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Women of Lancaster County #3
The Amish Bride
The Amish Bride tells the stories of young Plain women as they explore their roots, connect with family, and discover true love.
Ella Bayer and Ezra Gundy are in love and hope to marry someday, but she is a young Mennonite woman while he is an Amish man. Though both Plain, one of them will have to forsake what they believe to embrace another way of life.
Hoping some distance will cool the relationship, Ezra's family sends him to work at an Amish dairy farm in Indiana. But Ella disregards what her family wants and follows Ezra. In short order she finds a place to live, a job in a bakery, and an unexpected but budding friendship with a handsome Amish farmhand, Luke. When a family tragedy forces Ella back to Pennsylvania, she must face all she's been running away from. And once she has made peace with those around her, she has an important decision to Whose Amish bride will she become? Ezra's or Luke's?
Ella Bayer and Ezra Gundy are in love and hope to marry someday, but she is a young Mennonite woman while he is an Amish man. Though both Plain, one of them will have to forsake what they believe to embrace another way of life.
Hoping some distance will cool the relationship, Ezra's family sends him to work at an Amish dairy farm in Indiana. But Ella disregards what her family wants and follows Ezra. In short order she finds a place to live, a job in a bakery, and an unexpected but budding friendship with a handsome Amish farmhand, Luke. When a family tragedy forces Ella back to Pennsylvania, she must face all she's been running away from. And once she has made peace with those around her, she has an important decision to Whose Amish bride will she become? Ezra's or Luke's?
352 pages, Paperback
First published August 1, 2012
123 people are currently reading
882 people want to read
About the author
Mindy Starns Clark
56 books629 followersMindy Starns Clark is the bestselling author of more than 30 books, both fiction and nonfiction, and has received numerous literary honors, including two Christy Awards and RT Book Review Magazine’s 2012 Career Achievement Award. Mindy and her husband, John, have two adult children and live near Valley Forge, Pennsylvania.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 117 reviews
July 16, 2019
Mennonite raised Ella Bayer graduates high school at 17. She has her future all planned out. First she wants to go to a baking or culinary school to learn how to bake fancy wedding cakes. Her goal is to have her own bakery before she marries her Amish boyfriend Ezra Gundy. Often our plans don't go as we wanted or hoped they would.
Ezra Gundy is Amish and Ella Bayer is a Plain Mennonite. It seems Ezra's family wants him to become a dairy farmer and marry an Amish girl. Ella's mom seems to be trying to separate them as well. Ezra's family decides to send him away to a dairy farm in Indiana in hopes that he can get experience and learn to run a dairy farm. Unknown to the parents , Ella makes plans to work at a bakery in Indiana and later enroll for baking classes at a famous French restaurant. It seems she's thought of everything but can she pull this off before her mom learns what she's up to?
The Amish Bride is book three of The Women of Lancaster County. I previously read The Amish Midwife, book one of the series. The series is written by Mindy Starns Clark and Leslie Gould. There are five books to the series. I would recommend that the books be read in order as the characters are carried over to the other books.
I loved this story and hurt when Ella did and shared her rollercoaster of emotions . I felt her feelings of rejection and loneliness of being separated from her family. I was completely drawn into the story and I thought the authors brought it to life very nicely. I will be reading the other books in this series.
Readers of Amish Fiction and Christian Fiction would enjoy this book. I highly recommend it and gave it five Stars.
I won a signed copy of this book from a giveaway on Leslie Goulds Web site. I was not asked to write a review. All opinions shared here are my own thoughts and how I felt about the book.
Ezra Gundy is Amish and Ella Bayer is a Plain Mennonite. It seems Ezra's family wants him to become a dairy farmer and marry an Amish girl. Ella's mom seems to be trying to separate them as well. Ezra's family decides to send him away to a dairy farm in Indiana in hopes that he can get experience and learn to run a dairy farm. Unknown to the parents , Ella makes plans to work at a bakery in Indiana and later enroll for baking classes at a famous French restaurant. It seems she's thought of everything but can she pull this off before her mom learns what she's up to?
The Amish Bride is book three of The Women of Lancaster County. I previously read The Amish Midwife, book one of the series. The series is written by Mindy Starns Clark and Leslie Gould. There are five books to the series. I would recommend that the books be read in order as the characters are carried over to the other books.
I loved this story and hurt when Ella did and shared her rollercoaster of emotions . I felt her feelings of rejection and loneliness of being separated from her family. I was completely drawn into the story and I thought the authors brought it to life very nicely. I will be reading the other books in this series.
