There were tears! Such a sweet story with a wonderful ending. The characters are perfect in this holiday read.

The Amish Christmas Promise by Amy Lillard is a sweet story of love and hope and forgiveness. Mattie is a widow with two children and another on the way. When her deceased husband’s twin brother, Samuel shows up at the door and says he’s going to marry her to honor a promise he made you his brother, she doesn’t know what to say. Among other issues, Samuel is shown by the church, and will need to make things right before they can even consider it. But, as they spend time together, they will discover that it might be more than a promise that binds them together. Thanks #NetGalley for the chance to read this sweet story. I enjoyed it.

The Amish Christmas Promise

by Amy Lillard

Mattie’s husband David was killed in a farming accident leaving her with two precious preschool daughters and another child on the way. She has been grieving for several months when David’s twin brother Samuel appears. He claims that he had promised David that he would take care of his wife and children if anything ever happened to David. He declares that he is there to marry Mattie. Not only is Mattie stunned by his assertion, but there is a major obstacle. Samuel has been out of communication with his family and the Amish church for eight years, and he is under their rules for shunning anyone who has left the church in this manner.

The Amish Christmas Promise is about the secrets Samuel holds and his reluctance to share them and ask forgiveness of God and the church members. He is deep in lies of omission which are hurting his budding relationship with Mattie. She and her two sisters who live with her risk their standing in the church by the acts of kindness they show Samuel. So faith, trust, kindness, and God’s will become major themes in the story.

The children are sweet, and the sisters are supportive. Some humor is brought into the novel in the form of Charlie, a mischievous pygmy goat that Mattie keeps in the house as a pet. It is rather a stereotype, but the bishop’s wife Eleanor Peachey does her best to righteously spread rumors and gossip. Mattie and Samuel are both likable characters. I enjoyed the book, but the resolution seemed like a jump in time and occurred too easily to be believable given the past tragedies in the protagonists’ lives. It was, however, the ending most readers would hope for.

I received a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

Rating: 4/5

Category: Christian, Romance

Publication: November 28, 2023—Harlequin (Love Inspired)

Memorable Lines:

Mattie wiped tears of mirth from her eyes; at least they had started off that way. These days she could never be certain. One minute she was laughing and the next sobbing. But pregnancy and grief were a terrible combination.

How many people had he grown up with had faked their compliance with the church until true faith came to them? A handful at least. Being Amish wasn’t easy, and that had nothing to do with lack of modern amenities and everything to do with heightened faith. Most had it. All were expected to.

“You may always have doubts. And you may always have to stop yourself from wondering and mulling over all the what-ifs and maybes, but it’s not wallowing in them that makes all the difference.”

I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This book got off to a slow start, but it got a lot better from there!

Amy Lillard is one of my favorite authors and I always look forward to her books coming out. She did not disappoint with this book that deals with loss, forgiveness, promises and a tender, clean romance. Definitely worth waiting for as we come upon the Christmas season.

I was given a complimentary copy of this book from Netgalley and the publisher. All words are my own. This book is from the Harlequin Love Inspired series and released on November 26, 2003. I recommend this book.

The Amish Christmas Promise by Amy Lillard, is a heartwarming story about loss, healing, keeping a promise, inspiration, shunning, and forgiveness. Mattie Byler is pregnant and widowed, with two little girls and a farm to take care of. One day her late husband’s twin brother, Samuel, appears at her door; claiming that he had made a promise to his brother that he would look after his wife if anything happened to him. In Samuel’s mind, that meant he needs to marry her. Unfortunately, he has been shunned and has been living among the English. At first Mattie doesn’t want anything to do with him, but she reluctantly allows him to do work around her farm. Slowly they form a friendship, with Mattie realizing she’s falling in love with him and Samuel has fallen in love with her. Before anything more can happen, Samuel needs to confess his sins to the community and return to the church; something he’s been struggling with. I highly recommend The Amish Christmas Promise to other readers.

I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book.

What a heartfelt, lovely, charming story...full of hope and redemption! If you are looking for a cozy read, this holiday season, one that will fill you with joy and hope and warmth, look no further. The characters are simply endearing.
Thanks to #NetGalley and #Harlequin - Romance, Love Inspired for the ARC.

