I am not a fan of Amish, Mennonite and other similar fiction, and I'm afraid this collection of romantic novellas did not change my mind.

The stories were very well-written though. Fans will enjoy these romances written with a Christmas background.

Being a huge reader of Amish , Quaker and Mennonite fiction this book was a wonderful read!!
I enjoyed every minute and I really appreciated new to me authors.
I love how each story drew me in and each are special in their own way.
I think what I loved about these stories is how they help each other in times of need.
I think that we can learn a few things from the plain people. We'd be a whole lot better off if things were like back then. When families prayed at the dinner table and talked about their day.
As for me and my family we try to serve the Lord. It's not always easy but we do try.
This book is also sure to get you into the Christmas mood for years to come
Perhaps you could read each story until Christmas Day!
I highly recommend these wonderful stories. Each author offers something special messages in their stories.
My thanks to Netgalley. NO compensations were received. All opinions are my own.

I love Christmas stories especially romances. I enjoyed this collection very much. The story were short reads and perfect to start off the Christmas season,

What a sweet book!! All the stories bring the true meaning of Christmas to life. I don't think I can pick a favorite but Melanie Dobson has always been a favorite author and she didn't disappoint. If you need a touch of the holidays I highly recommend A Plain and Sweet Christmas Collection.

Each story has been published prior to this book. They are all great reads. Make sure that you haven't already published these. All in all a great book !!

Each novella touched my heart. Well written by seasoned authors. Five stars.

Christmas traditions are so important and while the various plain religious sects celebrate in a different way, they are equally interesting. This novella collection explores the Christmas traditions of the Amana, Quakers, Amish and Mennonites. Add a bit of romance, a cup of tea, a warm blanket and comfy chair, and you have the makings of a few wonderful moments. I love reading novellas as they can be read quickly and you can read a different one each day if you like. Nine authors combine their unique writing styles to tantalize your need for romance and history. The novellas span from 1800 to 1941. I am an avid reader of Plain fiction so the various sects were not overly unusual to me, but I always learn new things as I read. Recipes from each novella are an added bonus!
Novellas in the collection:
A Crossroad to Love by Lauralee Bliss--1846, Waynesville, Ohio
Simple Gifts by Ramona K. Cecil--1880, Serenity, Indiana
A Christmas Prayer by Dianne Christner--1881, Mountain Lake, Minnesota
Treasure of the Heart by Melanie Dobson--1907, Amana, Iowa
Love is Forever by Jerry Eicher--1941, Lancaster County, Pennsylvania
Love's Pure Light by Olivia Newport--1910, Lancaster County, Pennsylvania
Pirate of My Heart by Rachael O. Phillips--1825, Rock & Cave, Illinois
Equally Yoked by Claire Sanders--1838, Southern Ohio
Abigail's Christmas Candles by Anna Schmidt--Hope, Wisconsin
I highly recommend this novella collection of Christmas romances. Happy reading! I am giving this book a rating of 5 stars.
I received an ebook of this selection from netgalley and Barbour Books in exchange for my honest review. All opinions expressed are my own. I did not receive any compensation for my review.

This was a really sweet book, each story giving you a glimpse into the lives of the settlement it featured. These settlements included Quaker, Amish, Amana and Mennonite Settlements and it was interesting to see how they lived and to know the reasons why they did or did not do certain things and how they celebrated Christmas.
It was a lovely read, especially during the Christmas season. I enjoyed every single story.

Thanks to Barbour Publishers and Netgalley for providing me with a free copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

received a copy from NetGalley; this is my honest review.
This is the first time I review a collection from Barbour Books in a general sense (vs. each books individually).
The collection started with a 3-star for the first two books and made me wonder about the rest.
Fortunately, the rest of the collection were 4 and 5 stars.
These are good stories, sometimes sad, sometimes funny, mostly with good characters and all give you a good view of the particulars from the named settlements, with not too many sermons, verses and/or inspirational quotes along the way.

A Plain and Sweet Christmas focuses on how the Quakers, Mennonites, Amish and those from the Amana Colonies in Iowa either do or do not celebrate Christmas. Of course, there are romantic elements to each story. Surprisingly, some of the stories focus on married couples. However, just because you are married doesn’t mean there is no romance, right?

I enjoyed reading about the Amana Colonies. I have family members who lived in Iowa, so I’ve always been fascinated with the Amana Colonies. Unfortunately, I have never been able to visit them. Maybe one day I’ll get the opportunity. Having read these stories will help me to appreciate their history even more.

The compilation features authors whose books I’ve read before and some that are new to me. I am always excited to read a set of novellas like this because of the exposure to new authors, and A Plain and Sweet Christmas Romance Collection doesn’t disappoint! Also, there are some great recipes at the end of the stories; I can’t wait to try some of them out.

Each narrative is well-written with very different perspectives, some more heart-wrenching than others. Even so, if you are looking for a heartwarming, faith-filled book full of Christmas history, drama, hope and renewal, along with love and romance, then you are sure to enjoy A Plain and Sweet Christmas Romance Collection.

I received this book from NetGalley. However, I was under no obligation to post a review.

Short sweet stories of Christmas! This collection of stories will introduce readers to different authors and faiths. I enjoyed reading about the different types of ways Christmas was celebrated during different time periods. Reading novellas is a nice break from a longer novel or if time is short. Recommended!

