Review Catch Up Marathon!: An Amish Summer

Thomas Nelson; 372 pages; $15.99; Amazon

Yes, I'm well aware it's no longer summer, but here I am writing a review for anthology called An Amish Summer. I had signed up to review the book through the Book Look Blogger Program back in June. I read it right away, but my procrastination issues kicked in and I tossed the book to the sidelines. Well, that's until I decided to catch up on all the needs-to-be-reviewed books.

An Amish Summer features four romance novellas from bestselling authors Shelley Shepard Gray, Amy Clipston, Kathleen Fuller, and Kelly Irvin.

Shelley Shepard Gray once again returns to the Pinecraft, Florida in "A Reunion in Pinecraft." The story centers on Sherilyn "Sherry" Kramer, who had attended a wedding in Shipshewana with her sister Sharon. This is where she gets a penpal named Graham Holland, and this is where the confusion begins. After sending letters back and forth, Sherry and Graham agree to meet in Pinecraft. However, after meeting, Graham realizes he has been writing to the wrong sister.

Amy Clipston brings us readers the romantic drama "Summer Storms." The story centers on Arianna Smucker, a young Amish woman who's counting down the days until he wedding to Jesse. Sadly, her plans for their future changes after Jesse's brother, Tobias, gets them all into trouble, which causes her father to end their engagement.

Kathleen Fullers spins together a classic romance story, titled "Lakeside Love." The story centers on a young Amish woman named Esther Coblentz, who has always lived in the shadow of her younger sister, Sarah. The only boy she has ever had feelings for only has eyes for her sister. Esther's life suddenly changes after meeting an Englisher, who is staying with relatives for the summer.

Kelly Irvin gives us a cute romance story, titled "One Sweet Kiss." The story centers on Martha Bryler, a young Amish woman who is given up on love in exchange for becoming the caregiver of her large family after her mother died. Everyone around Martha believes she would be the perfect match for Jacob King, well for everyone but Martha and Jacob, as both of them could care less about each other. Well, that is until they share a one sweet kiss, and then everything changes.

Final Thoughts

I have always enjoy reading Amish fiction anthologies, as the stories are typically fast-paced and cleverly written. I was already familiar with other works by all the authors of this anthology before I had received a review copy from the BookLook Blogger Program. Out of the four stories, my two favorites are "A Reunion in Pinecraft" and "Once Sweet Kiss." Don't get me wrong the other two stories are cute reads, but I connected more with the other ones; especially with "A Reunion in Pinecraft," as I've always liked Shelley Shepard Gray's Pinecraft novels.

Overall, I enjoyed reading An Amish Summer. Though it's no longer summer, the book can be read anytime during the year. I recommend it to other Amish fiction readers.

*I received a complimentary copy from the publisher. All opinions are my own.

About the Authors

Shelley Gray is the author of The Heart of a Hero series. Her Amish novel (written as Shelley Shepard Gray), The Protector, recently made the New York Times best-seller list. A native of Texas, she earned her bachelor's and master's degrees in Colorado and taught school for ten years. She and her husband have two children and live in Southern Ohio.

Visit her website at www.shelleyshepardgray.com.

Amy Clipston is the award-winning and bestselling author of the Kauffman Amish Bakery series. Her novels have hit multiple bestseller lists including CBD, CBA, and ECPA. Amy hold a degree in communications from Virginia Wesleyan Collage and works full-time for the City of Charlotte. Amy lives in North Carolina with her husband, two sons, and three spoiled rotten cats.

Visit her online at amyclipston.com.

Kathleen Fuller is the author of several bestselling novels, including A Man of His World and Treasuring Emma, as well as the middle-grade Amish series, the Mysteries of Middlefield.

Visit her online at www.kathleenfuller.com.

Kelly Irvin is the author of several Amish series including the Bliss Creek Amish series, the New Hope Amish series, and the Amish of Bee County series. She also penned two romantic supsence novels, A Deadly Wilderness and No Child of Mine. Kansas native is a graduate of the University of Kansas School of Journalism. She has been writing nonfiction professionally for more than thrity years, including ten years as a newspaper reporter, mostly in Texas-Mexico border towns. A retired public realtions professional, Kelly has been married to photographer Tim Irvin for twenty-nine years. They have two children, two grandchildren, and two cats. In her spare time, she likes to write short stories and read books by her favorite authors.