Plain Jane's Secret Admirer
About the Book
Book: Plain Jane’s Secret Admirer (The Heart of the Amish Book 11)
Author: Anne Blackburne
Genre: Amish/Christian Fiction
Release Date: January, 2026
Secrets Surround Shy Jane Bontrager
Full of faith, hope, and romance, this series takes you into the Heart of Amish country.
Sweet, shy, and devoted Amish woman, Jane Bontrager secretly hates her childhood nickname of Plain Jane. She doesn’t know who started the ugly name back in her school days, but she can never forget how it has long made her feel.
Jane has a huge crush on Amish buggy maker Samuel Mast, but they are both so shy they are more likely to turn old and gray alone than to ever get together—especially since Samuel holds a secret or two of his own.
What can bridge the gap between two young people who both deserve love and happiness?
Click here to get your copy!
About the Author
Anne Blackburne lives and works in Southeast Ohio as a newspaper editor and writer. She is the mother of five grown children, has one wonderful grandchild, and a spoiled poodle named Millie. For fun, when she isn’t working on Amish romance or sweet mysteries, Anne directs and acts in community theater productions and writes and directs original plays. She also enjoys reading, kayaking, swimming, searching for beach glass, and just sitting with a cup of coffee looking at large bodies of water. Her idea of the perfect vacation is cruising and seeing amazing new places with people she loves.
More from Anne
The amazing bloggers who work with Celebrate Lit are going to do a blog tour for my brand new book in Barbour’s “Heart of the Amish” series, “Plain Jane’s Secret Admirer”!
Jane’s story is available now to readers in print and online wherever fine books are sold, and I feel so blessed to have the help of the Celebrate Lit folks in launching this next tale from my made-up Amish community of Willow Creek, Ohio.
If you read any of my previous three Heart of the Amish books in the series, “Ruth’s Gingersnap Surprise”, “Mary’s Calico Hope”, and “Lizzie’s Little Mouse” (currently on sale), you’ll remember Jane Bontrager, their good friend who lives and works with Lizzie in her New Orleans Style French/Amish bakery in Willow Creek. Jane was also mentioned in Ruth’s story as one of the lucky recipients of a kitten from their elderly friend, Lydia’s, cat’s final litter.
Jane’s cat is a tabby named Secret, because she can tell her fluffy pal all of the wishes, hopes and dreams closest to her heart.
As the story opens, Jane is waving her brother John and Lizzie off on their wedding trip, promising to take good care of the bakery – and Lizzie’s precious cat, Little Mouse – while they are away.
But then Jane finds a mysterious note from someone claiming to be her secret admirer taped to the back door of the bakery, and her heart flutters, wondering if it could possibly be her long time crush, Samuel Mast, the buggy maker, who put it there, along with a whimsical little gift.
Between a water leak that damages ceilings in the bakery building and the sudden disappearance of both Secret and Little Mouse, Jane has no time to wonder who left the note and gift; she needs help!
And Samuel Mast, who is indeed her secret admirer, is ready to step up to the plate and do whatever it takes to help Jane find the cats, repair the bakery, and maybe even discover love along the way.
But Sam has a secret of his own. He’s the one who accidentally-on-purpose saddled her with the nickname “Plain Jane” when they were kids. He has no idea how to confess his mistake, or his love.
Will Jane and Sam be able to get past Sam’s terrible secret? And will they find the missing cats before Lizzie gets home? Don’t lose hope; with God, everything is possible!
Thank you for taking the time to learn about Jane’s story! This book is my fourth in Barbour Publishing’s series, “The Heart of the Amish”. Look for other great reads in the series from authors Mindy Steele, Kelly Irvin and Lisa Jones Baker.
I’m currently writing my fifth book in the series, which will feature a young woman you’ve met in some of my other stories, Miriam Zook. Miriam is a talented artist who paints stylized folk art paintings depicting scenes from Amish life.
