The Dawn of Christmas: A Romance from the Heart of Amish Country

Apple Ridge #3

by Cindy Woodsmall

This Christmas, experience learning to trust alongside the Plain folk of Apple Ridge, Pennsylvania in this heart-warming tale of second chances.
 
Sadie enjoys her freedom away from home and her mission trips to Peru, but after four years, her Old Order Amish family insists it’s time to come home and settle down. Levi, a bachelor who distrusts women after a family heartbreak, also has no desire for romance. To keep their families from meddling in their lives, Sadie and Levi devise a plan—but soon discover that the walls around their hearts are breaking down. Can they let go of their prejudices, learn to trust each other, and embrace a future together?

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

176 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2013

About the author

CINDY WOODSMALL is an award-winning, New York Times, and CBA best-selling author of twenty-five works of fiction and one nonfiction book. Coverage of Cindy’s Amish connections and her novels has been featured on ABC Nightline and the front page of the Wall Street Journal. She lives in the foothills of the North Georgia Mountains.

Reviews

[Lori · Rating 3 out of 5]

When Sadie sees the man she intends to wed in a compromised position with her cousin, she calls off the next day's nuptials. She embarks on a mission trip to Peru and then returns to work in a store in another town. When the family calls her home, she is torn between being obedient and her desire to return to Peru. But circumstances force her to move back home at least until she can gather the necessary funds for the trip. In the midst, she meets Levi, a man new to the area, who saw his brother's wife walk and leave him and their young child. He distrusts women as much as she distrusts men.

I listened to this in audio format. The narrator was good, but not exceptional. The story itself is a nice, clean romance that Amish fiction lovers and those who enjoy gentle Christmas reads will enjoy. It's a typical Amish romance plot with enough of a twist to make it enjoyable.

[Patricia · Rating 3 out of 5]

Entertaining, but not really special. This is the last book in the Christmas in Apple Ridge trilogy, and I enjoyed seeing what was developing in the lives of the characters of the previous two books as well as the new characters in this book.

[Joy · Rating 5 out of 5]

My Thoughts on this book!
When Sadie catches her friend in the arms of her beau, she knew she could never trust him enough to marry him, so she moves away from home to heal. Sadie enjoys her freedom, but then her dad summons her back home and back to the Old Order Amish ways. But Sadie is different now. Can she find peace in her home town with her Amish family? And can she ever trust another man enough to find love and a happy ever after with him?

From one of my very favorite authors comes another special Christmas story. I thoroughly enjoyed reading The Dawn of Christmas! I always love that Cindy Woodsmall tackles the toughest of situations in her books, and this one is no different. Sadie is heartbroken and she finds peace and healing leaving Apple Ridge and heading off on a mission trip to Peru. I really like Sadie, and was interested in seeing how she would deal with her life back in Apple Ridge. The struggles were not easy, but Sadie’s faith was strong and helped her through the difficult times. And then comes Levi! I also loved this character and the romance it brings to the story. Sadie and Levi are thrown together when Sadie finds him injured from an accident with his horse. The story gets very interesting after this and I had to keep reading to see where these two would end up.

The Dawn of Christmas is a novella, so it is a pretty short read and can be read in a couple of hours. When you choose Christmas stories to read for the coming season, This is one you surely need to check out. You will be delightfully entertained.

I received this book from the publisher Waterbrook through their Blogging For Books review program to read and review. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 55.

[Rhonda Gayle · Rating 5 out of 5]

Who doesn't love a wonderful Christmas book set amidst the lovely snowfilled Amish country? Cindy Woodsmall has once again created a delightful getaway with the magic of her words. Sadie and Levi both plan to avoid marriage but God may just have other plans for their lives. They go in "cahoots" together to prevent their families from constantly meddling in their love lives, but they may just belong together. Sadie has served as a missionary to Peru and it has always been a dream of mine to serve abroad in a mission work. Sadie would have been happy to remain in that position but her family thinks she must follow the Amish tradition and marry and raise a big family. Grab a cup of coffee, tea, or cocoa and a warm blanket and settle into a good comfy chair because you won't want to get up until you reach "The End" on this one!
I received a free copy of this book from bloggingforbooks.org in exchange for my honest review.

