I liked this book. It was a short and quick read. I love reading Wanda Brunstetter books. They always keep my attention and always want to read more.

The Christmas Secret is such a sweet, clean romance that can be enjoyed any time of the year! A plus is that it does not take a long time to read! Elizabeth and David can hardly wait until they are married! They even have a home selected. However, Elizabeth stumbles across a hidden diary written by her aunt. The information leads her to sadly conclude that an impossible situation exits, where the only thing to do is to break the engagement and travel far away. David goes to great lengths to try to repair their relationship. I will keep the secret and let other readers discover what it is!

A nice little Christmas novella that I read in one sitting. Very well developed story and perfect start to my Christmas season.

Should you ever read someone else's diary?
A short story about two people truly in love who have something come between them just before they're to be married. This is the story of how they both weather the problem and get through it, trusting in God. Christian Historical set in 1880 in Allentown PA. I can imagine this being an interesting story you'd tell when sitting around a fire on a wintery day.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the Publisher and Netgalley book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.

Another great Amish Christmas story by Ms. Brunstetter. Great story, lovable characters!! Puts you in the Christmas spirit.

Disclaimer: I received a copy of this Via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
Plot:
This was an okay book. It wasn’t really a book to get all in, but it was more of a boredom buster. Obviously, it was pretty predictable, and not much happened since this was more about the romance and the problems it faced than a plot.
Characters:
I didn’t love or hate the characters. It’s only 150 pages, so not a lot of time to get really attached to the characters necessarily. It was also super cheesy, as you would expect.
Overall:
I wouldn’t recommend buying this, but if you’re into the Amish Christian books, then you could definitely check this out if you think this is your type of book.

Elizabeth and David are set to be married until Elizabeth stumbles across a family secret that sets their course a different way. As she struggles to face what life without David will look like, she finds herself miserable. Thankfully, David is determined to do what he can to make sure they can still spend the rest of their lives together.
This sweet story is a quick read, perfect for Christmas time. I'd recommend it to anyone who enjoys Amish stories and romances.

The Christmas Secret

Wanda E. Brunstetter



Elizabeth Canning is getting married to David Stinner is just six weeks. She has been busy getting the tiny cabin her grandfather built for her grandmother, ready for her new life with David. All of that changes when she finds an old journal in a desk drawer that belonged to her Aunt Lovina from decades ago. THE CHRISTMAS SECRET is filled with mystery and it pulled me in from the very first page. Elizabeth leaves her family and David a note and runs away. She can't let her know what she found out in the journal because it will bring shame to so many people.


THE CHRISTMAS SECRET is set in 1880 and even though the cabin is small, many of their friends can't understand why David and Elizabeth would choose to live there when they could easily live in a much more modern cabin. Elizabeth is doing it for sentimental reasons and David is doing it to make Elizabeth happy. Once David discovers Elizabeth's note, to say he is confused and hurt is a huge understatement. He actually thinks she has left to be with another man and that she never really loved David. He goes to her best friend Helen, who seems to be the only one who knows where Elizabeth has gone. He puts his faith and trust in God and prays to find the answers he is looking for.


Once David finds out that Elizabeth ran away because of what she read in her aunts journal, David tracks down her aunt who moved away many many years ago. THE CHRISTMAS SECRET is a huge one and once David learns the truth, he knows he has to go and get Elizabeth back. Will they get married and find their happily ever after? Will he convince Elizabeth that they have the right to be together? THE CHRISTMAS SECRET is a short, sweet novella and the flow of the story held my interest throughout. The story teaches the reader how important communication is and to not believe everything you read at first. Being a novella, you do not have much time to connect with the characters, but with the way Wanda E. Brunstetter wrote the story, you are quickly filled with hope and find yourself cheering for David and Elizabeth. As an added bonus, there are recipes at the end of the book and who doesn't love that?

A very sweet innocent romantic novel. A very quick read. I would definitely read other works by this author.

This was a very short, sweet novella about love at Christmas. Elizabeth was engaged to marry David on Christmas Eve, her birthday. She was excited about their life ahead and was preparing the small cabin they would soon live in when she discovered a terrible secret that would make it impossible for she and David to be together. She was broken-hearted and left town with only a note explaining to David and her parents that she had learned something that made it impossible for she and David to marry. Only her best friend, Helen, knew the secret and she had promised not to tell anyone. Fortunately, she wasn't able to keep the secret and once David learned the secret, he was determined to win Elizabeth's love once again. Would it be too late for them? Would he be able to find Elizabeth in time? You'll just have to read to find out.

I was given a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

The Christmas Secret by Wanda E. Brunstetter is a wonderful Christmas Novella to get the reader in the holiday/Christmas mood.This book is the perfect example of how a lie can have devastating consequences many years later. Beautiful story of how a God hears and answers our prayers. Don't miss this one, as you will not be disappointed.

The Christmas Secret is set in 1880 and the town sounds simply enchanting in its simplicity. The little cabin they plan to live in for sentimental reasons intrigues others but many of them don't understand their decision. They know they could live in a more modern cabin. They plan to marry there as well even though her best friend, Helen, doesn't think it is a wise choice. Unfortunately for the happy couple, Elizabeth discovers her aunt's secret diary as she is cleaning the cabin and when she reads it, she finds a horrible, horrible truth that means she can never marry David. In her shock and grief, she hastily writes a letter to David to cancel their marriage and flees without even talking with him first. He is confused and upset and all he wants is to find her and bring her home for their wedding. He may never find her though and when he does, the secret may indeed end their chance of a lifetime of married bliss together. But David isn't giving up on this beautiful, wonderful young woman and God isn't giving up on either of them. If only Elizabeth would trust God to shape their future.


This is the perfect time of year to spend time reading The Christmas Secret as we approach the Christmas holiday. Of course, any time of year is the right time to read books in my opinion, but I love to read Christmas books at this time of year. Wanda has tackled this historical fiction piece with as much style and grace as she does with her Amish works. The story has a shocking element that leads to a mystery for David as he searches to bring his bride-to-be home. I love a good shocking bit of a mystery when I read and I think that other readers will enjoy it too.

I received this book from Barbour Publishing, Inc. and Shiloh Run Press via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Elizabeth is beyond excited to marry the love of her life David. When she sets out to clean the homestead her grandparents built and her parents lived in and now she and David will live, she excited to keep the place that holds something dear to her. She however discovers something that could change everything about her life and her future but could also put shame on her family and Davids. So off she goes to figure out what is next. David tries to figure out what caused Elizabeth to run and he needs to get to the truth before he looses everything that means the world to him.
What a sweet love story. This book was short and sweet and a fun read. Its set in the 1800's but it feels like it very well could be set in any era. The characters were easy to connect with and easy to follow. The storyline was fun and such a great read. I highly recommend this book, totally worth the read.

I have always enjoyed Wanda Brunstetter books. This is a sweet Christmas story that teaches a lesson about trust and forgiveness. While the plot is slightly predictable the story is still enjoyable. While David and Elizabeth are planning a wedding and a future of ether Elizabeth discovers a secret that changes everything. Elizabeth's response to he discovery only adds to the problem. I wish the story had been longer and more developed. This is the reason I only gave the book 3 stars.