An Amish Wedding

An Amish Wedding

by Beth Wiseman, Kathleen Fuller, Kelly Long

Three best-selling authors. Three possible brides. Three separate tales. They come together for an Amish wedding. Priscilla King has dreamed of being married to Chester Lapp since she was sixteen. With the help of her sister Naomi’s matchmaking skills, Chester proposes to Priscilla on her nineteenth birthday. As the wedding day approaches, problems emerge: an attendant with poison ivy, a failed celery crop, and a torn wedding dress. At the same time, Priscilla’s best friend Rose is convinced her fiancé is hiding something and she is intent on discovering the truth at any cost. Naomi remains hopeful that she, too, will soon find her perfect match. When Chester’s cousin shows up, there’s an immediate attraction between him and Naomi – as well as an obstacle that may just as immediately derail their blossoming love. Is God sending a message to stop the wedding? What is certain is that the hearts of these three women will be forever transformed by this touching Amish Wedding.

Genres: Amish, Christian Fiction, Amish Fiction, Romance, Fiction, Christian, Christian Romance

374 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2011

About the author

"I wish I had the time to review books and chat with you here, but my writing deadlines just don't allow it. Please like my Fans of Beth Wiseman Page on Facebook where I try to post any news and interact with readers."
Beth is the best-selling and award winning author of the Daughters of the Promise series - Plain Perfect, Plain Pursuit, Plain Promise, Plain Paradise, and Plain Proposal. She is contracted with HarperCollins Christian Publishing. Her other series--the Land of Canaan Novels--begins with Seek Me With All Your Heart, then The Wonder of Your Love and now, His Love Endures Forever. Seek Me With All Your Heart is the first Amish fiction book selected as a Women of Faith novel in 2011. Beth has also written three contemporary Christian fiction novels, Need You Now published in 2012 and The House That Love Built in 2013. In The Promise, (2014) Beth jumps way outside the box. This story takes readers far away from Amish Country and small Texas towns to a dangerous place on the other side of the world. Inspired by a true story, Beth believes this is the book she’s been working toward for a long time. 2015 brings Beth back to the Pennsylvania Amish with her new series, Amish Secrets. She is currently working on book #2 following much success with book #1, Her Brother's Keeper.

You can also follow Beth on Twitter: @BethWiseman

Reviews

[Willow · Rating 2 out of 5]

*Spoiler alert*

I didn't learn about Amish lifestyle as much as I hoped. The story was engaging but everything was too perfect. All the characters were good-willed, kind, sensitive, thoughtful, yadi yadi yada, and the plans were perfect and everything works out eventually. El fin.

[Kara · Rating 4 out of 5]

An Amish Wedding by Kelly Long, Kathleen Fuller, & Beth Wiseman
Review by Kara Grant

Will these three Amish women get the wedding of their dreams or will they have to settle for something else? Here are three very different stories woven into one book with different perspectives on how to trust God with the most important decision a young woman can make. Out of the three stories, only two women are getting married, but there is love to be experienced by each.

A Perfect Secret
This is the story of Rose and Luke; they have been best friends their entire lives and now they have gotten engaged. They each have a secret that they must reveal to one another and both are hesitant in doing this. Rose and Luke love one another, but they must conquer whatever fears they have before they can exchange vows. Will they be able to accomplish this feat in time?

A Perfect Match
This is the story of Naomi and Zeke; they have both reached an older age than most around them and remained single. Zeke is open and gentle towards Naomi, but an
ex-boyfriend broke her heart and she is hesitant responding to Zeke. Naomi likes to participate in matching up couples in her family and community; she believes her life is complete without a husband. However, will she be able to ignore the attraction she feels for Zeke or will she learn to trust him with her heart?
My favorite line in this book comes from Zeke and it warmed my heart:
“Yet despite his desire to find a wife, he wouldn’t settle for just any woman. Not because he had to have the most beautiful one, or the finest caretaker, or even the best cook—although being able to cook was a plus. He wanted his marriage to be blessed by the Lord, and influenced by Christ in every way. He trusted that God would let him know who the right woman was. He wasn’t sure how, but he had faith.”