[Marilyn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sadie and Levi both have been hurt by someone they loved. Their distrust of the opposite sex meant they did not want a relationship with someone and thus found ways to avoid being around. Sadie’s focus was to return to Peru on another mission but family insisted she come back to Apple Ridge. A devised plan between the two could just be more than they ever anticipating happening in their lives.

[Elise · Rating 2 out of 5]

I knew better. DNF, halfway through.

[Marcy · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Dawn of Christmas is included in The Christmas in Apple Ridge collection. In this book Sadie and Levi must overcome distrust of love and the opposite sex if they are ever to have families of their own. Sadie finds her fiance Daniel in the arms of her beautiful cousin on the eve of their wedding. Daniel and Aquilla both claim it was innocent and not what Sadie believes she saw. The Brim Amish community believes Daniel and Aquilla but Sadie's father believes her and allows her to move away and heal from the devastation. Levi watched his brother suffer through his wife leaving him and his young son for no apparent reason and his friend and business partner Daniel, yes Sadie's Daniel, was jilted on the eve of his wedding, now Levi swears never to marry, women are to untrustworthy. Four years later on the 4th of July Sadie is called to Apple Ridge where her Mammi Lee lives. After fighting with her family Sadie is "grounded" to her grandmother's house while her parents are out. Levi is tired of his family trying to set him up and agrees to go to a singing, only to get them to leave him alone. He leaves early bareback on the horse he has trained, little does he know the horse is petrified of fireworks and upon hearing them goes crazy, Levi is thrown and injured. Sadie is good at listening to God, just not her parents so she heads out on her grandmas horse. On her ride she becomes disoriented and finds the injured Levi. She rescues him by calling 911 and while waiting for the ambulance they talk and strike up a friendship. How far will this friendship go? Will they ever trust each other enough for a real friendship? Will Daniel come back into Sadie's life? If he does will he be a help or a hindrance? I won't tell but the book will.

[Nana · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Dawn of Christmas is relevant to much more than the holiday. Two young adults have been badly hurt, each by a member of the opposite gender, and have lost all hope for a future relationship or imminent marriage. This Amish tale is a story of learning to trust where all hope of trust has been destroyed by another. As the two discover one another a friendship of sorts begins. Upon pressure from her father, Sadie and Levi formulate a plan to "court" to satisfy the demands of Sadie's family. The friendship between them is comfortable over time until each realizes there is more to the relationship than just convenience and friendship alone. With issues from the past staring them in the face the question appears regarding where this relationship should go. Will one betray the other when the going gets rough? You'll have to pick up a copy and see for yourself.

Cindy Woodsmall is well versed author, and writes with integrity and fluency. She knows the Amish way of life well, and weaves an excellent story of the vulnerabilities in life. I would have enjoyed this as a full-length novel rather than a novella. There is so much more to the story, and I felt some predictability due to the brevity of the book. As a whole the characters are very strong and likable, people I'd love to know, and the events throughout the story kept me wanting more. This is an excellent book to read at any time throughout the year. I'm looking forward to more from Cindy Woodsmall!

Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book from Blogging for Books in exchange for my honest review. All opinions expressed are my own, and no monetary compensation was received for this review.

[Laura · Rating 5 out of 5]

Title: THE DAWN OF CHRISTMAS
Author: Cindy Woodsmall
Publisher: Waterbrook Press
October 2013
ISBN: 978-0307732132
Genre: Amish romance novella

This Christmas, experience learning to trust alongside the Plain folk of Apple Ridge, Pennsylvania in this heart-warming tale of second chances.

