Cover Image: Amish Sweethearts

Amish Sweethearts

Pub Date:   |   Archive Date:

Member Reviews

As a longtime fan of the authors writing, I was excited to read this collection of novellas. I think that this compilation is fantastic!   I have to admit that I have two favorites  although I loved all four of them.
I've been a huge fan of the Kauffman family since I read the first book in the, Kauffman Amish Bakery series. So. A Home for Lindsay  is one of my favorites.  Lindsay  and Matthew are characters that I adore.  There is so much love and tenderness to their story that you can't help but love them.  I desperately wanted things to work out for these two.
My other favorite in the collection was, Where the Heart Is. This one is touching in so many ways.  I loved Tobias and could imagine the courage it took for him to face his family and community when he returned home from Florida.  It is a story of forgiveness and encouraging those that you love.
All of the stories are filled with loveable characters that will appeal to everyone that reads this book.  
I received a copy through Netgalley and was not required to write a positive review.  All opinions are my own.

Was this review helpful?

Amish Sweethearts
Amy Clipston
Fans of Amy Clipston won’t be disappointed with her new set of heartwarming Amish stories. Each one is full of fun and will bring a smile to your face.
In the first one, Love and Buggy Rides, Janie is a cashier at Lancaster Souvenirs where Jonathon works as a buggy driver, taking tourists for rides. When Jonathon is in an accident, he has to go to work in the stables instead of driving passengers because the person driving the car insists that Jonathon was at fault. Janie helped Jonathon when the accident happened and they begin talking more and more in the days that follow. Their friendship starts to grow into something more, but there are obstacles to overcome. Jonathon is almost ten years older than she is and her father does not want them in a relationship. Other troubles follow, but will love find a way to bring these sweethearts together?
The second story is A Home for Lindsey and it is the one I looked forward to the most. In the Kauffman Amish Bakery series, we met Lindsey and Matthew. It is finally looking like their happy day is coming and they are approaching marriage with excitement. However, Matthew finds out that the land he has been building their house on is no longer going to be owned by his family. He is devastated. How can he provide for Lindsey if he can’t even build her a home? Rather than try to find a solution with her, he decides they should not be together. Lindsey is devastated. Can Matthew look beyond his fear of failure to the love they share and find a way to bring them back together?
The next story is Where the Heart Is. This story continues Tobias Smucker’s story from Summer Storms. When we last saw Tobias, he had left his Amish home to head for Florida where he checked himself into an alcohol treatment facility. He is home now and wants to reconnect with his family. Heading to the Bishop’s home first, he runs into Mariella, the bishop’s daughter. She helps him as he transitions back into the fold, giving him strength and helping him repair his relationship with his father. Will he realize that she is more than his little sister’s best friend? I think this one ended up actually being my favorite of the four. I really enjoyed how it all came together!
In the final story, Love Birds, Ellie Lapp and her mother are still recovering from the death of Seth, her brother (The Forgotten Recipe), when she starts spending time with Lloyd, one of Seth’s friends. She is working at a gift shop and Lloyd has a remarkable talent with wood carvings. She really wants him to sell his products at the store, especially when her boss tells her that her hours will be cut. Lloyd’s father thinks it is too prideful though. Will they find a way to help each other and maybe find love along the way?
I really enjoyed these stories and am grateful to NetGalley for the chance to read and review them. Amy Clipston has done a good job of bringing her characters to life (like always!) and I look forward to more!

Was this review helpful?

I like that these are short stories that can be devoured in one sitting...particularly in this cold weather. They are short, simple stories, each with an underlying moral or character lesson. As Christian love stories, they are PG-rated and appropriate for even teen readers. The characters are believable and easy to relate to, and the stories - while a bit short in places - are lovable! Two of the stories were ones I'd read before, in other Amish-short-story-collections, but I'd really like to see some of these characters, such as Tobias and Mariella from the third story, blossom into a full-length novel expounding upon their struggles, relationship, and future. It's a great set of novellas to kick off the season of love...for upcoming Valentine's Day!

Was this review helpful?