A Perfect Plan
This is the story of Priscilla and Chester; they meet at Priscilla’s 16th birthday party and discover that they both want to experience skydiving before they are baptized in the Amish faith. They do this together shortly after her birthday, but I was disappointed that it wasn’t described. What a way to start courting! Three years later they are engaged to be married, but everything seems to be going wrong. Priscilla’s wedding dress gets ruined, the house Chester is building for them fails inspection and requires extra work, and then Chester gets fired from his job over a misunderstanding. Will this couple learn to trust God above their circumstances or will they cancel the entire wedding due to these disasters?

I listed the authors in the order their stories appear in this book, even though Beth Wiseman is the seasoned author of the bunch. My favorite one was A Perfect Match because I related most to Naomi. After being betrayed by a man she loved and trusted, it was difficult to believe that her heart would be safe ever again so she focused her time on her family, her business, and her community. It’s even hard to trust God again once you’ve been heartbroken, but the awesome thing is that once your heart heals and gets strong again, your faith and your perspective of God goes even deeper than it originally was. The first two stories deal with betrayal and the third one deals with trusting God regardless of what your circumstances are. Everyone wants their wedding day to be perfect and in order, but God likes to surprise us and do extraordinary things that don’t always follow our ideas of perfection.

This book also offers a reading group guide for each story; a glossary for those who don’t know Amish vocabulary; and Amish recipes for Amish Blueberry Cobbler, Apple Cake with Caramel Sauce, Hot Caramel Sauce, Outrageous Chocolate Chip Cookies, and Underground Ham. This book does not qualify for my favorites list, but I give it a high rating because it contains three stories for the price of one and the message it contains is the most important one. Trusting God is never easy, but giving Him our trust is required if we love Him. He is faithful in everything no matter how we worry or stress and He continues to love us even when we doubt Him. An Amish Wedding successfully captures the heart of the Amish culture through the eyes of three different couples and the valuable lessons they learn as they discover God’s unique plan for their lives. I didn’t laugh while reading this, but I did cry and I smiled throughout.

I want to thank Booksneeze and Thomas Nelson for the free copy they provided for my review. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own.

[Martha · Rating 3 out of 5]

"A Perfect Plan" by Beth Wiseman, "The Perfect Match" by Kathleen Fuller, and "The Perfect Secret" by Kelly Long have written about three Amish women in three different short stories that are faced with many obstacles preparing for their wedding day. Will Priscilla King, Naomi Fisher, or Rose Bender find their way to marriage?

An Amish Wedding is my first Amish book that I have read. I was a little disappointed to know that an Amish person could be a thief and cells phones were allowed. I know this is a fictional read but I do not see the Amish as thieves.I lived close to an Amish community when I was younger and they didn’t have any of the luxuries that they have in An Amish Wedding. Maybe the times have changed over the years on how the Amish live. I never knew that Amish women were allowed to be so open when being courted by their Amish men. I was quite confused in parts on how the Amish had such liberal ways of life in all three books. An Amish Wedding is a quick and easy read.

[Lecy Beth · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was pleasantly surprised by these three short stories that revolve around one small Amish community and a wedding that is to occur in the near future. Often, these types of books can go overboard on the emotion or are too heavily influenced by religion, but this book was nicely done. It was cozy and yet cheerfully humorous and it reminded me of the many Amish and Mennonite friends I've made over the years.

[Vicky Sluiter · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed all the stories. I loved that the same characters were followed through them all.

[Nancy · Rating 4 out of 5]

A book of three novellas, all centered around wedding preparations. Kept my interest and focused on perfectionism, God's will, trust and more. Romantic.

[Dbvdb · Rating 2 out of 5]

I heard about this from a review but in the end this kind of genre is not for me. I didn't care for the reader either. Can't recommend.

[Connie · Rating 2 out of 5]

Schwartz stories ok

[Rachel · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book contains three short novellas, and all three stories have the wedding of Priscilla King and Chester Lapp running through them.