I really, really enjoyed this book.
It's tender and heartwarming but doesn't shy away from real-life circumstances.
Pregnant Amish widow Mattie Byler is pregnant with her third child, she has two toddlers and a farm she's running now after her husband's death. Luckily her two sisters are able to live with her and help her, which she tremendously appreciates. Her husband's shunned brother shows up at her doorstep and tells her he's going to marry her. She's having none of it, he's been gone eight years now that he's left the faith. He says he fulfilling his brother's wishes to take care of his wife if anything should happen to him, which unfortunately it has. As they spend more time together, she appreciates the chores he can do and the hard physical labor he can do she and her sisters cannot. She finds herself falling for him but makes it completely clear he must make it right with his faith by seeing the bishop. Though he cares a great deal for her he's not quite ready to return to the faith but she's adamant in what he must do if he wants any chance with her. As they spend more time together, he comes clean on what life was like for him since he left the faith eight years ago. It hasn't been easy and has been a real eye-opener compared to the laid-back lifestyle of the Amish he was used to. He has lost in life because of choices he's made but he's ready to finally start anew with a renewed faith and a beautiful family. Tender, sweet, realistic, loss and then renewal of life and faith. Beautiful! Recommended.

Pub Date 28 Nov 2023
I was given a complimentary copy of this book.
All opinions expressed are my own.

The Amish Christmas Promise by Amy Lillard is a heartwarming tale. Mattie Byler, a pregnant widow, is shocked when she finds her husband’s twin, Samuel on her doorstep. Samuel has returned to the community to honor a promise he made to his twin many years ago. Since Samuel is shunned, he will need to make a kneeling confession before the baptized members of the community. That is easier said than done. The Amish Christmas Promise is an easy story to read. There is an interesting cast of characters. Mattie is lucky to have sisters to help her. They are outspoken and supportive. My favorite character was Charlie, Mattie’s pygmy goat that lives inside her home. That goat has a larger-than-life personality. She goes where she wants, eats what she wants, and is quite the escape artist. Charlie is also an excellent emotional support animal. She has a knack for knowing when Mattie (and others) needs comforting. There is one scene involving the bishop’s wife (aka the biggest gossip in the community) and Charlie that had me laughing out loud. The Amish Christmas Promise is a story about healing, restoring faith, trust, new love, letting go, forgiveness, and God’s timing. When you are a widow or widower, it can be hard to open your heart to a new love. I did feel that the ending was a tad rushed. I enjoyed experiencing Christmas with the Amish. I hope the author will return us to this community because I would love stories featuring Mattie’s sisters. The Amish Christmas Promise is a touching tale with a returning twin, a naughty goat, supportive sisters, an unwavering widow, shunning guidelines, finding forgiveness, and a gracious God.

The Amish Christmas Promise by Amy Lillard will be released, November 28, 2023. I was given an ARC by Harlequin - Romance, Love Inspired, but was not asked to offer a positive review. All opinions are my own.

Widow, Mattie Byler, and her late husband’s shunned twin brother, Samuel, have a very difficult entangled relationship in Amy Lillard new Christmas book. Each of these two main characters have faced heartache and loss. Each is dealing with their loss in an entirely differ ways. One running away from God and one walking with God. What a pair these two make.

The plot of this story is well written and helps one move into the Christmas season. It is an interesting page-turner.

The characters are realistic and believable. Mattie’s sisters, Evie and Naomi are great additions to the cast of characters. Mattie’s little girls are precious and the non-human little pygmy goat named “Charlie“ is just too cute for words.

Lillard handles a very tough story line with poises and grace.

I highly recommend this as a 5-star addition to your Amish book collection.

I love this story! Mattie and Samuel have had great heartache and loss. Each have travelled in different directions in dealing with their pain. One holds to God while the other questions His will. Samuel marches in to her life and tells her he is going to marry her. He made a promise to his brother David. A promise she hasn't ever heard of.
The whole storyline is interesting with the touch of romance, a mourning period, two baby girls and a child on the way. Sisters Evie and Naomi are excellent secondary characters with big hearts. And a silly little goat gives a great touch of humor.
I want to thank Harlequin Love Inspired and NetGalley for an advanced reader's copy of the book. This is my unsolicited opinion about it. It has a nice Christmas feel to it with the added reality that sometimes things go awry during the holiday too. I want to see the sisters' stories next!

The Amish Christmas Promise is a well written Amish romance. The book has a well developed plot and characters. I recommend this book. I received an advance ebook from the publisher and Netgalley. This is my unbiased review.

