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.
more
True confessions: I had never read any Amish fiction before this book. The reason is, I lived among the Amish for some years. I would often buy baked goods and candy at an Amish home in my community. That said, I really related to a lot of the baking and observations about food that were made in the book.
I also related to the fact, that it is difficult for outsiders (Englisch) to become friends with the Amish. Plus, their way of life can be an incredibly hard way of life. I was concerned Amish fiction would romanticize the difficulties that especially Amish women face.
Perhaps, I was asked to review this book, because I was the one who needed to read it. I needed to be reminded of how much simpler life can be, and what our priorities really should be. Faith, family, food, and our community, are all very important in our lives, whether we are Amish or not.
Truthfully, “An Amish Christmas Kitchen” was a delightful read. The three Novellas were wonderful, because they give you an opportunity to read different authors’ stories and glean varied insights from those stories.
I was especially inspired by Kate Lloyd’s beautiful story of redemption, “An Unexpected Christmas Gift,” as I was touched at how accepted Maria was by the Amish, even though she was “Englisch.” It encouraged my faith!
In Jan Drexler’s, “An Amish Christmas Recipe Box,” I fell in love with Matthias’ pure heart and ability to see Ada’s worth. What a gem of a story.
Then there was Leslie Gould’s heartwarming Noelle. She is a true example we should all follow when it comes to family, and to holding your tongue when it would be so easy not to.
I don’t want to say too much avoiding spoilers, but I am grateful I read this touching book. It was a five star blessing!
An Amish Christmas Kitchen is a collection of novellas by three of my favorite authors of Amish fiction–Leslie Gould, Jan Drexler, and Kate Lloyd. Each story is a sweet romance centered around family and the wonderful season of Christmas. The characters are loveable and relatable, although, sometimes you want to give some of them a little smack upside the head! A young woman trying to find a way to embrace hope. A young woman looking for romance. A young woman searching for family. In their quests, they discover unexpected friendships, the courage to make the first move towards love, and that sometimes the future holds a lot of promise–despite the past. In each of the stories, the characters find that God truly does bring hope and healing to His hurting children. Being novellas, they are quick reads, whether you read them one at a time or all at once. And a lovely surprise–a recipe or two is included with each story.
I received a complimentary copy from Bethany House Publishers and was not required to write a review. The opinions are my own.
An Amish Christmas Kitchen is comprised of three different novellas: “An Amish Family Christmas” by Author Leslie Gould; ” An Amish Christmas Recipe Box” by Author Jan Drexler and “An Unexpected Christmas Gift” by Author Kate Lloyd. You can read each one as a stand alone book, but I encourage you to read all three. All three have different storylines, but each one is so very interesting and I was sitting on the edge of my seat. Each one has its own unique characters with fabulous writing from each author. I love and enjoyed each novella from this book and I highly recommend to read “An Amish Christmas Kitchen”. Not only a great book to read, but also to bring you into the special spirit of the holiday.
I voluntarily reviewed an Advance Reader Copy of this book. This review is one hundred percent my opinion.
Any time of the year is perfect for a Christmas tale. Jan Drexler, Leslie Gould and Kate Lloyd created an enjoyable collection found in An Amish Christmas Kitchen. Each story is centered on baking during the Christmas season with one favorite recipe shared at the end of each novella. The novellas also bring out the beauty and reason for Christmas.
An Amish Family Christmas by Leslie Gould story found shy Noelle being required to fill in for her sister at their family’s market. She was not the outgoing sales person like Salome, her oldest sister. However, when she met Holly, an Englischer at the market, a friendship formed. Noelle and Holly interactions and kindness to one another could just be the answer for Noelle and her father to ensure their family would have their annual Family Christmas dinner.
An Amish Christmas Recipe Box by Jan Drexler explored the life of Ada Weaver who worked in her father’s furniture store and sold her baked good there. She hadn’t been courted by anyone with one employee making fun of her. A Christmas Cookie Campaign suggestion by her older sister might be the answer with Ada digging into her grandmother’s recipe box. There were some twists and turns with some unexpected events that brought out the true characters of the men in the workshop. Mothers realizing how they were hindering their young adult children brought a beautiful ending to this tale just in time for Christmas.
An Unexpected Christmas Gift by Kate Lloyd found Maria Romano in Lancaster County in the middle of a snow storm. She was on a quest to find answers to who she truly was after receiving the shock of her life. There’s a suspense element in this tale along with romance among several of the young people as they interacted together. Christmas is a time for family and with buried secrets being shared, forgiveness found it just might be the most memorable Christmas by discovering the pureness of the season.
I received a complimentary copy of this book from Bethany House Publishers and one of the authors. I was not required to write a positive review but have expressed my own sincere thoughts.
