The Proposal Plot
Kathleen Fuller
This is an Amish Romance.
Ella Yoder has a head for business.
When Ella’s mother passed away, she took over running the family. Her father was devastated and allowed Ella to make major decisions. Ella and Junia missed their mother. The girls found themselves at odds, often arguing, yelling and angry. Junia was a bit lazy. It was easier to let Ella do everything; she did cook breakfast but felt that was all she should be expected to accomplish in a day. Junia resented Ella’s bossiness and resented that everything had to be done Ella’s way. Ellas resented having to do everything herself. Ella talked her father into moving them to Marigold, Ohio where they would open a grocery store.
Nelson Bontranger was raised on a farm and to be a farmer, but his heart lies with deli meats. He discovered he is really good at creating deli meats. He wants to buy the building next door to Ella’s grocery store and open a butcher shop. Ella had plans to expand the grocery store and is very upset that her father had not been willing to expand, and Nelson is buying HER building. Ella tries to be nice to Nelson, but her bossy personality makes that impossible.
Junia and Nelson’s nephew Malachi fall madly in love with each other. Nelson and Ella become unwilling chaperons, throwing them in each other’s paths repeatedly. Soon they find they enjoy each other’s company, but they will have to overcome hurt and pain from the past.
I love this tale. It is beautifully written. My heart ached for both Nelson and Ella. Two aunts are mentioned several times, what horrible women. They degrade their nieces in so many ways. Ella’s father is at his wits end over the lack of peace in his home. It is his own fault for not taking a stronger stance. The love between the lawyer and Ella’s father was slowly beginning to smolder.
Kudos to author Kathleen Fuller for a beautiful love story, well written and with memorable characters.
Thank you Netgalley for providing a copy for review.

I wanted to like this one I really did but it fell short for me - the characters were all over the place and the narrator didn't do a lot for me. I dont give 2 stars often but this was probably a 2.5 for me.

Publication date 05/07/2024

Thank you for the advanced reader copy Netgalley!

I really enjoyed listening to Kathleen Fuller's latest Amish romance, The Proposal Plot. This is book 2 in the Amish of Marigold series so we get to see a bit of Charity and Jesse and others who were in The Courtship Plan. I loved how there were 3 romances and one involved a couple in their 40's. Lots of family dynamics and having to work through issues with siblings.

The narrator was great! I love her voice so it made for easy listening.

Thank you NetGalley for the opportunity to listen to this audio book. All opinions are my own.

Publication date: 7 May 2024

Summary:
A year ago, Ella convinced her father and sister to move to the community of Marigold, and since then her relationship with her younger sister, Junia has been rough. It’s not like Junia & Ella had the best relationship before, but things have gotten so much worse since the move. Ella also has dreams of expanding their family's grocery store, but neither her father nor sister supports that move. Then comes Nelson Bontrager, who has sworn off love after having his heart broken one too many times. He has bought the warehouse next to their grocery store The very warehouse Ella wanted to expand to, so of course she has issues with him on the spot. But then Junia falls in love with Nelson’s nephew and as much as they try to avoid each other, they keep being drawn together to chaperone Ella’s sister & Nelson’s nephew. And the more time they spend together, the more they realize they may have misjudged each other.

Thoughts:
It has been a while since I have picked up an Amish romance, so I am really glad I got the opportunity to listen to this book. Although Ella & Junia did drive me a little crazy, I still fell in love with all the characters almost immediately. I was confused about the introduction of the Englischer, Wendy, but her introduction soon made sense. Nelson & Ella were both incredibly stubborn to the point I was certain they would never see that they were perfect for each other. There were a lot of love stories going on, but it wasn’t overwhelming and I was rooting for each couple to get their happy ever after. This was a great lighthearted Amish romance.

Amish fiction is one of the biggest sellers in Christian fiction. I always see them in the best seller lists. I understand the attraction. It just fascinates me the way the Amish lives. It's so simple and yet hard, too. This book by Kathleen Fuller is a romance with three different couples who find their happily ever after. I enjoyed the family dynamics with polar opposite personalities and how they interacted with each other. I feel my favorite of the characters was Wendy. Kathleen Fuller is one of my favorite authors, and this book reflected why she is. I listened to this book, and the narrator did a wonderful job. I enjoyed it and recommend it to anyone who reads Amish fiction.
*I was given a copy of the audio book and this is my honest opinion.

