Marrying Jonah: A Wells Landing novel

Greetings!  I wanted to mention a couple of books that will out this week. They include Preyed in Murder by Helen Gray (March 30), Shades of Pink by Gina LaManna (March 31), Coached in Murder by Helen Gray (March 30), Itsy-Bitsy Murder by Wendy Meadows (March 29), and Murder on Tap by Emily James (March 31).  All of the books are available for pre-order on Amazon.

Marrying Jonah by Amy Lillard is the sixth book in the Wells Landing series.  Sarah Yoder has been smitten with Jonah and everyone knows it.  But Jonah is in love with Lorie Kauffman.  Unfortunately, Lorie decided to leave the Amish and recently married another.  Jonah is still pining for Lorie.  Sarah has decided to turn over a new leaf.  She is going to ignore Jonah and find a way to move on.  One night after a youth event, Jonah happens upon Sarah who is walking home (the young man who was driving her home became fresh). While driving Sarah home, Sarah asks if they cannot find a way to be friends.  They end up stopping by the lake to talk, and Jonah ends up seeking comfort from Sarah.  Six weeks later, Sarah discovers that she is with child.  Jonah does the honorable thing and offers to marry Sarah (after adjusting to the news).  She wanted Jonah as her husband, but Sarah wanted him to love her.  The last thing she wants is a man who does not love her in return.  Unfortunately, they are not given an alternative and are quickly married.  The marriage gets off to a rocky start when the pair must live with Jonah’s parents.  Gertie Miller, Jonah’s mother, is not partial to Sarah and makes her feelings quite evident.  Jonah decides to make things easier by finding a house for them.  Slowly, Jonah begins to see the kind, caring and lovable woman he married.  But then tragedy strikes, and it looks like their relationship is doomed.  Is there a chance for these two-young people?  If they are to have a future, Jonah needs to prove his love to Sarah and open the lines of communication.

Marrying Jonah is a sweet and nicely written Amish novel.  I liked the characters and the storyline.  It was interesting to see Jonah’s reaction to Sarah once she quit paying attention to him.  The book had a good flow and can be read in a few hours.  There are some good lessons in this novel (forgiveness, doing the right thing).  Readers get to see how important love and communication are to a relationship. While Marrying Jonah is the sixth book in the series, it can be read alone.  Each book is about a different set of characters.  I give Marrying Jonah 4 out of 5 stars.  I did become frustrated at times at the lack of communication between Sarah and Jonah.  I wanted to tell these two to grow up and start talking.  Sarah, though, did not make things easy for Jonah.  Marrying Jonah is my favorite book in the series.  It is a moving novel with a special ending.  I really appreciated the epilogue and how the author provided updates on the characters from the other novels in the Wells Landing series.  Marrying Jonah will be out on Tuesday, March 28.

The other novels in the series are Caroline's Secret, Courting Emily, Lorie's Heart, Just Plain Sadie, and Titus Returns.  I am off to take my mother to the neurologist.  I am bribing her with donuts (she has a sweet tooth), and I just love glazed donut holes.  I hope you have a beautiful Monday.  Take care and Happy Reading!

Kris

The Avid Reader