A Plain and Sweet Christmas Romance Collection is a collection of nine wonderful stories. These nine stories include:
A Crossroad to Love by Lauralee Bliss Simple Gifts by Ramona K Cecil A Christmas Prayer by Dianne Christner Treasure of the Heart by Melanie Dobson Love is Forever by Jerry Eicher Love's Pure Light by Olivia Newport Pirate of My Heart by Rachael O Phillips Equally Yoked by Claire Sanders Abigail's Christmas Candles by Anna Schmidt I just love these short stories. There were a few authors who are new to me and some that are one of my top must read authors. If I had to pick a favorite from this book, I would have to choose, Melanie Dobson's Treasure of the Heart.
Great Christmas Collection!
5 plus stars.

This title says it all, it's about plain men and women finding romance, whether they are Amish, Quaker, Mennonite, or from Amana Colonies. The sweetness is all there too. The women are sweet, what they cook is sweet. The novellas are overloaded with sweetness, but at the same time, quite a number of the women are strong-willed and not all of them can cook. It's a neat thing to see these women with foibles, even in their plain lifestyles.

The nine novellas are written by respected, experienced authors who put out nothing but quality. These are of the same quality as their full length novels--which I think is a harder thing to pull off because a whole plot has to be condensed into a little over 100 pages. Definite Five Stars, Two Thumbs Up, and your favorite Christmas cookie recipe.

My thanks to Barbour Publishing for allowing me to read and review this olio.

Several stories in this book by wonderful authors. Each has a unique way of pulling in the reader. Delightful story lines. Can't wait to read more by all of these authors

This is a beautiful collection of Christmassy romance novels.
There are 4 Quaker stories, 2 Amish, 2 Mennonite Brethren and one set in the Amana Colonies. They are all very sweet and enjoyable but the one that sticks out most in my mind is Equally Yoked by Claire Sanders as this is based around the Underground Railroad and is a real treat. Prior to that story which is the penultimate in the book my favourite was Love's Pure Light by Olivia Newport, which shows how true love rescues from adversity. I aim to follow both these writers and see what else they have written.
A very enjoyable collection of stories and I advise any lover of romance to read them.

If you are looking for a book to get you in the Christmas mood, then I have found just the one for you. A Plain Sweet Christmas is a collection of nine plain (Quaker, Mennonite, Amana, and Amish) novellas, all with their own unique twist. So grab a mug of your favorite drink, cozy up to the fire, and prepare to be carried away!

Crossroad to Love by Lauralee Bliss meets the Quakers in1846 Ohio. Mysterious traveler Silas stumbles across their settlement and finds himself at a crossroad: love or revenge?

Simple Gifts by Ramona K. Cecil takes readers to 1880 Indiana, where pregnant and widowed Quaker Lucinda is trying to find her way in the world without her husband. So is her husband’s coworker and best friend Alan, who harbors guilt for her husband’s death. Will the simple gifts of Christmas draw them closer to God and one another?

A Christmas Prayer by Dianne Christner is set in Minnesota, 1881. Russian immigrant and Mennonite Hanna Friesen is doing her best as the eldest sister in her family, even with a slight disability.

Martin and Filipp Penner are headed from Iowa to Winnipeg, looking for farmland for their father, when a fierce snowstorm strands all of the train’s passengers in Hanna’s village. When Hanna and Martin meet, a Christmas prayer is sent up.

Treasure of the Heart by Melanie Dobson takes readers to 1907 Amana, Iowa. Fans of Dobson’s other Amana writings will find it satisfying to return to the colonies once again. Former colonist, and now socialite, Sophie Keller, is headed back home to her Amana roots to do some serious soul searching, including the proposal of a senator. She also brings along her sullen teenage daughter.

When colonist and used-to-be friend Will sees Sophie, he wants nothing to do with her. But when a critical situation arises at the woolen mill where Will works, the two are forced to work together. What will their working relationship do to their waning friendship?

Love is Forever by Jerry Eicher is set in 1940s Lancaster County, Pennsylvania. Amish maedel Mattie Beiler has waited a long time to marry her love, Mervin Yoder. In fact, she’s already had to be patient as Mervin postponed their wedding during the last wedding season. But Mervin has more than wedding jitters – he’s worried that the country will go to war and he’ll have to leave a new bride behind. Mattie has nothing but marriage on the mind. When tragedy strikes, what will happen to their love?

Love’s Pure Light by Olivia Newport follows newly married Glory Grabill. Glory comes from a quiet, subdued Amish household. When she moves in with her large, boisterous in-laws, she finds herself lost. There doesn’t seem to be a place, or a need, for her anywhere. Was their marriage a mistake?

Pirate of My Heart by Rachael O. Phillips, set in 1825, Illinois, tells a Quaker tale you won’t soon forget. Keturah is a feisty young Quaker woman – not something you find every day. She loves to wear a bright red shawl (scandalous!) and longs for adventure. Henry McFarlan crosses paths with Keturah. Unbeknownst to her, Henry and his family are infamous thieves (pirates!) that live in their coastal town. Is this the adventure Keturah as been looking for?