I have been enjoying the stories following along as the Bontrager family meet their loves. Kathleen Fuller hit the mark with this one. The narrator did a great job, changing her tone depending on which character was talking & making it easy to fall into long periods of listening. I can relate with the head-strong Ella & how she only wants to help those around her, but sometimes letting it consume her & accidentally taking over. I tend to do that too, good to know that I must not be alone in that. Looking forward to the next book, can't wait to see who is next in the Bontrager line to find their future love.

Great novel and great narrator. First time listening to a novel.. I would listen while I washed dishes and daily chores.

The Proposal Plot is a cute Amish romance. Nelson is finding it hard to trust women again after his hard times with love. Ella is dealing with family troubles with a sister who is not pulling her weight around their business and home. Love blossoms in three couples. Also the faith content was great. Jesus was mentioned which does not happen in all Amish books. I enjoyed reading this book. I received a digital copy of this book from NetGalley in trade for my honest opinion. My thoughts are my own.

YouTube Review: 05/01/24
YouTube Handle: KeenCat

I am a huge fan of Amish romance books. After I finished this audiobook I felt like awwwwww! It was SO sweet. I absolutely loved the sisters and how snarky they were to each other. Such sn enjoyable listen! A great book!

This is my first Amish romance book, and I enjoyed it more than I thought I would. It has some of the typical elements of romance, but with a focus on the Amish faith and culture. When you're not Amish and you see the people, they look like they're in a whole different era, but reading the book, the characters are very relatable. There are 3 couples in the story but the main focus is on Ella and Nelson, who don't like each other at the beginning, but grow attracted to each other, become friends and then more. It is all very sweet. It's also interesting to see Wendy's transition from a city girl lawyer. It feels like a Hallmark movie.

Just finished this audio book and I've got to say, I love this narrator. I've heard her before so I knew she was good. She does a great job of giving each character a different voice, even the men. It also helps that Kathleen Fuller's story catches and holds your attention.

Nelson Bontrager has been unlucky in love twice, and is not interested in having his heart broken for a third time. When he decides to step away from the family farm to open his own butcher shop, he finds the perfect building in Marigold, Ohio. As he's looking the building over, a woman storms in asking intrusive questions and babbling about partnering with him since her family owns the grocery store next door. He is so turned off that he decides even farming would be better than working next door to her.

Ella Yoder convinced her father and sister, Junia, to move to Ohio to open E & J Grocery. She has studied everything she can about running a business and has big plans to expand into the building next door, but her dad is dragging his feet on committing to expansion. On top of that, her sister refuses to lift a finger to help either at home or at the store, so Ella is left with all the work, and all of the anger. She is disappointed to learn that the building she wants may be sold, but how perfect would it be to have a butcher next door? Meeting the disagreeable Nelson, though, cements in her mind that no man could ever want someone like her. She's heard all her life, from her aunt's, that she's not "marriage material," but seeing the appalled look in Nelson's eyes when he looks at her just seals the deal.

Thrown together as chaperones when Nelson's nephew, Malachi, falls head over heels for Ella's sister, Junia, Nelson and Ella begin to chip away at their dislike for one another. When her dad finally breaks down and asks an Englischer for mediation help between his warring daughters, Ella and Junia's relationship gets even more broken. Can the two women ever repair the damage they've done to one another over the past year? Can Nelson see that Ella's heart is worth fighting for?

Gotta say, as an oldest sister, I was so mad at Junia for most of this book and their dad did nothing to help matters, allowing her to shirk her responsibilities and dump them on Ella all she wanted. I felt Ella's frustration, and her pain. I also liked Nelson. He had been hurt so badly by two women he thought he loved and yet, he was willing to be a shoulder for Ella when she needed one.

Readers who love Amish romance will definitely enjoy The Proposal Plot, but then, there's a reason Kathleen Fuller is one of my must reads whether she's writing Amish ficti0n or contemporary romance. I absolutely recommend this one!

A captivating Amish romance full of surprises. Like that fiery meet-cute! Bwahahaha! And things don’t settle down for quite a while so be prepared for clashing wills and lamentable outbursts in this enemies to more romantic trope.

