Cover Image: Maryann’s Hope

Maryann’s Hope

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This is a Historical Amish Fiction, and this is the 4th book in the Amish Charm Bakery series. I did not love these characters, but I did not hate the characters in this book. The storyline was good. I did like this story, but I did not love it. I wish there was more historical parts in this book. I also did not love the writting style in this book because some parts just did not flow well. I was kindly provided an e-copy of this book by the publisher (Zebra Books) or author (Molly Jebber) via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review about how I feel about this book, and I want to send a big Thank you to them for that.

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Through the years, I have read several books based on the Amish community, and each story was equally good and interesting. Some of them were even made into films, and I loved watching those too. This particular book, Maryann's Hope, is based on one such Amish town and focuses its attention on the life of Maryann Harding. The reader gets to follow her life as she tries to make sense of her feelings regarding a certain Amish gentleman in the hopes of not repeating her mistakes from the past. The opening paragraphs alone will surprise you!

Maryann Harding has had so many ups and downs in her shorts life. In fact, so many of her days have been more than she thought she would ever endure--how could life change so much in a matter of a few short years? Maryann knows he family loves her, but can she ever forgive and love herself? The weight of the past is heavy on her heart, but she wants a new chapter going forward, and more importantly, she has her daughter to consider. But can she possibly love another and trust someone again?

Andrew Wittmer is infatuated with Maryann, and he hopes to marry her one day. Throughout their courtship, he loves getting to know this mysterious lady better, but he is also grateful to be introduced to her daughter, Betsy. He knows Maryann has many secrets, but he hopes that she will be honest about certain things regarding her previous marriage. He trusts and respects her, but he knows that not everyone in the Amish community might. Yet he is still determined to stay by her side. But will that be enough to calm Maryann's heart?

Molly Jebber is a new author to me, and it's always so nice to not only discover a new book but a new author. And I am happy to say that this book is part of series--in fact, this is book four in the series. Make sure to check out the first three books, Liza's Second Chance, Ellie's Redemption, and Hannah's Courage. Happy reading friends!


This review is my honest opinion. Thanks to Celebrate Lit for my copy.

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Maryann's Hope continues the story of the Amish Charm Bakery in which we meet Maryann and Andrew. Maryann and her young daughter Betsy have returned to Charm following the murder of Maryann's Englischer husband. Andrew has left his aunt and uncle in Millersburg and come to Charm to farm and hopefully start his own woodworking shop/furniture store. Maryann and Andrew immediately know they are meant for each other but each must face some ghosts from their past - Maryann's untrustworthy first husband and subsequent scars from that relationship, and Andrew's brother who left the Amish when he was young. The couple faces many obstacles on the way to being married, including the death of Maryann's mother and Andrew's beloved Uncle Luke. There are joys as well with the return of the prodigal brother Gabe, and Andrew being able to purchase a furniture store in Charm enabling he and Maryann to remain there, where Maryann's family is, after they marry.

Maryann's hope is the 4th in the series however it can be read as a standalone. By the end of the story you want to go back and read the stories of the others you've come to know through Maryann and Andrew. This is a heartwarming book, full of hope, faith, forgiveness and love - a good book to read during these troubled times in which we now find ourselves. The characters are endearing and well-developed, such that you are anxious for them as they face numerous challenges and you rejoice as all works out for them in the end. The author does a wonderful job setting the stage for more books in the series, particular what may transpire between Andrew's friend Toby and Maryann's friend Magdalena. This book is one you will not want to put down until you've read it cover to cover!

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Maryann’s Hope by Molly Jebber is book 4 in The Amish Charm Bakery Series
What would a secret do to your relationship or future relationships? In this wonderful story you will meet Maryann and Andrew, Maryanne who is dealing with past hurts and present family commitments while balancing he courtship to Andrew, And Andrew by all accounts is the perfect choice for her hardworking honest trustworthy and loves her family and his, then again will secrets be to much for this couple to overcome.

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What I think you should know:
Maryann’s Hope is the fourth book in the Amish Charm Bakery series by Molly Jebber. While this book can be a standalone I recommend reading the first three books in the series so that you get the stories and back stories that build up to this story.. It is set in 1913 in a community where Amish families and English families still lived and worked in close proximity with each other. This book follows Maryann Harding who returned to the Amish faith after her husband was killed.