Sadie enjoys her freedom away from home and her mission trips to Peru, but after four years, her Old Order Amish family insists it’s time to come home and settle down. Levi, a bachelor who distrusts women after a family heartbreak, also has no desire for romance.

To keep their families from meddling in their lives, Sadie and Levi devise a plan—but soon discover that the walls around their hearts are breaking down. Can they let go of their prejudices, learn to trust each other, and embrace a future together?

I absolutely loved this book – and am thrilled to have read the stories of the rest of the characters mentioned in the book. Ms. Woodsmall is a stellar Amish author and I love her books.

Levi and Sadie are both hurting, distrusting of the opposite sex, and both with good reason. They don’t deliberately set out to deceive—at least not at first. I did see the black moment coming from the very beginning, and it was just as hurtful as I imagined.

If you like romance, Amish, and Christmas stories, don’t miss THE DAWN OF CHRISTMAS. Great book.

Available in hardcover, ebook, and audio. 176 pages

[Rebecca · Rating 3 out of 5]

Four years ago, Sadie Yoder caught her fiancé, Daniel, with another woman, and broke off her engagement. Daniel lied about it, and said Sadie just misunderstood the situation. Her family, other than her father, did not believe her. She went to Peru on a mission trip to get away from them.
Now, her family wants her to come back home. After her father tells her she can’t go to a family event, she is out riding her horse when she sees Levi, who had fallen of his horse in an empty field. She gets his phone and calls 911, saving his life. She goes to visit him later, and they become friends. She makes dolls and other crafts and he makes toy cradles and high chairs, so they become partners and sell their wares together in the local store. People start thinking they are dating, and they agree not to tell the truth that they are only friends, and agree to break up after she goes back o Peru in three months.
I liked this book. I really liked Sadie, and felt bad for the way her family treated her after her broken engagement. I don’t usually read books about Amish people, and had a hard time with the way they treated her like she was a child, even though she was in her twenties.
The Dawn of Christmas was originally part of an anthology, Christmas in Apple Ridge. I got this book from Blogging for Books and Waterbrook Press in exchange for a review.

[Maureen Timerman · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Dawn of Christmas, is a short read, with a lot of impact. Being hurt beyond hurt the day before her wedding to Daniel, Sadie Yoder has lost her trust. She has lived in Peru, with the Bishop's, Elder's, and her Dad's approval, for the past few years. Now her Dad has ordered her home! Time to live as an Amish Woman, and find a husband!
While staying at her Grandmother's Sadie goes on a late night ride, the feeling of being free. She has a chance encounter with Levi Fisher, who is badly injured, after being thrown from his horse. She is at the right place, at the right time.
A friendship blooms between the two, who are both being hounded to marry. Neither, wants a husband or wife. They conspire that it might be to their advantage to pretend to be in a relationship with one another, and be left alone. No more Singings, no more fixing up. Great idea?
Can these two maintain such a platonic relationship? Will Daniel reenter Sadie's life, and will she accept him? I enjoyed my time Apple Ridge, and time back with some old friends. Can't wait to return again!

I received this book through the Waterbrook Blogger Program, and was not required to give a positive review.

[Tima · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sadie was burned several years ago when she walked in on her fiance in the arms of her cousin on her wedding day. She vows never to marry and begins to pursue mission work in a town far away from her family. But circumstances bring her home and she is beginning to feel smothered with all of the match making. After rescuing a charming man, they hatch a plan to get the match makers off their backs until they can both get on with the plans they've made. But plans are meant to be changed.

I enjoyed this story. The different aspects that brought it all together made it different than I'd expected. It was nice to learn a bit more about the characters from the previous two books and have it all tie together so nicely in the third book. The relationship between the two main characters was funny, sweet, and romantic. The author did a great job. I hope she writes some more about this community.