Amish Sweethearts
By; Amy Clipston
Amish sweethearts is made up of four wonderful stories by Amy clipston.
Love and Buggy Rides
By; Amy Clipston
Loved this short Novella on love and healing. Janie meets Jonathan after a bad accident happens while Jonathan is driving a buggy of tourist. Who is the fault of the accident ? What will this do to Jonathan ? Jamie and Jonathan gets to be friends, but there is one thing that is bothering Jamie . Jonathan is trying to get over a broken heart and does not need another one.
A Home For Lindsay
By: Amy Clipston
Lindsay is waiting till her and Matthews can be married. Matthews calls off the wedding and Lindsay is heart broken . This story brought tears to my eyes and I felt so sorry for Lindsay.love the story and the characters, both were so real.
Where The Heart is
By: Amy Clipston
Love this story and the characters were well developed and lifelike. Tobias Returns home from an extended stay in Florida. Will his family and the community welcome him back? What about his dad? This story brought tears to my eyes.
Love Birds
By: Amy Clipston
Amy Clipston continues the story of Ellie Lapp, her mother, and Lloyd who was Seth’s friend. Ellie and her mother are struggling after the death of Seth. This is a sweet love story about trust, betrayal , and forgiveness. Ellie has loved Lloyd since she was a very young girl. Lloyd thinks Ellie has betrayed him. Can he ever trust or be friends with her again? I love the story and the characters, both were easy to follow. I felt sorry for Ellie and Lloyd. At times I felt tears gathering in my eyes and caught myself saying NO NO. I highly recommend Love Birds, I am sure you will love it as I did. Amy Clipston did not disappoint me.
I was given a complimentary copy of this book by NetGalley , but was not told that I had to give a positive review.

Was this review helpful?

Amy Clipston has been writing for as long as she can remember. Her fiction writing "career" began in elementary school when she and a close friend wrote and shared silly stories. She has a degree in communications from Virginia Wesleyan College and is a member of the Authors Guild, American Christian Fiction Writers, and Romance Writers of America. She is the author of the bestselling Kauffman Amish Bakery series with Zondervan, which is part of HarperCollins Christian Publishing.

Rating 5 out of 5 stars.  Janie Lantz lives in Lancaster, PA.  She sat outside on a wooden bench eating a turkey sandwich.  She noticed rows of pumpkins lined up in front of the Lancaster Souvenir shops.  She worked as a cashier in one of the shops.  As she watched a car ran into the back of a buggy.  She ran to get her young boss Craig.  they waited for the ambulance to get there.  Janie helped a man out of the buggy.  His name was Jonathon Stoltzfus.

Jonathon had moved to Bird In Hand to be an Amish tour guide.  Craig took Jonathon off driver duty as he was afraid their company might get sued because of this accident.  The driver that hit the buggy was saying Jonathon didn't use his turn signal.  However, Janie saw that he did use the signal and wants to fight for him.  Jonathon and Jamie began eating lunches together.  Janie worries as Jonathon's time in Pennsylvania will soon be over.

Join Jonathon and Jamie as they work to clear his good name. This was a quite interesting story.

Was this review helpful?

This is a book of four Amish Novellas, two of which I had already read. This left me somewhat confused as when I started reading the first novella and realized I had already read it, I put it aside, forgetting that there were 3 other novellas! I would prefer that all of the novellas in a book like this be new selections, rather than “republished”.

I did enjoy all of them. I enjoy the author’s books as they are always good, clean romances.
I would recommend this book to anyone that enjoys the Amish genre of books. I was given a copy of this book from NetGalley and Zondervan.

Was this review helpful?

This book includes four stories: Love and Buggy Rides, A Home for Lindsay, Where the Heart Is, and Love Birds. I enjoyed reading all of them. These stories were so good, it was hard to put it down. I recommend this book for anyone who enjoys Amish stories.

Was this review helpful?

Amish Sweethearts is a collection of four stories by Amy Clipston. These stories include:
Love and Buggy Rides
A Home for Lindsay
Where the Heart Is
Love Birds
I enjoyed every one of these sweet stories. My favorite would probably be Where the Heart Is. Tobias and Mariella are my favorite characters and loved their little mystery they solved.
I recommend this book for those who love good Amish stories. You can never go wrong with a book by Amy Clipston.
4 stars.

Was this review helpful?

reviewed for Romantic Times Book Reviews
https://www.rtbookreviews.com/book-review/amish-sweethearts-0

Was this review helpful?

This is a book containing four novella's in it. I give it 5 stars, I enjoyed reading this book and loved all the novella's. I couldn't pick a favorite that's how good they were. Once you start reading it's hard to stop. Definitely a page turner for sure. I definitely recommend this to others. You won't be disappointed at all. I was given an ARC from NetGalley for my honest review.

Was this review helpful?

I received a copy of this novella collection from Netgalley and Zondervan Fiction, and at first was very confused! Not by the book itself, which is written in a very straightforward manner, but by the fact that I had requested this book and then promptly forgotten I had. Romance is not a genre I typically read. The last (and also first) romance I read was when I was 17, a bodice-ripper my friend recommended. I didn't like it. We'll leave it at that.

Luckily, Amish Sweethearts is not a bodice-ripper! There are four novellas with themes of new love, Amish adults in their 2os and early 30s dating, falling in love, and getting engaged. I don't know a lot about the Amish, but have always wanted to learn more, and this book gave me a glimpse into their day-to-day lives. I did like this book - its gentle subject matter was a nice break from the psychological thrillers I've been reading lately. I would definitely like to read more about the Amish (even Amish romances) in the future.

Thanks to Zondervan Fiction and Netgalley for an ARC.

