The Amish Author's Christmas by Ashley Emma

I was lucky enough to get a third story from this series entitles An Amish Christmas Miracles Story.  These are great stories.  This one was so engaging that I had to read it fast to see what happened.  Loved it.  I think this was the first time I have read anything from this author, but I hope to read more.  Really enjoyed the characters, their interactions, forgiveness, kindness, everything.  A very happy, feel-good story.  And a great addition to the other stories that I have read.

I think you will love this compilation.  Just so enjoyable.

I received an ebook copy from the author.  All thoughts are my own.

A Very Merry Match by Melinda Curtis

Doesn't the cover of this book just grab your attention?  So cute and fun and sooo Christmasy! This was a very enjoyable read.  I loved the characters and how Mary Margaret has a rather unusual 2nd job to take care of "issues" she found herself stuck with.  Her 2nd job is not considered one that a school teacher would expect to have and so she must be careful in relationships, etc.  But! The local matchmakers have different ideas.

You will become engaged in the story!  A great Christmas read!

I received a complimentary ebook copy of this book.  All thoughts are my own.

The Amish Christmas Secret by Vannetta Chapman

This is a sweet Amish romance written by one of my favorite Amish authors. I loved the two strong personalities that appear in both Daniel and Becca as they get to know each in their own way.  Daniel is holding back, while Becca is open and caring.  I even loved the appearances of "Cola".

I got a kick out of Becca's "projects" and her sweet personality.  The characters were such that you could really enjoy them as they interacted with one another.  I love how the community was caring and helpful.  That is something special that would be great asset to all communities coming together.

This was a very enjoyable book and a definite feel-good story, which is a great thing for Christmas and this year of 2020!

I received a complimentary copy of this book.  All thoughts are my own.

Morning Star Virtual Book Tour

This post is part of a virtual book tour organized by Goddess Fish Promotions. Charlotte Hubbard will be awarding a $25 Amazon or B/N GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour. Click on the tour banner to see the other stops on the tour.

When four maidels join forces to turn an abandoned barn into an Amish marketplace, the unmarried women have community in mind. But their fledgling enterprise promises to reap surprising rewards for each in turn, including the gift of unexpected love . . .

For Regina Miller, the new Morning Star Marketplace is a chance to share her secret work with the world—without revealing herself. Old Order Amish forbid the creation of art without purpose, but without a husband, Regina has been free to explore the joy of painting in her attic. Yet when Gabe Flaud’s curiosity leads him to speculate that Regina herself is the painter, the full weight of their community’s judgement falls on her shoulders. When Gabe stands up to defend Regina, questioning the Order’s restrictions, he reveals his own guilty secret and is shunned along with her. Forced to turn to each other for companionship, the young couple must learn to balance their own needs with their deep faith … and a love that will show them all things are possible.

Read an Excerpt

Regina entered her bedroom, stepped onto her large wooden trunk, and then opened the short, narrow door in the wall so she could climb the wooden stairs to the attic.

What if nobody wants my paintings, or worse yet, ridicules them? And what if folks figure out that I’m the artist—and that I’ve been living a lie for years? Best to nip this in the bud before I have to tell any more whoppers and get caught in them.

And yet, as Regina stood in the center of her secret studio, something deep inside her longed to display the work that so satisfied her soul. Nearly every evening, after a day of staining furniture, she spent a few hours in her hideaway, painting nature scenes.

Regina needed to paint the way most folks needed to eat and breathe. Her schoolteacher had complimented her artwork when she’d been young—and her parents had allowed her to take a short watercolor class at Koenig’s Krafts when she’d entered rumspringa. Dat’s brother Clarence was a preacher, however, so he’d been adamant about Regina joining the church at an early age. She’d secured her salvation at seventeen by being baptized, but she’d forfeited her innermost soul: in the Morning Star district, members were forbidden to create art for art’s sake because it was considered worldly and it called attention to the artist.

Regina had obediently tucked her paints and brushes into her wooden trunk, but she’d felt the loss of her art acutely. After her parents had died when a train collided with the bus they were all riding home from a wedding, Regina had kept herself sane by taking up her paints again, setting up her easel in the attic—out of sight when anyone came to visit. At twenty-two, she’d been rather young to live alone on her family’s small acreage but moving in with Uncle Clarence, Aunt Clara, and their young daughters would’ve killed her spirit forever.

Bishop Jeremiah had taken her side and had dropped in on her often until she’d gotten a little older. Martin Flaud had hired her because her father had been one of his finest craftsmen—and because Regina had proven herself to be more meticulous at staining and finishing than any of his male employees. She’d survived the rough, lonely times by working hard at the factory, and by surrounding herself with the quilts and curtains Mamm had made and the furniture Dat had built for their cozy home.

And so the last ten years had passed . . .

Regina had willingly given up any chance for marriage—because she couldn’t reveal her sinful pastime to a husband.

Gazing at the nature paintings that surrounded her on that Sunday afternoon, Regina felt torn. Why had God given her a keen eye and the talent to render woodland scenes, flowers, and wild creatures on paper if He wouldn’t allow her to paint pictures of His creation openly and without guilt?

