back and she learns that beauty is within and friendships matter most.
In An Unexpected Christmas Gift. Is about a secret that brings together a girl to an Amish family while her car gets stuck in a ditch during a terrible snow storm. They welcome her and treat her as part of the family, while all along she wishes for them to be related to her and wonders if she ever will find her biological mother. When everything seems like is coming to a sad end of not finding her she finds her starring at her mom when she goes to pick up the aunt of the Amish girl she has been staying with.
Sweet stories that capture you while reading them. Each exciting and moving. You don’t want to close the book until the last page is read.
I’m way behind on reading this one due to the passing of my dad in November. That being said I enjoyed reading about the Christmas season just as much in March therefore do not let that deter you from reading anytime. This is one of my favorite Amish Collections as the stories each pulled on my heartstrings and at times had me tear up over the circumstances. The characters are tangible and you wish you could sit and have coffee and pastries with them. An added bonus is each story shares a recipe at the end which I plan on trying. This collection celebrates the season with good food, family camaraderie, and a shared Faith that combines into an all over good feeling. All three authors are great storytellers and leave you wanting more at the end. Give this one a chance and you will find it on your keeper shelf to read again each Christmas.
I received a complimentary copy from the publisher. The honest review and opinions are my own and were not required.
The characters come to life in this book. It makes you feel like you are right there in the kitchen sharing with everyone
Triple Delight!
Get ready to enjoy this book with three sweet Amish tales set at Christmas time.
An Amish Family Christmas by Leslie Gould
Noelle has been jilted by her fiancé, Jesse; and her mother, as well as, her bakery business partner has died. Now her older sister, Salome, demands shy Noelle take over the selling of the products at the Christmas market. On her first day there, of all people, Jesse shows up working in a booth close to Noelle. Additionally, Salome announces their annual Christmas gathering is cancelled.
Will Noelle stand up to Salome? Can she clear the air with Jesse? Answers to these questions, plus some surprising information will surface in this intriguing story.
An Amish Christmas Recipe Box by Jan Drexler
Ada has been trying to get Amos to notice her by making homemade cookies for him and his co-workers. He ignores her while he gorges himself on her goodies. Matthias, the new guy, thinks the world of Ada, but she only has eyes for Amos—who despite being Amish, is rude, lies, and chases girls. Will Ada ever notice what she has right in front of her?
An Unexpected Christmas Gift by Kate Lloyd
After taking one of those on-line DNA tests to trace your heritage, Maria is shocked to discover she was adopted. Even more surprising, she is related to an Amish Family! She sets out in blizzard conditions to find her “roots”, only to end up crashing her car and going into a ditch. Taken in by the Amish family she targeted as a possible relative, will they open up to a stranger, an Englischer, about family secrets? Will knowing the truth make her happy?
All these mouth-watering stories are written from a Christian point of view, and each will draw you in to find out what will happen. As a bonus, recipes are including for a yummy item from each tale (see them on the bookreadingtic blog). I recommend this 5-star book who enjoy Amish stories that will touch your heart.
Bethany House Publishing through NetGalley has provided bookreadingtic with a complimentary copy of, An Amish Christmas Kitchen, for the purpose of review.
Can 3 girls find love during Christmastime…?
I’ve waited awhile to read, An Amish Christmas Kitchen, I’ve had it on my Kindle since it released, but somehow it seemed fitting to read this book at Christmastime. So I waited, even though two of the three authors, Leslie Gould and Kate Lloyd, are favorite Amish fiction authors of mine, until now with snow on the ground and the smell of freshly made fudge floating through the house.
This novella collection was enjoyable to read on a cold and snowy day. The heartwarming stories chasing the cold back outside where it belongs. I liked all three of the novellas in this collection, not just from my favorite authors, but also from somewhat new-to-me author Jan Drexler. They are sweet, easy to read, shorter than a full novel, like a cookie is to an entire cake.
If you are looking for a good holiday read for yourself or want to give a book to an Amish fiction loving friend An Amish Christmas Kitchen would be a great choice. You’ll fall in love with the characters, find the Amish Christmas customs interesting, and be charmed by the variety of settings. Oh, and you’ll seriously drool over the food mentioned. It’s a good thing each story has an accompanying recipe because you’ll be hungry by the time you finish the book!
(I received a copy of this book from the publisher. All opinions are entirely my own.)
