She’ll find him a wife for Christmas…Which of these Indiana Amish Brides is next? With her wedding business thriving, Annie Kauffmann could never leave her beloved Amish community. So when handsome Amish cowboy Levi Lapp tries to convince her father to move the family to Texas, she must put a stop to it. If Annie finds Levi a wife, he might forget his dream of moving…but can she keep from … keep from falling for him herself?
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The Amish Christmas Matchmaker by Vannetta Chapman is the fourth novel in Indiana Amish Brides series. Each book in this series can be read on its own, but I have found each one a pleasure to read. I thought The Amish Christmas Matchmaker was a unique and creative story. Annie Kauffmann co-owns Plain & Simple Weddings with Englischer, Priscilla. They provide the wedding meal for Amish weddings with their portable kitchen and are quite successful. Then Levi Lapp wearing his cowboy boots and hat comes to town and starts touting Texas to recruit Amish families for a new settlement. When Annie sees that gleam in her father’s eye, she knows he is considering the move. Annie sets out to derail Levi by convincing him to go out on dates with some of her friends. Annie hopes he will fall in love and forget about faraway Texas. I had to laugh at Levi with his cowboy hat and boots spouting numerous facts about Texas. Thanks to Vannetta Chapman’s word imagery, I could picture him in my head. This is such a cute story featuring two very different people, but they do say that opposites attract. We see the importance of praying for guidance and listening to God. Sometimes we get so caught up in an idea, that we forget to see if it is what God wants for us. The Amish Christmas Matchmaker is an engaging story that will hold your attention until you turn the very last page. I appreciated the epilogue which nicely wrapped up this cute story. The only thing I felt was lacking from this charming tale was the feeling of Christmas. The Amish Christmas Matchmaker is an amusing Amish romance with Texas trivia, wondrous weddings, fabulous food along with one willful woman and a fanciful fellow.
I loved this Christmas Romance. I think it may well be one of the Authors best Love Inspired Amish romances. Different than her other romances. The story kept my attention and in the end played with my emotions.
Annie Kauffman and Levi Lapp were two very different people. Each had dreams of their own. Each were going in different directions. Annie was a partner in a very successful catering business for Amish weddings. Levi wanted to start an Amish community in Texas. What they didn’t plan on was to fall in love with each other.
This book is a very good Christmas story for all readers of Amish Fiction. If you are a fan of Vannetta Chapman you will love this book. I highly recommend it for your reading pleasure.
I borrowed a paperback edition of this book from the local library. A review was not requested. All opinions expressed here are my own.
I love a good Amish story and this one is just that. Well written with wonderful characters. This author writes a really good book. Highly recommend.
(Thank you to the author and publisher for my advanced review copy. All opinions and thoughts are my own!)
The Amish Christmas Matchmaker by Vannetta Chapman
Amish stories are some of my favorite to read! And this book was definitely a good one!
Annie is a young Amish woman who has a catering business for other Amish weddings. Levi Lapp is a young Amish man, who has a dream of starting another community of Amish in the state of Texas. And when they both first meet, they clash. Annie wants nothing to do with the move if Levi!
But as the story unfolds, you start to see glimpses of a friendship between them form and eventually they realize how much they care for one another. My favorite part of the book was the end when Annie realizes that she’d do anything to have him in her life!
A great read and another favorite of mine from Vannetta Chapman!
The Amish Christmas Matchmaker is a heartwarming inspirational romance story written by Vanetta Chapman. This story definitely shows us not to give up on your dreams no matter how many roadblocks are thrown in your path. This is also an endearing story of unlikely romance. The characters are phenomenal and tell this story with great emotions.
I enjoyed the dream that brings Levi Lapp to Goshen, Indiana but when he meets up with strong willed, outspoken Annie Kauffmann Sparks fly but not for the reasons you may think. The journey they travel thru this story is filled with many bumps. The author has done an incredible job telling this story.
I was not given a complimentary copy of this book to read and review. I was under no obligation to post a favorable response. I have rated this story with five stars for meeting my expectations of a wonderful story that I can highly recommend to others.