About the Author:

In 1983, Charlotte Hubbard sold her first story to True Story. She wrote around 70 of those confession stories, and she’s sold more than 50 books to traditional or online publishers. A longtime resident of Missouri, she’s currently writing Amish romances set in imaginary Missouri towns for Kensington. She now lives in Omaha, NE with her husband of 40+ years and their Border collie, Vera.

Website http://www.charlottehubbard.com
Facebook http://www.Facebook.com/Charlotte.Hubbard1

Order Ebook

Kindle https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07ZPKX5SQ
Kindle UK http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B07ZPKX5SQ/
Kindle Canada http://www.amazon.ca/dp/B07ZPKX5SQ/
Kindle Australia http://www.amazon.com.au/dp/B07ZPKX5SQ/
Apple Books https://books.apple.com/us/book/morning-star/id1507818638
Apple Books UK https://books.apple.com/gb/book/morning-star/id1507818638
Apple Books Canada https://books.apple.com/ca/book/morning-star/id1507818638
Apple Books Australia https://books.apple.com/au/book/morning-star/id1507818638
Barnes and Noble https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/morning-star-charlotte-hubbard/1134434813?ean=9781420145151oks New Zealand Apple: https://books.apple.com/nz/book/morning-star/id1507818638
Nook https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/morning-star-charlotte-hubbard/1134434813
Kobo https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/morning-star-60
Google Play https://play.google.com/store/books/details/Charlotte_Hubbard_Morning_Star?id=goq5DwAAQBAJ

Order Print
Zebra Books
July 28, 2020
ISBN-13: 9781420145120
ISBN-10: 1420145126

Amazon http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ISBN=1420145126/
Amazon UK http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/ISBN=1420145126
Amazon Canada http://www.amazon.ca/exec/obidos/ISBN=1420145126
Barnes & Noble http://barnesandnoble.com/booksearch/isbninquiry.asp?ean=9781420145120
Books-A-Million http://www.booksamillion.com/product/9781420145120
Chapters Indigo http://www.chapters.indigo.ca/books/a/9781420145120-item.html
IndieBound http://www.indiebound.org/book/9781420145120
The Book Depository http://www.bookdepository.com/book/9781420145120

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Amish Christmas Miracles Collection by Multiple Authors

I have read an early copy of Jennifer Spredemann's story 'An Unexpected Christmas Gift', one of the stories included in the Amish Christmas Miracles Collection' releasing November 10, 2020. This book is a compilation/anthology of 14 different stories by 14 authors.  Some are new to me and some are old faves! I am now anxious to read the rest of the stories! 

This was such a sweet story of an older Amish woman who thought perhaps she was beyond the normal marriageable age.  Through a mysterious gift she finds that God's mercy and His hand have a most incredible way of guiding her in the direction her life should take.  Without giving away the story, I will say that this book was a sweet reminder of God's attention to our personal lives and that His hand is in all things.  

I really enjoyed the message that was shared in this book and the story was fresh and new.   I really loved the story. 

I had the pleasure of reading another story in this book written by Jennifer Beckstrand.  This story was entitled Peanut Butter Christmas.

It was featuring the 8 year old Petersheim brothers, Alfie and Benji, a delightful set of twins that have been wonderful matchmakers.  They are full of fun, mischief and all about adventures!  The author is known for her wit and humorous reads that are very enjoyable, as was the case with this story.  This story is very enjoyable and filled with Christmas Spirit.

I also read the story Christmas to Treasure by Rachel J. Good.  I loved this story of a marriage of convenience.  It seemed like a story that would actually happen as people try to help one another in different life situations.  I enjoyed that there were conflicts and life was certainly not perfect as Rose might have hoped for as she was married to the man she had loved and lost to another woman and the memories of her seemed to linger.  This was a very heartwarming story and was sweet and left you with good feelings!

I think you will love this compilation.  Just so enjoyable.

I am sure this collection of stories will delight any readers of Amish fiction.  The stories are very fun to read!

I received this from the authors.  All thoughts are my own.

Amish Christmas Miracles Collection

I had the pleasure of reading another story in this book written by Jennifer Beckstrand.  This story was entitled Peanut Butter Christmas.

It was featuring the 8 year old Petersheim brothers, Alfie and Benji, a delightful set of twins that have been wonderful matchmakers.  They are full of fun, mischief and all about adventures!  The author is known for her wit and humorous reads that are very enjoyable, as was the case with this story.  This story is very enjoyable and filled with Christmas Spirit.

I am sure this collection of stories will delight any readers of Amish fiction.  The stories are very fun to read!

I received this from the author.  All thoughts are my own.

Love's Pure Light A Christmas Novella Collection by Deborah Raney, Susanne Dietze, Shannon McNear, Janine Rosche

These four stories are sweet Christmas novellas written by four very talented authors.  It is just perfect to bring you back in time to a peaceful time of years past and how Christmases might have been back then and then up to the present as well.   I loved the historical aspect and it how it continues through four generations of the Shepherd family which connects a family together over time with a special heirloom nativity.  The stories included scripture from the Christmas story.  So definitely a book for the Christian readers.  I loved the continuity in the family generations.  Really a lovely book and has sweet romance as well.

I received an ebook copy from NetGalley.  All thoughts are my own.