Tuesday, August 25, 2020

SERIES REVIEW - Amish Marketplace series


In this blog post, I will be reviewing the first two books in the Amish Marketplace series.

Title:   The Bake Shop 
Author:   Amy Clipston
Series:   Amish Marketplace #1
Publisher:   Zondervan
Genre:   Inspirational Romance
Format:   Kindle
No. of pages:  336
Date of Publication:  November 5, 2019
Rating:  5 Stars

DESCRIPTION:

Return to Lancaster County with the first installment of Amy Clipston's charming new Amish Marketplace series.

Christiana Kurtz loves to bake, but when her bake stand becomes too busy, her mother encourages her to move her business to the local market. Her new bake shop becomes so inundated with customers that the line blocks the leather and woodcraft shop next door, which is run by Jeffrey Stoltzfus. When Jeffrey complains that her stand is driving away business due to the lines, she complains to him that his personalization machine smells. Though their relationship starts off on bad footing, they eventually forge a friendship.

When Christiana’s father makes a surprise visit to the market, he is upset to find that Jeffrey uses the building’s electricity to personalize his items. He tells Christiana that Jeffrey is too modern for her, and she’s forbidden from dating him. Christiana is crushed, but she knows she must obey her father.


When Jeffrey’s shop catches fire one day, he puts the entire market in jeopardy—including Christiana’s bake shop. Christiana, however, can’t deny how she feels about Jeffrey despite his mistakes. Though the odds are against them, can two young people find a way to rebuild both their businesses and their relationship?


MY THOUGHTS:

Christiana Kurtz is an excellent baker, and her bake stand is overwhelmed. She was very excited to move over to the local market at the advice of her mother. However, this creates immediate problem when the owner of the stall next to hers complains that her business is so busy that no one is stopping at his shop. However, time soon changes things and the pair eventually become friends. His name is Jeffrey Stoltzfus and as nice a man as he is, Christiana's father does not like him. Her father feels that Jeffrey is using too many English ways in his shop.

Christiana and Jeffrey want to date, but her father forbids it, and she never wants to disobey her father despite the fact that she is quickly becoming quite fond of Jeffrey. Then, when his shop catches fire, all of her hard work could go up in flame. Can Christiana and Jeffrey find a way to rebuild their businesses while also finding a way to be together?

What a sweet story by Amy Clipston. This is a story about love, trust, loyalty and of course, faith. This delightful book was an excellent start to a new series, and the second book The Farm Stand, is available now.

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Title:   The Farm Stand 
Author:   Amy Clipston
Series:   Amish Marketplace #2
Publisher:   Zondervan
Genre:   Inspirational Romance
Format:   Kindle ARC
No. of pages:  352
Date of Publication:  May 5, 2020
Rating:  5 Stars

DESCRIPTION:

Experience some sweet, garden-fresh romance in the next installment of Amy Clipston's Amish Marketplace series.

Salina Petersheim runs her own booth at the Amish market, where she’s known for having the freshest and most delicious produce in the area. Her father is the bishop of her church district, and her brother is a deacon. They are a very close family, yet sometimes she tires of being compared to her older brother, Neil, who is married and has two children. She also feels the pressure of having to be the perfect daughter for her parents.

Salina has been dating Josiah for almost a year now, but he feels more like a friend than a boyfriend. Her parents approve of Josiah, who is a hardworking roofer. He’s handsome and easy to talk to, but he just doesn’t warm her heart the way she feels a boyfriend and future husband should. She secretly longs for more.

Along comes William “Will” Zimmerman, a Mennonite chef who runs a restaurant located next door to the Amish market. He wants Salina to supply the produce for his restaurant, and as they forge a business relationship, they both feel themselves falling in love. Salina especially tries to deny her feelings for Will since her father wants her to marry within the community.

Both Salina and Will feel stuck in their current relationships, but they cannot deny what they feel for each other. Will they follow their hearts or bow to the pressure of family? Or will God provide a surprising new road for them?


MY THOUGHTS:

In this sweet story by Amy Clipston, duty and respect gets in the way love. Salina Petershelm's father is the bishop of her church, and her brother is a deacon. They have very high standards for Salina, including deciding who she should marry. So, durifully, Salina has dated Josiah for just about a year. But there are no sparks, no deeper feelings.

But when a Mennonite chef named William Zimmerman meets Salina, as his restaurant is next to her farm stand where she sells produce, sparks fly. However, she is dating Josiah and Will is dating another woman. How do the pair deal with growing feelings with their current circumstances

What a wonderful story. I so felt for Salina. Her emotions were palpable. Not only did she have to listen to father and obey his wishes, then constantly being compared to her brother, was just too hard for her to bear. While dealing with her family, she must take measure of her heart and decide if she really wants love in her future.

I have loved both books in this series so far and am more than pleased that two other books are coming out, The Coffee Corner this December and The Jam and Jelly Nook next May. I definitely look forward to reading those two. Amy Clipston is quickly becoming one of my favorite writers of Amish Fiction.

Many thanks to Zondervan and to NetGalley for this ARC for review. This is my honest opinion.


ABOUT THE AUTHOR:


Hi, I’m Amy Clipston. I am an author of Amish and Christian fiction with HarperCollins Christian Publishing. Most of my books focus on the Amish community, faith, and love. I also write romance novels and young adult inspirational stories.

6 comments:

  1. I have read a couple of Amish romances years ago and loved them. but somehow never picked any for a long time now. these covers look so sweet and both 5 star reviews tempt me

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  2. The Books sounds lovely. Love books with food in them. Great review.

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  3. Great reviews Robin I am really glad you fully enjoyed reading both books. Thank you so much for sharing your awesome post.

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  4. As a former chef, I absolutely love books (romances, especially) that include food/restaurants etc. Great reviews!

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