Readers of Amish Fiction and Christian Fiction would enjoy this book. I highly recommend it and gave it five Stars.
I won a signed copy of this book from a giveaway on Leslie Goulds Web site. I was not asked to write a review. All opinions shared here are my own thoughts and how I felt about the book.
August 7, 2019
The above authors have coauthored several books, and I'm always amazed at the cohesiveness and flowing stories they create. There is no telling who is writing any specific portion of the story, and that's no easy feat! This Amish fiction tale is beautifully written, and original. I love the history that was interwoven throughout, and the lives of the characters in this book are varied. Characters are deep and believable, and relationships are realistic at all levels. There is no predicting which way this story will travel, and events throughout are emotional and credible.
For readers who enjoy Amish fiction, this is above and beyond mainstream stories of that genre. The stories of the characters in The Amish Bride go much deeper than everyday life. I found this to be one of my favorite Amish stories because of the originality and depth created by these authors. I highly recommend The Amish Bride, and look forward to reading more from this series!
Disclaimer: I received a complimentary copy of this book. All expressed opinions are honest and my own.
For readers who enjoy Amish fiction, this is above and beyond mainstream stories of that genre. The stories of the characters in The Amish Bride go much deeper than everyday life. I found this to be one of my favorite Amish stories because of the originality and depth created by these authors. I highly recommend The Amish Bride, and look forward to reading more from this series!
Disclaimer: I received a complimentary copy of this book. All expressed opinions are honest and my own.
May 5, 2013
Wow! This is good. I could hardly put it down,. I love the characters. The plot and dialogue are also good. Highly recocmended.
August 10, 2012
GENRE: AMISH ROMANCE
PUBLISHER: HARVEST HOUSE
PUBLICATION DATE: AUGUST 01, 2012
RATING: 4 OUT OF 5 – VERY GOOD
PROS: Ella’s character growth is realistic and endears her to the reader; great spiritual lessons about forgiveness and trusting God; good message about marriage
CONS: Wouldn’t recommend this to be read as a standalone novel; Ella’s immaturity may make her unsympathetic initially
Ella Bayer was raised Mennonite, but since she began dating Ezra Gundy she’s become convinced that she will one day join the Amish church so that she can marry Ezra. She thinks she has her entire future planned out – she will get a job, attend baking school, open her own bakery in Lancaster County, then be baptised in the Amish church and marry Ezra. But Ezra’s parents interfere with Ella’s plans when they announce that they want Ezra to purchase a local dairy farm, and decide that he needs to train in the trade at a dairy outside of Pennsylvania. Ella is convinced that they’re scheming to keep her away from Ezra, out of fear that she’s a bad influence on their already wild teenage son. But Ella can’t help but wish she were leaving Lancaster County herself, since her long absent father has returned and wants to reconcile with her. Not yet ready to forgive the man who deserted her family fifteen years previously, Ella conspires to get herself and Ezra to Indiana, where there is a dairy farm beside her grandmother’s old family home. Her grandmother wants her to decode an old family diary and thinks that visiting the family home might help Ella, which fits in perfectly with the Gundy’s desire to get Ezra out of Lancaster County. But Ella’s carefully constructed plans fall to pieces almost as soon as she and Ezra arrive in Nappanee, Indiana. The family who own the diary farm think that Ezra will be a bad influence on their teenage daughter, with his motorcycle and Mennonite girlfriend, and their fears are confirmed when it becomes apparent that Ella left Pennsylvania without telling anyone of her intentions. Soon Ella finds herself alone in Nappanee, with no job or friends. She had been so certain that it was God’s will for her to become Amish and marry Ezra, but is it possible that he sent her to Indiana for an entirely different reason?
I’ve loved Mindy and Leslie’s Women of Lancaster County series since I read the first book, The Amish Midwife, with my book group last year. I hadn’t been terribly familiar with either author before this series, but I quickly became a fan of their writing. While the titles and covers of these books might suggest that they’re standard Amish romances, the content is so much more than that. Not only do Mindy and Leslie show that the Amish are flawed human beings, who like ourselves, make mistakes and don’t always get on with their family and community, but both authors bring a wealth of information about Anabaptist and Amish history into their writing. The combination of family secrets and historical detail contained in the Women of Lancaster County books is what makes them so refreshing and original.