"A Perfect Secret" - Kelly Long (2.5 Stars, a cute but mostly superficial story):
"Priscilla is friends with Rose Bender. Rose is going to be an attendant in her wedding. Rose and Luke Zook have been best friends forever. They are getting married a few months after Priscilla and Chester.. Suddenly, Rose is tired of the comfortable, safeness of Luke. She feels he hardly evens wants to touch her. Rose wants adventure and romance. She thinks Luke can't give her either of these." But is Rose's aunt right that Luke might be more than she thinks?

"A Perfect Match" - Kathleen Fuller (3.5 Stars, a sweet, amusing, and reasonably well written novella):
"While Naomi King is excited her sister Priscilla is getting married, she herself has no desire to get married after having her heart broken. Zeke Lapp, in Paradise for his cousin Chester's wedding, has been chased by young women for years but still hasn't fallen in love. When Naomi and Zeke meet sparks fly between them but Naomi thinks Zeke will be perfect for her friend Margaret. Can Zeke convince her they are A Perfect Match?"

"A Perfect Plan" - Beth Wiseman (3 Stars, a rather amusing tale about the longest case of pre-wedding jitters known to man):
"Priscilla King has long dreamed of having the perfect wedding when she marries Chester Lapp. But as the wedding day approaches everything seems to go wrong from problems with their new house, a wedding attendant with poison ivy, problems with Chester's job, and an embarrassing case of hiccups for Priscilla. Priscilla loves Chester but with all these obstacles she begins to wonder if their wedding is really part of God's plan."

[Angieleigh · Rating 4 out of 5]

This wasn't my favorite of the Amish collections that I've read lately. This could possibly be because the narrator's voice irked me when she did certain male voices. Like, gave me weird vibes irksome.

While they may embody Old Order Amish, the characters in this book also embrace New Order Amish bordering on Englisher customs. And I'm not meaning those who are in their Rumspringa, either. While some had phone shanties for their businesses, they also carried cell phones. Usually it's those who are in their "wild years" who will sneak cell phones, which one of the boys did and ended up giving it up when he realized that he would have to pay a fee every month, but several of the parents did, too.

Considering they came from Old Order families, all three featured the main female and male characters to be allowed alone time in their bedrooms, dawdi house, and even the phone shanty. Again, not something that would 100% be allowed, but something that the authors took liberties with.

What I LOVED about this book is that there was a wedding! The Amish have TWO. HOUR. LONG. CEREMONIES. They also only get married in November or December.

Each novella interconnects, with the final novella the culmination of all three.

[Helen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Novella One: A Perfect Secret by Kelly Long

This story captured my interest, but initially confused me due to a male protagonist’s actions. However, the character did come before the community to ask forgiveness so cleared that up a bit. However, I found Chapter 22 oddly sensual for an Amish romance. It made me uncomfortable. Anyone else feel the same way?

Novella Two: A Perfect Match by Kathleen Fuller

I almost DNF this little novella. Such a weird situation with Naomi making dinner for Margaret and Zeke. Very, very weird. And the buggy ride business where Zeke wanted to see the town of Paradise, and yet Naomi suggests going out for a meal. That was again weird and made no sense. But seeing as it wasn’t a long story, I pushed through it.

Novella Three: A Perfect Plan by Beth Wiseman

I finally figured out that these stories are all connected and set around the same time period - with the exception of Beth Wiseman's prologue. I did like the novella's lesson about the sin of worry and superstition; reacting with fear and worry is not God's plan for us. Life is not perfect, and when it isn’t, it is part of God‘s perfect plan. It reminds me of one of my favorite songs, No Longer Slaves
by Josh Garrels.
I'm no longer a slave to fear
I am a child of God

[SKP · Rating 3 out of 5]

While I enjoyed the individual novellas, they absolutely did not work as an intertwining collection. I have read a couple dozen Amish novella collections, and the few that were written to have all the stories connected by mutual settings, characters and happenings have all been good up until this one. This one was all confusing as to the passage of time, and both of the first two stories gave away entire pieces of the third story. It would have been 100% better if they had not tried to link the 3 stories, because the third one was messed up by the first two. It was as if when the book was planned out, none if the authors knew where their own story would be placed in the book. Bad editing, bad planning & very disappointing.