Congratulations to Vanetta Chapman for writing another outstanding book for her readers enjoyment.
A pleasant romantic read that will guarantee to make your heart and soul feel good.
This is the fourth book in Chapman’s Indiana Bride series but you can read each as a stand-alone with no issues.
The story of Annie and Levi teaches is that God knows what is best and will lead us in the right direction when the time is right.
As always, Chapman uses the right amount of religion without being overbearing. I appreciate the clean romance of her romance novels.
Hurry and pick up your copy today. It’s never too early to get in the Christmas spirit.
This was such a creative and unique story! I honestly did not know how things would wrap up at the end of the book. I knew there would be some sort of happily-ever-after, of course, but the author really kept me wondering with this one.
Annie and Levi, were two people who didn’t realize that they were falling in love with each other in the midst of arguing over Levi’s dream to move a group of Amish families to Texas. I found myself flipping back and forth between who I thought was “right” in their disputes. I loved the way the author showed both weaknesses and strengths for whether Texas was in God’s plan for Levi. There were also some twists that kept me anxiously turning pages. I really enjoyed this story!
(4.5 stars)
I received a complimentary copy of this book. All opinions are my own.
I really enjoyed this book because it has everything I look for when I’m browsing for books, be it online or at my local bookstore. In this delightful story a high spirited Amish entrepreneur meets a wonderful Amish cowboy and plenty of hijinks are determined to follow. With family at the heart of this story how can both Levi and Annie make plans while they’re falling in love when their individual dreams are destined to tear them apart? An exceptionally wonderful read for fans of sweet and wholesome Amish and Christianromance. I read an early copy of this book through NetGalley and all opinions expressed in my voluntary review are completely my own.
Good story about two people who have very definite and very different dreams for their futures. Annie has her booming wedding business in the town where she grew up, close to friends and family. She loves helping others achieve their happily-ever-afters even if she has given up on one of her own. Levi is a visitor to their community. He wants to start an Amish community in Texas, fulfilling a dream he’s had since he was a child. Being a romance, you know how the story will end, but the journey on this one was full of ups and downs.
I liked both Annie and Levi, though there were times that both of them irritated me. Annie is kind, giving, loves her family, and is more than a little bit stubborn. Her roots go deep in her family’s land, its branches extending to her nearby brothers and sisters and their families, as well as the people she’s known all her life. I loved her friendship with her Englisch business partner and the unexpected side of Annie that Priscilla reveals later in the book. Annie is not at all pleased with the arrival of Levi Lapp, in his ridiculous boots and silly cowboy hat, with his plans to recruit members of her community to start a new settlement in Texas. She’s furious when he turns his sights on her father and brother. Levi is a hard worker, cheerful and charming, and focused on the future. He dreamed of returning to Texas since he was fourteen and his family moved from there to Indiana then to Pennsylvania. When his relative Old Simon in Indiana agrees to be a minister for the new community, Levi knows the time is right. He arrives in Goshen full of confidence and big plans, only to run into a brick wall named Annie.
There were sparks between Annie and Levi from the beginning. Annie made no secret of her disapproval of his plan to tempt people away from Goshen to Texas; she was nearly rude about it. I was impressed by Levi’s patience with her attitude. Though it visibly amused him most of the time, there were a few times that it didn’t, such as the meeting with the local bishop. Levi doesn’t let it get him down for long, which leads Annie to more desperate measures. She talks him into going out with a friend of hers, hoping that he’ll fall in love and give up on going to Texas. It backfires a bit when everyone around them sees the sparks and assumes that Levi and Annie are interested in each other. They decide to go on a few fake dates to show everyone how wrong they are for each other, but even that doesn’t go as planned. Except for their visions for the future, Annie and Levi find that they like each other quite a lot. I enjoyed their lively banter and seeing them eventually stop fighting. It’s easy to see the feelings grow between them, but the main obstacle is still there. It takes a near tragedy to make them look at what is possible if they both want to make it happen. The scene in the hospital room was incredibly emotional as they realize any problem can be overcome if they do it together. The three-years-later epilogue was great.