Ella Bayer has been a memorable character right from the start of the series, so I was glad that she finally got a novel of her own. Being significantly younger than the previous two protagonists – Lexie and Ada – it took a bit of adjusting to settle into reading a novel about a nearly eighteen-year-old with such particular opinions about the way her future would pan out. The Amish Bride reminded me a little of Dianne Christner’s Something Old, which also had a relatively immature protagonist. I was a little worried that Ella’s stubbornness and naiveté was going to make it hard for me to sympathise with her, but it actually endeared me to her in a lot of ways. I could recall the all-consuming desire to just settle down with a husband and family, which sometimes causes young women to overlook the flaws in a man who is truly not suitable for them. While I imagine that some more mature readers may struggle with Ella’s rebellious nature and stubborn belief that she knows what is best for herself, I hope that most will be able to remember what it was like to be a romantic eighteen-year-old and appreciate Ella, flaws and all.
I truly did enjoy witnessing the growth of Ella’s character, especially when she learned to let go of her carefully constructed plans for the future and trust that God had control of her life. The spiritual messages in this book weren’t heavy-handed, but were obvious enough that they made me dwell on whether I trusted God enough with my future. I’m sure this is something all of us struggle with and can relate to. By the end of the book, I still felt that Ella had a lot of growing to do, but I was pleased with how far she’d come over the course of the novel. The scenes in which she finally confronts her father and Ezra made me quite proud of her and how far she’d come.
The mystery/historical aspect of the novel wasn’t as prominent or as complex as it had been in the previous two books in the series, but it was enough to grab my attention and make me care about whether or not Ella did manage to translate the code in her great-grandmother’s diary. The storyline that revolves around the diary and the reason for Ella’s trip to Indiana ties into the family details from the previous two novels a fair amount. While the authors try to do a lot of summing up of the family secrets that had been discovered earlier in the series, I would still recommend starting with The Amish Midwife and moving through the series chronologically. To be honest, even I felt confused reading the sections of the book that attempted to get new readers up to speed with Ella’s family history. This book is best appreciated if you’re already invested in the lives of the characters.
Unlike the previous two novels, The Amish Bride doesn’t delve too much into the Anabaptist history of the family and what brought them to the United States, which is good news for the non-history fans out there, but instead focuses on the lives of Ella’s great-grandmother and grandmother and their experiences as wives and mothers. The scene in which Ella finally translates the diary and learns about her ancestors ended up being a lot deeper than I expected, which was a pleasant surprise.
While I would probably class The Amish Bride as a romance novel, it is far more focused on Ella’s character development than her finding her future husband. That said, there is a happy, romantic ending, and I liked the way in which the romance was woven into the story. Instead of focusing on courtship rituals or falling in love, as other Amish novels do, The Amish Bride brought attention to the factors you need to consider before choosing a mate, and how you know who is right for you. This novel wasn’t so much focused on Ella choosing between two men (although I did appreciate the two love interests, and it took me a while to figure out who Ella would end up with) as it was on Ella figuring out the reasons why she wanted to get married and what was important to her about marriage. This isn’t a topic that’s approached very often in Amish fiction, so it was quite refreshing to read about.
The Amish Bride was a satisfying conclusion to the Women of Lancaster County series, and although Ella was a very different heroine from those in the previous books, I came to sympathise and connect with her over the course of the novel. I appreciated the blend of romance, mystery, family secrets and character growth that The Amish Bride contained and hope that this will not be the last novel that these two authors work on together. Mindy Starns Clark and Leslie Gould definitely provide a new angle on the Amish fiction genre that would be sorely missed if this were to be the last book they penned together.
Review title provided by Harvest House.
