Will a baby girl bring them together at last? She’ll do anything for her niece…Even marry the man who broke her heart. Nothing can keep May Bender in her Amish hometown–except caring for her baby niece. But the bishop insists that May also marry her widowed brother-in-law, Thad Hochstedler–the beau who jilted her to wed her sister. Can May risk her heart long enough to learn the real reason … learn the real reason for Thad’s first marriage…and possibly rediscover their love?
more
Who are May, Thad, Leah, Alvin, and April? How do they know one another? Who is Gretchen? I don’t like her one bit right off the bat of meeting her in this story. Wow, this story was so unexpected for me. I enjoy reading Amish romance stories, and this one had many different interwoven layers. These layers included things that I don’t normally see in Amish romance that made it all the more interesting for me. Some of them were jealousy, hatred, fear, anger, and resentment. Of course, love is also found in abundance in this story. Over time, toward the end of the book, my thoughts on how I felt about certain characters, not just Gretchen, changed You need to read this story. I want to read more from this author now!
RECEIVED THIS BOOK AS A GIFT FOR A FAIR/HONEST REVIEW and REVIEWER FOR Bloggin’ With M. Brennan.
This book quickly became a story I couldn’t put down, and I didn’t!
My mind was trying to wrap around the circumstances here, some that are presented, but what are they not saying? Yes, I was surprised when the facts unfold, and I had surmised the truth, but wanted it confirmed.
You have to love the little one here, and all seem to cherish her, and she is the glue to all that has happened, and appears to be the future.
What a part the mother-in-law plays here, and I really disliked her, but is she really the main problem here? You will be finding the answers, keep reading, and when finished I wanted more!
I received this book through Net Galley and the Publisher Harlequin, and was not required to give a positive review.
The Amish Marriage Bargain by Marie E. Bast is a captivating story about forgiveness, secrets, and ultimately, love. Two people in a former relationship now enter into a marriage bargain to save their reputations. I found it interesting to see how their relationship unfolded and how the past was revealed layer by layer, which gave a bit of suspenseful tension to the story. The book keeps one’s interest with May and Thad encountering lots of different situations. In the story, the author brings out issues regarding the dairy business that many Amish are involved in which gave insight into that aspect of the Amish life. I enjoyed the book and look forward to reading more of Ms. Bast’s work. I won a copy of the book in a contest and was not required to write a review. The opinions are my own.
I am a bit conflicted while writing this review. I liked the overall story and premise for the book, yet I kept wishing for more. I felt like I was left waiting for more details and more information which would make me truly experience what the characters were feeling. Instead, it was as if I was being told what they were feeling and I was watching it from the outside looking in, wondering about certain details and wishing they had been elaborated on.
I wanted more clarity in a few situations. When May and Thad agree to this bargain, I couldn’t quite figure out exactly what their bargain would entail. Would they live in the same house and keep things as they had been when May was working as Thad’s nanny? Did they plan to make the marriage a true one someday? Would they be marrying for convenience, yet living as husband and wife before true feelings grew between them? I also felt conflicted about what May and Thad actually felt for each other. Sometimes it seemed like they had actually loved each other once, and at other times it seemed as if their prior relationship had not lasted long enough to really develop deep feelings. There were times that just as I was expecting more details to clarify what was going on in the story, the focus would shift to something else and go on from there. Bad communication was a defining part of their relationship, for sure.
I did keep turning pages, wanting to see how things would work out. It really was a great set up for the story, it just fell a bit flat for me.
I received a complimentary copy of this book. All opinions are my own.
This has been such a wonderful book to read. The story line is about an arranged marriage that finds May and Thad married so May can help raise her sister’s baby. I enjoyed the way the author showed May’s flaws and how she tried so hard to overcome them. It is hard for May to be married to Thad since he dumped her once before to marry her sister. After April dies, Thad is in need of someone to help him with Leah and finds a way to get May to marry him.
I can’t imagine how hard it was for May to be Thad’s wife after he betrayed her. The author writes an incredible story about forgiveness and takes a look at marriages that open the eyes of what unconditional love is. Thad has a secret that he can’t let May know about. I found him to be a very caring and selfless person. He has his hands full running the farm and trying to make ends meet. I loved reading about dairy farms and how much work it takes to make a profit from it. The author does a very good job of giving readers details about farming and the day to day chores that are involved. The other aspect of making a living by making cheese intrigued me. I didn’t know how much work it takes to make cheese.
What I liked most about the story was how real the author portrayed May and Thad. They each were struggling with emotions and wanted to make things work between them. There are moments in the story that we see a glimpse of May starting to forgive Thad for what he did to her. When she overhears a conversation one day, everything in her life changes. Betrayed and deceit rear their ugly head and the enemy comes in try to destroy a marriage.
The story held my attention and I really didn’t want it to end. The characters draw you in and I could easily relate to May and and how angry she felt. Her love for her niece is very well defined throughout the story and their bond was wonderful to read. There is one character in the story that I did not like. Thad’s mother is very hard on May and several times belittles her. I was hoping that Thad would stand up to his mother and defend his wife. May is a strong woman who is willing to sacrifice her happiness to care for her niece. Will she find love along the way as she and Thad try to make their marriage work? Can forgiveness mend a heart? The faith element in the book is good and I loved the prayers that both characters said when they turn to God in their struggles. The book is a wonderful story that places two people together where God shows them how to work together and let go of the past.
I received a copy of this book from Celebrate Lit. The review is my own opinion.