The blog tour for this book is being hosted by Pump Up Your Book Tours
Title: An Amish Country Christmas
Authors: Charlotte Hubbard and Naomi King
Publisher: Zebra Books
Published: October 2013
Pages: 352
Format: Arc Paperback
Source: Received in exchange for
an honest review
My Rating: 3 Stars
Synopsis:
“The Christmas Visitors”: For spirited Martha Coblentz and her twin Mary, the snow has delivered the perfect holiday and birthday present to their door—handsome brothers Nate and Bram Kanagy. But when unforeseen trouble interrupts their season’s good cheer, it will take unexpected intervention—and sudden understanding—to give all four the blessing of a lifetime.
“Kissing the Bishop”: As the New Year’s first snow settles, Nazareth Hooley and her sister Jerusalem are given a heaven-sent chance to help newly widowed Tom Hostetler tend his home. But when her hope that she and Tom can build on the caring between them seems a dream forever out of reach, Nazareth discovers that faith and love can make any miracle possible.
Melissa's Musings:
Both these stories are heartwarming. You get to check in on some of the various characters throughout the two series that these books are tied into, which is great. I always love to go back to read more about towns and characters that I've read about before. I recently reviewed Winter of Wishes and really enjoyed it. And while I enjoyed both of these stories as well, I'm not sure if I had the same appreciation for them.
The Christmas visitors has more of the good natured fun that I read about in Winter of Wishes. I really liked how Mary and Martha took to Nate and Bram, and even played a trick on them by switching off to pretend to be each other. Their courtship seemed to move awfully quickly though, and without nearly as much protest as I would have expected. there to be.
One thing that surprised me in "The Christmas Visitors" was the use of technology in the book. The girls had cell phones, which I thought was a little unusual, given that when I read Winter of Wishes, the technology use was so limited.
The overall tone of the story is fun and lighthearted, and it's pleasant to read.
I didn't quite take to "Kissing the Bishop in the same way. It features characters that I wasn't too fond of when I read them previously, Jerusalem and Nazareth. They seem so stark and proper, that I just couldn't learn to like them quite as much. But, this story is also a nice read, with them finally getting a chance at finding love, when they thought they might not get the opportunity.
And of course I have to say that I absolutely love the recipes at the back of the book. I really wish that I had more time, especially in the busy holiday season to try my hand at making some of them.
If you're looking for some pleasant holiday reads, I'd definitely recommend these stories.