PUBLISHER: HARVEST HOUSE
PUBLICATION DATE: AUGUST 01, 2012
RATING: 4 OUT OF 5 – VERY GOOD
PROS: Ella’s character growth is realistic and endears her to the reader; great spiritual lessons about forgiveness and trusting God; good message about marriage
CONS: Wouldn’t recommend this to be read as a standalone novel; Ella’s immaturity may make her unsympathetic initially
Ella Bayer was raised Mennonite, but since she began dating Ezra Gundy she’s become convinced that she will one day join the Amish church so that she can marry Ezra. She thinks she has her entire future planned out – she will get a job, attend baking school, open her own bakery in Lancaster County, then be baptised in the Amish church and marry Ezra. But Ezra’s parents interfere with Ella’s plans when they announce that they want Ezra to purchase a local dairy farm, and decide that he needs to train in the trade at a dairy outside of Pennsylvania. Ella is convinced that they’re scheming to keep her away from Ezra, out of fear that she’s a bad influence on their already wild teenage son. But Ella can’t help but wish she were leaving Lancaster County herself, since her long absent father has returned and wants to reconcile with her. Not yet ready to forgive the man who deserted her family fifteen years previously, Ella conspires to get herself and Ezra to Indiana, where there is a dairy farm beside her grandmother’s old family home. Her grandmother wants her to decode an old family diary and thinks that visiting the family home might help Ella, which fits in perfectly with the Gundy’s desire to get Ezra out of Lancaster County. But Ella’s carefully constructed plans fall to pieces almost as soon as she and Ezra arrive in Nappanee, Indiana. The family who own the diary farm think that Ezra will be a bad influence on their teenage daughter, with his motorcycle and Mennonite girlfriend, and their fears are confirmed when it becomes apparent that Ella left Pennsylvania without telling anyone of her intentions. Soon Ella finds herself alone in Nappanee, with no job or friends. She had been so certain that it was God’s will for her to become Amish and marry Ezra, but is it possible that he sent her to Indiana for an entirely different reason?
I’ve loved Mindy and Leslie’s Women of Lancaster County series since I read the first book, The Amish Midwife, with my book group last year. I hadn’t been terribly familiar with either author before this series, but I quickly became a fan of their writing. While the titles and covers of these books might suggest that they’re standard Amish romances, the content is so much more than that. Not only do Mindy and Leslie show that the Amish are flawed human beings, who like ourselves, make mistakes and don’t always get on with their family and community, but both authors bring a wealth of information about Anabaptist and Amish history into their writing. The combination of family secrets and historical detail contained in the Women of Lancaster County books is what makes them so refreshing and original.
Ella Bayer has been a memorable character right from the start of the series, so I was glad that she finally got a novel of her own. Being significantly younger than the previous two protagonists – Lexie and Ada – it took a bit of adjusting to settle into reading a novel about a nearly eighteen-year-old with such particular opinions about the way her future would pan out. The Amish Bride reminded me a little of Dianne Christner’s Something Old, which also had a relatively immature protagonist. I was a little worried that Ella’s stubbornness and naiveté was going to make it hard for me to sympathise with her, but it actually endeared me to her in a lot of ways. I could recall the all-consuming desire to just settle down with a husband and family, which sometimes causes young women to overlook the flaws in a man who is truly not suitable for them. While I imagine that some more mature readers may struggle with Ella’s rebellious nature and stubborn belief that she knows what is best for herself, I hope that most will be able to remember what it was like to be a romantic eighteen-year-old and appreciate Ella, flaws and all.
I truly did enjoy witnessing the growth of Ella’s character, especially when she learned to let go of her carefully constructed plans for the future and trust that God had control of her life. The spiritual messages in this book weren’t heavy-handed, but were obvious enough that they made me dwell on whether I trusted God enough with my future. I’m sure this is something all of us struggle with and can relate to. By the end of the book, I still felt that Ella had a lot of growing to do, but I was pleased with how far she’d come over the course of the novel. The scenes in which she finally confronts her father and Ezra made me quite proud of her and how far she’d come.
The mystery/historical aspect of the novel wasn’t as prominent or as complex as it had been in the previous two books in the series, but it was enough to grab my attention and make me care about whether or not Ella did manage to translate the code in her great-grandmother’s diary. The storyline that revolves around the diary and the reason for Ella’s trip to Indiana ties into the family details from the previous two novels a fair amount. While the authors try to do a lot of summing up of the family secrets that had been discovered earlier in the series, I would still recommend starting with The Amish Midwife and moving through the series chronologically. To be honest, even I felt confused reading the sections of the book that attempted to get new readers up to speed with Ella’s family history. This book is best appreciated if you’re already invested in the lives of the characters.
Unlike the previous two novels, The Amish Bride doesn’t delve too much into the Anabaptist history of the family and what brought them to the United States, which is good news for the non-history fans out there, but instead focuses on the lives of Ella’s great-grandmother and grandmother and their experiences as wives and mothers. The scene in which Ella finally translates the diary and learns about her ancestors ended up being a lot deeper than I expected, which was a pleasant surprise.