What you might need should know:
Maryann’s Mom has some kind of mental illness that leaves her with an unhealthy attachment to Maryann.

What I think about this book:
I was so excited to have Maryann’s story after reading about her in prior books. Like Ellie she has returned to the Amish after going to live in the English world and because of this she is more cautious and has regrets about how things turned out. I really enjoyed getting to watch her and Andrew fall in love . When it came to the behavior of some of the characters of the previous books I was shocked and disappointed. Jebber has a wonderful way of making characters that are relatable and touching. Maryann and Andrew’s story captured me and had me rooting for them through their ups and downs. Once again Charm is a town whose residents leave me wanting more, I look forward to the next book in the series.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from Celebrate Lit, this in no way influenced my review. All opinions are my own.

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I really liked this story. Maryann and her daughter return home to her Amish faith/roots when her English husband is killed. Her marriage wasn't good and left her guarding her heart. She and her daughter are welcomed back and she meets Andrew.

Andrew and Maryann seem to be made for each other. Secrets are a great way to ruin a relationship though. Family obligations may also come between them and tear them apart. Maybe it isn't God's will that they be together or maybe they simply have to trust and go through a difficult time. I enjoyed from start to finish with this story.

It was a 4/5 for me.

Thank you to the author/publisher for the review copy of this book via Celebrate Lit. I received this book in exchange for an honest review and the opinions stated above are 100% mine.

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Maryann's Hope by Molly Jebber is book 4 of The Amish Charm Bakery series. It is set in 1913 in Ohio using the Amish Bakery as the community setting. Maryann has a history and is widowed from her marriage to an Englisher. Maryann does not like secrets. Andrew Wittmer asked her to marry him and then things happen to make her aware that he has secrets. Molly Jebber makes sure to keep your interest. This is the first book of the series that I read but I want to go back and read them.\


I received a complimentary copy of this book from NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are mine

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This is the fourth book in Molly Jebber's “Amish Charm Bakery” series, however, it can read this as a stand alone book. We follow widow, Maryann, as she develops feelings for Andrew. Due to family responsibilites, the relationship faces highs and lows.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from Kensington Books through NetGalley. The opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own.

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Although this story is set in the year 1913, the lessons in the storyline of love, family, trust, friendship, and hope apply perfectly to our lives today.


Andrew and Maryann soon come to realize that they love each other and plan to be married. They at first plan to live in Maryann’s hometown of Charm, Ohio, since Maryann’s mother has serious health problems and she feels the need to stay near her family. But Andrew receives a letter from his uncle, telling him of his serious illness. He asks Andrew to return to Millersburg to take over his business as he is no longer able to work. Although they desire to be married, Andrew and Maryann are torn between being together and helping care for their loved ones.


This book highlights something that is sometimes lacking in our society today: Showing an unselfish way of life by placing someone else’s needs above your own happiness. It may require having faith that God is leading in your life in ways that you may not understand at the time. I enjoyed reading Andrew’s and Maryann’s stories and seeing how their sincere desire to serving God through sacrificing for their families led to blessing they could never imagine.


I received a copy of this book from the publisher. All opinions are my own.

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The Amish community of Charm, Ohio, in 1913, is where you will find yourself, in this story. Then, as now, the Amish fill the community with their lifestyle and dedication to family. I found this to be a stand alone in a 4 part series, Amish Charm Bakery series.

Maryann Harding is an Amish woman who "jumped the fence" and married an Englisher. Unfortunately, her husband was murdered and she returned to her home and Amish roots, with her daughter, Becky. She found work in the bakery and seemed to find contentment there and in her community. She vowed to never leave herself open the wiles of a man. But Andrew Wittmer was a special man that managed to find a way to Maryann's heart and proposed to her.....she accepted.

It was not to be an easy road, though, and the twists and turns of this relationship, at a different era in time, will keep you turning the pages to find who was going to go left or right. How will this end as neither party is willing to leave their family obligations. It's a pot that the more it's stirred the more it swirls.....

Follow this couple and see how family, love, relationships and obligations are mixed into a couple and if they are able to compromise or sort them out. A good novel that will have you questioning your own dedication to family and if you were as torn this couple was to be.

