Huckleberry Hill

Jennifer's Beckstrand's Huckleberry Hill is a witty, sweet and heartwarming romance. In this delightful first installment of The Matchmakers of Huckleberry Hill series, Moses Zimmerman's matchmaking grandparents scheme to set him up with Lia Shetler but this bachelor is determined to stay single. Although he has successfully evaded their efforts in the past, Moses finds Lia pretty difficult to resist. When Lia's dat decides her sister Rachel is the woman for Moses, which, if any, of the Shetler sisters will win his heart?

Felty and Anna Helmuth are positively adorable and I absolutely loved them. Convinced their grandson needs help getting over his broken heart, Anna has been playing matchmaker for him. The latest woman in her sights? show more Lia Shetler. She convinces Lia's dat to let her work for them for the summer and Lia has barely settled in when Anna's finding ingenious ways to throw them together.

Moses is successful, hardworking and one of the most eligible bachelors in his small Amish district. He has remained dedicated to his ex-fiancée although she broke his heart when she left him and their Amish community. Moses is devoted to his grandparents and frequently helps them maintain their farm. Kind, caring and compassionate, he gently but firmly dissuades the women Anna keeps sending his way. So Moses is more than a little surprised by how much he enjoys spending time with Lia and he is shocked by his growing feelings for her.

Lia struggles with her self-worth as she lives in the shadow of her spoiled and selfish younger sister Rachel. She is an obedient daughter but she is excited about the opportunity to help the Zimmermans out for the summer. She is at first stunned by Moses abrupt pronouncement he is not going to marry her but she takes a humorous approach to his "rejection" and they end up sharing an light-hearted but meaningful friendship. When Rachel sets her sights on Moses, will Lia overcome the habits of a lifetime or will she let the man she is falling in love with go without a fight?

Rachel is self-centered and manipulative and even though her overly indulgent parents are to blame, it is impossible to like her! She is deliberately hurtful to Lia and when she does not get her way, she is mean and vindictive. Anna and Felty have her number right from the start and even though they try to guide her into changing her ways, Rachel manages to outmaneuver them on quite a few occasions. Rachel's comeuppance is long overdue and I hate to admit it, but I really enjoyed watching it happen!

Lia and Moses are a delightful couple and it is so enjoyable watching them fall in love. They have such a wonderful friendship and they share a true affinity for one another. Theirs is the type of love that slips in when neither is looking and it actually takes a while for them to realize their feelings go deeper than friendship. Moses shows just how honorable he is with his treatment of his ex and his strong need to keep his word to her. Lia has to overcome a lifetime of acceding to her father's wishes and it is wonderful to see her stretch her wings and find not only love, but her niche in life.

Huckleberry Hill is a charming love story but it is the personal growth of the characters that makes it such a fabulous read. Of course, Moses' impish grandparents are an absolute delight and I am very much looking forward to their matchmaking shenanigans in Jennifer's Beckstrand's next story in The Matchmakers of Huckleberry Hill series. show less

Huckleberry Hill, book #1 in The Matchmakers of Huckleberry Hill series, is a delightful Amish romance about an elderly couple who decide to meddle in their grandchildren's lives in order to help them find suitable mates. Jennifer's voice is different from anything I've read in Amish fiction, and I found it very refreshing. Huckleberry Hill has a beautiful sense of place in the Wisconsin Amish country, endearing lead characters in Moses and Lia, plenty of conflict, sweet romance, humor - and the most adorable, scheming grandparents I've ever seen. This is such an enjoyable read!

There's good character depth here, something I always look for in a book, and character weaknesses are exposed, as well as strengths. It is so much fun to watch show more the growing attraction between Moses and Lia, but it is the conflict introduced by Lia's sister around which everything revolves. Rachel and her father don't seem to fit our image of believers committed to the Amish faith, yet it is this conflict that drives the story and captured my attention throughout.

Rachel is an extremely irritating character who just grinds on your nerves - blessed with a beauty that didn't go beneath the surface. She was pampered, spoiled, lazy, conniving - the complete opposite of Lia. "Rachel wanted for nothing, while Lia's charge was to watch out for her delicate younger sister." There's even an allusion to the story of Rachel and Leah in the Old Testament, on which Moses reflects: "It seemed her dat moved his daughters around like pieces on a chessboard. Lia was the expendable one, and Rachel played the queen. Well, Moses refused to be the pawn."

But it is the grandparents, Felty and Anna, who captured my heart and wouldn't let go. They could get away with throwing two young people together to see if sparks might ignite because no one would ever suspect this seemingly guileless couple of such mischief. Anna loves to experiment with new recipes, often with disastrous results - and one of my favorite scenes is her meatball supper. Felty, the perfect husband for Anna, could pop scorching hot meatballs into his mouth because a childhood accident had impaired his sense of taste and smell.

