Amish Fiction Book Review: An Amish Picnic
About the Book
Title: An Amish Picnic: Four Stories
Authors: Amy Clipston, Kelly Irvin, Kathleen Fuller, Vannetta Chapman
Genre: Amish Fiction/Romance
Publisher: Zondervan
Release Date: March 3, 2019
Click here to purchase a copy of this book for yourself.
Publisher's Description
"From bestselling authors in the Amish genre come four sweet stories about picnics and romance.
Baskets of Sunshine by Amy Clipston
Kevin Weaver has lived with his brother’s family since his parents passed away when he was young, but he craves a home and family to call his own. Freeman Kurtz owns a successful brick mason business, and Kevin takes the job as Freeman’s apprentice to pursue his own financial freedom.
Phoebe Kurtz is helping her sister with her booth at the marketplace when she notices Kevin, her father’s employee. Their friendship grows, but Kevin is convinced that the difference in their ages makes a relationship between them impossible. Amidst summer outings, Kevin and Phoebe must decide if taking a chance on love is worth the risk.
Candlelight Sweethearts by Kelly Irvin
Esther Marie Shrock loves her job at Valley Grocery Store where she’s worked for four years. Despite a stutter that has plagued her since childhood, she thrives filling orders from a steady stream of customers. Still, at 25, she and her family wonder if romance is in her future.
Jasper Cotter isn’t good with people, but he’s found himself obligated to take over day-to-day operations of the family owned grocery store—a store he doesn’t have the first clue how to run. Thrown together, Esther Marie and Jasper don’t exactly see eye to eye. One night, the store loses power, and the candles aren’t the only things shooting off sparks. Esther Marie and Jasper are suddenly forced to discover common ground when it matters most, and they might be surprised with love along the way.
Reeling in Love by Kathleen Fuller
Nina Stoll and Ira Yoder are just friends. Just friends and fishing buddies. Every Saturday afternoon, they have a picnic at their favorite fishing hole and see who can out fish the other. Until Nina starts to wonder if there’s more.
Her plans to share her feelings go awry, and circumstances seem destined to keep Nina and Ira apart. With both Nina and Ira confused and hurting, it’s going to take courage, some help from the community matchmakers, and a little bit of divine intervention for Nina and Ira to realize they’re each other's perfect catch.
Picnics and Prospects by Vannetta Chapman
Faith Troyer is claustrophobic, and David Lapp builds tiny houses. They went on a date years ago with disastrous results. Now that they’re in their late twenties, their families and friends are beginning to wonder if either will ever find that special someone. When a picnic outing is diverted by the discovery of a package of letters dating back to the 1970s, they take it upon themselves to find answers to a mystery that causes them to rethink their past and consider their future."
My Review
An Amish Picnic is a charming novella collection featuring stories by Amy
Clipston, Kelly Irvin, Kathleen Fuller, and Vannetta Chapman. Set in a variety
of different Amish communities, this book contains four, unique stories in
which picnics shared with friends serve to foster deeper relationships, inspire
hope, and even nurture a bit of romance. The novellas in this collection
feature genuinely endearing characters who seek to build connections with each
other as they overcome insecurities, misunderstandings, and unmet expectations.
The characters offer forgiveness, embrace new beginnings, and find more reasons
to open their hearts to fresh dreams and unexpected joys.
In each of these novellas, I was
thoroughly entertained by the enjoyable stories the authors shared. I easily
found interest in the details of each novella as I experienced authentic
emotional connections to the characters within each story. Their struggles,
perseverance, and faith captivated and encouraged me as I read. Thoughtfully
connected by the themes of picnics, reconnection, and romance, these novellas
are memorable and engaging. There is a meaningful connection among these four
stories as they emphasize grace, kindness, friendship, faith, family, and community.
An Amish Picnic is a heart-warming and uplifting book brimming with four very
special stories. A true pleasure to read from the first page to the last, I
eagerly recommend it to all readers.
*I was given a copy of this book by the author/publisher
through Netgalley. A review was not required. The review I have written
contains opinions that are entirely my own.
About the Authors
"Amy Clipston has been writing
for as long as she can remember. Her fiction writing "career" began
in elementary school when she and a close friend wrote and shared silly
stories. She has a degree in communications from Virginia Wesleyan College and
is a member of the Authors Guild, American Christian Fiction Writers, and Romance
Writers of America. She is the author of the bestselling Kauffman Amish Bakery
series with Zondervan, which is part of HarperCollins Christian Publishing. An
advocate for organ and blood donation, Amy donated a kidney in 2011 at Johns
Hopkins Hospital. Through her donation, her husband received a second kidney
transplant. Amy and her husband matched another couple and swapped kidneys with
them. Amy's memoir, A Gift of Love, will be available in early 2014. She hopes
her story inspires others to become organ and blood donors. Amy lives in North
Carolina with her husband, two sons, mother, and four spoiled rotten cats." --Biography from Amy Clipston's author page on Amazon.com
Click her to visit Amy Clipston's website.