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Maryann’s Hope by: Molly Jebber is an Amish Historical Romance book. This is book 4 in the Amish Charm Bakery series. I have read books 2 and 3. You can find my reviews for Book 2: HERE and Book 3: HERE. While this book can be read as a stand alone, I have enjoyed seeing the cast of characters throughout this series. In this story we meet Maryann Harding and Andrew Wittmer. This story is set during the early 1900’s in Charm, Ohio. Maryanne Harding's marriage to an Englischer took her away from her family. Her marriage was surrounded by secrets and mystery. Her husband is murdered and Maryanne goes back home to her family.

Thankfully her family and church family accepted her forgiveness and Maryann and her adorable little girl, Betsy, settles back into Amish life. Because of the pain from her first marriage she does not plan to open her heart again. Enter Andrew Wittmer. Andrew fell in love with Maryann at first site. Andrew and Maryann start courting and shortly afterwards Andrew proposes to Maryann and she accepts. Andrew wants to open up a furniture store of his own. However there is already one in the town. Will Andrew ask Maryann to leave her family again so that his dream can come true?

Andrew's uncle who helped raise him after his parents death falls ill. He lives 3 hours away and Andrew goes to help out at the furniture store. He and Maryann are stuck. Maryann is helping care for her ailing mother - and does not want to risk leaving her family again.

This story was one of second chances and forgiveness. It's a story of family and responsibilities. This is my favorite book in the series yet. Well written characters - a delightful bakery and such a fun storyline.

I received a copy of this book through the Celebrate Lit blogging program - all thoughts are my own.

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Maryann's Hope brings to light the idea of trust. When her first husband betrays her and then is taken away, the young widow is content to bake and raise her daughter. When her mother begins to ail, Maryann becomes her caretaker as well. Over the moon when Andrew Wittmer asks for her hand in marriage, Maryann thinks her life can only get better, However, fate intervenes, Andrew must take over his uncle's store several towns away. While Maryann wants to be his wife, she doesn't want to leave all that she knows. Betrayal rears its ugly head when Maryann finds out that Andrew has some secrets of his own. Will they overcome trust and make a future together? I had to keep turning the pages to see what would happen next. I received a copy through Netgalley. A review was not required.

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This is the fourth book in the “Amish Charm Bakery” series. You can read this as a stand alone book. However, now I do want to read the other three books in the series! We meet Maryann, a widow, who was married to an Englisher. We see her possibly getting a second chance with Andrew. The relationship is strained due to family responsibilities on both sides. Once i started reading, I couldn’t wait to see how the story turned out!


I received a complimentary copy of this book from Kensington Books through NetGalley. The opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own.

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An Amish story filled with hope, promises, deceit, loss and love. Through resilience and their faith, these
families overcome illness, broken dreams and losses. There is romance, friendships, family and faith that
helps these families not only survive but thrive. This is a story of understanding and accepting sacrifice
of your dreams for others is expected and accepted in this culture. The courting, romance and
relationships add to this story. Faith helps these families move forward. From the book: “Yesterday is
gone. Concentrate on today.” There are a few twists in the story. I would recommend this book for
Amish story fans, Inspirational fiction readers, romance fans and anyone that wants to read a good,
clean story. This book was provided through Celebrate Lit, the publisher and the author for my review. #NetGalley #MaryAnnesHope

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I greatly enjoy a good amish based story. I really did enjoy "Maryann's Hope". I have not read any stories by Ms. Jebber in the past, and am always looking for new authors with new writing styles.

I did enjoy this story. However, I found that it rambled on...a lot. There was a great deal of repetitive information, and many of the scenes were drawn out for such a long time that I found myself skimming many pages at a time just to get past the doldrum feeling. One such portion was when Maryann lost her mother. It was sad, but the detail of her death and services took up so much of the book that I just ended up skipping almost the entire section (and it was at least a full chapter of many pages). The author could have throughly done justice to this event in a fraction of the time. Even after skimming so much, I never felt like I was lost or missing anything important. This is the one reason that I could not give a 5 star. This book could have been written in about 1/3 of its length, and in my opinion it would not have been necessary to have lost any of its pertinent info. This is where a good editor would come into play. Just removing excess repetitive info would have made a significant difference to the enjoyment of this story. I sometimes just enjoy a book that I can pick up at periodic times throughout the day and read a little at a time without difficulty. This is why it's a little frustrating to me when so much of it is repetitive. I want to read new elements each time I pick up the book...not rehash everything that has happened so far.