While I would probably class The Amish Bride as a romance novel, it is far more focused on Ella’s character development than her finding her future husband. That said, there is a happy, romantic ending, and I liked the way in which the romance was woven into the story. Instead of focusing on courtship rituals or falling in love, as other Amish novels do, The Amish Bride brought attention to the factors you need to consider before choosing a mate, and how you know who is right for you. This novel wasn’t so much focused on Ella choosing between two men (although I did appreciate the two love interests, and it took me a while to figure out who Ella would end up with) as it was on Ella figuring out the reasons why she wanted to get married and what was important to her about marriage. This isn’t a topic that’s approached very often in Amish fiction, so it was quite refreshing to read about.
The Amish Bride was a satisfying conclusion to the Women of Lancaster County series, and although Ella was a very different heroine from those in the previous books, I came to sympathise and connect with her over the course of the novel. I appreciated the blend of romance, mystery, family secrets and character growth that The Amish Bride contained and hope that this will not be the last novel that these two authors work on together. Mindy Starns Clark and Leslie Gould definitely provide a new angle on the Amish fiction genre that would be sorely missed if this were to be the last book they penned together.
Review title provided by Harvest House.
January 29, 2025
Enthralling. I already knew Ella since this is the third in the Women of Lancaster series so I was thrilled to read a whole book dedicated to her. However, this one reads well as a standalone too. There are some connections you won't get right away, but it won't ruin the story for you.
The Amish Bride is one of the best character growth arc novels I've read. The authors do a wonderful and believable job of taking Ella from a somewhat self-absorbed, stubborn seventeen year old to a young woman of maturity and faith. Just loved reading her journey. And I was on her side right from the very beginning -- even when she was at her most teenage angstish!
The inspirational thread really touched me. In fact, it helped an old hurt in my life heal. Perhaps that's why I felt such a connection with Ella's story -- why I rallied with her no matter what she said or did. I got the girl. And living parts of her life were like living parts of mine. God bless the authors for bringing me resolution even as they gave it to Ella.
There's a hint of mystery from generations past -- a plot twist these authors excel at. Loved the added depth it gave the story. The Amish Bride is very much a multi-generational tale as well. There's a rich legacy of family within the pages of this book. A family that isn't always perfect and doesn't have all the answers but draws together despite their differences when times are tough. An all round uplifting and inspiring story.
The Amish Bride is one of the best character growth arc novels I've read. The authors do a wonderful and believable job of taking Ella from a somewhat self-absorbed, stubborn seventeen year old to a young woman of maturity and faith. Just loved reading her journey. And I was on her side right from the very beginning -- even when she was at her most teenage angstish!
The inspirational thread really touched me. In fact, it helped an old hurt in my life heal. Perhaps that's why I felt such a connection with Ella's story -- why I rallied with her no matter what she said or did. I got the girl. And living parts of her life were like living parts of mine. God bless the authors for bringing me resolution even as they gave it to Ella.
There's a hint of mystery from generations past -- a plot twist these authors excel at. Loved the added depth it gave the story. The Amish Bride is very much a multi-generational tale as well. There's a rich legacy of family within the pages of this book. A family that isn't always perfect and doesn't have all the answers but draws together despite their differences when times are tough. An all round uplifting and inspiring story.
September 2, 2019
Ella is sure she knows what she wants out of life: to have her own bakery and to marry Ezra. But she is Mennonite and he is Amish, and that presents a bit of a problem. And she needs to take baking classes, which she can’t after she converts. Ezra's family is trying to keep them apart, to the point of sending him away to learn the dairy business. But Ella is clever and figures out a way to keep them together, even when they are miles away from their homes. However, there is much that Ella doesn't know or understand. Her journey to self-awareness and to understanding her religious community and its ordnung is quite enlightening and inspirational. Adding to the enjoyment of the novel is a bit of a mystery concerning an old journal written partly in code by one of her ancestors. And as Ella discovers more of what is truly important in this life, she finally is ready to really fall in love.
January 20, 2020
A story of forgiveness, healing and maturing in faith. I love this series and how the characters develop and mature throughout each story. In the end, each character finds rest in God's plan for their life. It encourages the reader to reflect on their own life and how God works through each of us. Looking forward to the next story!
August 27, 2022
This book took me back to Lancaster, with references to many of the food delicacies to be enjoyed. The main character is a young woman that thinks she knows best of her future plans and goals, and takes little advice from the family who loves her. Thankfully, God brings events and other people into her life that teach her about forgiveness, particularly for an abandoned father, and that submitting to God and making Him the center of our lives is where true happiness lies.
July 3, 2020
Third in the series, I loved every bit of this book. It was so different from most of the Amish books that I’ve read.
Even though Ella has been raised Mennonite, she has many in her family that are Amish. She is crazy about Ezra and has always loved him.
