Cover Image: Love in Plain Sight

Love in Plain Sight

Pub Date:   |   Archive Date:

Member Reviews

This is a wonderful book that hooks you on the first page and doesn't let go. It deals with a sensitive subject that the author handled beautifully. This is not your typical Amish romance book; at times it will have you on the edge of your seat. Even though this is book three of An Amish Mail Order Bride series, it can be read as a stand-alone. This is a wonderful book that you don't want to miss.
I received a complimentary copy from Zondervan Fiction via NetGalley and was not required to write a review. All opinions expressed are my own.

Was this review helpful?

Do you know that satisfying feeling after a good meal? That is how I felt after reading this book. “Love in Plain Sight” is the third book in the Amish Mail Order Bride series by Kathleen Fuller. You can read this as a stand alone book, but the other books are so good, you will want to read them too!
There are two storylines taking place, and both will keep you reading. Katherine Miller comes to Birch Creek escaping an abusive fiance. Katherine was written as a “real” character, struggling with her physical features. I know many women can relate to her insecurities. Some of the scenes are difficult to read, but it is important to know that within the Amish community, there are also people who behave poorly.
Katherine works at the Stoll Inn with Ezra Bontrager. They slowly build a friendship but Katherine is afraid to let anyone know about her past. This sweet romance also includes resident matchmakers, Delilah Stoll and Cevilla Schlabach. I always enjoy their “meddling”. The other storyline involves The Bishop of Birch Creek. I don’t want to give anything away, but if you have been reading the Birch Creek novels then I think you will be content with the ending.
I want to thank Kathleen Fuller, Zondervan, and Netgalley for a complimentary copy of the book. The opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own.

Was this review helpful?

2 – 2.5 stars
Love in Plain Sight
by Kathleen Fuller
TW: Domestic Violence
This was truly the most unique Amish based book I have ever read, and that was not necessarily a good thing. I typically read Amish for the sweet and light of their lives and the ease of reading one of these tyes of books.This one is quite different from the norm of Amish fiction.
Katharine's fiancée Simeon abuses her physically and emotionally while integrating himself into her parents lives. A friend realizes what is happening and helps her to flee to another community to be safe. Katharine has to lie to her family and everyone in Birch Creek in order to stay safe.
I liked Ezra. I liked Katharine, but she was emotionally wore out and her character was difficult to read. I have a hard time reading books dealing with domestic violence, as do many people.
Even the secondary story was a difficult one to read.
The writing is good. The end is left a little open, so I do wonder if there is another book in this series where this situation will continue to play out.
I don't think I will read more of this author. I also do not recommend this book to anyone who struggles reading about these types of issues.



I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher and Netgalley.

Was this review helpful?

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for letting me read this book. I read a lot of Amish fiction. I have never read any books by this author before. I thought the storyline was great and she did a great job writing it. The downside is the formatting which is horrible. There are many problems and at times it makes reading the book and understanding who is speaking difficult. I hope that the formatting will be fixed by the publisher or it could ruin the success of the book. The story was interesting and didn't drag like some of the Amish books do. From the author's perspective, I would give it a 5. From the formatting perspective, I would give it a negative 5.
This is too good a book to be ruined by the formatting. I will read more of her books!.

Was this review helpful?

I loved being back in Birch Creek Ohio, old friends, they embrace matches and are know as a town for finding Amish mates!

This is a story of forgiveness, forgiveness for individuals and for the complete town. New comer Katharine is looking for peace, missing loved ones, but afraid to go home, and who could blame her!

This is a story that at times keeps you on the end of your seat, never knowing how things are going to turn out, and if they will be safe!

We also find out who placed the mail order bride ad, surprise!

I received this book through Net Galley and the Publisher Zondervan, and was not required to give a positive review.

Was this review helpful?

This is the third book in the Amish Mail Order Bride series. We meet Katharine Miller in this book, along with Ezra Bontrager.

Katharine has come to Birch Creek, Ohio, not to answer the ad for a mail order bride, but to escape from her past of an abusive fiance. She is working at the Stoll Inn, where she meets Ezra. Ezra, whose family are all farmers, does not want to be a farmer, but enjoys his work at the Inn as a handyman. They develop a special friendship, but so many things stand in the way of them getting close.