From three of the best Amish writers come a collection of three novellas that will get you in a mindset for celebrating Christmas a little early this year. All the characters in all three quickly won my heart, well maybe except for one…or maybe two…
All held family values and traditions close to their hearts. From selling baked goods at the local Christmas Market to supplement family finances to trying to win the heart of a secret crush with cookies, and trying to learn of the beginnings of a life, they all held me captive. They also made me hungry and scrambling for a snack while reading. Can you gain weight while reading a book? My answer is yes! But to add to that, each novella has a recipe at the end of their story that was featured in the reading. Can we say added bonus…. Yum!
I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher but was not required to write a review positive or otherwise. All opinions are my own.
Lovely
I received a copy of this book from the author for an honest review, I was not required to give a favorable review. Each of these authors have written such lovely stories about the meaning of family, Christmas and togetherness of people. I love how each story told how the strength of their faith and each other makes them wonderful. Forgiveness is great. Thank you for sharing such wonderful stories and some really great recipes.
An Amish Christmas Kitchen is a wonderful collection of three novellas written by Leslie Gould, Jan Drexler, and Kate Lloyd. Each of these novellas have a heartwarming story to tell at Christmastime. The characters in each novella are very likeable and realistic. I enjoyed each novella and the varied writing styles of each author.
Leslie Gould has written An Amish Family Christmas. Her story brings love to the forefront along with heartbreak. I loved the friendship that developes between two unlikely young ladies. This story deals with forgiveness, love, and faith in a wonderful way.
Jan Drexler has an amazing story of finding love in an unexpected place. This story which also deals with Christmas has a unique spin on cookies. I enjoyed the characters except for Amos who definitely had an ego problem. Love for Christmas is a great gift. The author has given her readers a great gift with this story.
Kate Lloyd as written An Unexpected Christmas Gift. This story deals with forgiveness of a differebt kind. I loved the interaction between the Amish family and an unexpected visitor at Christmas. Finding love and family at Christmas was a wonderful thing for one of the characters. I enjoyed this story and how it unfolded.
I have purposely kept my thoughts vague on these three amazing stories so I wouldn’t spoil this book for others. All three stories are excellantly written and tells a wonderful story.
I received an advanced complimentary copy of this book from Jan Drexler to read. I was under no obligation to post a favorable review. I have rated this book with five stars for meeting my expectations of a wonderful book that I can highly recommend to others.
Congratulations to Leslie Gould, Jan Drexler, and Kate Lloyd on their amazing novellas that all their reader will truly enjoy.
Let’s go visit the Amish communities during Christmas time. Bundle up and take a winter ride in the Amish sleigh. What a fun trip this has been. I didn’t want to leave. These three stories embraced the heart of the Amish in their warmth and family connections. They bring the forgiveness, acceptance, and love that the Christmas season embraces. I could have stayed so much longer in these homes to celebrate the season. Leslie Gould gives us the tale of a young Amish woman who through her heartbreak finds a new direction and a new path to an old love. Jan Drexler brings us the story of two Amish young people who those around them refuse to allow to grow. Will their love for each other help their families realize they need to grow together? And last but certainly not least, Kate Lloyd offers us the tale of one lost woman who finally finds home despite the secrets that were kept. I love these stories and will definitely be looking at other books by these authors. I recieved a copy from the publisher. A positive review was not required. If you love Christmas and winter time, you will love these stories.
This book contains three different, but the same in that the time period is around Christmas, and contains yummy Amish food [some awesome recipes included], and each offers a little sweet romance.
Now I found myself quickly into each story, and like the “you can’t eat just one”, well I couldn’t read just one, and if life didn’t get in the way I would have finished this in one sitting!
Loved how the minds of these author worked, and each story pulled me in and kept my attention, only complaint, I didn’t want to leave them!
You don’t want to miss this one!
I received this book through Net Galley and the Publisher Bethany House, and was not required to give a positive review.
I enjoyed these sweet, gentle stories. The world building details filled out the pictures in my mind. The plots were character driven, providing backstory as it was necessary for character development and for moving the story forward. The characters showed honest emotions quietly and privately. I appreciated that there wasn’t a lot of angst over whether the relationship was headed in a serious direction. Recommended for all audiences.
I requested and voluntarily read an advanced review copy provided by the publisher via Netgalley and I offer my honest opinion in response.
An Amish Christmas Kitchen: Three Novellas celebrating The Warmth Of the Season.
By: Leslie Gould, Jan Drexler, & Kate Lloyd
This book is a collection of three novellas by three Amish Fiction Novelists and each is a stand alone. I loved each one of the novellas and did not want to put it down. I could not just read one. All are around Christmas, and they also share some wonderful recipes. I caught myself laughing and at other times I was crying. The authors drew me in at the start and I was hooked. Each of these three offer a sweet and clean romance.
I was given a complimentary copy of this book by Bethany House Publishers, but was not told that I had to give a positive review. All opinions are my own.