Review - An Amish Country Christmas by Charlotte Hubbard

The Christmas Visitors is devoted to brothers Bram and Nate Kanagy and the identical twin sisters they fall in love with, Martha and Mary Coblentz. As the brothers woo the sisters, an out-of-towner threatens to dash their hopes. In Kissing the Bishop, Willow Ridge sisters Jerusalem and Nazareth Hooley are snowed in at Tom Hostetler's place with Vernon Gingerich from Cedar Creek. After Tom receives shocking news about his estranged wife, will that open the door for two more couples to find their happy endings? The devoted couples from the first tale also make a cameo in the second. Mouthwatering recipes complete this sweet collection.

An Amish Country Christmas is the second book by Charlotte Hubbard that I've read. I was a little nervous to pick it up because I LOVED the last one so much I was worried I wouldn't be as invested in the characters as I'd been before.

The worry was unfounded.

I loved Martha and Mary Coblentz. And I have to admit, I think I got them mixed up just as much as Nate and Bram did. They were mischievous and considered trouble makers by the community they lived in, but that didn't stop Bram and Nate from trying to win their hearts.

It was also wonderful to get to know Jerusalem and Nazareth a little bit better. In Winter of Wishes they'd just kind of been names on the sideline to me. Popping up every once in a while, but not peaking my interest at all. They were just kind of there. Finding out more about Preacher Tom was fun too. And meeting the Bishop from Martha and Mary's own town (I love how all the stories are intertwined even if the story lines are separate!). I was definitely rooting for all of them in this story.

There were definitely some hitches in the plans for the pairs in each of the two stories in this book. It was amazing how patient they all were when obstacles just kept jumping up in their paths. When they were met with resistance they didn't throw their hands up in the air, they took a deep breath and found another way around. I personally think that's fantastic and nice to read.

An Amish Country Christmas is a wonderful Christmas story. Well, stories. They are uplifting and refreshing and fun to read. Another great point for this book as well as the other is that they can be read as stand-alones. I generally don't like to read books in a series unless I've read all the previous books. Not the case with this or with Winter of Wishes. Yes, I recognized names I'd seen in the other story, but the stories themselves didn't seem to rely on the books before them. I wasn't lost and frustrated like I normally would be reading book three in a series I'd never seen before.

I definitely recommend this as a read to anyone. Whether you're looking for something to put you in a holiday mood or you're interested in learning more about the Amish... or you just want to hurry through and get to the delicious recipes at the end of the book (I know that's another plus for me!). They are wonderful to read and will leave you with a smile on your face when you're finished. An absolute must read!