But when she finds secrets from her Mammi’s past and her birth father returns things change in a way she can’t predict. Don’t miss this one. This series you need to read in order for best enjoyment.
Even though Ella has been raised Mennonite, she has many in her family that are Amish. She is crazy about Ezra and has always loved him.
But when she finds secrets from her Mammi’s past and her birth father returns things change in a way she can’t predict. Don’t miss this one. This series you need to read in order for best enjoyment.
January 16, 2016
I enjoyed this book and received though net gallery. I am review. I truly enjoyed reading this. I could connect though the Characters of this book. The book starts out with Ella reviving a book from her grandmother. The book is from her Great Grandmother Sarah. There a mystery or code that Ella is asked to break in her great grandmothers book.
Her mother and grandmother and the Grandys want their relationship with Ella and Ezra to change. They Ezra is to go to a farm but Ella decides to go with him. She get a job and a place to live. She forms a friendship with an Amish farmhand named Luke while in Indiana.
There a tragically back at home, with her brother Zed. She goes back home and has to face her past from what she was running way from. I really like this book. The mystery is pulled though out the whole book. It come to lite and helps another family in the process. The mystery is revealed at the end of the book.
So does Ella choose Luke or Ezra to Marry? What is the Mystery in the book that Ella must break the code? To find out these answers I suggest you read the book. I would Recommend it too.
Her mother and grandmother and the Grandys want their relationship with Ella and Ezra to change. They Ezra is to go to a farm but Ella decides to go with him. She get a job and a place to live. She forms a friendship with an Amish farmhand named Luke while in Indiana.
There a tragically back at home, with her brother Zed. She goes back home and has to face her past from what she was running way from. I really like this book. The mystery is pulled though out the whole book. It come to lite and helps another family in the process. The mystery is revealed at the end of the book.
So does Ella choose Luke or Ezra to Marry? What is the Mystery in the book that Ella must break the code? To find out these answers I suggest you read the book. I would Recommend it too.
October 20, 2018
Emotional Story
This was full of emotion a and I found myself feeling that Ella was being so selfish aboutt her dad, but I think itjust took her longer to grow up than some of the other characters in the story.
This was full of emotion a and I found myself feeling that Ella was being so selfish aboutt her dad, but I think itjust took her longer to grow up than some of the other characters in the story.
November 30, 2018
Story started at a fast pace and keep going. The build up to the ending was subtle and you hoped it was going to end with her happiness. I haven’t read any other books in the series but I didn’t feel like I was missing anything by starting with this one.
February 19, 2013
sawed story. interesting to deaf about the different cultures
July 20, 2013
I was really surprised by this book.
July 5, 2017
Excellent series! I am hooked on this author. Each book is great
January 15, 2018
I really liked this story. Strong minded Ella thinks she knows what is best, but when she starts to listen to others her world turns upside down, but for the better!
September 28, 2018
People dream and plan out their lives. It matters not whether they are Mennonite, Amish, or some other persuasion. The natural tendency for Christ-followers is to make plans and then ask, or even demand, that God bless their plans. Ella had laid out her recipe for life, including who she would marry, the steps to get to that point, and what would follow that. Have you ever gotten that specific with your plans for your life? How did it work out for you? Did God apply His heavenly stamp of approval on your plans and bid you to proceed with all due haste? Or did He withhold approval and put enough roadblocks in your way that you had to either leave the planning to Him and obey Him or disobey Him and go your own way? If you did the latter, how did that work out for you? Ella was still young with her life ahead of her. What plans did God have for her? What was necessary for her to see those plans materialize? Some of us may be somewhere in the middle, maybe having a few plans but just floating along waiting to see what comes next. I love that the authors did not write that kind of story. Instead I saw a progression as the story moved forward with them sharing solid truth and teaching clothed in a beautiful story of love, pain, secrets, grace, forgiveness, learning, growing, and more. The time reading this story was well-spent. I received a copy of this book from the author. This is my honest review. All opinions are strictly my own.
September 6, 2022
The third in ‘The Women of Lancaster County’ series, The Amish Bride is a great continuation of the story! This series has been an easy read, but also compelling as it connects the stories of the families and characters within the books very well.
The Amish Bride tells Ella’s story as she discovers God’s will for her life isn’t exactly what she thought. She faces several trials and lessons to be learned throughout the book as she seeks to find answers to help her Mammi decipher a family journal, attempts to set her own path for the future, and builds relationships with new and unexpected friends.