I did enjoy the fact that so much of the book was not predictable. Many amish stories are fully predictable from early on in the story. The "surprises" in this story continued right to the final chapter. I really enjoy a little bit of the surprise element, even in a story I consider to be an "easy read". Amish stories tend to be my go-to when I am seeking something a little less stressful or difficult to follow when I can't really focus too extensively for long periods of time (busy times in life).

I received a complimentary copy of this book from Kensington Books through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

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The fourth book in the Amish Charm Bakery series, Maryann’s Hope was heartwarming. It’s always delightful to visit the town of Charm, to meet new people, and visit with old friends.

A story of second chances, author Molly Jebber has developed wonderful characters in Andrew and Maryann. But as we know, love isn’t always easy and in this case it is full of doubts and sacrifices. The author adds several historical pieces of information, as well as tackling the subject of mental illness. It’s done gently and isn’t heavy. Jebber also writes about trusting God and believing He has the best plan for our lives.

A delightful story of second chances, I highly recommend Maryann’s Hope.

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

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A very well written Amish romance. Well developed plot and characters. Fans of Amish fiction will enjoy this book. I received an advance ebook from the publisher and Netgalley. This is my unbiased review.

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Maryann and Andrew were a couple who had a lot of hard choices to make. I was impressed with the devotion both of them showed for their family, even when their hearts felt like they were breaking.

This novel had lots of interesting characters and even though I had not read any of the other books in this series, I did not have any trouble reading this story as a stand alone novel. It was interesting to note that there were quite a few older people in this story who were dealing with sicknesses that were causing them to waste away, yet their families didn’t know what was ailing them. I wondered whether it was because this story occurred in the early 1900’s or if it was the Amish decision to not seek a lot of medical help. Perhaps it was a combination of both.

I personally struggled with connecting to the two main characters. It seemed as if I was simply reading about their situations and being told about the decisions that they had to make, rather than feeling it along with them. This might simply be my preference for a certain writing style or a style that I am not used to. Regardless, it was still an interesting story to read.

(3.5 stars)

I received a complimentary copy of this book. All opinions are my own.

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Maryann’s Hope by Molly Jebber takes place in 1913 in Charm, Ohio where Maryann Harding has moved back to her Amish community after the death of her English husband.

Immediately after she and Andrew Wittmer meet love is in the air. Andrew is drawn to Maryann and her little daughter. They both agree in order to go forward with this relationship there must be open and complete communication. No secrets.

Due to the decline in the health of Maryann's mom in Charm and Andrew's uncle in another town, 10 miles away, but requires a three-hour buggy ride, they must decide if marriage is even a possibility. If they continue with their marriage plans, they will need to move to Millersburg in order for Andrew to care for his aging aunt and uncle and inherit his uncle's furniture shop.

Can their love story become a happily ever after tale? T

This book is best if read with the others in the series, but it is 5-star all the way.

I was given an ARC through NetGalley by the Kensington Publishing Company and was not required to give a positive review.

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Maryann's Hope is the fourth book in Molly Jebber's Amish Charm Bakery series. Reading the others will definitely fill in more of the background but readers will find Maryann's Hope captivating on its own. Widowed Maryann and her daughter have returned to her Amish roots in Charm, Ohio. Having abandoned her family in the past she is rebuilding relationships with them. All seems well as a new romance begins with Andrew, and then the struggles arise. Will they ever be able to start a life together? Illness, changes in career, secrets from the past seem bent on complicating and even ending their marriage plans. Would their faith in God be strong enough to overcome the challenges? The characters are likable and realistic, with their strong points and their flaws and foibles. I loved the friendship of the young women at the bakery as they worked together and cared for each other. The plot flows quickly with twists and turns that keep the reader's interest. The author has infused the pages with heart-warming emotion and romance. Threaded throughout the book is also a strong faith in God and a belief that He is a God who will give guidance and courage to make the right decisions in life. It is a story that readers who enjoy Amish stories and sweet romances won't want to miss.
The author has included a glossary of Pennsylvania Dutch/German words used in the story as well as a list of several recipes of baked goods mentioned in the book.
I received a complimentary copy of this book via CelebrateLit. A favorable review was not required and the opinions are my own. This review is part of a CelebrateLit blog tour.

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