A Double Dose of Love by Kathleen Fuller

Book Summary

A Double Dose of Love by Kathleen Fuller has Darla King excited when she sees an ad for mail order brides for the bachelors of Birch Creek, Ohio.  Darla King has not been allowed to date by her parents even though she is twenty-one.  Darla is determined to go to Birch Creek and her twin sister, Amanda is sent along to protect her.  Darla is known for being impulsive, too trusting, and oversharing information.  Zeb and Zeke Bontrager are starting a horse farm in Birch Creek.  Zeke was determined to buy the property and he needed his twin brother to help achieve the goal.   Then Zeke impulsively purchases a colt that many deem untrainable and it is up to Zeb to work with the horse.  Zeb is the responsible twin who has spent his life fixing Zeke’s mistakes.  He is unaware that Zeke is having financial problems that could affect them both.  Darla arrives in town and encounters Zeke at the local diner.  She knows that he is the man she is meant to marry.  Darla begins to blossom in Birch Creek and becomes more independent.  Amanda is afraid that Darla will get hurt and visits Zeb to get his assistance.  Delilah Stoll and Cevilla Thompson are thrilled with the town’s latest additions.  They hope love will blossom between the two sets of twins and are happy to provide a nudge or two.  What does the future hold for the Bontrager and King twins?

My Thoughts

A Double Dose of Love by Kathleen Fuller is the first An Amish Mail Order Bride Novel.  I like how this new series ties into An Amish Brides of Birch Creek series.  I thought A Double Dose of Love was well-written with realistic characters.  The book moves along at a steady pace and I enjoyed the humor.  Darla King happens to see an ad for mail order brides for Birch Creek while unwrapping a punch bowl set that was sent to her mother.  She believes God is directing her to go to Birch Creek where she will find a husband.  Nothing is going to stop Darla from achieving her goal.  The biddable Darla disappears before her twin sister’s eyes.  I liked seeing Darla blossom in Birch Creek.  She was finally getting an opportunity to stretch her wings and fly on her own (without her parent’s interfering).  I am glad that the author took us back to Birch Creek where Delilah Stoll and Cevilla Thompson reside.  Those are two humorous women.  I like a book that makes me laugh and A Double Dose of Love certainly does that.  There is a delightful meet cute moment for Zeb and Amanda.  This is a sweet and amusing romantic Amish tale.  A Double Dose of Love is a droll Amish story with horse hijinks, meddlesome matchmakers, parent problems, water worries, and twin troubles.  

A Double Dose of Love can be obtained from Amazon* along with other major booksellers.  The next An Amish Mail Order Bride Novel is Matched and Married which comes out September 7 (that seems so far away).  You can find Kathleen Fuller's other novels here.  Thank you for stopping by today and reading my review.  Tomorrow I am featuring Rhubarb Pie Before You Die by Gin Jones.  It is the 2nd A Garlic Farm Mystery.  May you have a satisfying day.  Take care and Happy Reading!

Kris

The Avid Reader

*This post contains affiliate links.  As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.

The Innkeeper's Bride by Kathleen Fuller

Welcome!  Kathleen Fuller is a bestselling author of Amish fiction.  She is a wife, mother, crafter, coffee addict, football fan and chocolate aficionado. 

The Innkeeper’s Bride by Kathleen Fuller takes us back to Birch Creek, Ohio.  Selah Ropp has returned to town and is living with her brother, Christian and his wife, Ruby.  Selah is doing better and glad that no one is aware of why she left.  Selah now wants to find a job so she can get her own home.  She is fortunate to obtain a position at Stoll Inn where she finds herself working closely with Levi Stoll.  Selah is attracted to Levi, but she is determined to remain single.  Selah feels that she is a bad judge of men after what happened, and that no man will want her if he learns her secret.  Levi must take over the running of the family’s new inn just before the opening after his father breaks his leg.  Selah is the first woman to capture his attention.  He would like to get to know Selah better, but she keeps a distance between herself and others.  Levi is also afraid of showing Selah attention and capturing his grandmother’s attention.  Delilah would not hesitate to start meddling in his love life like she has in the past.  Will Levi and Selah come together on their own or will they need a little nudge? 

The Innkeeper’s Bride by Kathleen Fuller is the third novel The Amish Brides of Birch Creek.  It can be read on its own if you have not read The Teacher’s Bride and The Farmer’s Bride.  I found The Innkeeper’s Bride to be well-written with realistic characters.  I liked that the characters had their own struggles, doubts and fears.  Selah suffers from clinical depression which is not uncommon.  Depression is hard to understand unless you suffer from it yourself.  Selah feels ashamed that that she has depression and needs the aid of medication and a health professional.  She also made a mistake with a man and does not want the unfortunate incident brought to light.  Levi has his own doubts and has made mistakes in the past.  She wonders if working at the inn is the right job for him.  Levi would like to get to know Selah better, but he does not want his family to know.  His sister, Nina will tease him and his grandmother, Delilah will meddle.  Cevilla Schlabach has tried to be patient while she has waited for Richard to make a life changing decision.  Unfortunately, after spending her whole adult life single, Cevilla finds she is no longer content.  Cevilla is afraid to tell Richard how she feels.  I love the relationship between Richard and Cevilla.  They are an adorable couple.  I have enjoyed their relationship.  Cevilla and Delilah have become friends (of sort).  Delilah has been doing a little meddling and barges in on Cevilla to get her feedback as well as complain when things do not go as she expected.  There are some humorous moments between the two of them and I like their conspiring.  Jackson Talbot and his father, Trevor are in The Innkeeper’s Bride.  Trevor Talbot owns the Stay Inn which has been the only place to stay in Birch Creek until now.  He does not like this new competition and sends Jackson to get intel on the Stoll Inn.  I like Jackson and his journey.  I would like to see more of Jackson.  I enjoyed reading The Innkeeper’s Bride in which the author gave us delightful characters and a beautiful setting along with faith and humor.  I like how Kathleen Fuller incorporate faith into the story.  I am hoping that we get Nina Stoll’s story next time.  The Innkeeper’s Bride is a charming, witty tale (of course, I expect nothing less from Kathleen Fuller).

