Plain Again

Plain Fame #3

by Sarah Price

Only weeks after being married, Amanda is back at her parents' farm in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania to tend to her ailing father while Alejandro is back on the road performing for his adoring fans. How will time and distance impact their relationship? Will the demands of his fans overshadow his love for Amanda? And how will the Amish community react to Amanda's presence (along with the return of the paparazzi) in their community?

An Amish Christian Romance that will leave you breathless and wanting more. Sarah Price, bestselling author of Amish Christian Romances, brings her twenty-five years of experience living among the Amish and from growing up Mennonite to the pages of her novels and novellas, in order to present a truly authentic Amish experience just for her readers.

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

333 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 2013

About the author

ECPA Christian Fiction Bestseller (June 2014, July 2014)

Amazon Top 100 Author for Books & eBooks (January 2016, September 2013, August 2013, May 2013, April 2013, February 2013, January 2013, December 2012)
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The author of over 30 novels, Sarah Price publishes with Realms, an imprint of Charisma House and Waterfall, an imprint of Brilliance Audio.

Her book, An Empty Cup, was #3 on Amazon Top 100 eBooks in January 2016.

Follow her on social media:
Blog:http://www.sarahpriceauthor.com.
Facebook: http://facebook.com/fansofsarahprice.
Instagram: @SarahPriceAuthor
Twitter: @SarahPriceAuthr
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/SarahPrice

FAMILY HERITAGE

During the early 1700s, the Preiss family arrived in America aboard an old sailing vessel called the Patience. The family left Europe, escaping Catholic persecution for their Anabaptist beliefs. Sarah Price comes from a long line of devout Mennonites, including numerous church leaders and ministers throughout the years.

In 1969, Sarah Price was born in Pennsylvania and lived on the land of her ancestors, Johannes Preiss and "King Tammany", otherwise known as Tamanend, a chief of the Lenni Lenape nation in the Delaware Valley.

In the early 1970s, her family moved to Morristown, New Jersey where she still resides with her husband, two children, and assortment of animals.

Ms. Price has advanced degrees in Communication (MA), Marketing (MBA), and Educational Leadership (PhD).

Ms. Price was a former full-time college professor. After being diagnosed with breast cancer in 2013, she now writes full-time.

Reviews

[Jeanette · Rating 5 out of 5]

It is very unusual for me to read two books straight off in a trilogy without having a break, but this is the first time that I have read three in succession. That sums up as to how much I really enjoyed reading about Amanda and Viper and it was a shame when I came to the end.

I rarely write what a story is about for fear of spoiling for others. All I will say is that I shall certainly be reading more novels by Sarah Price. Highly recommended to all who enjoy Amish fiction.

I received an electronic copy via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

[Dedon]

Anxiously waiting for the release of this book

[Lynne Young · Rating 5 out of 5]

It is with a heavy heart that I write this. Not because it was a bad book, it wasn't, in fact it was great, but because we have to say goodbye to Amanda and Alejandro. When I read the title I thought to myself - uh oh, they're going to break up - and they did, but not in the way I was expecting. I was very pleased with the direction this book took. There were a lot of negative forces at work to make sure Amanda and Alejandro never succeeded as a couple and I am very glad the author addressed these issues and took care of them. Some in very surprising ways.

This was one of the few books I have read lately that didn't leave me hanging when the series ended. Ms. Price did a wonderful job of tying up all the loose ends of Amanda and Alejandro's story. I don't think I have ever enjoyed a couple as much as I did with Amanda and Alejandro. I will miss them.

I highly recommend this book. If you have not read the other two books in the trilogy please do. It's a wild ride but you will love every minute of it!

[ANNETTE · Rating 4 out of 5]

Book #3

I did like this book but, I thought it had a lot of repetition. There were some twists & turns along the way. The story revolves around Anand & Alejandro being newlyweds and His busy schedule plus, Amanda was learning to Trust her husband .

[Jan · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book crossed over my own comfort line in several areas. First, the relationship is built on very shaky foundations. Neither character shows actual integration of true faith with real life. It is incongruent to pray for God's blessing and then go on stage to promote lust as you sing and dance provocatively. Second, I was disturbed by Alex's adult-rated songs being marketed to teens and his cross-over celebrated with awards. Then there are the "love scenes"...I realize they were married, but found it was a bit too (not sure what word to use!).
I read some of the book but admittedly skipped much of it because of the content being more liberal-minded than I enjoy reading. I firmly believe some very conservative things: 1) When God saves us, He saves us FROM sin. To continue to choose to live in sin (sinning deliberately) is wrong. 2)Marriage is awesome! Build it on the foundation of God and it will be beyond your dreams.
This plot had the potential to go far toward bringing glory to God in the end. Alex should have found peace and forgiveness for a sinful life; Amanda could have been a beacon of light to a world of watching people.
I have been a resident in "Amish Country" (Pennsylvania) and am from a conservative group of Christians in that area. We have moved all over the U.S. and have seen "real life" as most Americans live it. I can honestly say that true peace is found only in the Jesus of The Bible; not in a conservative lifestyle alone, nor in liberal Christianity where people pick and choose what they want to believe from The Bible. True peace only comes from complete surrender to Jesus, as described in The Bible.