I really enjoyed this wonderful collection of Christmas novellas written by Leslie Gould, Jan Drexler and Kate Lloyd. I liked all of them but my favorite novella of the three was An Amish Christmas Recipe by Jan Drexler. I thought that the character Matthias Yoder showed a lot of respect for Ada Weaver, his bosses daughter. He was a good employee for her Dad at his furniture factory and was a fine son to his widowed mother.
An Amish Christmas Kitchen by Leslie Gould
A young Lady’s marriage gets put on hold for three years when her older sister and her future mother in law spread gossip about the couple that isn’t the truth and tears them apart. Will they ever learn the truth and rekindle their broken relationship?
An Amish Christmas Recipe by Jan Drexler
A young Amish girl decides to bake Christmas cookies for a young Amish man who works for her Father, hoping to get him to notice her. But the problem is Amos Hertzler isn’t worth the efforts she’s putting into baking those cookies. In fact there’s another young man working in the factory that her Father has recently hired and unknown to Ada Weaver he has had a crush on her for years. Will she learn the truth about Amos before he breaks her tender heart.
An Unexpected Christmas Gift by Kate Lloyd
Maria Romano learns that she was adopted after she and her sister Trish take DNA testing to learn about their ancestors. Maria was matched in the DNA testing to a Nancy Miller in Lancaster County Pennsylvania. On her way there from Hartford Connecticut,she gets caught in an awful snow blizzard and her car goes off the road into a ditch. An Amish man rescues her and takes her to the family she is looking for. They kindly allow her shelter from the winter storm but are unable to shed any light on who her biological mother might be. Will she ever find her real mother and learn why she was given up for adoption as a baby?
If you love Amish Christmas novella Collections don’t miss reading this book. All three writers are well known Christian Fiction authors . You get three warm hearted stories filled with the spirit of Christmas. Each story has a character that is gifted in baking Amish cookies and pastries . I highly recommend it for your Christmas reading schedule.
I borrowed a paperback edition of this book from the local library. A review was not requested. All options shared here are my own.
An Amish Family Christmas.
By Leslie Gould.
Noelle. Can God fill her with hope again? That was the story from her perspective. A lot of loss had happened to her, the man she thought she’d spend the rest of her life with left her or so she thought. She withdrew into a shell until life brought back a lot more that she thought she could handle. I loved her efforts in bringing her family together. I loved reading about how she learnt to stand up for herself.
Jesse filled with his own pain returned home and to the woman he loved. I loved reading about how he tried to make things better between himself and Noelle. His patience with her was remarkable.
I enjoyed reading about how they found their way back to each other.
One profound lesson I learnt is not to presume or listen to gossip but thrive to know the truth.
An Amish Christmas Recipe box. By Jan Drexler
Awwww Ada and Matthias.
Beautiful love story.
Ada has always taken Matthias as a friend while she was pinning over another. Matthias has always liked her and sort her attention.
Love unrequited drove them together in this beautiful story.
I love reading about how he adored her even when she wasn’t sure of herself. I loved Ada’s beautiful heart and cheerful spirit.
Love is always worth waiting for, I loved the emphasis of that in this beautiful novella.
Everyone needs a sweet family like Ada’s.
An Unexpected Christmas Gift by Kate Lloyd.
After taking a test, Maria’s life toppled and she sort for answers in an Amish community where she met with a wonderful Amish family and her Beau Troy.
I enjoyed how the story unravelled and the love and beautiful community of the Amish people.
A wonderful story of love and second chances.
I received a complimentary copy of this book from Netgallery for my honest opinion. All opinions expressed here are mine.
Amish families and friends, the core of their lives is in the kitchen.This brings three easy, enjoyable reads for us. From heartbreak, or bringing comfort, these are brought out, especially at Christmas. These three are masters at giving us great stories, and with the holidays to read.
Given Arc by Thomas Nelson for my voluntary review and my honest opinion.
I prefer longer or multiple book sets
Fans of Amish fiction are in for a treat because three great authors have contributed to this new Christmas anthology. An Amish Christmas Kitchen features three novellas centered around the heart of most homes–the family kitchen–and the extra treats that are often created in those kitchens during the Christmas season.
