Book Review ~ Christmas in Apple Ridge by Cindy Woodsmall

 

Title: Christmas in Apple Ridge

Author: Cindy Woodsmall

Publisher: WaterBrook Press

Publish Date: October 9, 2012

About the book

Spend Christmas in Amish Country

The Amish community of Apple Ridge is a place to discover anew that even though life doesn’t always look the way you might expect and pain can’t help but color our actions…love may just be around the corner, just in time for Christmas!
Christmas in Apple Ridge is a three-in-one collection. It includes the following novellas:

The Sound of Sleigh Bells

Beth Hertzler is unable to let go of a past tragedy, but when she discovers a large, intricately carved scene of Amish children playing in the snow, something deep inside Beth’s soul responds. Will Jonah be able to offer Beth the sleigh ride she’s always dreamed of and a second chance at real love?
Read an excerpt of The Sound of Sleigh Bells

The Christmas Singing

Mattie Eash thought her childhood sweetheart adored her until he abruptly ended their engagement on Christmas Eve. Brokenhearted, Mattie moves away and pursues her longtime dream of becoming a cake decorator, but when Mattie is forced to return home three years later, will learning the truth behind Gideon’s rejection restore her Christmas joy – or open the door to even deeper heartbreak?
Read an excerpt of The Christmas Singing

The Dawn of Christmas

Sadie Yoder enjoys her freedom away from home but after four years, her Old Order Amish family insists it’s time to come home and settle down. Levi, a bachelor who distrusts women after a family heartbreak, also has no desire for romance. To keep their families from meddling in their lives, Sadie and Levi devise a plan—but soon discover that the walls around their hearts are breaking down. Can they let go of their prejudices, learn to trust each other, and embrace a future together?
Read an excerpt of The Dawn of Christmas


Join Old Order Amish Beth, Mattie, and Sadie as the warmth of Christmas beckons them to let go of past heartaches, set right past wrongs, and help them to trust in a fresh future.

Experience the holidays with the Plain folk of Apple Ridge, Pennsylvania, in these touching novellas centered around love, romance, and restoration from best-selling author Cindy Woodsmall.

My Thoughts

First off I must say that I love reading books about the Amish. Why? I do not know but they interest me so.

In the first book, The Sound of Sleigh Bells, I absolutely loved it. I cannot believe that I have not already read this one before. It constantly had me wanting more which to me means that it is a well written book. The story of Beth and Jonah's lives were both a bit complicated in the beginning but after things were understood and and they came to see the reasoning for why things happened the way they did things turned around for them both. I must say that I loved every minute of this book.

In the second book, The Christmas Singing, I was so happy that it was tied into the first book. Mattie has a lot on her plate right from the beginning of this book, clear to the end. I have to admit that she works well under stress. I wish I could handle it half as well as she does. This is definitely a very well written book, as I couldn't put it down either.

In the third book, The Dawn of Christmas, this was the fastest read of the three for me. You know, it's funny how the Amish want to marry off their sons and daughters and how their Churches want them home if they are not married. In this book both Sadie and Levi are single and their parents are trying to get them married off but neither of them have any interest in anyone so the plan that the have devised to get their parents off their back has backfired. And that is all I will tell you except for the fact that I couldn't put the book down until I was finished with it because it was such a good read.

You can read my other reviews for the books in this series HERE.

You can find other books by Cindy Woodsmall here.

Description and images are from Amazon.com. I was not paid for this review, I did however receive a copy of the book from Blogging for Books. The opinions of this book are mine and mine alone.