[Sharon Mariampillai · Rating 5 out of 5]

I received a copy from Netgalley, in exchange for an honest review.

Actual Rating: 4.5

This was a great read. This was my first series that had themes of the Amish lifestyle. I have to say that this book had me hooked from the first page. I loved how Sarah Price incorporates Faith into her books. It made me love the story more. This book was the marriage of Alejandro and Amanda's love story.

They were great characters. Alejandro "Viper" Diaz is a Cuban singer who is known for his bad boy image. However, in real life, he is a polite gentleman. He is a sexy, confident person and definitely qualifies as boyfriend material. He is on tour and is not able to see Amanda as much as he wants to. I find that he is cute when he is with her.

Amanda is an Amish girl who had returned her Amish lifestyle after marrying Alejandro. This is because Alejandro is on tour and her father is recovering from his accident. She is a very sweet and kind girl. Although, she is not with Alejandro during his tour, she makes time to visit him and surprise him as well.

I love their chemistry and their feelings were very genuine. I am happy that they got married . I loved their text messages back and forth. It was cute and special because it was their only source of communication. The ending was great. Can't wait for book 4, Plain Return. Overall, a cute read.

[Sharon Huether · Rating 3 out of 5]

I won this Free book through Goodreads first -reads. A young woman from the Amish marries a Cuban super star. It's a big adjustment. She is shunned by a lot of the women in Her community. She leaves the Amish and tours with her new husband. She becomes popular too. Every one wanted her picture. Their relationship had their ups and downs. She and her husband are adjusting to their new life together.

[Susan L. Curtin · Rating 5 out of 5]

This series really should be televised!

Sadness almost always becomes a great joy. Don't ever think they fail to thank God for all of His goodness that has been bestowed upon them.

Realizing that entertainers live differently from the Amish is an understatement.

I could not put these books down until they were finished.

[Kristi · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was my favorite book in the trilogy. This book had a smoother, more fluid writing style than the other two in the trilogy and moved at a pace that was just right for the story. I liked the sense of "realness" to this story. The two characters are from very different lives and in this book those differences really come to light. I felt a connection to the characters in this book that I hadn't in the other two. I found myself hoping they would be able to solve their differences and have their "happily ever after".

[Erin · Rating 3 out of 5]

Alejandro's past starts becoming a problem in this one, and it made me question his motives sometimes. full review coming soon.

[Fiction Aficionado · Rating 1 out of 5]

Please note that this is the third book in this series, and it follows on directly from the end of the previous book. This review will contain spoilers if you haven’t read the first two books in this series. That said, I do not suggest you read this series unless:

1. You are fine with a hero whose professes to have faith in God, but whose music contains explicit and immoral lyrics (the lyrics are never detailed in the books, but are described several times in these terms);
2. You do not mind that the hero repeatedly blasphemes in Spanish;
3. You are fine with a heroine who, despite her Amish upbringing, does not see anything inconsistent with faith in God and writing/performing/singing explicit and immoral music;
4. You don’t mind watching a young Amish girl gradually compromising more and more in order to fit into the hero’s world;
5. You don’t mind that the hero and heroine have a limited understanding of the Bible and experience no real spiritual growth;
6. You want a story that romanticises the hero’s lust and gives regular glimpses into the bedroom;
7. You don’t mind that the bulk of the series is simply spent trailing our hero and heroine while they deal with the paparazzi, perform, pander to their fans, give interviews, and attend awards ceremonies and parties, retire to the bedroom, and so on.

Much of what I have said in my reviews on the previous two books in this series (‘Plain Fame’ and ‘Plain Change’) can also be applied to this book. As far as the actual writing is concerned, I thought it was fairly average with some point-of-view errors, a lot of telling, and a lot of explaining and inner monologues from the characters, much of which is already repetitive after the first two novels. The plot is more of the same, excepting a sudden crisis that appears out of the blue about 80% of the way through the novel. Naturally, it resolves fairly quickly. And I might add that I was pretty indignant when Alejandro reprimanded Amanda for not having had more faith in him. He didn’t even have faith in himself, and I have to say I can understand why.

