Author: Amy Clipston
Publisher: Zondervan
Genre: Inspirational Romance
Format: Kindle ARC
No. of pages: 384
Date of Publication: September 1, 2020
Date of Publication: September 1, 2020
Rating: 4 Stars
DESCRIPTION:
In this beautiful group of stories by Amy Clipston, music and love find their place among an Amish community.
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.
Romance is bound strike a chord when the young people of Bird-in-Hand join together to bring their community the gift of song.
Hymn of Praise
Sharon Lambert and Jay Smoker have been friends for a long time, but lately Jay has seen Sharon in a new light. They begin spending time together, and Sharon invites Jay to her family’s home to serve dinner and sing traditional hymns for their English guests. When Jay decides that this tramples upon his doctrinal beliefs, can these two dear friends compromise and find love? Or will Jay’s strict views keep them apart?
Amazing Grace
Dave Esh is broken with guilt after a recent tragedy. When Alice Blank, an acquaintance from school and youth group, invites him to join an informal singing group that performs for community members in need, Dave doubts he will enjoy himself—let alone find peace. Will Alice’s friendship help Dave learn how to forgive himself the way God already has?
Great Is Thy Faithfulness
Darlene Bender’s mother has been battling cancer, and Darlene can’t understand why God would allow someone so wonderful to go through such a terrible time. She finds strength in her singing group and friends, and when Andrew Detweiler senses that Darlene needs a confidant, he approaches and befriends her. As love blossoms between them, Darlene might soon realize that God was with her all along.
O Holy Night
Elaine Lantz and her parents have just moved to town from New Wilmington. After leaving behind some painful events and a group of deceitful friends, Elaine worries she’ll never be able to trust again. But the young people of Bird-in-Hand don’t give up, and Calvin King takes it upon himself to make Elaine feel welcome. Perhaps friendship and love await Elaine in her new hometown.
Praise for Amy Clipston:
“Well-written, well-developed, and beautifully romantic, Amy’s books are at the top of the Amish genre.” —New York Times and USA TODAY bestselling author Shelley Shepard Gray
Sweet, inspirational Amish reads
Collection includes four stories (23K words each) that can be read together or as standalones
Includes discussion questions for book clubs
MY THOUGHTS:
In this beautiful group of stories by Amy Clipston, music and love find their place among an Amish community.
The first novella, Hymn of Praise, bring long-time friends Sharon Lambert and Jay Smoker together, but not without obstacles to overcome. Sharon and her family often host English guests for dinner, and they sing traditional hymns. This bothers Jay as he feels that this is crossing the line regarding their beliefs. He feels that some things should just be kept among the Amish. This is rather unfortunate to Sharon, because she is quite fond of Jay and had hoped they would eventually find love together.
Then there is Amazing Grace. This is the touching story of Dave Esh and Alice Blank. They are good friends, and Alice invites Dave to join a group that sings for their English neighbors. Dave sees how content and happy Alice is but he blames himself for a recent tragedy so he feels he doesn't deserve anything that will bring him joy, even if it means losing any hope he had for something to develop with Alice.
Great Is Thy Faitthfulness is an even more touching story in this collection. Darlene Bender's mother is battling cancer and this affects Darlene's faith. She cannot believe that a God of love would allow her mother to suffer so. She depends on her singing group for strength and comfort. Andrew Detweiler sees sadness in Darlene, so he draws closer to her. Love definitely enters the picture, and hopes that Darlene's faith will be restored.
O Holy Night delivers another sweet story. Whereas the previous story was about faith, this one is about trust. Elaine Lantz and her parents have moved to a new town after experiencing difficult events. Calvin King sees a kindred spirit in Elaine, yet she is afraid to trust. Calvin hopes that she will learn to trust him - and find love between them.
I loved each and every one of these stories. I have come to truly enjoy Amish Fiction and this book rates right up there with the other wonderful books I have read thus far.
Many thanks to Zondervan and to NetGalley as well as Edelweiss for this ARC for review. This is my honest opinion.
Looks like a gentle and sweet read
ReplyDeleteThese stories all look so lovely and sweet.
ReplyDeleteNot my genre, but it sounds cute.
ReplyDeleteNot my genre but great review, glad you enjoyed
ReplyDeleteI think this would be a good starter for anyone looking to read books like this. A few smaller ones all in once place :) I'll have to look it up!
ReplyDelete