Truth: sometimes Ella frustrated me no end! She is opinionated and bossy to the point I wanted to purse whomp some sense into her. Her motives are good, but her delivery leaves a lot to be desired! Which means she makes a horrible first impression on Nelson and that doesn’t improve upon further acquaintance for a long time. I think it’s about the halfway point before they declare a truce.

And Nelson is just a tad grumpy over all things Ella which comes with its own frustrations. So this one isn’t your typical ‘sweet’ romance. I do like the way the author digs deep into both our hero ad heroine’s backstories and their family dynamics. Especially Ella’s. It really helps to explain nuances of her personality. I could totally sympathize with her and became righteously indignant on her behalf more than once. But then we’re given more insights into Ella’s father and sister and well..wow, it all makes sense. The author doesn’t just leave it there, though, she works some healing magic that includes even more romance which made for a delightfully satisfying read.

I enjoyed listening to the audio edition of ‘The Proposal Plot’ expertly narrated by Lauren Berst. She’s a familiar voice in my Amish Fiction listening which made this even more of a comfort read for me. Funny how I can become as attached to narrators as I am to my fave authors.

My thanks to Thomas Nelson, Zondervan Fiction Audio and Net Galley for providing me with an audio copy of this book.

Book Title: The Proposal Plot
Series: Amish of Marigold Book #2
Author: Kathleen Fuller
Format: 🎧
Narrator: Lauren Berst
Publisher: Harper Collins Christian Publishing – Zondervan Fiction
Genre: Amish
Pub Date: May 7, 2024
My Rating: 3.2 Stars
Pages: 320

I do love a good Amish story. Kathleen Fuller has written over a hundred and this is my first- How have I not read any before this?

In this story is based in quaint town of Marigold, Ohio. Our protagonist is the headstrong businesswoman Ella Yoder; she and her father and younger sister Junia run a grocery story.
Nelson Bontrager is buying a building next door. Junia is pleased with this as she is interested in Nelson’s nephew Malachi.
Things are getting a bit out of control at the Yoder home and Dad decides Ella and Nelson need to chaperone Junia and Malachi.

Things get complicated as to who loves who and who wants to make who jealous!

Enjoyable light read.

Want to thank NetGalley and Harper Collins Publishing- Zondervan Fiction for this early audiobook.
Publishing Release Date scheduled for May 7, 2024.

Ella and Nelson are Amish and find themselves being chaperones for Nelson's nephew and Ella's sister. Maybe they need to be chaperoned, too???

Fun and entertaining audio! The narrator did a great job.

Many thanks to Net Galley and HarperCollins Christian Publishing for an audio ARC of this book for an honest review.

This is such a sweet audiobook with a fantastic narrator! There is a little bit of something for everyone in all of the different characters and personalities the author brought to the story.: strong-willed perfectionist Ella, beautiful and flighty Junia, heartbroken and sore Nelson, and solid and leading Malachi, just to name a few. The entire story you find yourself rooting for the characters, even when (especially when?) they are making poor choices and it seems they aren't working even in their own best interest! A precious romance (or three!) that will leave you with a faint smile on your lips long after you have finished listening!

Ugh I loved this so much! The narrator was amazing, and the story was perfect!! It was just the right amount of everything! Wonderful Amish tale!

This was a sweet Amish Romance novel that I have rated against the specific genre and sub genre. It is definitely a clean beach type read but it had one sub plat that had a bit of meat to it.

I want to thank NetGalley and Harper Collins audio for the audio arc of this title.

The narrator was great. She read at a great pace and did give enough of the Amish linguistic touches to certain words to set the mood without sounding mocking as some audio books can come off in this space.

I really enjoyed the outside perspective of Wendi as she explored the faith and lifestyle of the Amish.

There were some parts that slowed down as I listened where I disconnected from the story in the first half of the book but after the midway point it really picks up and you want to keep listening to find out what happens.

So if you like clean romances that also happen to have a connection to God then this is a nice sweet read.

My rating system since GoodReads doesn’t have partial stars and I rarely round up.

⭐️ Hated it
⭐️⭐️ Had a lot of trouble, prose issues, really not my cup of tea (potentially DNF’d or thought about it)
⭐️⭐️⭐️ Meh, it was an ok read but nothing special
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Really enjoyed it! Would recommend to others
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Outstanding! Will circle back and read again