The Proposal Plot

Ugh I loved this so much! The narrator was amazing, and the story was perfect!! It was just the right amount of everything! Wonderful Amish tale!

This is such a sweet audiobook with a fantastic narrator! There is a little bit of something for everyone in all of the different characters and personalities the author brought to the story.: strong-willed perfectionist Ella, beautiful and flighty Junia, heartbroken and sore Nelson, and solid and leading Malachi, just to name a few. The entire story you find yourself rooting for the characters, even when (especially when?) they are making poor choices and it seems they aren't working even in their own best interest! A precious romance (or three!) that will leave you with a faint smile on your lips long after you have finished listening!

Just finished this audio book and I've got to say, I love this narrator. I've heard her before so I knew she was good. She does a great job of giving each character a different voice, even the men. It also helps that Kathleen Fuller's story catches and holds your attention.

Nelson Bontrager has been unlucky in love twice, and is not interested in having his heart broken for a third time. When he decides to step away from the family farm to open his own butcher shop, he finds the perfect building in Marigold, Ohio. As he's looking the building over, a woman storms in asking intrusive questions and babbling about partnering with him since her family owns the grocery store next door. He is so turned off that he decides even farming would be better than working next door to her.

Ella Yoder convinced her father and sister, Junia, to move to Ohio to open E & J Grocery. She has studied everything she can about running a business and has big plans to expand into the building next door, but her dad is dragging his feet on committing to expansion. On top of that, her sister refuses to lift a finger to help either at home or at the store, so Ella is left with all the work, and all of the anger. She is disappointed to learn that the building she wants may be sold, but how perfect would it be to have a butcher next door? Meeting the disagreeable Nelson, though, cements in her mind that no man could ever want someone like her. She's heard all her life, from her aunt's, that she's not "marriage material," but seeing the appalled look in Nelson's eyes when he looks at her just seals the deal.

Thrown together as chaperones when Nelson's nephew, Malachi, falls head over heels for Ella's sister, Junia, Nelson and Ella begin to chip away at their dislike for one another. When her dad finally breaks down and asks an Englischer for mediation help between his warring daughters, Ella and Junia's relationship gets even more broken. Can the two women ever repair the damage they've done to one another over the past year? Can Nelson see that Ella's heart is worth fighting for?

Gotta say, as an oldest sister, I was so mad at Junia for most of this book and their dad did nothing to help matters, allowing her to shirk her responsibilities and dump them on Ella all she wanted. I felt Ella's frustration, and her pain. I also liked Nelson. He had been hurt so badly by two women he thought he loved and yet, he was willing to be a shoulder for Ella when she needed one.

Readers who love Amish romance will definitely enjoy The Proposal Plot, but then, there's a reason Kathleen Fuller is one of my must reads whether she's writing Amish ficti0n or contemporary romance. I absolutely recommend this one!

I am a huge fan of Amish romance books. After I finished this audiobook I felt like awwwwww! It was SO sweet. I absolutely loved the sisters and how snarky they were to each other. Such sn enjoyable listen! A great book!

Great novel and great narrator. First time listening to a novel.. I would listen while I washed dishes and daily chores.

I have been enjoying the stories following along as the Bontrager family meet their loves. Kathleen Fuller hit the mark with this one. The narrator did a great job, changing her tone depending on which character was talking & making it easy to fall into long periods of listening. I can relate with the head-strong Ella & how she only wants to help those around her, but sometimes letting it consume her & accidentally taking over. I tend to do that too, good to know that I must not be alone in that. Looking forward to the next book, can't wait to see who is next in the Bontrager line to find their future love.

The Proposal Plot
Kathleen Fuller
This is an Amish Romance.
Ella Yoder has a head for business.
When Ella’s mother passed away, she took over running the family. Her father was devastated and allowed Ella to make major decisions. Ella and Junia missed their mother. The girls found themselves at odds, often arguing, yelling and angry. Junia was a bit lazy. It was easier to let Ella do everything; she did cook breakfast but felt that was all she should be expected to accomplish in a day. Junia resented Ella’s bossiness and resented that everything had to be done Ella’s way. Ellas resented having to do everything herself. Ella talked her father into moving them to Marigold, Ohio where they would open a grocery store.
Nelson Bontranger was raised on a farm and to be a farmer, but his heart lies with deli meats. He discovered he is really good at creating deli meats. He wants to buy the building next door to Ella’s grocery store and open a butcher shop. Ella had plans to expand the grocery store and is very upset that her father had not been willing to expand, and Nelson is buying HER building. Ella tries to be nice to Nelson, but her bossy personality makes that impossible.
Junia and Nelson’s nephew Malachi fall madly in love with each other. Nelson and Ella become unwilling chaperons, throwing them in each other’s paths repeatedly. Soon they find they enjoy each other’s company, but they will have to overcome hurt and pain from the past.
I love this tale. It is beautifully written. My heart ached for both Nelson and Ella. Two aunts are mentioned several times, what horrible women. They degrade their nieces in so many ways. Ella’s father is at his wits end over the lack of peace in his home. It is his own fault for not taking a stronger stance. The love between the lawyer and Ella’s father was slowly beginning to smolder.
Kudos to author Kathleen Fuller for a beautiful love story, well written and with memorable characters.
Thank you Netgalley for providing a copy for review.