This novel definitely deserves your attention. It is a heart tugger. In the beginning there was some foretelling what this book was going to be all about - what the book was going to be all about - it set the tone within the first page right away. You feel awful for the bad horse, but as we all know all things happen for a reason. GOD uses every situation for HIS good. There is one thing I was very disappointed in was within the first three pages we have the character wanting to "deaden" the pain of his past, which of course we find out what that is, as a Christian we know that CHRIST never said - "hey guys lets go and get some drinks and deaden the pain of what I know is going to happen tomorrow." The book would have been a hit - it didn't need that there - why would that need to be there - Christians know that inebriation is not Biblical. Other than that the book is amazing. That was just one book - the others are incredible - don't let one novella ruin it for the others - one is better than the others - better on top of better - Go and BUY

This collection of stories about Christmas love will warm the heart and make you smile. There are nine stories in all, each of which takes place in a "plain" community, such as Mennonite, Amish, or Quaker. Each story will bring smiles and laughs, and maybe a few tears as you discover love with each of our new friends. You may also learn some new things about the Plain Communities. I myself had never read anything about the Amana Community before and it was interesting to see their history and how they all worked together to create a home for each other. It was also interesting to read from the Quaker perspective because I haven't read very many books like that either. If you enjoy Christmas romance, you will have fun with these stories!
I received a free copy of this book for my honest review from NetGalley.

Reading A Plain And Sweet Christmas was a bit of a change for me. This historical novella collection is filled with the stories of nine couples set in the Christmas season. Take a break from your typical commercial holiday faire and relax with this collection from Amish, Mennonite, Quaker and Amana Settlements.

In this collection you will find:
A Crossroad to Love by Lauralee Bliss
Simple Gifts by Ramona K Cecil
A Christmas Prayer by Dianne Christner
Treasure of the Heart by Melanie Dobson
Love Is Forever by Jerry Echer
Love's Pure Light by Olivia Newport
Pirate of My Heart by Rachael O. Phillips
Equally Yoked by Claire Sanders
Abigail's Christmas Candles by Anna Schmidt

I particularly enjoyed reading once more about the Amana Colonies. This treasure in Iowa is largely preserved and rich with history. I have visited the area several times so I could visualize each place mentioned in the story. It is a fun place to stop into if you are ever in the Cedar Rapids area.

Each story gave insight to individual struggles the couples had to bear whether from their past or trials they faced within their faith. All were wrapped up neatly like a bow on packages under our trees. Consider picking up this book for a change of pace from the aforementioned movies. These are not cookie cutter formula stories and you won't have to suffer a large dose of commercials!

Bookshelf worthy with five stars.

I love this set of Christmas stories. I loved each one and the fact that they were of such interesting and diverse groups. I have enjoyed many of these authors in the past and this compilation of shorter writers was excellent. I am so happy to have the chance to read this exceptional book!

I received an e-book version of this book for review. All thoughts are my own.

A Plain and Sweet Christmas Romance Collection is a collection of romance novellas. I was excited to read this collection, but unfortunately several of the stories were just not that interesting to me.
I could not really relate to the Quaker stories and became bored quickly. I did enjoy the novellas by Eicher and Newport. I found

A Plain and Plain and Sweet Christmas Romance Collection by Lauralee Bliss, Ramona K. Cecil, Dianne Christner, Melanie Dobson, Jerry S. Eicher, Olivia Newport, Rachael O. Phillips, Claire Sanders, Anna Schmidt is a wonderful collection of Historical couples from Amish, Mennonite, Quaker and Amana settlements. I found the differences in how the settlements celebrated the season informative and fascinating.
Each story is unique to the author’s style and the settlement it represents. I found all of the characters in each story to be very realistically portrayed. Many of the characters face some type of conflict or situation that tests their personal relationship with God. All are handled in different, unique and unexpected ways.
I enjoyed this book very much and it would be an excellent gift for the readers on your holiday list. I give it 5 of 5 stars; all of the writers are well-known for their writing and they do not disappoint with this collection. I highly recommend this book to those who enjoy historical fiction and learning more about how others view the Christmas season and why they hold those views.
I received an advance copy of this book through Netgalley in exchange for my honest review.

This book of 9 novellas, "A Plain and Sweet Christmas Romance Collection," was delightful. The novella format is long enough for a good story and character development, but short enough that you can probably finish each one in a day -- even if it is a busy day at Christmas time. I was especially intrigued by the descriptions of these historical faith communities, I knew nothing about the Amanas and my knowledge of Quakers was limited to the unprogrammed style. I highly enjoyed this book as a relaxing treat, taking me out of my ordinary life. Definitely recommended!

This book has something for anyone who likes a good clean Christmas story, with a bit of romance thrown in.
You are in for a real treat, only have a little bit of time for reading, there are nine novellas here, and you will be finishing one and ready to start another in no time.
These are plain people, Amish, and Mennonite, a few Quakers and then we also have an Amana Colony, made me wish there were more.
Be ready for snow, of course Christmas time, and there are some real blizzards our folks have to contend with. Come and enjoy a refreshing adventure.
I received this book through Net Galley and the Publisher Barbour and was not required to give a positive review.

This collection of novellas was a treat to read. Short enough to read quickly, but that doesn’t mean they aren’t great stories. The authors have done a wonderful job of capturing the flavor of each community.

With forgiveness and sweet romance, this collection is the perfect Christmas reading. And who can resist the recipe that comes with each story? Please make the time this Christmas season to read A Plain and Sweet Christmas Romance Collection. You won’t regret it.

I received a complimentary copy of this book but was not required to leave a review.