Emma Miller (1)

“The Amish Spinster’s Courtship” by Emma Miller tells the story of an Amish woman named Lovage and how she finds a spouse. I liked the idea that Lovage is not a cute young woman flirting with Amish young hunks. Lovage is a mature lady who is quite happy to be on her own, assisting in her family’s business and helping manage a large blended family. The novel details the progress of her newly-developing relationship with a mature Amish man. They are not without their trials and show more heartaches, but manage to work through them together and learn a lot about themselves and each other in the process.

I read a lot of novels about Amish people, and this was a standout. The characters are well-developed and multidimensional, portrayed honestly and like real people with problems and questions. The large Amish family to which Lovage belongs is interesting in their own right, and present an intriguing subplot to the story of Lovage. This book ranks right up there as one of my favorites. I am looking forward to reading more novels by Emma Miller.

I received this book from NetGalley and the publisher, in exchange for an honest review. The opinions expressed here are entirely my own. show less

This is the first book I have read in the "Amish Mystery" series but it will not be the last. I had no problem with following the story or the characters even though it is the third book in the series.

Rachel Mast, is a character that lives between two worlds. Born and raised Amish, she left home at seventeen to go to university and then went to live in the big city and work for Corporate America. When that did not pan out, she returned home, but not to the Amish home, she lives as an show more Englisher and runs a Bed & Breakfast as well as a gift shop. She is the chairperson of the "Winter Frolic" a festival to highlight the town and well as the Amish people. The only bee in her bonnet at this time is Bill Billingsly, a nosy, interfering, newspaperman with lots of gossipy research. Then he is discovered, dead of exposure, frozen to death on his front porch. With all the people he has upset and alienated, there are many suspects and Rachel is one of them. She must find out who the real culprit it to clear her name.

This story is filled with mystery, suspense, and romance. Rachel's character is strong, loyal, smart, stubborn, persistant and doing an amazing job of balancing her old and new worlds. She is so caring of the Amish world and its traditions that they let her in, even though she has left the "Plain World" to live as an Englisher. The mystery in this story is well plotted and will keep you guessing as to who is the guilty party. I changed my mind on who it was a few times and I love when I think I have it all figured out only to be thrown in a different direction by the author. I did figure it out just before the reveal, and that made the story even more interesting for me. Definitely an author I will follow, especially as I learn more about the Amish life. show less

This was such a disappointment. I don't really like love triangles, but if done right can still enjoy the book. One good thing for this story is that both men were fairly good guys, but neither were particularly great. Furthermore, the romance was entirely unbelievable. I don't think Miriam loved either guy as anything more than a friend. This leaves me very unsatisfied with the ending. What makes me saddest is that I can see potential for such a better story here, one that I could really love.

This was an interesting read. It ends on a very satisfying note. On one hand, we get to see what appears to be an insider’s view of the Amish heritage and learn how they do certain things. This is one of the most interesting aspects of this book. But on the other hand:
Dorcas or as we soon find out, Addy seems to be according to her parents, in desperate need of a husband. Especially one well off enough to take care of them in their old-age. Now Addy is supposed to be a plain, Plain girl show more and she is almost 30. (Yes, I meant to type the word ‘plain’ twice since the Amish are sometimes called the Plain People). Addy is constantly being reminded by her mother that she needs a husband and that she owes it to her parents to do so as soon as possible, that Addy is being too picky. I suppose the mother means well in her own way, but as I am a non-Plain woman, it struck me as a non-Amish way to be (at least looking at if from the point of view from the other Amish and Mennonite books I have read).

Right off the bat Addy meets up with the handsome Gideon who happens to be the local matchmaker’s hired hand. This was not the best of circumstance in which to meet!

Now Gideon just really rubbed me the wrong way – if this were not a book about the Amish, I think I could have expected him to be a player just strutting his stuff all of the time, waiting for the women to fall down at his feet! This is how he acted. One minute he is preening for Addy, wetting down his shirt and hair and singing – loudly. I was waiting for him to strip out of his shirt and flex his manly muscles at her and then do a dance! He is actually ticked at Addy because she was ignoring him while talking to another man and the next minute he claims that he thinks of her as ‘another sister’. Why does Gideon, who in his 30’s, keep thinking of the men and women he frolics with as boys and girls? I couldn’t seem to wrap my head around that. I understand the Amish are not worldly – but Gideon seems to be more so than most others are and I would have expected him to act more like an adult.

I had to keep reminding myself as I was reading this book, that this was about the Amish or I really would have been annoyed as to how this story spun out. These two thirty-something’s act like schoolyard children and I eventually wanted to give up on the book. However, I did not because I really wanted to see if Gideon finally steps up to bat, so to speak and admits to his true feelings. The last 20% of the book makes everything come together and makes you appreciate the story more.

The writing is good, the romance aspect is a little frustrating and the story is a little repetitive, but the lessons a reader will learn in pride goeth before a fall, makes up for some of the flaws. I ended up enjoying this book more than I thought I would.

ARC supplied by publisher. show less