On a spiritual level, we see much personal growth in Moses and Lia, and comforting Scriptures are often quoted in a way that easily flows with the narrative. Felty and Anna are filled with spiritual wisdom, and I enjoyed one particular conversation between Felty and Lia. I would have liked to see some sign of transformation or redemption in Rachel's character, so I will keep hoping for that.

Huckleberry Hill is a story you can relax with and enjoy your time spent in its pages. In fact, it was hard to read without a smile on my face! Readers of Amish fiction will enjoy this story that is different from many others on the market. Book #2, Huckleberry Summer, releases in June 2014.

Thank you to Jane Nutter and Kensington Books for providing a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. show less

Delightful, for a bunch of reasons. Here are some:
• Lovable characters. I found myself rooting for them, laughing with them, and hoping for a happy ending. And it wasn't just the leads. I found the supporting characters, especially the two grandparents, to be a lot of fun, too. Lots of warmth.
• Humor. It's not overblown, but it is definitely a strong undercurrent in this novel. Very well done.
• Christianity. It's respectfully portrayed without being overly preachy. Jennifer Beckstrand has a way of incorporating aspects of faith into her plot with just the right light touch.
I greatly enjoyed reading this. What a sweet, refreshing novel!

Author Jennifer Beckstrand has written a compelling romance peopled with some very interesting characters. The main protagonists as well as the secondary characters really come alive on the page. Issues such as self-esteem and self-worth are explored in this tale, as well as parenting skills. Lia is made to feel unworthy of love, due to the way she is treated by her parents who much favor her younger sister. It will take the kindness shown to Lia by another family before she really realizes her own worth. This first book in the series is well written and recommended to readers of Amish fiction.

Rare rating for an Amish romance, but I really like the combination of sly humor & intelligence of this title. It's my first experience with Jennifer Beckstrand, & I am already disappointed that she's only written a dozen or so books. -- This is the first of 9 in a series about an elderly (80+) woman, mother of 13, grandmother & great-grandmother who wants, I think, everyone to be as happily married as she is. In this one, it's her 6'5" grandson to a 6' lady. Smart, pretty, etc. with a beautiful & spoiled sister who also wants him. Not laughing out loud funny, but smile, I-recognize-that-kind funny that appeals to an intelligent mind. -- I will very likely not put all her books I read here, & definitely wiill not review them all, but show more just this one, the first to me, deserves to be recorded. show less

Now that their 13 children are all grown up, Anna and Felty Helmuth are ready for their next adventure- trying their hand at matchmaking. They start with their grandson Moses.

Moses however, is still holding out hope that his first love, Barbara, who left their Amish community 3 years ago, will return, so he is resistant to his grandparents attempts to match him up with graceful, sensible Lia, a woman who is tall enough to look him in the eye.

Lia has already resigned herself to being a spinster. Her overbearing father has always told her she's too tall, and that her severely scarred hand ( a result of a childhood accident) will make her unattractive to any man.

The Helmuth's ask for Lia to spend the summer at Huckleberry Hill, on the show more pretense of helping around the house. Lia and Moses are resistant to Anna's matchmaking attempts, but they become good friends. Just when it seems like they could be more than friends, Lia's younger sister Rachel is sent to Huckleberry Hill by her father, when he decides that Moses would make a good husband for his pretty and petite daughter. Though it breaks Lia's heart, she steps aside, as ordered by her father, and is expected to do anything she can to help Rachel win Moses's heart. The fact that Moses isn't attracted to Rachel at all doesn't deter Rachel, who is use to always getting her way.

I really enjoyed this story, and it had a lot of humor in it; I found myself nearly laughing out loud several times as I was reading. Normally, I would find a rude and snobbish character like Rachel annoying, but her character added a comical element to the story. The storyline was somewhat predictable, as a lot of stories in this genre are, but the humor really made this story stand out. Looking forward to reading more books in this series; with 13 children, the Helmuth's have a lot of grandchildren that may benefit from some matchmaking! show less

The quote on the cover says it all! Jennifer Beckstrand is a delightful voice in the storm of tragedy that typically occupies the pages of Amish fiction novels.

“Huckleberry Hill” is full of unexpected twists and laugh-out-loud mishaps. The characters are delightful and most definitely one-of-a-kind. The plot is well thought out and intriguing.

I won’t spoil it for you but watch for a running joke about pie… PRICELESS!

I would never have expected such a delightfully fun story about a pair of matchmaking grandparents.

WHO COULD!

But it is a delightfully fun adventure where the main characters get into all sorts of trouble. I want to say Lia, Moses and Rachel are my favorites but the truth is, Anna and Felty clearly steal the show.

They show more make me miss my grandfather so much – they’re that real.

Jennifer Beckstrand is an amazingly talented writer who brings you right into the story with her descriptions of the characters and their surroundings!

THANK YOU Jennifer for sharing this exceptional story with us! I’ve just received Huckleberry Summer and my review will appear shortly since I’m certain I won’t be able to put it down! The third book – Huckleberry Christmas is slotted for release in October.

I was provided this book free in exchange for an HONEST review! show less