My only real complaint in the story was that there were several mentions of troubles between Levi and his family, but no details. I got the feeling that those problems were a big part of what drove Levi’s dreams, and some details would have helped in understanding his determination.
This is a cute read by Vannetta Chapman. Her books are the greatest!
I love her books and I really enjoyed this one to the fullest! Her writing is unique.
I think her Amish books are the best!!
Poor Annie!! She’s determined to dig her heels in! For which I don’t blame her.
Her daed is a piece of work. He has wanderlust again!! Will he pack up the family and move to Texas or will it wear out within the week?
This book will keep you engaged until the end. It’s not a very long read but some places in the book will make you laugh out loud.
I feel like I made friends with this family and I didn’t want to leave them. This a must ad to my collection.
I recommend this book
My thanks to Netgalley for copy of thos book. NO compensations were received and all opinions are my own.
This is a different twist on an Amish story, and yes, I enjoyed it. That being said I knew the ending early on, but it was an interesting journey getting there, and a few surprises.
When the person you love is almost taken from you, sometimes you wake up and realize what is really important!
I did love the epilogue at the end of the book, it really makes me want to carry on in the lives of these characters.
I received this book through Net Galley and the Publisher Harlequin, and was not required to give a positive review.
My Thoughts on The Amish Christmas Matchmaker:
The Amish Christmas Matchmaker is such a fun read! You get these two headstrong characters with opposing views coming together to “fool” others! This is the first Amish romance book I’ve read by Vannetta Chapman and it’s definitely a great one! I’ve read her Christian suspense books and have really enjoyed those so I was excited to try this one out.
I love the idea of an Amish wedding service. So much work leads up to them from all the books I’ve read. I can’t imagine how much stress that would be though.
Levi is determined to make it to Texas with a new Amish settlement. The only thing standing in his way is Annie. She does not want her family to go. After all, she is not going. She’s got a thriving business and the idea of moving it or herself is not on her agenda. However, her father is really interested in the idea. She’s sure it’s just a passing fancy like all of his other ideas.
But she’s not going to give it a chance to become more!
Annie is determined to make sure the move doesn’t happen. Her plan involves setting Levi up with an eligible Amish girl so he decided to live and stay here. It might backfire a bit when her parents assume they’re interested in each other, actually her whole community does. So they decide to go on some dates together just to make people see how not suited they are!
Great book!
I really enjoyed getting to know the characters and am now putting the first three books in this series into my reading list. The author’s style is great. You feel like you’re watching a movie play in your brain. I love these shorter fun books that make you feel like you’re right there. Highly recommend this book.
I have voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book which I received from JustRead Publicity Tours. All views expressed are only my honest opinion. I was not required to write a positive review nor was I compensated in any other way. All opinions expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the FTC regulations.
I’ve yet to read a Vannetta Chapman story I didn’t like, what a gifted storyteller!
The Amish Christmas Matchmaker is the fourth in Chapman’s Indiana Amish Brides series, from Love Inspired. Annie Kauffman has spent several years building up her wedding catering business and now its thriving. She is content with her life in her small Indiana Amish community.
Then along comes Levi Lapp, looking silly wearing his Amish clothing with a cowboy hat and boots; and his hair, no respectable Amish man has such long hair! Levi Lapp has a dream…he wants to start a new Amish community in Texas but, as prescribed by Amish precepts, he needs at least one bishop, two is better, and ten families to join him.
Promising cheaper land, Levi begins his Texas campaign with none other than Annie’s father! When it seems like her parents are far too interested in this Texas thing, along with her brother, Annie decides she must find away to distract Levi and keep him in Indiana.
After much thinking, Annie decides she needs to find Levi a wife, a wife that will anchor him in Indiana, making him give up this Texas dream. And keeping her family there too as she has no intentions of moving herself or her business anywhere.