[Diane · Rating 4 out of 5]

My heart broke for Sadie with the shocking end to her marital dreams but I was so impressed with how she turned a heartbreaking experience into her mission work in Peru and her scheme to thwart her family’s interference with a pretend relationship. Levi is single, jaded and anti-marriage since his sister-in-law abandoned his brother and nephew and he has no patience for simpering women because his calling is horse whispering. But when Sadie rescues him after a fall from a spooked horse their relationship grows and he agrees to help her get back to her mission work. I loved how their somewhat snarky relationship becomes a good friendship and how spectacularly their well planned deception leads to tender feelings, even when past events come back to haunt them. I also enjoyed how the continuing storylines and characters from previous books come together as a whole as it really enriched my enjoyment of this series.

[Linda · Rating 4 out of 5]

Book #3 in the Apple Ridge series - fun, easy to read romance. Sadie and Levi have spent years building walls around their hearts so as not to be hurt again. The story develops as they learn to trust each other and to communicate. I enjoy these characters and the situations they portray.

[Morgan Giesbrecht · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fiery, independent Amish girl & a fake dating relationship—what could go wrong? Clearly a lot, haha. But it’s a fun and sweet story, and ties in cameo appearances from characters in the first two books which makes me happy!

[S.C. Skillman · Rating 3 out of 5]

My choice of this story was guided by the idea of trying an author I'd never heard of before and a genre unfamiliar to me. This is one of a series of Amish romances and I admit I knew very little about the Amish community in the USA before I read this book.

Curiously enough the last story I read was also centred around the betrayal of an innocent, virtuous young woman by her prospective bridegroom, and the consequences of her decision to abandon the marriage plans at the last minute. The last story I read was set in the Sikh community of Punjabi Birmingham; and this, in the Old Order Amish community of Pennsylvania, USA. There were some fascinating similarities. In both cases, the young woman has to summon all her personal resources to withstand the pressures of the community, which has very strong and unyielding rules which its members must abide by, or risk the very worst: being ostracised by the community.

In the first chapters of this story I found myself disorientated by the sheer oddness of this strict and eccentric community within a contemporary environment; and then I gradually began to absorb the rationale behind their lifestyle. I may have felt differently from the first, if I was already knowledgable about the Old Order Amish, or if I was a keen follower of this author's Amish romance series set in Apple Ridge.

I found the story quite sweet and interesting, but its lightness failed to satisfy me as I prefer to read fiction which is much stronger and edgier, with greater depth and insight, and higher emotional stakes. Nevertheless an opportunity to learn about the Amish community, and a pleasant read.

[Victoria (hotcocoaandbooks) · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.25 stars
I totally read this series out of order! I read the first book, the fourth book, the second book, and now the third book. It works but this one I feel like you would have had to have read the first and second book first, because Beth from the first book has some story throughout this one (and characters are mentioned from the second here and there but not strongly at all).

In this story, Sadie is preparing to get married to Daniel. She is very excited, as it will be the following day. She walks in on her beau holding another woman (and honestly some of what she says is explained and a bit risqué and slightly spicy). She is horrified and walks away from the relationship, feeling absolutely firm that she is going to remain single.

Levi has everyone bugging him about getting married and finding a woman to court, but he is very happy as he is. He also saw his brother's wife walk away, leaving behind a child. He doesn't want to find a woman like his brother had. It's just easier to focus on his job of training horses.

When Levi has an accident, Sadie comes into the picture. The two form a friendship but are very drawn to one another, while also not wanting to get hurt. They protect themselves in different ways because they don't want to suffer.

This is not much of a Christmas book, just so you are aware of. It doesn't really have Christmastime until the last bit of the story, which is cute too. There is something I always enjoy about Cindy Woodsmall's writing. She knows how to make me not like characters and also feel deeply what other characters are feeling. I enjoyed it!