Once again, the biggest disappointment was the in the novel’s content, particularly in light of its categorisation as ‘Christian Fiction’. I wrote at length in my previous reviews about the incongruity of a hip-hop musician whose songs glorify immorality through sensual and explicit lyrics, and yet professes to have faith in God. This book continues to ignore this. In fact, Amanda tells her sister Anna that, although Alejandro is not Amish, “God is still at the core and centre of his life, and he thanks God every minute of every day for having blessed him with so many opportunities.”

Oddly enough, Anna doesn’t argue with this, but asks Amanda where God is in her life. Amanda thinks about this and comes to the conclusion that, although she was doing all that she could to honour her upbringing (not God, I couldn’t help but note) while being immersed in Alejandro’s very Englische lifestyle, her focus has shifted to supporting Alejandro rather than obeying God’s will. I thought it ironic (and perhaps indicative of her complete blindness when it comes to Alejandro) that she could identify her own shift in focus, but be completely blind to Alejandro’s true focus! Nevertheless, I held my breath and thought, ‘At last! The light is beginning to dawn!’ Unfortunately, another character opens the door at this point and walks in bringing a gust of cold air. And just like that, the light is snuffed and we hear no more on the subject. I was deeply disappointed that such a significant realisation was not taken anywhere.

I was also disappointed that there were several instances of Scripture being taken completely out of context in order to support Amanda’s observations – observations that were not actually in line with Biblical teaching. For example Amanda recalls the verse in James exhorting believers to “Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will exalt you,” likening this to Alejandro’s habit of praying before each concert and thanking God for the rewards that had followed his hard work. The fact that this hard work was all about glorifying immorality seems to escape her. In reality, this verse is part of a larger section of the book of James exhorting us to submit ourselves to God: “Don’t you know that friendship with the world means enmity against God? Therefore, anyone who chooses to be a friend of the world becomes an enemy of God...Submit yourselves, then, to God...Humble yourselves before the Lord.”

Ironically, Amanda later observes that “she had never seen him (Alejandro) pray before a meal. While she knew that he prayed with his band and dancers before the concerts, she had quickly learned that many entertainers did that. For some, it was rumoured to bring bad luck to not do so.” This was just one of many instances where I was left feeling totally confused. Are we still supposed to see his prayer before each concert as an act of humility, or is Amanda now recognising that there may be another reason for it? Why make this observation at all if she’s not starting to question the sincerity of Alejandro’s faith, and if it’s not sincere, where does Amanda go from here? All these are the sorts of questions she should have been asking from the beginning of the series, and the sorts of questions that I would expect a Christian fiction novel to tackle in this situation, and yet here is another instance where we see a crack of light that is quickly covered, returning us once more to blind adoration of the Hero.

Perhaps the worst example of Scripture misapplication is when Amanda tries to convince her sister that God’s hand has been in everything that brought her to Alejandro because “Where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them.” To begin with, gathering in His name means coming together for the specific purpose of seeking and implementing God’s will. It is not some blanket promise whereby being joined with another person automatically ensures God is at the centre of your endeavours. Secondly, Jesus makes this statement in the context of confronting sin within the church. It has absolutely no relevance here. If we are not continually seeking God’s guidance through reading the Bible and prayer, then we are more than likely NOT putting God at the centre of our lives.

Another difficult thing for me to swallow was Alejandro’s sudden conversion from philanderer to completely faithful and devoted husband. Not that I wouldn’t like it to be true; I’m just not convinced it’s realistic. Even if it is, that would suggest that Amanda’s love has been able to transform Alejandro in a way that God’s love has not. That is certainly NOT Biblical. Further, it’s somewhat ironic that he continues to ‘preach’ immorality through his music, and yet becomes annoyed that women try to seduce him into being unfaithful to Amanda. The inconsistencies abound! But seriously, I find it difficult to believe that this is a permanent transformation on Alejandro’s part, particularly when it is obvious that he is still very much focused on having his own needs met with little regard as to what that requires of those around him, particularly Amanda.

If activity in the bedroom is anything to go by (and there are plenty of references to this), then Alejandro and Amanda’s marriage is going strong, but reading between the lines I can see cracks beginning to show in their relationship. Alejandro resents any implication that Amanda’s home is anywhere other than by his side. He is an extremely jealous husband, even when it comes to letting Amanda spend time with her family, and he insists that she is no longer Amish. In one of the most stunning examples yet of Alejandro’s complete disregard for Amanda’s feelings, he deliberately does not tell her about a video he is having played during a live performance. When she confronts him about it afterwards, he says, “You would have said no, si?” She acknowledges that she would have, and he smiles. “That is why I didn’t show it to you.”

Amanda, on the other hand, is beginning to realise that she needs time away from the Englische culture to help temper its ‘corrupting influence’. This is despite having been critical of the Amish community in the first half of the novel for its self-righteousness and hypocrisy (yet another thing that really confused me).

