An Amish Summer ~ Review

An Amish Summer
Four Novellas
By Shelley Sheppard Gray,
      Amy Clipston,
        Kathleen Fuller, and
           Kelly Irvin

If you love reading collections of stories all wrapped up together in one book and you love Amish fiction you are in for a treat. Get ready to enjoy summer in four different Amish communities as the path to love is strewn with different obstacles.

A Reunion in Pinecraft is a fun bit of mistaken identity that could lead Graham Holland into big trouble. For six months Graham has been remembering the wrong sister to whom he has been corresponding. Can he remedy the situation before he loses his chance at happiness and marriage? And adding to the confusion is the reactions of the Kramer sisters to Graham's behavior and attention to them. This reunion may be the best or worst thing that ever happened to any of them!

Summer Storms finds Ariana Smucker and Jesse Nook in a quandary after a day of fun with their youth group. After an accident brings Ariana's father wrath down on both Jesse and Ariana's brother Tobias - their engagement is off. And nothing Jesse or Arianna say will change her father's mind. But with a little encouragement from his brother and the memory of Tobias's words Jesse is determined to prove that he is worthy of Ariana and that she is worth the effort to win. Can love overcome a loss of trust?

Lakeside Love finds Esther Coblentz in the shadow of her younger sister's head-turning beauty, especially where Judah King is concerned. Esther is only of interest to Judah when he needs her to give Sarah a message. But when Esther resigns herself to Judah's indifference and shares a summer friendship with an Englischer who is boarding with her family, she starts to attract some attention of her own. But can she trust what she is seeing? Or will she lose out to Sarah in the end?

One Sweet Kiss finds Martha Byler beside herself with her boyfriend Jacob King. Jacob is anything but manly in his behavior as far as Martha is concerned. And his friends are even worse. The last thing Martha needs in her life is a boyfriend who is less grown-up than her younger siblings. But not everything is as it seems and Jacob just needs to prove to Martha that he is the man she wishes he was but an encounter with an alligator may be just what they need to smooth everything out.

This was a fun collection of stories that because they were 4-in-1 made it easy to put it down when the end of one story was reached, or it should have been if I wasn't such a bookworm and have trouble putting books down all the time. But seriously if you have time constraints this is the perfect format to feel a sense of accomplishment while not finishing the book in one sitting (for various reasons including needing to get to work on time). This is also a fun way to discover unfamiliar authors as each story is by a different writer. And if you are familiar with these authors think of this as a tide over till their next full-length book comes out.

I was provided a free copy of this book and no expectations of a positive review were required. All opinions expressed are my own.

About the Book:

A new novella collection of sweet, summer romances from 

some of our favorite Amish authors!

A Reunion in Pinecraft by Shelley Shepard Gray

When sisters Sharon and Sherilyn Kramer attend a wedding in Shipshewana, one of them returns with a new penpal while the other returns to her job at the bakery. After sending weekly letters back and forth, Sherry and Graham Holland arrange a reunion in Pinecraft. Upon Graham’s arrival, however, he realizes he’s been writing to the wrong sister. He decides to use the reunion as a way to get to know both sisters, but can he sort through the confusion in time to turn the worst vacation ever into something truly wonderful?

Summer Storms by Amy Clipston

Ariana is counting down the days until her wedding to Jesse. They have been friends longer than Arianna can remember, and that friendship turned into love over the past couple of years. But when Arianna’s brother Tobias, who happens to be Jesse’s best friend, gets them both into trouble, Arianna’s father puts an end to her engagement to Jesse. Some summer storms pass quickly, but Arianna is afraid the damage from this one may be too much to repair.

Lakeside Love by Kathleen Fuller

Esther has always lived in the shadow of her beautiful younger sister Sarah. Even the boy she has known—and loved—her entire life, Judah, only has eyes for Sarah. But when a handsome young Englischer comes to live with the family for a summer, everything begins to change.

One Sweet Kiss by Kelly Irvin

Everybody in little Bee County, Texas, can see the obvious: Jacob King and Martha Byler are meant to be together. Everyone, that is, but Martha. Ever since her mother died when Martha was a young girl, she has taken over the role of caregiver to her large family. And reckless Jacob, who has had a little too much fun on his rumspringa, only seems to add to the list of people to manage. But one summer changes everything, and these two may just find a way to meet in the middle and share one sweet kiss.