Was this review helpful?

I had already read two of the stories included in this book—Love and Buggy Rides and Love Birds—which were originally published in other books. I did enjoy the stories the first time I read them although I am not sure why they are appearing again. The other 2 stories were good. A Home for Lindsay had me wondering if Matthew was going to keep thinking for Lindsay or let her talk for herself. Where the Heart Is speaks to the idea of family secrets and forgiveness.

Was this review helpful?

Another homerun for Amy, I haven’t ever been disappointed in her stories. It looks like these novellas have been in some other collections before, but they were all new to me.
Give me more Amy
I was provided an advance copy of this ebook from NetGalley, however that did not affect my review.

Was this review helpful?

I received an arc copy of this book from Net Galley in exchange for my honest review of it. This book was a combination of stories about the Amish. There was love and a little bit adventure in each one.

Was this review helpful?

Amish Sweethearts by Amy Clipston is a collection of four sweet, Amish romances.
Love and Buggy Rides
Janie Lantz is a cashier at Lancaster Souvenirs and Buggy Rides, where Jonathan Stoltfuz is a buggy driver. After a frightening accident where Jonathan is the dirver of the rig occurs, Janie and Jonathan start talking and a fast friendship occurs. Jonathan blames himself even though Janie saw that it was the driver of the cars fault. After her father tells her to not get involved, will she come forward and ease Jonathan’s mind and help settle the situation?

A Home for Lindsay

Straight from Amy Clipston’s beloved Kauffman Amish Bakery, Lindsay is eager to get married to Matthew and have a home of her own after being so unsure of where she belongs. When he calls of the wedding due to circumstances beyond her control, will her heart break or will she get her happy ending?

Where the Heart Is

Tobias arrives back home after his trip to the rehab. He is worried about how his father will react and afraid that they cannot rebuild a better relationship. Mariella, his little sister’s best friend, becomes a fast rock and offers him the support he needs to start reconnecting with his family. After a family mystery surfaces, can hearts be softened and bonds be rekindled?

Love Birds

Ellie and her mother are mourning the loss of her brother, Seth. Elle takes a part time job at a local gift shop to help with the ever-growing money concerns. Seth’s best friend, Lloyd, has made a vow to assist his family. While he works hard to help with their farm chores, as the only son his father expects him to carry a great load on their own farm, as well as, take it over some day. His only relief is carving wooden birds. Ellie stumbles into Lloyd’s workshop and sees his birds. She tries to convince him to offer the birds on consignment in the gift shop. His father sees the carvings as a hobby and a nuisance and does not allow him to even consider the offer. Will Elle and Lloyd’s friendship develop into something deeper and will anyone ever discover the Elle’s families’ need for money?

Was this review helpful?

Sweet inspiring novellas revisiting characters from previous novels. These novellas are great for a relaxing read to get away after a stressful day. Each have a great message. The last story had been previously released under a different name but fit well in this collection. Recommended.

Was this review helpful?

Reading Amish Sweethearts was extremely uplifting during what's been a rough week. This has brought such relaxation and smiles to my face and heart. In "Love and Buggy Rides", which I realized I had previously read, it was much like revisiting old friends. The special friendship that Janie and Jonathan formed after he was in a buggy accident, grew gradually into a romantic relationship. I could relate to them having a large age difference as my husband and I are 7 years apart. It was also enjoyable to read about characters in Janie's family from other novels by Amy Clipston.
The same can be said for "A Home for Lindsay", the second Novella in this book. Having read about Lindsay and her sister Jessica in Amy Clipston's earlier series, I enjoyed reading about them as adults. Lindsay is about to marry Matthew, and they are faced with his concerns over being able to provide for her and a future family. His fears almost break them up. Will he listen to family members of his and Lindsays', and allow God to have control? This is a very sweet read!
Reading "Where the Heart Is", was a great opportunity to learn what happened to Tobias after he left home following a huge argument with his father. Tobias returns to his family after seeking help for alcohol addiction. His community welcomes him with open arms once he confesses, but he finds it much more difficult to regain his father's trust. While he strives to do so, he discovers a very special friendship with Mariella, his sister's closest friend. I found it very sweet and special to read about them discovering their deepening feelings for each other.
In "Love Birds", readers have a chance to see how Ellie and her mom are faring after Ellie's brother Seth dies in a work related accident. In a previous novel, we learned how Seth's fiancé coped and recovered. Now we see how Ellie and her mother are doing, with the help of the community, particularly Seth's closest friend Lloyd. Ellie has had strong feelings for Lloyd for many years, however he has always seen her only as Seth's much younger sister and as his own sister's best friend. As Lloyd and Ellie spend more time together, Ellie starts to hope that he has feelings for her. This is another very sweet and deeply touching romance. It is definitely safe to say I thoroughly enjoyed and highly recommend Amish Sweethearts!

Was this review helpful?