An Amish Heirloom: Four Amish Novellas

Happy Book Release Day!  A few of the books out today are The Weaver's Daughter by Sarah E. Ladd, Lord of the Pies by Nell Hampton, A Death of No Importance by Mariah Fredericks, The Shadow of Death by Jane Willan, and An Amish Heirloom by Amy Clipston, Beth Wiseman, Kathleen Fuller and Kelly Irvin.  

An Amish Heirloom contains four novellas by Amy Clipston, Beth Wiseman, Kathleen Fuller and Kelly Irvin.  Legacy of Love by Amy Clipston involves Leon King, a local volunteer fire fighter and carpenter.  Susie Bontrager, Leon’s ex-girlfriend, is getting married to Josh Chupp and she wants her grandmother’s rocking chairs repaired for her new home.  Leon agrees to restore them for Susie.  Susie stops by Lancaster Furniture Sales and Repair each week to check up on the rocking chairs and old feelings begin to resurface for each of them.  Leon regrets letting Susie get away, but he does not want to come between her and Josh.  Meanwhile, Susie recognizes that she agreed to marry Josh for the wrong reasons.  Will the rocking chairs bring Leon and Susie back together?

Beth Wiseman wrote The Cedar Chest which features Emma Fisher and her daughter, Catherine.  Emma knows something is bothering Catherine, but she cannot get her daughter to confide in her.  They are in the basement and find the cedar chest that belonged to Emma’s great grandmother which has been unopened since her death.  Inside are letters written by her great grandparents.  They tell the story of how they came to be together.  Emma and Catherine decide to read the letters together.  Emma is hoping it will allow time for Catherine to open up to her.  She is unprepared for the secrets that come to light when they read the letters. 

The Treasured Book by Kathleen Fuller takes us to Birch Creek, Ohio.  Lucy Fisher has traveled to Birch Creek to assist Cevilla Schlabach while she recovers from a sprained ankle.  Lucy is surprised when she is picked up at the bus station by Shane Broyles who is staying with Noah Schlabach and his wife, Ivy.  Lucy and her father had helped Shane renovate a home in Iowa.  Lucy carries the miniature Bible that Shane gave her and has been careful not to reveal to Shane how much she cares for him.  Shane is considering joining the Amish faith and is using his time in Birch Creek to decide.  Cevilla wants Lucy to use her time in Birch Creek to build a life for herself and away from her parents.  Shane and Lucy spend time together and are becoming closer.  Then Shane’s ex-fiancé arrives in town and wants him back.

The Midwife’s Dream by Kelly Irvin is set in Jamesport, Missouri.  Iris Beachy twenty-three years old and is the midwife for her community.  Her dream is to have a family of her own, but she is still in love with man who is married to someone else.  Mahon Kurtz seeks her help with delivering the baby of a teenage Englischer.  Jessica and her boyfriend, Quinn are traveling to Texas and are unprepared when she goes into labor early.  Iris brings them home and delivers their little girl, Lily Marie.  The next morning Iris finds the two teenagers gone, but they left the baby behind wrapped in a beautiful quilt similar to one Iris will inherit when she becomes a mother.  Mahon is able to provide sketches of the two teenagers which they use to trace their movements around town. Iris had always considered Mahon her best friends’ older brother, but, as she spends time with him, she sees him in a different light.  Mahon has been in love with Iris for years and has just been waiting for her to get over her prior love. 

An Amish Heirloom contains four heartwarming stories that captured and held my attention.  Each story has great characters and beautiful settings.  I like how each story has an antique item that helps bring the couples together.  A handmade quilt, love letters, a miniature Bible and antique rockers are the four items that help unite these four couples.   The novellas are well-written and have an easy pace.  It is nice to take a break from a full-length book and read these shorter wholesome tales.  The authors did a wonderful job at interlacing the Christian elements into their stories.  In God’s timing, having faith, the power of prayer, and family values are some of the Christian themes.   It was delightful to revisit Cevilla Schlabach.  She is an entertaining, eccentric character and provides levity to The Treasured Book.  I hope Kathleen Fuller will feature Cevilla in future books.  In Amy Clipston’s Legacy of Love, I appreciate her featuring Amish volunteer firefighters.  Local fire departments in many areas rely on volunteer fire fighter’s, and I did not know that Amish volunteered for this service.  Four wholesome, heartfelt novellas from four seasoned Amish writers.  Settle into a comfy chair, relax and escape into An Amish Heirloom--a wonderful way to spend a Saturday afternoon.

Thank you for visiting and reading my review.  Amy Clipston's next novel is Room on the Porch Swing which will be published on May 8, 2018.  I will return on Wednesday with my review of Lord of the Pies by Nell Hampton.  I hope you find a book that draws you in and does not let you go until the very last word.  They are the best type of books.  Happy Reading!

Kris

The Avid Reader