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theavidreaderandbibliophile's review
4.0
An Amish Christmas at the Apple Blossom Inn by Tracy Fredrychowski and Debra Torres contains two sweet stories. The Beiler sisters have just lost their mother who was their last remaining parent. Amanda, the eldest sister, must now stay home to take care of the home and the younger siblings. It has been decided that Sadie and Katie will split their sister’s former job at the Apple Blossom Inn. Their salary will help pay for the mortgage on the house. We get to see the period following the mother’s funeral from Sadie and Katie’s point of view. I found both stories to be easy to read. I liked meeting the Beiler sisters. The stories focus on the Apple Blossom Inn, faith, a touch of romance, and Christmas. Thanks to her best friend Sadie faith is deepening plus she is getting a better understanding of the scriptures. Sadie is learning the power of prayer and giving her worries to God. Katie’s faith is strong. She knows that God will direct her where she should go. Katie has learned the importance of slowing down and allowing for quiet so she can hear God’s voice. I enjoyed the beautiful descriptions of the Apple Blossom Inn decorated for Christmas. Jeremiah’s story was especially touching. I like how it turned out plus we get to learn the reason behind Mrs. Sorenson’s attitude (the owner of the Apple Blossom Inn). Miracles do happen at Christmas as we see in Katie’s story. With faith, family, and love we see that anything is possible. An Amish Christmas at the Apple Blossom Inn contains two heartwarming tales with distressed sisters, a bitter boss, a recipe catastrophe, a special keepsake, a nagging neighbor, and God’s guidance.
meezcarrie's review
4.0
An Amish Christmas at the Apple Blossom Inn is a unique blending of two parallel stories by two separate authors. Each story has a bit of romance, a sweet message, likable characters, and yummy food, and I was invested in both of them. Sadie and Katie are different in personality, like most sisters, but they are alike enough that the transition between the two storylines never felt jarring. The authors did well in weaving hints from the other’s novella into their own, keeping me intrigued all the way through.
I was especially delighted to realize that, while I have not read most of Fredrychowski’s books set in Willow Springs, I have read the one that features Sadie & Katie’s older sister Amanda and her romance. The Amish Christmas Gift Worth Waiting For was part of the Amish Christmas Miracles collection and was one of my fave stories of the 14 included. It was great to be able to see ‘the rest of the story’, so to speak, and I highly recommend that you read that one before reading An Amish Christmas at the Apple Blossom Inn – though it’s not strictly necessary. Also exciting was the chance to see characters from Torres’ Willow Brook series (which I really enjoy) show up in this collaboration, and I thought the way they were included was quite clever.
Bottom Line: Both authors give readers a taste of their own writing styles & series while seamlessly working together to create an overarching narrative that unites each separate story and entertains readers from start to finish. Sadie & Katie are engaging characters who face respective challenges with grace and strength, and even the grumpy proprietor of the Apple Blossom Inn isn’t left unaffected. Sweet romance and a gentle faith message that points to Jesus can be found in each story, and readers will find themselves tracking down the backlists of whichever author they hadn’t previously read. A lovely way to unwind from Christmas festivities!
(I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book)
first reviewed at Reading Is My SuperPower
I was especially delighted to realize that, while I have not read most of Fredrychowski’s books set in Willow Springs, I have read the one that features Sadie & Katie’s older sister Amanda and her romance. The Amish Christmas Gift Worth Waiting For was part of the Amish Christmas Miracles collection and was one of my fave stories of the 14 included. It was great to be able to see ‘the rest of the story’, so to speak, and I highly recommend that you read that one before reading An Amish Christmas at the Apple Blossom Inn – though it’s not strictly necessary. Also exciting was the chance to see characters from Torres’ Willow Brook series (which I really enjoy) show up in this collaboration, and I thought the way they were included was quite clever.
Bottom Line: Both authors give readers a taste of their own writing styles & series while seamlessly working together to create an overarching narrative that unites each separate story and entertains readers from start to finish. Sadie & Katie are engaging characters who face respective challenges with grace and strength, and even the grumpy proprietor of the Apple Blossom Inn isn’t left unaffected. Sweet romance and a gentle faith message that points to Jesus can be found in each story, and readers will find themselves tracking down the backlists of whichever author they hadn’t previously read. A lovely way to unwind from Christmas festivities!
(I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book)
first reviewed at Reading Is My SuperPower
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