Best-selling novelist Kelly Irvin's latest series, The Amish of
Sky Country, features an Amish community in Northwest Montana affected by
wildfires that destroyed thousands of acres in the state in recent years. The
first book, Mountains of Grace, debuted in August 2019, and delves into the
impact on not only an Amish man and woman, but also a smoke jumper, a sheriff's
deputy, and a young English woman forced to confront her past because of the
fires.
Kelly also writes romantic suspense novels. Her most recent
forays into this genre include Tell Her No Lies and Over the Line, both set in
San Antonio and South Texas. Of Tell Her No Lies, The Library Journal says,
"Irvin creates a complex web with enough twists and turns to keep even the
most savvy romantic suspense readers guessing until the end. Known for her
Amish novels, this two-time Carol Award finalist shows that her talents span
subgenres from tranquil Amish stories to rapidly paced breathless
suspense."
Kelly is also the author of the Every Amish Season series, which
included four books that chronicle the lives of Amish widows who are in
different seasons in their lives. These women are linked by life altering
experiences that bring them together as wives, mothers, and grandmothers in the
small town of Jamesport, Mo. The first book, Upon a Spring Breeze, received
critical acclaim from the Library Journal: "A moving and compelling tale
about the power of grace and forgiveness that reminds us how we become
strongest in our most broken moments."
Kelly Irvin is also the author of The Amish of Bee County
series, which includes the critically acclaimed The Beekeeper's Son. Publishers
Weekly called the first book in the series a beautifully woven masterpiece and
Romantic Times Magazine called Kelly a storyteller extraordinaire. It was
followed by The Bishop's Son and The Saddle Maker's Son, which is an ECPA
bestseller.
A two-time ACFW Carol finalist, Kelly's novellas have been
included in numerous anthologies, including An Amish Summer, The Amish
Christmas Gift, An Amish Market, an Amish Christmas Love, and Amish Quilt, An
Amish Reunion, An Amish Picnic, and An Amish Christmas Bakery.
She also penned the Bliss Creek Amish series and the New Hope
Amish series, both published by Harvest House Publishers. Love Still Stands,
the first book in the New Hope series, debuted in September 2012, and the
follow-up, Love Redeemed, released March 1, 2014. The final book in the series,
set in Branson, MO., was A Plain Love Song, released in July 2014. The Bliss Creek Amish series, set in Kansas, includes To Love
and to Cherish, A Heart Made New, and Love's Journey Home. In the New Hope series, familiar characters from Bliss Creek
move to Missouri to start a new district and a new life.
Kelly is also the author of two romantic suspense novels, A
Deadly Wilderness and No Child of Mine, set in San Antonio, Texas. Two more
romantic suspense novels are on the horizon, with the first, Tell Her No Lies,
slated for publication by Thomas Nelson Publishing in January 2019.
The Kansas native is a member of American Christian Fiction
Writers and the ACFW San Antonio local chapter Alamo City Christian Fiction
Writers, as well as Romance Writers of America (RWA) and Sisters in
Crime.
A graduate of the University of Kansas William Allen White
School of Journalism, Kelly wrote nonfiction professionally for thirty years.
She studied for three semesters at the University of Costa Rica, learning the
Spanish language. As a journalist, she worked six years in the border towns of
Laredo and El Paso, where she was exposed to culture and language that serves
as fodder for her fiction writing. She has written hard news, features,
entertainment pieces, restaurant critiques, editorials, and weekly columns.
Writing awards include the Silver Star Award from the Texas Mental Health
Association for articles pertaining to mental health and numerous awards in news,
feature, and editorial writing from the Texas Press Association and Texas Press
Women.
Kelly retired in 2016 from her position of 22 years as public
relations manager for the San Antonio Parks and Recreation Department, where
her duties included writing and designing an employee newsletter, writing news
releases, collaborating on marketing campaigns, coordinating ribbon-cuttings
and groundbreakings, coordinating press conferences, updating the web site, and
acting as a media spokesperson.
Kelly has been married to photographer Tim Irvin for more than
30 years, and they have two young adult children and three grandchildren. In
her spare time, she likes to write short stories, read books by her favorite
authors, and visit the babies." --Biography from Kelly Irvin's author page on Amazon.com
Click here to visit Kelly Irvin's website.
"Kathleen Fuller is a best-selling
author of Amish fiction. She is also a wife, mother, crafter, coffee addict,
football fan, and chocolate aficionado." --Biography from Kathleen Fuller's author page on Amazon.com
Click here to visit Kathleen Fuller's website.
"Vannetta Chapman is a USA Today and
PW Bestselling author of over 30 books. She has written for Abingdon Press and
Harvest House Publishers, and she currently writes for Harper Collins Christian
Publishing and Harlequin/Love Inspired. She's received numerous awards
including the ACFW Carol Award for best mystery (Falling to Pieces), and she
was a Christy Award finalist (Anna's Healing). She recently signed a contract
for an additional six books with Harlequin/Love Inspired.
Chapman has a BA and MA in English literature from the
University of Texas at Arlington. She has taught for numerous writing groups
and speaks around the country on writing, how to publish, and steps to finding
an agent and landing a publishing contract. Chapman's releases include Amish
romance, cozy mystery, novellas, romantic suspense, and dystopian." --Biography from Vannetta Chapman's author page on
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