The Innkeeper's Bride is available from Amazon along with The Teacher's Bride and The Farmer's Bride.  Thank you for joining me today.  I will sharing my review Death Bee Comes Her by Nancy Coco tomorrow. It is the debut of An Oregon Honeycomb Mystery series and an exclusive at Barnes & Noble at this time. I hope you have a lovely day.  Take care of yourself and Happy Reading!

Kris

The Avid Reader

*This post contains affiliate links.

The Farmer's Bride by Kathleen Fuller

Good Day!  Sweet Tea and Secrets by Joy Avon, A Crafter Hooks a Killer by Holly Quinn and Mrs. Everything by Jennifer Weiner come out tomorrow, June 11.  Died in the Wool by Melinda Mullet releases on June 18 along with Amish Outsider by Marta Perry.  There are too many great books coming out this month.

The Farmer’s Bride by Kathleen Fuller returns readers to Birch Creek.  The Yoder’s family finances have improved since Freeman became the bishop, but Seth Yoder remembers the hard times the family suffered, and it is something he never wishes to experience again.  He works the family farm alongside his father and brothers, but his true passion is woodcarving.  He has a secret shed in the woods where he spends all his spare time working on improving his craft.  Martha Detweiler is the only single woman left in their small community which has the single men pursuing her with date requests.  Martha finds it overwhelming and, when the men descend on her home to ask her to Ruby’s scavenger hunt, Martha escapes to seek refuge at Cevilla Schlabach’s.  Cevilla comes up with what she calls “Plan B” which requires the assistance of Seth Yoder, the only man not clamoring after Martha.  She believes the pair should pretend they are dating which Cevilla hopes will lead to a permanent match.  But then Delilah Stoll moves to town with her son, grandson and granddaughter.  Delilah wants her grandchildren to be happy which equates to marrying them off to Martha and Seth.  This puts a crimp in Cevilla’s plans and she is not about to be thwarted by the newcomer.  Martha and Seth now face a new dilemma and Plan B is looking like a good option.  Will the young people be able to outwit the matchmakers?  What does God have in store for them? 

 

The Farmer’s Bride is the second delightful book in An Amish Brides of Birch Creek series.  I recommend reading The Teacher’s Bride first.  It gives you the backstory on Cevilla and Richard, the town and how Chris and Ruby came to be together.  I thought The Farmer’s Bride was well-written (as are all of Kathleen Fuller’s books) and it proceeded at a steady pace.  It has charming characters and a lovely setting (I would like to live in Birch Creek).  I thought the characters were realistic and I could feel their emotions plus their struggles.  Cevilla Schlabach is a hoot.  She gets an idea into her head and there is no stopping her.  Richard is the perfect companion for Cevilla, and his comments are humorous.  It will be interesting to see if Richard can give up his modern conveniences.  Cevilla meets her match when Delilah Stoll moves to town.  Delilah is a determined woman who steamrolls over anyone who gets in the way of her goal.  Delilah and Cevilla butting heads had me chuckling.  I liked how Martha enjoyed learning new things (like tying nautical knots) and working on puzzles.  I completely agreed with the comment “There’s something gratifying about completing a challenge”.  I had to smile when I heard soda referred to as “pop”.  I had not heard that phrase since I lived in Ohio (I got teased for using it when I first moved to Florida).  It was hot in Birch Creek (like it currently is in Florida) and I could relate to Cevilla saying it is “hotter than a pat of butter melting in a frying pan”.  The Christian elements are beautifully incorporated into the story with emphasis on having a strong faith, relying on God, forgiveness of others and oneself, and the importance of prayer.  The Farmer’s Bride is an amusing Amish tale that I did not want to end (but then I was eager to see how it ended).  I am impatiently waiting for the release of the next An Amish Brides of Birch Creek Novel to revisit Birch Creek and see what is in store for Selah Ropp.

Thank you for reading my review.  I will be showcasing A Crafter Hooks a Killer by Holly Quinn tomorrow as part of the Great Escapes Virtual Book Tour.  I will be sharing a recipe from Sammy Kane (main character in the book) and there is a giveaway.  May you have a joyful day.  Take care and Happy Reading!

Kris

The Avid Reader