An estranged man returns to his Amish community to fulfill a promise he had made to marry his deceased brother's wife.
This book was sweet. It let one in on life as an Amish person. I learned many things I didn't realize.
In true "Love inspired" fashion, it had a great happily ever after!

My Description, i.e., the Blurb …
Mattie Byler is Amish, a young widow, and a mother of two. And she is pregnant. The last thing she expected when she opened the door was to stare at her dead husband’s face. Samuel Byler. Her husband’s twin brother. His shunned twin brother. No one had heard from him in years. Why was he here?

Samuel had no plans to return to his community after being in the 'Englisher' world until he read about David’s death. He was there to marry Mattie; he had promised his brother. And like a bull in a china shop, he tells Mattie he is there to marry her. He is carrying a lot of baggage. And his blurted announcement is not well received by Mattie. The book is tagged as ‘An Uplifting Inspirational Romance‘.

My Review …
When I read the description on NetGalley, I immediately clicked the “Request” button. I felt lucky to be approved. This was a fun book to read because of a specific character — not a human but a little pygmy goat named “Charlie”. This little goat makes work for Mattie and her two sisters who currently live with her since her husband died so suddenly. She eats anything she pleases and, of course, she is NOT supposed to consume but does anyway. While Charlie is not stated as an ESA (Emotional Support Animal), she is. She has that knack of knowing when Mattie needs extra support. I have a fondness and a personal understanding of ESAs, as I have one. My little Thor never wavered after my husband’s sudden death. So — yeah, I loved “Charlie”.

You will like Mattie. She’s tougher than she knows. But it’s tough being a widow and being pregnant. She has more than two sisters who live with her. Evie has a disability but it does not define her or keep her from doing what she wants to do. There is a lot to admire in Evie’s character. Naomi has strong opinions about a lot of things and doesn’t hesitate to share them — well, most of the time. She definitely has one regarding Samuel.

There’s a sweet old yellow dog named “Goldie” that recognized Samuel — I have a HUGE soft spot for dogs. A passel of goats — David and Mattie had a “goat farm” — now Mattie is ignoring those who gently and not so gently suggest she needs to remarry because she needs help. She does and Samuel is determined to help her…and he does.

You’ll chuckle if not laugh out with the scene of the Bishop’s wife (hint, she’s the biggest gossip in the community), Charlie, and a piece of cherry pie.

You should be intrigued by now. There are more characters — but not too many at a time. And Samuel’s story comes out in pieces. And it is not a pretty one. You’ll probably think, as I did, “Go talk to the Bishop already!”

In a review of a published book, the reviewer can quote a passage or two. In ARC reviews, one is to avoid doing that because the passage could be removed or modified in the published version. There was one jumped off the page and I feel confident that no one could improve it. “Life math is hard.”

The passage comes as Mattie considers her life with David. Two — David and Mattie. Four — two children. And now there were just three. “Life math is hard.” I lost my husband suddenly too. At 3:45 pm there were two. At 5:00 pm, there was one. Life math is truly hard.

I liked this book but did feel the ending was rushed. There was all this angst and then — tada! At least, that’s how it felt to me. Other than that, this book was a wonderful read and I highly recommend it. While it occurs in the months before and after Christmas, the core of the story deals with trust and learning to let go.

I received a complimentary DRC (digital review copy) of “The Amish Christmas Promise” via NetGalley from the publisher, Harlequin – Romance, Love Inspired. A positive review was not required; the opinions expressed are entirely my own.

Rating: 4.5 stars rounded to 5 stars for sites showing on round numbers.
Cover: Nice cover — however, a red dress on “Mattie” is improbable.
Pages: 223
Publish Date: 28 Nov 2023
#TheAmishChristmasPromise #NetGalley #AmyLillard

Loved this sweet romance to the fullest!
Wonderful characters and a good plot that will make you want to get in the Christmas spirit.
I'm going to be honest and say that Emma is my favorite character because of her bubbley and fun-loving personality.
I do understand that Mattie is grieving, and you'll never get over missing someone.
I appreciated and loved Samuel for trying to do the right thing for David and Mattie.
Sometimes, things just have to work out with God's timing. Good things come to those who wait with patience.
Me, that's hard for me to do, but I do try.
I really enjoyed this sweet story.
Lillard is a gifted writer, and I love anything she writes.
I am giving this one 5 stars for an excellent cozy read.
I highly recommend it!
My thanks for a copy of this book. I was NOT required to write a positive review. All opinions expressed are my own.