[Erin Laramore · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a sweet story of love, forgiveness and second chances. We first meet Sadie as her heart is broken on the day of her wedding. As she seeks out healing, she moves away from home and gets a job of her own. On a call to visit her grandmother, she meets Levi, who she rescues when he's been thrown from his horse. They discover that they have a general distrust of the opposite sex in common and since they enjoy each other's company as friends, they choose to use their friendship as a means of getting their families "off their backs" to find someone to settle down with. Their relationship becomes complicated for many reasons and this short sweet tale tells how they work things out (or don't). This is not my typical genre of choice (I won this book in a scavenger hunt), but I thoroughly enjoyed this story that I was able to read in one sitting. Great piece of Amish romance fiction!

[Rosemarie · Rating 5 out of 5]

The third novella in the Apple Ridge Christmas series did not disappoint. Sadie is a young Amish woman with great independence. Working in a store miles from her home, she lives with two Mennonite women and has travelled on missions trips. What most don't know is that Sadie harbors a heartache so deep she no longer trusts men. On a visit to her grandmother's home in Apple Ridge, Sadie rescues Levi, an Amish man who was seriously injured in a fall from his horse. He, too, has trust issues due to his sister-in-law leaving his brother and their son. Levi and Sadie become friends, but then hatch a plot to get their match-making families off their backs. But plans of deception never work out the way intended.

A wonderful story of healing from hurt and learning to trust again.

[Loraine · Rating 3 out of 5]

Sadie and Levi, both Amish, had been disappointed in love by previous events in their lives and have vowed they will never marry. In order to keep things civil between her and her dad, Sadie and Levi agree to have a pretend relationship. But surprises during the holiday season bring these two together in a different kind of relationship, but hidden secrets and lies will once again play havoc in their relationship.

This was a nice holiday read and those who love Amish fiction will find it very enjoyable. I read so many Amish fiction books years ago when it first became popular that I now find most of the stories very formulaic. Rating 3.5

[Patty · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Dawn of Christmas is a novella. I took me two sittings to read this book. I didn’t want to put it down. The characters in the story are so likable. I wanted nothing but the best for them. This book is about God directing our paths if we follow Him and let Him lead us. Sadie wanted to do God’s will, even if at times she wasn’t sure if she was. This story is also about how God heals our hearts so we can open up to Him and those around us. I received a free copy of this book from Waterbrook Press in exchange for my honest review.

[Allison · Rating 3 out of 5]

While this wasn't the best Amish romance I've ever read, I liked the characters, their development, and the story overall. I really liked that Sadie was written unlike any other young Amish woman I've read about - she bucks the system and she's not afraid of being a little rebellious. I also like that Levi isn't a man completely focused on saving Sadie. He's hurt and he's cautious. It's a refreshing twist on what might otherwise have been cookie-cutter characters. Nice story line for two very likeable people.

[Debra · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another enjoyable book by Cindy Woodsmall! I really liked getting a bit of an update on the characters in the earlier books in the series. What a lovely story about letting down our guard to find love when we least expect it.

[Linda · Rating 5 out of 5]

I simply find these Amish books very enjoyable! The storyline is pretty much the same in every book! But there is no gratuitous violence! Characters are polite to one another. These books are rather refreshing!

[Snap · Rating 3 out of 5]

Nice to pick up on story of Beth & Jonah as well as new story of Levi & Sadie

[Mary Reed · Rating 5 out of 5]

A sequel to Christmas in Apple Ridge that was just as good. Some of the characters were familiar that I thought I already read this book. Enjoyed the story very much.

[Lauren · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the last one of the series for me, read book 4 first, and I am sad it's over. It's a wonderful series. This book was probably my favorite.

[Marie Buccellato · Rating 5 out of 5]

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[Kayla · Rating 5 out of 5]

Consistent with her other books this story was sweet and tender and offered a whole lot of warmth. I can't get enough of Cindy Woodsmall's work.

[Marilyn Pettigrove · Rating 3 out of 5]

Amish stories are not my favorite. They tend to be simplistic and not high in drama. That may be a good reason to read them. This one was kind of sweet. It was short and sweet with a happy ending.