I received a copy of this book from Zondervan and NetGalley. You will not want to put the book down until you have finished the book. I highly recommend this book to anyone who enjoys reading Amish books. The opinions expressed are my own.

Was this review helpful?

I received this copy from Kathleen publishers through Netgalley.
I adore all her books. I couldn't put it down I was greatful for the opportunity to read. she is one of my favorite authors. I always love all the characters in all her books.

Was this review helpful?

Kathleen Fuller returns her readers to the Amish town of Birch Creek, Ohio, where a tiny ad seeking wives for the town's many bachelors has brought dozens of young women searching for husbands.

Katharine Miller fled to Birch Creek when her fiancé's abuse began to frighten her. Two weeks before her wedding, he nearly broke her hand causing her to run without telling even her parents where she was going. Only her best friend and confidant knows where she truly is, and for her continued safety is keeping the secret - even from her own husband who has been best friends with Katharine's fiancé since they were children. After a year of being in Birch Creek, she has lost most of the weight she gained during her engagement (stress eating) and her acne-riddled skin has cleared up (also stress related.) She has been doing her best to stay in the background, but her employer is Delilah Stoll, a woman who firmly believes in finding matches for the unmarried. When Delilah pushes her to spend time with Ezra Bontrager, can she convince her that she's really happy as she is - unmarried, employed making her baskets, and unnoticed by the men of the community.

Ezra Bontrager's older brothers have happily settled down with their new wives - women who came to town as part of some matchmaker's scheme to marry off the unmarried men of the community. So far, he has managed to avoid these women - most of whom just seem desperate to him - and remain unattached. He's met Delilah's newest employee, Katharine, but she's so shy he can't imagine trying to get to know her. He's never been shy and as the new handyman at Stoll's Inn, he comes in contact with Katharine often. As Delilah begins to throw them together, can they at least find friendship, even if their hearts aren't ready for love?

Ezra has been one of my favorite characters throughout this series. His sense of humor comes out in unusual places (his first encounter with Katharine in the story comes to mind.) Katharine's character is one that readers will feel sympathy for, and will cheer for in the end. I also enjoyed how this book is actually two stories in one. The second story has continued throughout the series, and actually started back in Fuller's Amish of Birch Creek series.

I couldn't put this book down once I started it, so yes, I highly recommend it. Readers who have read the Amish of Birch Creek series, or any of the Amish Mail-Order Brides series should absolutely pick this up.

Was this review helpful?

I enjoyed this romance story. This is a new line of stories for me which I enjoyed and will be looking for more. This is also a new author which I enjoyed her writing style and her attention to details that brought so much to the story. This is a well written story that is about two people, secrets, humor and two strong heads. I was pulled into the story from the beginning and it kept me turning pages to the end. The characters are not only connectable but are written with alot of heart. They took me on an emotional ride in parts and had me laughing in others. They are strong characters who had great growth as well as great chemistry throughout the story. I really enjoyed them and what they brought to the story. This is a great story that filled my afternoon with alot of romance. I highly recommend this book.

Was this review helpful?

I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.
Thank you Zondervan!

I love these books. When it comes to the "formulaic" type of books (romances, crime novels) I tend to find one author I like and read everything they write. For Kathleen Fuller I've considered what it is about her romance novels that I like more than others in the genre, and in this book I realized what it was - her characters.

I love that her Amish series tend to follow different communities and that while there is a general focus on one couple per book, the supporting cast (so to speak) is recurring and makes for wonderful sideplots and rich characterizations. I keep coming back, because I keep enjoying this community of characters.

I thought this was one of her better books and that Katharine was one of her best female leads.
I'm someone who loves the book, and even more the movie, "Sleeping with the enemy", and this was sort of a light version of that. Something about a woman getting the courage to try to leave an abusive man speaks very deeply to me.

Now, why is Katharine one of the best leads? I know that in the present girl power iteration we are all supposed to embrace and love ourselves as we are, and yay for that. But let's be honest, a lot of women do struggle with feeling 'less than', struggling with weight and complexion issues, dealing with poor self-esteem from not being 'the pretty one' who gets easy male attention. Basically, Katharine isn't the typical "oh I had no idea I was beautiful" but stunningly gorgeous lead, she comes across as a rather plain girl whose beauty is there but not obvious, and who got taken advantage of because of her poor self-esteem.

