An Amish Second Christmas Book Review

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An Amish Second Christmas is a collection of four novellas written by four different authors: Best Westman, Kathleen Fuller, Ruth Reed and Tricia Goyer. Each novella is a separate Amish romance centered on the theme of second chances at Christmastime.

When Christmas Comes Again by Best Westman

Katherine knows the first Christmas without Elias will be hard for her and the children. But when a mysterious Englischer appears with photographs of her late husband, Katherine  begins to wonder what other blessings Christmas could have in store.

Her Christmas Pen Pal by Ruth Reid

Joy was expecting a wedding proposal from Henry; what she got instead was news of another woman. But when her heartfelt letter to a cousin ends up in the hands of a young cabinetmaker, an unexpected correspondence between two strangers gets interesting fast.

A Gift for Anne Marie by Kathleen Fuller

Anne Marie and Nathaniel have been best friends since they were kids. Now things are evolving . . . in ways everyone else predicted long ago. But when her mother suddenly decides to remarry in another state, Anne Marie’s new chapter with Nathaniel looks doomed to end before it begins. 

The Christmas Aprons by Tricia Goyer

Vanilla crumb pie has been Esther’s mem’s calling card for decades. But when Esther finally gets her hands on the secret recipe, she discovers that vanilla crumb pie is more than just dessert . . . it’s bachelor bait.

I’ve never read a single book with a collection of novellas before. For a busy mom like me, I enjoyed having basically four books that I could enjoy without the pressure of reading more than 400 pages to find out how the story ends. I was able to just pick it up and read for a couple of hours and have my heart warmed with a complete story. 

I enjoyed all four of these novellas, but not surprisingly, my favorite was The Christmas Aprons. Tricia Goyer has long been one of my favorite Amish fiction authors, and she does not disappoint with this sweet story.

If you’ve read Tricia’s Amish books in the past, you’ll recognize the setting of West Kootenai, Montana, where many of her stories have settled. The novella begins as Esther is cooling the vanilla crumb pie she has just baked for the first time. For her whole life her mem has baked this pie in secret, never sharing the recipe, teaching her daughters how to make it, or even allowing in them in the kitchen as she bakes. But Esther recently received an envelope from her mem with the recipe and a strange note instructing her to guard it with her life add not tell a soul.

As the story unfolds we discover the power that such a delicious, well-kept secret holds. The pie Esther baked is entered into an auction fund raiser where the bidders are Amish bachelors who regularly come to Montana to hunt, and many times leave with a new bride. Ammon’s reaction to her Vanilla Crumb is such that within minutes many of the bachelors have had a bite and it is soon all gone. 

What happens next is a treat for the reader. One thing I will tell you is that the recipe for Vanilla Crumb Pie is included!

Other wonderful Christmas books by Goyer include Where Treetops Glisten and A Christmas Gift for Rose. All three of these books will make lovely Christmas gifts for your favorite fan of Amish and World War II fiction. 

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