What Annie doesn’t realize is that she becomes the distraction for Levi, even though he doesn’t know it, yet.
I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher and Just Read Tours and am not required to write a positive review. All thoughts and opinions therein are solely my own, and freely given.
Not your typical Amish story and I loved it! Amish wedding caterer and matchmaker Annie meets Amish Cowboy Levi and is immediately turned off by his constant talk about Texas. Annie has her successful business and loves living close to her family but the more Levi talks about Texas, the more Annie’s father wants to move there. What to do?
I really enjoyed reading this sweet, fun to read, holiday story in the “Indiana Amish Brides” series. I have read other books but this author and have enjoyed every one! I especially liked that the last chapter of the book included an Epilogue of 3 years later so readers could get more of a glimpse into Annie’s story. Highly recommend!
I received a copy of this book complimentary for blog and social media review. All opinions are my own.
The Amish Christmas Matchmaker ( Indiana Amish Brides #4 )
By: Vannetta Chapman
The Amish Christmas Matchmaker is book four in indianan Amish Brides Series. Even though this is part of a series it can be read by it self. This is a Love Inspired , clean, Heartwarming Inspirational Romance and I loved it. This one is a little different than most of your Amish stories. Annie is co owner in catering weddings for the Amish and she likes to play matchmaker. Levi is in the area to try and get all the Amish he can to move to Texas. How will this set with the Amish? This is a wonderful story and I loved the characters. I caught myself laughing out several times, then there was times when I was sad. There is a good message in this story. We need to think about what God wants us to do instead of what we want to do.
I was given a complimentary copy of this book , but was not told that I had to give a positive review. All opinions are my own.
The Amish Christmas Matchmaker by Vannetta Chapman is a delightful contemporary Amish novel that is perfect for any time of year.
Vannetta Chapman has created a wonderful warm set of characters. The Amish are made for community. They work together to meet needs. If one of their own is hurt, the hospital waiting room will be filled with many faces.
The dialogue bounces backwards and forwards between the two main characters as they try to deny their mutual attractions.
God gives us dreams, sometimes they change. When God gives you a dream, nothing and no-one can stop it.
Prayer is important. “Pray about this, seek Gotte’s guidance.” It is always best to live within the will of God.
The Amish live a simple yet fulfilling way of life. They have the correct priorities of putting people before worldly goods.
The Amish Christmas Matchmaker is a perfectly charming gentle romance with community at its heart. This book is not just for Christmas but perfect for all year round.
I received this book for free. A favourable review was not required and all views expressed are my own.
While I often say I’m not a fan of Amish fiction, it’s mostly due to my lack of reading in the drama. When I do read it, I enjoy it.
Vannetta Chapman adds some unique and interesting twists in The Amish Christmas Matchmaker. Annie is a businesswoman who owns and operates a catering company with an Englischer. Levi wears a cowboy hat and boots as he sets about putting together a group to move from Indiana and settle a new community in Texas.
Annie and Levi are at odds in the beginning, but as they spend time together, the animosity shifts to something else entirely. And it’s fun to watch. I couldn’t help but root for these two.
Chapman’s story is about dreams—ones we hold onto and new ones that outshine those we’ve held closest—and about the inevitability of change and how people adapt to it. These two things made this book relatable because everyone has dreams and change is going to happen in our lives whether we want it to or not.
Disclosure statement:
I receive complimentary books from publishers, publicists, and/or authors, including NetGalley. I am not required to write positive reviews. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255.
From the cover, it may seem like The Amish Christmas Matchmaker is simply another Love Inspired series romance, but there’s nothing “simple” about the writing of Vannetta Chapman and this story is one of my favorites. The characters may be Amish, but the message knows no spiritual boundaries. The writing is smooth, flows at a steady pace, and there’s never a dull moment.
The Amish Christmas Matchmaker takes place in Goshen, Indiana, with Texas literally becoming the elephant in the room that no one talks about – except that it was talked about in this story, and often. Through Chapman’s intimate knowledge and love for her state, Texas landscapes are so vividly conveyed that I could see them in my mind. It was also fun to learn an interesting nugget or two, such that the name Texas comes from the Native American word for friend or ally.