An Amish Country Christmas by Leslie Gould focuses on Noelle’s determination to have all of her family together for their traditional family Christmas and still supply the increased amount of baked goods needed for the special six-week Christmas Market. Noelle’s grief over her Mamm’s recent death is overwhelming and she misses their joint baking efforts but there is another reason why she feels so stressed. After three years of being gone, Jesse King is now back and Noelle finds herself with many unanswered questions about the man that she once loved.
Jan Drexler spins the tale of Ada Weaver and her efforts to get the attention of Amos Hertzler by tempting him with cookies made from her grandmother’s special recipes. As Ada continues The Great Cookie Campaign to attract Amos, she also shares her cookies with Matthias Yoder, a former classmate who has always liked her. Before long, Ada begins to question if what she thought she wanted is truly what she needs!
An Unexpected Christmas Gift by Kate Lloyd touches on adoption and the need to uncover your past and find your roots. Maria’s discovery that she was adopted by an English couple shortly after her birth sends her searching a trail that leads her to an Amish community and perhaps, her biological mother. This is a touching tale that should have a disclaimer about having plenty of tissues on hand!
I found all three of these stories to be heartwarming and uniquely different but they all share the common themes of the importance of family and the need to remember just why we celebrate the Christmas season. I recommend this book to anyone wanting to experience the joys of Christmas in early October and it is definitely for anyone who likes Amish fiction, holiday stories, and happily ever after. As an added bonus, there are three delicious recipes to try.
I received a complimentary copy of this book from Jan Drexler and Bethany House Publishers. A positive review was not required and I am voluntarily sharing my honest opinions.
I really enjoyed this book…each book of the three offered something jus little differentl.
Three Wonderful Christmas Stories
Christmas reading time is here! This was my first Christmas book I’ve read of the season and it was wunderbarr! Three authors with three different stories.
The first story in the book is An Amish Family Christmas by Leslie Gould. It’s about Noelle who must take over the family business at the market stand when her older sister has problems with her back and couldn’t help manage the market stand (I think she was milking it). Noelle must also do all the baking which was really her job. Her ex-boyfriend moves back from Montana with a baby and has grown a beard which means he has married, so she thinks. There was a misunderstanding between the two of them before he left for Montana. There was a lot of misunderstanding in this story by the whole family because of Noelle’s sister. I’m glad it turns out better in the end.
The second story is An Amish Christmas Recipe Box by Jan Drexler. Ada was sure Amos with the one God has chosen for her and she tried so hard to get his attention by bringing cookies to the guys at lunch time in her father’s shop. But the new employee, Matthias, knows something about Amos and tries to warn Ada about him. In the end Ada realizes who Amos really is and who the right man is for her.
The third and final story is An Unexpected Christmas Gift by Kate Lloyd. Maria who is English finds out she is adopted. She also finds out her father didn’t really care about her and really wanted a boy, her mother died and she cared more for her younger sister than her. When Maria does a DNA test and finds out she has a match it which brings her to an Amish family. Will she find out who the match is?
I liked all three stories but An Unexpected Christmas Gift by Kate Lloyd really grabbed at my heart because being adopted myself, I always felt I didn’t belong even though I do have a loving family. Stories like this always touch my heart.
I highly recommend this book especially if you like Amish fiction and Christmas stories.
Three heartwarming Christmas novellas by three of today’s Amish writing fiction authors.
Each story is different , yet the same in the sense that people are waiting for something but you can’t rush God. His plan will be revealed to you in his own best timing.
Each was a quick read and a perfect for these chilly days to get you in the mood for holiday reading.
The Amish kitchen is where all the warmth of friendships, family and faith revolves around.
You are definitely gong to want to add this one to your holiday reading list.
Such enjoyable stories, I look forward to reading more by each of these authors.
Published September 3rd 2019 by Bethany House Publishers.
I was given a complimentary copy of this book. Thank you.
All opinions expressed are my own.
An Amish Christmas Kitchen is a compilation of three Christmas themed novellas by Kate Lloyd, Jan Drexler, and Leslie Gould. I have only read an Unexpected Christmas Gift by Kate Lloyd, but I will be reading the others closer to Christmas. At just under 100 pages, this is a really quick read.
I thought the storyline was very different and interesting. It was nice reading about the simpler life of the Amish, and how they are so caring and helpful with their relatives and even strangers. I actually wish this story would’ve been longer so things could’ve been fleshed out a bit more. I wanted to read more about Maria and the developing relationships in this story. I’m looking forward to reading the other two novellas.
I received a complimentary copy of this book. All thoughts are my own.