[Kate · Rating 4 out of 5]

I like how each of these stories was set not only in the same community, but at the same basic time. This added a bit of cohesiveness to the collection that might not have been there otherwise. I also appreciated how each couple in the stories learned how to trust in God's plan and timing and lead.
I think my favourite of the stories was Luke and Rose's. I enjoyed the bit of mystery surrounding "Rob in the Hood", and how that eventually played out in Luke and Rose's lives.

[Ellen · Rating 2 out of 5]

I listened to this book, which is always tricky, because a reader can make or a break a book, regardless if the book is great or so-so. I didn't love the reader, so I'm not sure how much the reader influenced my opinion of the book. Anyway, the story was good, but it seemed very wordy and overly dramatic. It was my first Amish book and I enjoyed learning (assuming the book was accurate) about the Amish culture.

[Larisha · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is written by three great authors. Each author writes their own story about intertwined characters. The book was really good and many of the characters became like friends.

The only thing I wonder after reading this book is the order in which the stories were placed. Beth Wiseman's story should have been placed first instead of last. By the time you reach the last story, you know how everything developed and what happened already.

[Sara · Rating 4 out of 5]

"A Perfect Secret" by Kelly Long (3/6/20)
This story is adorable (and kinda hot) from the beginning. It has me grinning ear to ear. 4.5 stars.

"A Perfect Match" by Kathleen Fuller (3/6/20)
This one is so romantic. It just straight gives me the swoons. 5 stars.

"A Perfect Plan" by Beth Wiseman (3/6/20)
This one taught a beautiful lesson about trusting in the Lord. 4 stars.

Overall: I enjoyed this set immensely. I'll say 4.5 overall, but I can't quite round.

[Sra Rodriguez · Rating 5 out of 5]

In true Amish fiction style, the clean romance in these three stories in one book does not disappoint. Although I was surprised when it switched from one person's story to another, as I read on it became clear that the second story was linked to the first. The third story was not a surprise, as I had looked a the table of contents by then.

[Diana C. Kobylak · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed the first story because it demonstrates that we must rely on God for guidance. I was exasperated by the second story where Naomi disses Chester’s cousin’s interest in her and practically throws him at reluctant Margaret. Quite unbelievable and I’ve never heard of that ever happening so stopped reading the story altogether.

[Carol · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book has 3 novellas about what else - Amish Weddings! I love the Amish culture and their devotion to God and threating others truly as God treats us. It's a joy to read and listen to a story that has no violence or language and just enjoy the happy endings!

[Sandra · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved each of these wedding novellas. I enjoy it when many of the same characters show up in a later novel. They were short and sweet. For me it is perfect when I want to read but do not have a lot of time. When I pick up a book, I want to read it to the ending, so these work for me.

[Michelle · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was an enjoyable read. My favorite of the three novellas is A Perfect Match by Kathleen Fuller. I also liked the scriptural lesson in A Perfect Plan.

This was my first time reading anything by the three authors. I definitely plan to read other stories by them.

[Amanda · Rating 3 out of 5]

I felt like the books were in an odd order, but did like how they all wove together.
Very sweet, a little saccharine at times, but I do like the way the authors depict Amish folks as normal. Different in their way of life, but normal in the humanity.

[Michele · Rating 3 out of 5]

The first story was just plain unreal. I know these books are fiction but many read as non-fiction, which I like. I enjoyed the other two stories.

[Mary Beth · Rating 4 out of 5]

Priscilla King has been planning to marry Chester Lapp since she was sixteen years old, and when Chester proposes on Priscilla's nineteenth birthday, wedding plans begin immediately.

[Senga · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have always enjoyed the Amish romance genre and this book with three separate but connected stories is perfect as a light uncomplicated story to listen to.

[Crystal Karre · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely loved it!

[Megan Rang · Rating 5 out of 5]

Three amazing Amish stories all in one book. I love the connection each story had to the others!!

[Lennine · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beth Wiseman and friends are always a good read.

[Lorraine Shaw · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book.

[Jessica · Rating 4 out of 5]

#readathon finished this audiobook I started before the Readathon. Great read!