The lead characters of Annie and Levi are well drawn and my connection with them was instant. Annie, who runs a thriving wedding-catering business with her English partner and friend, is seemingly content with making other people’s happily-ever-after unfold. Levi, with his Stetson and cowboy boots, is not your typical Amish guy as he comes into the Goshen community hoping to convince families to move to Texas. Levi yearns for Texas because it symbolizes a time in his young years when life was good and people could be trusted … “It wasn’t that he wanted more. It was only that he wanted something different than what he had.”
That Annie and Levi would clash is inevitable and I loved some of the early scenes with their lively banter. Anyone who has had a passionate dream in their heart can identify with Levi, but the problem was that his dream was so strong that he viewed every situation and every person through the lens of what he hoped would happen. Annie didn’t like change, and neither do I! But there comes a point where you have to humbly seek God’s will and trust, laying your dreams at His feet – and that what’s this story so gently conveys. I’ve never given much thought to the Amish practice of silent prayer, but loved how Annie discovered that this forced her to speak to God honestly rather than listening to her father’s voice.
Levi might come across as full of himself in the beginning, but their attraction and growing friendship is beautiful to behold. I understood why Levi was so passionate about moving to Texas and why Annie was so determined to stay. While I felt sure things would work out well between them, getting there was so much fun! One of the things I love most about Chapman’s writing is how she effortlessly draws me into the emotions of the characters, making me sense what they feel. This description of Annie is a perfect example: “She clutched her hands in front of her, not because she was afraid, but because she had the sudden urge to reach out and touch him before he disappeared like a mirage that she couldn’t prove had ever been there.”
I loved how Chapman brought things together with an ending that was very satisfying. Levi is one of my favorite leading men and the scene where their love is acknowledged – sigh worthy. Highly recommended.
I received a copy of this book through JustRead Tours. The opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own.
What happens when a stranger appears in town, wearing a cowboy hat and boots, and reveals that his name is Levi Lapp? How does a twenty-four year old Amish woman truly feel about this “Amish cowboy” who greets her with “Howdy, ma’am” and wants her family and other Amish families to leave Goshen, Indiana, and set up an Amish community in Texas? These are the circumstances surrounding Levi Lapp’s arrival and Annie Kauffmann isn’t about to let him suceed. She and her English friend Priscilla have a thriving Amish catering service and she has worked too hard and too long to make Plain & Simple Weddings a success. Texas is definitely off the radar!
The Amish Christmas Matchmaker is the fourth book in the Indiana Amish Brides series and Vannetta Chapman has created some fun and unique characters. Levi Lapp thinks that “Annie Kauffmann might be pretty, but she had a lot of strong opinions that she didn’t mind sharing. (p. 33). Annie thinks that Levi is conceited, stubborn, and completely silly in his Stetson hat and cowboy boots and she has to stop him from enticing her father with his tales of Texas. What follows is a fun and romantic story that reminds us that our dreams may be more than we bargained for and they may be different than what we thought!
Fans of Amish fiction will love this book and romance lovers will find The Amish Christmas Matchmaker the perfect romance!
I received a complimentary copy of this book from the author but a positive review was not required. These are my honest opinions.
This is a lovely story about two Amish young people who have completely different dreams of the future. Annie wants to stay in her Amish community for the rest of her life, and Levi wants to establish a new Amish community in Texas. Despite the tension between them, they soon realize what the future could hold for them as a couple, if they can only find a way to reconcile their completely different outlooks for the future.
Annie and Levi’s courtship was entertaining. Both were stubborn and and unmovable as far as their goals for the future and were determined to have their own way. The sparks flying between them made me smile. I wasn’t sure how they would find their happily-ever-after, and had to keep reading to the end to see how the author would resolve the conflict. This story is a good reminder to trust God to provide the way when He’s leading us to something new.
I received a copy of this book from the publisher. All opinions are my own.