Be prepared to be frustrated but patient with Ella as she learns difficult life lessons even when she wants to be stubborn and do things her own way. This book shows a beautiful journey of growth for her as a young woman!
What I loved: I loved the connections to the previous books and finally hearing Ella’s story, as she has been involved since nearly the beginning. I loved the story of Sarah, interwoven as Ella discovered more about her through the journal. I loved Ella’s journey not only to a new area but to new self-growth as well, as she came to understand her faith on a deeper level. I also loved the slow build of Ella’s relationship with Luke and his family.
The Amish Bride tells Ella’s story as she discovers God’s will for her life isn’t exactly what she thought. She faces several trials and lessons to be learned throughout the book as she seeks to find answers to help her Mammi decipher a family journal, attempts to set her own path for the future, and builds relationships with new and unexpected friends.
Be prepared to be frustrated but patient with Ella as she learns difficult life lessons even when she wants to be stubborn and do things her own way. This book shows a beautiful journey of growth for her as a young woman!
What I loved: I loved the connections to the previous books and finally hearing Ella’s story, as she has been involved since nearly the beginning. I loved the story of Sarah, interwoven as Ella discovered more about her through the journal. I loved Ella’s journey not only to a new area but to new self-growth as well, as she came to understand her faith on a deeper level. I also loved the slow build of Ella’s relationship with Luke and his family.
May 26, 2024
Mennonite woman Ella Bayer wants to go to baking school to learn how to run a bakery in and wants to marry her Amish boyfriend, Ezra Gundy, while her mom and Ezra’s family try to keep them apart to cool the romance. As if that’s not enough, her estranged father, who left the family when she was three, has returned to Lancaster County, Penn., Her mom and brother are seeing him and he wants to see her as well, but she doesn’t want to see him, even though he might be dying. Meanwhile, Ella’s grandmother gives her a book written by her mother in Indiana, parts of which are written in code, and asks her to decipher the code. Going to baking school in Indiana, working in a bakery for her cousin Rosalee, and looking for clues to the code keeps her busy, and she makes a friend in Luke Kline, an Amish farmhand.
It's another volume about traveling between states, and friends and family that are both Amish and Mennonite. While I like the story line, this volume is very preachy about religion, almost enough to turn me off from the following two books. However, it makes the point of not marrying someone who does not share your depth of faith.
It's another volume about traveling between states, and friends and family that are both Amish and Mennonite. While I like the story line, this volume is very preachy about religion, almost enough to turn me off from the following two books. However, it makes the point of not marrying someone who does not share your depth of faith.
December 14, 2017
Too much going on
I've already read the other books in the Women of Lancaster County series, both before and after this one, but I finally gave up on this one because I got tired of trying to remember all the characters and who they belong to and why and who did what to who and for what reason and whether it happened in this book or one of the others in the series. The title is The Amish Bride, but the author brought in a lot of Mennonites, some who were formerly Amish and some who are thinking about going Amish. I don't remember if this is the series that includes the Beachy Amish, but that's another way to go, and then there are Old Order Amish and Old Order Mennonites too. They have much in common except where they are different and they are different in a lot of ways. I live in Amish country, not far from Nappanee, Indiana, so I'm not unfamiliar with the Amish and the Mennonites. It would be even more disconcerting if the reader had no working knowledge of them. I rather like the Amish books by various authors, but this book has too much going on.
I've already read the other books in the Women of Lancaster County series, both before and after this one, but I finally gave up on this one because I got tired of trying to remember all the characters and who they belong to and why and who did what to who and for what reason and whether it happened in this book or one of the others in the series. The title is The Amish Bride, but the author brought in a lot of Mennonites, some who were formerly Amish and some who are thinking about going Amish. I don't remember if this is the series that includes the Beachy Amish, but that's another way to go, and then there are Old Order Amish and Old Order Mennonites too. They have much in common except where they are different and they are different in a lot of ways. I live in Amish country, not far from Nappanee, Indiana, so I'm not unfamiliar with the Amish and the Mennonites. It would be even more disconcerting if the reader had no working knowledge of them. I rather like the Amish books by various authors, but this book has too much going on.