Just like her friends, Miriam received a kitten from Lydia; a black and white fellow named Beauregard, or Beau for short. Her story, “Miriam’s Little Gentleman”, is due out in May, 2026.
I hope you’re having as much fun reading about these remarkable young women – and their kitties! – as I’m having writing about them. Thanks for being part of our journey!
As for me and mine, we are all well and enjoying a crisp winter in southeast Ohio.
God bless you and yours!
Joyfully,
Anne Blackburne
My Thoughts
Plain Jane’s Secret Admirer by Anne Blackburne is a cute tale. I
enjoyed getting to know Jane and Eliza better as well as Sam and Ben. I thought Ben was entertaining. I loved his reactions to Sam’s attempts at
romance. I thought Sam’s gifts were
sweet and thoughtful just like Sam. His shyness prevents him from telling
Jane how he feels as well as something he did as a teen. We get to see how fear
can twist your thoughts. It is better to
let it go and leave it with God. I felt for Jane when Little Mouse disappeared,
because I know how it feels when your cat is lost. The lost cat plot, though, lagged.
(needed a little more action). I like
how the cat story turned out. Owning a
pet can significantly impact an individual’s life and contribute to personal
development. I was surprised to hear
that the cats enjoyed playing in water.
I have owned a few cats over the years, but I have yet to find one that
liked water (my current cat is the only one who tolerates a bath without
scratching or biting me).
I hope that we get Miriam and David’s story soon (I
am curious to see how it will play out).
One of my favorite quotes from
the story comes from Lydia when she needs to talk to Jane about something that
is bothering her. Jane offers to make
tea, but Lydia says she needs something stronger, “I’m talking about chocolate,
child! I need some gut, strong hot cocoa.
Possibly with marshmallows if you have any of those tiny ones.” I got a chuckle out of that line (my mother
has the same philosophy). Plain Jane’s Secret Admirer is the eleventh installment in The Heart of the Amish series,
yet it also works well as an independent read. Plain Jane’s Secret Admirer is a sweet story
with tasty pastries, a water disaster, cats gone astray, special gifts, a nervy
newcomer, and returning honeymooners.
Giveaway
To celebrate her tour, Anne is giving away the grand prize of a $25 Amazon Gift Card and a copy of the book!! Be sure to comment on the blog stops for extra entries into the giveaway! Click HERE to enter. Good Luck!
Plain Jane’s Secret Admirer is available from Amazon*. The twelfth book in The Heart of the Amish series is A Heart on Consignment by Mindy Steele and it will be out on March 15 (you can click here to preorder it). Miriam's Little Gentleman by Anne Blackburne comes out May 1 and it is the thirteenth book in The Heart of the Amish series. You can find the other novels in The Heart of the Amish series here. Check out Anne Blackburne's other novels.
Thank you for joining me today. I will return on Tuesday, February 10 with The Single Mom's Second Chance by Tara Randel. I hope that you have marvelous weekend. I am looking forward to next week when the weather will be in the high 60s. There is even a day when we might hit 70 degrees (a girl can hope). We all need a chance for our bones to warm up. Don't forget to enter the giveaway before you depart. Take care, stay warm, and Happy Reading!
Blog Stops
Debbie’s Dusty Deliberations, January 29
Texas Book-aholic, January 30
Simple Harvest Reads, January 31 (Guest Review from Marilyn)
lakesidelivingsite, February 1
Happily Managing a Household of Boys, February 2
Truth and Grace Homeschool Academy, February 3
Abba’s Prayer Warrior Princess, February 4
Bizwings Blog, February 5
The Avid Reader, February 5
For Him and My Family, February 6
Jeanette’s Thoughts , February 7
Mary Hake, February 8
Holly’s Book Corner, February 8
Little Homeschool on the Prairie, February 9
Cover Lover Book Review, February 10
Book Holds and Jello Molds, February 10
Vicky Sluiter, February 11
*I
voluntarily read an advanced copy of this book. I am not required to
leave a review. The comments and opinions expressed are strictly my own.
*This post contains affiliate links.
