Courting Cate (The Courtships of Lancaster County)

I loved this book - it was an Amish version of Taming of the Shrew which is my favorite Shakespeare play. Cate is an unmarried Amish woman who would rather work in her father's business than marry. Her younger sister Betsy is just the opposite. She is an excellent homemaker and really wants to marry her beau. Their father is worried that Cate, who is sharp-tongued and has a temper, will never find a mate, so he decrees that she must marry before Betsy can do so. When Cate meets the new man in the neighborhood sparks start to fly. Pete seems pretty determined to court her and she is suspicious of his motives. I liked the way that they got along when she forgot to be so prickly. They had a lot in common. He also was pretty laid back when show more she got her temper up. Her suspicions and some other events caused some major misunderstandings. We learn more about why Cate is the way she is and how Pete came to his current situation. There are some unexpected twists in the story that had Cate questioning her future. Her journey from Contrary Cate to Sweet Cate was wonderful and very emotional. I loved the ending. The characters in this story felt very real to me and ones I could relate to easily. I wanted to smack Betsy many times. I'm not sure that she learned her lesson by the end, but time will tell. Pete's mother was a piece of work, but definitely had her place in helping Cate to grow into her role. I'm looking forward to the next book in the series. show less

This is not your typical Amish story with meek characters that you know will work out their problems by the end of the book. Cate's shrewdness could very well leave her an alt maidel. Everyone can see Cate needs to work on her personality....except Cate. When Pete decides to court Cate, she immediatly expects the worst. Surely he cannot love her so what is he after? Perhaps her father's money?

It took a chapter before I was hooked but after that first chapter, I couldn't put the book down. I was impressed with how the character's personalities grew as the book progressed, even though Cate seemed stagnate throughout much of the book. There were a few times I wanted to reach into the pages and shake some sense ino Cate's head....and any show more book that can bring emotions out in me is a good book! A book doesn't necessarily need to make me think, but it does need to make me feel...and this book certainly does that! I can't wait for book 2! show less

I've read a lot of Amish fiction, and I enjoyed this one more than most of the ones I've read lately. It's a clever idea to combine the plot of a Shakespearean play with Amish characters, but somehow, it works. I didn't particularly like Cate through a good portion of the book, but then, I don't think I was supposed to. I like the more human qualities these characters possessed. So many Amish characters are just too good to be true, but that is not the case here. The characters are complicated, just as we all are - a little good, a little bad, with struggles to see which part comes out on top. This was a book I had a hard time putting down.

**I received a free copy of this book from LibraryThing in exchange for an honest review.**

An Amish retelling of "The Taming of the Shrew," a story I strongly dislike and have strongly disliked all the movie versions as well- "Kiss Me Kate", "Ten things I Hate About You", etc. This version I actually didn't dislike. Lots of the characters made me mad and frustrated but it was very well written and I liked the message that you can find peace even when the people around you are jerks.

A wonderful story to begin this series. It took me in a direction I wasn't expecting when I started reading this book and I appreciated that. I had a hard time really liking Cate Miller through most of this story, but by the end, I understood her and appreciated the way she saw herself and how she changed.

Cate Miller is known for her sharp tongue and fiery temper in Paradise, Pennsylvania. She is also known for her love of books and her lack of cooking and housekeeping skills. Her father has made an edict: Cate, as the oldest, must get married before Betsy can do so. Unfortunately Cate has driven away every suitor, that is, until Pete Treger comes to town and starts working for her Dad. For many reasons Cate doesn't trust him, but what show more happens next took me by surprise, so I won't spoil it. Needless to say Peter has his work cut out for him when it comes to getting Cate to love him. show less

Courting Cate was a joy to read. From the first chapter the author had me laughing quite a bit. Cate is a feisty girl who is convinced that everyone is out to make her the brunt end of their jokes. She's convinced that no one really likes her and that all the boys just want to date her beautiful sister, Betsy. Cate has had a hard life. After her mother died when she was young, she had to practically raise her infant sister. Since Cate has sworn off getting married and is always buried in books, her father makes an edict that Betsy can't get married until Cate does. As you can imagine, this makes for quite a bit of tension between the sisters. When a young, handsome guy named Pete Treger shows up, Betsy thinks there might be hope that show more she'll get to marry after all.

Leslie Gould does such a great job. The situations she has Cate in at the beginning of the book are rather humorous. I usually don't read Amish books, but this one is a keeper. Cate has to learn a lot of hard life lessons to rid her of her harsh, stubborn ways. I love the part in the story when she finally sees what she would be like if she continued down the path she was choosing. The path would end in a very sad life. Seeing the error of her ways, she makes a pivotal choice to turn and embrace what God would have for her. After this choice, there is quite a change in Cate. A change that everyone can see. If you have a chance, pick this book up. You won't be disappointed.

**I recieved this book free from Library Thing in exchange for an honest review. show less

I received this book from the Early Reviewer's Program. Since Amish fiction/romance is one of my favorite genres, I was really happy to find that I had been picked to review this one. Leslie Gould is a new author to me, and I love the way she based her story on Shakespeare's "The Taming of the Shrew". I really was surprised that the main character was not the "typical" portrayal of an Amish women, in that Cate is a very strong women, who has a temper and isn't afraid to show it. Most books tend to depict the women as being meek and obedient - but this character is far from that! I really enjoyed this book and I think that anyone who reads the genre will find it to be a refreshing change. I will be looking for more from this author as well.