Something about her was just more relatable than with most female leads. She was genuinely vulnerable, and I was really rooting for her to feel better about herself and invested in her well-being.

I also really liked Ezra and enjoyed that he was quite forthcoming about his emotions, rather than spending the whole book trying to avoid them, and just being a good guy all around.

I wasn't as invested in the sideplot, however, I did really like that Fuller started to build it up in the previous book "Matched and Married", which made it feel very satisfying to get a conclusion. The theme of abuse runs heavy through this book, but I enjoyed that it went to the darker place.

I found Simeon quite frightening, though I do wish the conclusion to his story would have been a little bit more elaborate. (Oh, and oh that Galen moment! Gah! When you read it you'll know my frustration.)

The one thing I didn't really enjoy was Charity, I thought she was a bit over the top and needlessly mean, I really, really, hope that we get to read a redemption arc for her in an upcoming book. I hope she gets to mature and become a more positive character. Something about her being only 18 made me flashback to every embarrassing or stupid thing I said or did during my entire high school career (so much for that night's sleep, thanks brain), and I really hope that Fuller takes her flaws and allows her to grow. Perhaps even let her be a love interest in the next book? I guess time will tell.

Was this review helpful?

It wasn’t until I was finished the book that I found out that it was the third in the series “Mail Order Brides”. I am not sure if it would of been a better read if I had read the first two books, however it was a very good read as a stand-alone. It also has made me search out the previous two books in this series. This was such a different type of Amish themed book for me. Domestic abuse isn’t really a popular theme in Amish novels and I appreciated how the author introduced it in the Amish Culture - with sensitivity as well as not just glossing over it. My heart went out to Katherine and her struggles with appearances and in hiding her abuse. I cheered for her as she had to make some difficult choices to hopefully find healing and to move forward in her life. These choices aren’t easy for any woman but I would imagine even harder for an Amish Woman. Love in Plain Sight isn’t just a story about Katherine as there are mini stories about several other characters in the community. For me the central theme was overcoming and also how forgiveness allows us to move forward in our lives. I would most definitely recommend this novel to others and I rate it a 5/5.

I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own. Thank you Zondervan Fiction and the author for allowing me to have this opportunity.

Was this review helpful?

Katherine Miller finds her way to the Amish Community of Birch Creek after her friend tells her about an ad for brides. She hopes this will be her opportunity to escape the mess that her life has become. Ezra Bontrager
notices the young woman when he starts working at Stoll's Inn where she is employed.
There is a lot going on in Birch Creek.There's a theme of lying that seems to thread through the stories involving several of the characters. It may seem more noticeable to me because it is an Amish community. In the long run the lies are found out and there are repercussions.
I like the ongoing stories of the Birch Creek Amish including Rhoda, Cevilla, Richard, Delilah and Loren. There is serious drama and moments of humor too. There is good closure for one family story too. I enjoyed this new book in the series and want to thank the publisher and NetGalley for my advanced reader's copy.

Was this review helpful?

This is the third book in this series which I enjoyed the three books. You can read as a stand a lone also. Kathleen Fuller is a talented writer and always enjoy her books. This book is about Katharine Miller a Amish girl with a abusive fiance. He is very controlling of Katharine and she hides the abuse. When her friend figured it out after she seen a bloody lip she tells Katharine to run. She is afraid to tell her parents and she lies to them so know one can find her. This is a beautiful story . Can Katharine find someone to love her that is not abusive.? Can she stay hidden that her family cannot find her?

Was this review helpful?

I have enjoyed this series of the Amish Mail Order Bride. An ad in the Amish Budget Newspaper was for single women to come to Birch Creek for available men. The Amish believe that marriage strengthens communities and lack of available single women in Birch Creek was not helping. No one knows who put the ad in the paper but there are some viable contenders that love to encourage a good match and will the Lord to do so. In this series, you also know the community, the love, and the struggles. One struggle that has been in all 3 books was a family that had gone thru suffering when the father abandoned his family many years ago. Rhoda was abandoned by her abusive husband and has developed a strong friendship with Loren that runs the B&B with this mother. The B&B has also been a strong backdrop to this series as well. To end this series well and possibly bring on a new one.