September 15, 2019
The Amish Bride is part of the Women of Lancaster series written by a couple of my favorite authors, Mindy Starns Clark and Leslie Gould. Having read a number of their books, I had high expectations for this novel and I was not disappointed. The synergy is wonderful and a beautiful story is the result. The characters have depth and reality and their emotions, strengths, and foibles resonate well with readers. The authors did a great job of bringing growth and maturity to their characters, especially Ella, a young Mennonite woman who loves an Amish man and has their life all planned out. The Amish Bride is a complex and multifaceted story that not only focuses on Ella's story but gives readers a glimpse into Ella's family's past. The main characters have depth and reality and their emotions, strengths, and foibles resonate well with readers. I highly recommend this poignant, engrossing story about family, forgiveness and reconciliation, and a sweet romance too.
I received a copy of the book as a gift and was not required to write a review. The opinions are my own.
I received a copy of the book as a gift and was not required to write a review. The opinions are my own.
August 7, 2019
I received a copy of this book from the author, I was not required to give a favorable. As with each of these wonderful authors, this book told a story that was very enjoyable. When Ella was trying to make choices about her life, both with her family and her boyfriend, her grandmother put her on a path to find out about a book that was written by her mother. With the history of the Amish not having pictures of people this was a very interesting quest. But Ella had to leave to find the peace that she so needed in her life to either stay in the Mennonite Church or join the Amish Church. But she also was dealing with the thought of her father who had left them coming back. She went to her grandmother's home town and found so much more than she expected. I enjoy this book very much.
April 23, 2024
This is a continuing series. If you haven't read any yet, you really do need to start with the first book, as each follows on from the last one.
This was a nice book. It started at a good pace, then I felt it dragged a bit towards the middle, but then I got more engaged with it towards the end.
This was mainly Ella's story. I think she matured a lot during the book, and learnt to trust God with her future. I also think by the end of the book, her relationship with her mother improved too. I thought it was a bit predictable, but nevertheless, I'm glad I read it. I read this on my kindle. Think I'm going to take a break from this series for a bit, then come back to it. There are 2 more in this series, I think.
This was a nice book. It started at a good pace, then I felt it dragged a bit towards the middle, but then I got more engaged with it towards the end.
This was mainly Ella's story. I think she matured a lot during the book, and learnt to trust God with her future. I also think by the end of the book, her relationship with her mother improved too. I thought it was a bit predictable, but nevertheless, I'm glad I read it. I read this on my kindle. Think I'm going to take a break from this series for a bit, then come back to it. There are 2 more in this series, I think.
August 14, 2022
I usually avoid books about the Amish, because it seems like most authors just sensationalize the lives of the Amish, making it seem as though their lives are full of innuendos, and as if people only join the Amish church out of fear and obligation. I'm not Amish, but I doubt that they want to be represented in this way!
But this book, and others I have read from Leslie Gould, break away from that cycle, and I love it. There's less drama, and people genuinely believe in the Amish faith when they choose to be a part of it! I feel that this is much more respectful.
Thank you, ladies, for giving me books about the Amish that I can actually enjoy.
But this book, and others I have read from Leslie Gould, break away from that cycle, and I love it. There's less drama, and people genuinely believe in the Amish faith when they choose to be a part of it! I feel that this is much more respectful.
Thank you, ladies, for giving me books about the Amish that I can actually enjoy.
June 5, 2022
Ella wants to marry Ezra and when he is sent to a dairy farm to work she plots to go with him. She finds a place to stay and a school to go to for baking. She doesn’t tell her mother and upsets the whole family, Ezra is brought home and Ella’s mother makes her stay. she is working on a long ago secret diary for her grandmother and trying to figure it out.
July 17, 2023
Intelligently written and 100% believable. Story is fairly interesting, more so than the second in the series, which I felt fell a little flat. This protag is ambitious and rash, which makes her fun to watch. She gets into messes but everything works out neatly in the end. Oops, sorry for that spoiler. Not. In this series, you can expect happy endings. :-)
May 11, 2020
First romance novel, genre is Amish Romance. Good story, very traditional, interesting culture. Parts didn't feel connected to romance at all. I would read more of these, they are calming, feel wholesome.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 20, 2023
Such a good book!
This is such a good book.. it took hold of me from the first instant and held on tight! I didn't want to do anything besides read.
This entire series is soo good! It just may be my most favorite series I've ever read.
This is such a good book.. it took hold of me from the first instant and held on tight! I didn't want to do anything besides read.
This entire series is soo good! It just may be my most favorite series I've ever read.
September 5, 2017
This is the third book in the series. This book was just an ok read for me. It if you enjoy Amish stories and are calmly written, you would enjoy this one.
March 25, 2018
Quick easy read with interesting little twists.
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