Spend a year in Amish country with four sweet romances.
Rooted in Love
Rosemary Lantz is doing her best to run her family's
household. She excels at all her tasks except one: gardening. Saul Petersheim
has pursued Rosemary for years, but Rosemary keeps turning him down. What Saul
doesn't know is that she has good reason--something no one can know--especially
not him.
Good story. Rosemary and Saul had dated when they were
teens, until Rosemary abruptly broke things off. Now she takes care of her
widowed father and her three brothers, and dreams of what might have been. Saul
has never given up on the love he felt for her and keeps asking her out. When
Rosemary's dad and Sauk are injured in an accident, Saul insists on helping
out, in spite of his own injuries, hoping for another chance.
I loved Saul. He's true in his love for Rosemary and
doesn't give up, even when it seems hopeless. His sense of honor insists on him
helping out because he was the one who caused her father's injuries. It was a
bit amusing to see that he didn't handle his own injury too well.
I had a bit more trouble with Rosemary. She doesn't treat
Katherine very well because she's jealous of what appears to be the other
woman's perfect life. I admired the way that she has taken care of her family
since her mother's death, especially since she is often overwhelmed by it all.
But she is also a little bitter about having missed out on the husband and
children she wants. She is still in love with Saul, but doesn't treat him very
well. The reason she broke things off haunts her, and she wonders if it was
worth the loss of the man she loves.
I got pretty frustrated with her because she was so
inconsistent with her treatment of Saul. I was glad to see her talk to her
friend about what happened and that it gave her the motivation to actually talk
to him about it. When she finally got up the courage to do so, it was to find
that it had been a misunderstanding of what she heard. If she had only taken
the time to talk to him about it, so much time wouldn't have been lost.
However, I liked Saul's philosophical look on the lost years.
There was also a secondary story involving Rosemary's
dad, Wayne, and Katherine. Rosemary's treatment of Katherine nearly ruined the
blossoming of their romance. I ached for both Wayne and Katherine and their
unhappiness. I was happy to see Rosemary see her mistakes and try to fix
things.
A Love for Irma Rose
The year is 1957, and young Irma Rose has a choice to
make. Marry the man who loves her? Or go after Jonas, the high-spirited, yet
noncommittal man her heart loves?
Good story. Irma Rose is sixteen and finally old enough
to date. She has two young men who are pursuing her. Jake, an upright, serious
and handsome fellow. And Jonas, a rascal of a guy with a taste for speed and
cigars. She feels that she's being led toward Jake, otherwise why would her
hands be clammy and her stomach churn around Jonas? But Jonas won't give up,
even when she chooses to date Jake instead. She thinks she has her life all
planned, but something happens that has her rethinking.
I really liked Jonas. Yes, he's a bit reckless and wild
at times, but he's also steady and loving. He had first seen Irma Rose three
years earlier and knew right then that she was the girl for him. He just had to
be patient. I enjoyed his confidence that things would eventually work out. His
father died three years ago, leaving Jonas to take care of his mother and four
sisters. He works hard and sometimes makes poor choices when he gets a chance
to take a break. In this story he ends up with some Englischers who are
arrested for drag racing and drinking. Because he can't pay the fine, he ends
up in jail for two weeks, just after his mother is hospitalized.
I liked Irma Jean too, though she seemed to be a bit hard
on Jonas. She was so intent on dating Jake that I had to laugh a little over
the date itself. It didn't go quite as she expected. She is a kind person at
heart, and when Jonas's mother is in the hospital, she's one of the people that
brings food to help the family. When she goes back later and discovers the
girls there alone, she steps right in to help. It was fun to see the things she
learned about Jonas from his sister (always a good source).
Both Irma Jean and Jonas learn something about themselves
and their choices during this story. I liked seeing Jonas realize that he's in
control of his own life and his choices affect more than just himself. Irma
Jean discovered that perhaps she likes a little more adventure in her life than
she thought. I also liked that she realized she was still pretty young and
didn't need to decide her whole life right away. I loved the segment at the end
showing she and Jonas as grandparents.
There was also an interesting bit between Jonas and his
cellmate, when Theo was talking about his life. Jonas tried to help him. It
turned out that there was an unexpected connection between the two of them. I
liked knowing what happened to Theo after he got out of jail too.
Patchwork Perfect
Eli
Byler has been a widower for two years when he chooses to make a fresh start in
Paradise, Pennsylvania. Eli's children are determined to keep their family the
way it is, but they aren't in Paradise long before the available ladies begin
to show an interest in Eli. As Eli juggles the admiration of two women, he
meets Miriam Fisher--the most unconventional Amish woman he's ever met. She
doesn't fit the mold for what Eli is looking for, but it isn't long before Eli
realizes that Miriam is everything he wants. But with two children constantly
trying to sabotage his efforts, will he ever be happy again?
This was a good story. Eli has moved to Paradise with his
two children two years after his wife's death. He wants to marry again, but his
district is small with few available women. Two widows, Ruth and Elizabeth,
notice him right away and make their interest plain. He also meets another
woman, Miriam, who is nothing like he expects. She has made it plain to
everyone that she doesn't intend to marry. He is fascinated by her, even though
she doesn't cook, garden, or do the other things expected of an Amish woman.
It was fun to see Eli trying to find his way through the
dating world. Both widows are appealing to him at first look. But a meal with
each of them shows him that perhaps they aren't quite what he's looking for. It
doesn't help anything that neither of his children is exactly enthusiastic
about the prospect of a new mother.
Eli's daughter Grace is having her own problems. At
almost sixteen, she's caught the eye of Wayne, a seventeen year old with a
reputation as a heartbreaker. She's happy about his attention, until he starts
to want more than she's willing to give. Several times they are interrupted by
Miriam, who knows Wayne's reputation. Grace soon realizes that Miriam is
someone she can go to for help if she needs it, and she soon does.
I loved Miriam's understanding and compassion when she
talks to Grace. She opens up a little to Grace, sharing some things about
herself that helps the girl. I liked how she talks to Eli for Grace, and his
own understanding about Miriam comes out of that talk. I loved how Eli showed
Miriam that she too deserves a chance to be happy.
When Christmas Comes Again
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.
Good story, though not a romantic one. Katherine and her
children are all having a hard time dealing with their grief after Elias's death.
Katherine is a little disturbed when a strange man starts following her around.
Then he delivers a box of photographs of her husband and she and the children,
with an invitation to meet for coffee so he can explain. Who he is comes as a
surprise to her, and she continues to meet with him.
Mary Carol and her boyfriend Abe meet the same man at an
abandoned farmhouse. There is something about him that Mary Carol finds
interesting, and the two befriend the man.
I liked how James had such insight into the grief they
felt and an amazing sense of how each would deal with it best. I also enjoyed
his stories and wondered, along with the others, how much of it was true. His
actions were occasionally bizarre and I had a feeling there was a story behind
them. I loved the ending, with the way that the family embraced him.
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