Katherine Miller has been working at the B&B for over a year with Loren and his mother Delilah. She has kept a secret from the community and is resolved to live a life of loneliness. Delilah only sees opportunity and knows well that we were not meant to be alone. Ezra has been with working with the B&B for a short time. Of course a friendship and a trust builds between Katherine and Ezra.

Trust is a key virtue in this series and it is tangled in abuse. You cannot reconcile abuse and trust together but you can begin in your identity in Christ. I see this journey in Katherine's as she put herself away from the abuse and begin the painstaking journey of seeing God work in her life. It takes patience and trust that is hard to put in words and harder to live out. I have enjoyed this journey of faith and romance!

A special thank you to Zondervan Publishing and Netgalley for the ARC and the opportunity to post an honest review

Was this review helpful?

Come back to Birch Creek in Kathleen Fuller's latest novel, Love in Plain Sight. Katharine comes to Birch Creek from Wyoming, where she was lived with her parents. She was engaged to Simeon, who was abusive and hurtful. She fled to Birch Creek, intending to blend in with the other young women searching for husbands, without actually searching for a husband. She gets a job at the Stoll Inn, where she works with Ezra Bontrager. Ezra and she become friends, and, eventually, something more. However, her past is about to catch up to her. And Birch Creek's past will also arrive unexpectedly! I laughed out loud, cried a bit, and smiled through so much of this story! I am so grateful to Kathleen for sharing her stories with us! I can't wait to see what happens next!
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the chance to read these stories!

Was this review helpful?

In this third installment of the Amish Mail Order Bride series, I loved returning to the small Amish town of Birch Creek, Ohio, and reconnecting with the Bontrager family and other Birch Creek friends. This book can be read as a stand-alone; but since it references and features many characters from the first two books, I recommend reading them first. This captivating story features Katharine Miller, who relocates to Birch Creek to escape an abusive relationship. Can Katharine find safety and happiness in her new home, or will her past resurface to threaten her future with Ezra Bontrager? The smoothly flowing plot kept me engaged from beginning to end. The characters are compelling and relatable. I love that the story features a heroine who is, by the world’s standards, “not so beautiful” as she struggles with her weight and complexion. I also enjoyed how the author ties up some loose ends from the last book through the poignant side story that focuses on Rhoda, Loren, and Emmanuel. With themes of forgiveness and redemption, this well-crafted narrative combines light and somber moments to make an enjoyable, satisfying read. Of the first three books of the series, this is my favorite, and I highly recommend it especially for fans of Amish fiction.
I received a complimentary copy of this book from Zondervan through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

Was this review helpful?

I have loved Kathleen Fuller's An Amish Mail-Order Bride series and was excited to read the third installment, Love in Plain Sight. I thought it was great! Four and a half stars.

Was this review helpful?

Great story! Katharine has a problem, and her fiancé rubs her nose into it. In desperation, Katharine leaves her fiance, Simeon. She lives in in a different state where no one knows her past. In fear, she lives in the shadows until she meets Ezra. Ezra slowly opens her up to love and forgiveness. Things are going well until Simeon shows up and says she's his wife. Will Ezra back down to Simeon?

Thank you Zondervan Fiction, for allowing me to read and ARC of Love in Plain Sight (An Amish Mail-Order Bride Novel Book 3) by Kathleen Fuller through Netgalley. All opinions are my own, and I was not required to give a positive review.

Was this review helpful?

This book is third in the series Mail Order Brides. Katheryn lives with her parents in an Amish community in Montana. She has many insecurities regarding her appearance, and questions whether she will find true love. Katheryn meets someone and is quickly engaged to be married. But, all is not as it seems. Her fiancée is abusive. She flees to Ohio, after seeing an ad for Mail Order Brides. There she meets Ezra, a kind and caring man. But, her fears and insecurities cause her to become fearful and closed off. Will Katheryn overcome her fears and insecurities to find true love?

I was provided a copy of this book by Zondervan, and the opinions are my own.

Was this review helpful?

This book was quite different than other books I have read by Kathleen Fuller. There are several different stories. I was provided a copy of the book by Netgalley but it did not influence my review.

Was this review helpful?