Equally Yoked by Claire Sanders, set in 1838 Southern Ohio, takes us back to the Quakers and a woman named Susanna. Susanna has married a Quaker (Nathan), but (much to her mother-in-law’s consternation) has not converted to their faith. While they have only been married a short while, Nathan has left Susanna to keep the home fires burning while he supports his Friend, who is in trouble for helping slaves find freedom. When Susanna is caught in her own perilous journey will she finally see the Light?

In Abigail’s Christmas Candles by Anna Schmidt, we meet Mennonite Abigail Yoder. Abigail has moved from New York to Hope, Wisconsin, where life moves at a different (and more conservative) pace. She’s been asked by her uncle (the Bishop) to come and fill a teaching position at Hope’s one-room schoolhouse. The kids are thrilled, the parents and elders are leery, and one church member – Aaron Miller – is downright hostile. Will this be a Christmas to remember for all the wrong reasons?

I was given A Plain Sweet Christmas in exchange for my honest review. Although I am an Amishaholic by nature, I found each novella to have its own plain charm. Some were exciting, some were endearing or heart-wrenching, but all of them brought the reader back to the true meaning of Christmas and the greatest love of all: God becoming man to bring peace to the world. Highly recommend.

This is a group of 9 novellas all focusing on the simple Christmas and romance among the "plain people." I have to admit that I usually stay away from books written about the various "plain" sects: Amish, Mennonite, Quaker, Amana (Inspirationists) because after reading many years ago I began to find them pretty much formulaic. So I am delighted to say these novellas each had a little twist that made them much more interesting. Four romances develop among the Ohio River Valley Quakers of the mid-1800s. Two Mennonite couples face influences from outside their old traditions. Two Amish couples from the early 1900s are affected by world events. And in an Amana community, childhood sweethearts are reunited. Each story also includes a recipe for a sweet traditional treat. I was disappointed that there were some formatting issues with the Kindle version.

The stories focus on forgiveness, second chances, spiritual growth, acceptance and, of course, Christmas romance. My favorites were: Loves Pure Light-the house to house Nativity was such a beautiful reminder of the true spirit of Christmas; Pirate of My Heart - feisty Keturah finds way more adventure than she ever expected and discovers the true meaning of love versus romance; Equally Yoked - Susanna was such an inspiration and found she had more gumption than she ever thought possible as well as learning what faith really meant. Abigail's Christmas Candles - Mennonite Abigail Yoder, teacher, brought change from New York to Hope, Wisconsin. Some in the small Mennonite town weren't sure it was the kind of change they wanted. Abigail learned more about herself as well as teaching her students, their parents, and the community that sometimes change was just what they needed.

A great collection of cozy Christmas reads that are definitely a change of pace.

** I received a complimentary copy of this book from NetGalley and Barbour Books to facilitate this review. Opinions are mine alone. I was not compensated for this review

A very enjoyable collection of Christmas related stories. Even though each story was individual, they all fit together nicely. Definitely sweet and simple.

One of my favorite things to do during the holiday season is to read a few Christmas romances as a treat for myself. This year I chose to read A Plain and Sweet Christmas Romance Collection. The stories are full of the plain faith, community, love and the spirit of Christmas. With authors such as Melanie Dobson, Lauralee Bliss, Ramona Cecil, Diane Christner, Jerry Eicher, Olivia Newport, Rachael Phillips, Claire Sanders and Anna Shmidt .... how could it not be a wonderful Christmas read!

I highly recommend A Plain and Sweet Christmas Romance Collection and I plan on visiting these enchanting stories again and again throughout the year to keep the Christmas spirit alive all year long.

I don't usually read books about the Amish, Quakers, Mennonites, or Amanas. The only Amish books I've read are one of Shelley Gray's Christmas novellas and Jen Turano's Finding Margo, all picked up by accident but finished because they were good. This collection of novellas was also picked up by accident but I enjoyed the stories.

I particularly enjoyed Treasure of the Heart by Melanie Dobson and Pirate of My Heart by Rachael O Phillips.

All the novellas had the theme of deep faith that prevails over all internal and external struggles. Since I don't know much about these communities, it was fun to learn about how they functioned, especially the Amana community which I know nothing about. The theme of redemption and forgiveness was also prominent in all the stories.

Some heroes and heroines were lovable and some were just ok. It's hard to rate a book of novellas since some stories will grab your attention and some stories will just be fillers until you can get to the next one.

Overall, this collection was a quick read and fun. It was definitely different since I tend to read mostly mystery/suspense, historical (not plains-based), contemporary, and biblical fiction.

I received a complimentary digital copy of this book from NetGalley and the publisher. I was not required to give a favorable review. All my opinions and comments are solely my own.