I can’t help but think that unless Alejandro undergoes a true transformation at the hand of God, Amanda will begin to truly understand the meaning of ‘unequally yoked’. All in all, the series is beginning to feel like a very protracted cautionary tale about choosing your marriage partner wisely (ie, based on more than the overwhelming strength of your physical attraction to one another) but I’m not sure that even this would warrant a recommendation to read the series, particularly since so many readers seem to be blind to the issues I have raised. All in all, a Christian romance with little authentic Christianity and little authentic romance.

[Sharon · Rating 2 out of 5]

Although all the books are slow, with a lot of repetition (would make a great soap opera or telenovela), book 3 is the one that almost caused me to give up mid-way. It seemed to be going nowhere. After some rest I picked it up again and was rewarded with a fairly interesting final 10-15%. I listened to the audio version of the books and the narrator was very good with the voices and accents, which made them a lot more tolerable than if I had read them, I think, and kept me entertained during several long hours of walking my dog and driving when I needed something relatively simple. But now I'm stopping while I'm ahead. The premise and overall plot are interesting, but there is so much padding that the first 3 books could have easily been condensed (with heavy editing) into one reasonably-sized book. There are a lot of helpful reviews of this series and I won't repeat them, but I did find Alejandro to be manipulative and chauvinistic, Amanda to be entirely too docile and easily manipulated, and the manager a predictable, nasty sort (why was he allowed to treat A&A so badly?). Romance novels, even "Christian" ones, are not my normal genre so maybe I am missing something about the characters, but they tried my (admittedly limited) patience.

[Carrie · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Plain Again" is the third installment of the Plain Fame Series by Sarah Price. It is the immediate sequel to "Plain Change" which left the newlywed protagonists, Amanda Beiler Diaz and Alejandro (Viper) Diaz, facing forces that threaten their union just weeks into their marriage. Alejandro, a hip hop superstar, had plans for taking Amanda along on his tour. These plans have come to naught when Amanda returns to Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, to aid her Amish family in a crisis. Her father had suffered a stroke that leaves him unable to take care of the family's farm.


Amanda misses Alejandro dearly, but finds that she has missed the Amish life while she had been away for those short weeks. However, at the same time, she realizes that she has changed too. Even though she welcomes the familiarity of the simpler Amish way of living, she now views some parts of her Amish upbringing to be rigid and unaccepting. It also stings her to find that her people regard and treat her as though she is an outsider to the community because she has chosen to marry Alejandro and not be baptized into the Amish church. Besides coping with the rejection from people who had previously accepted her, Amanda must deal with the paparazzi who have returned to disrupt the quiet life in Lititz, Pennsylvania. Her Amish neighbours resent the intrusion from the outsiders and blame Amanda for it.


Alejandro is finding it difficult to be on the road apart from Amanda. He wants to show the world that he is happily married, but it doesn't take long for the paparazzi to discover that he and Amanda are not together and the rumours begin to swirl about a troubled marriage. It doesn't help that his manager, Mike, and a segment of Viper's fans prefer the previous bad boy persona that Alejandro portrayed to the public before his marriage to Amanda. Will Amanda's and Alejandro's marriage survive the separation and the threats that rise up against their marriage?


I found the spiritual journeys for Amanda and Alejandro to be rather interesting. In this novel, Amanda recognizes things that are culturally Amish but that may not necessarily be connected to a life saving faith. Amanda also sees God acting in her relationship with Alejandro, but Amanda's sister, Anna, still asks her a significant question: where God is in Amanda's life? This was a rather puzzling question, because it does seem as if God is moving in the background. However, while reading the books in the series, I have wondered how much Amanda has actually prayed to God for guidance over what to do. It seems to me that she didn't really ask Him for direction over what she should have done when faced with the intrusion of the paparazzi in the first book, "Plain Fame." It didn't appear as if she asked God for guidance as to whether or not she should have left Lititz with Alejandro, or whether or not she should have married him. I don't think that she prayed about separating from Alejandro so soon into their marriage even though she is doing a good thing in helping her parents and sister. Perhaps it was meant for the reader to understand that Amanda did in fact pray about these decisions, but so far, it seems as if she decided these things on her own or got swept along by the circumstances into her present situation. Perhaps, by the grace and mercy of God, things will work out well for Amanda and Alejandro, even though they didn't consult much with Him over what to do.


As for Alejandro, I still think of him in the same way as I had while I was reading the previous two novels in the Plain Fame series: it feels as if he knows of Jesus, but I'm not convinced that he *knows* Jesus. He seems to be a nominal Christian, and there are still major areas of his life that could use Jesus' touch in it, especially in the content of his risqué songs and videos. If Alejandro is, in fact, a saved individual, then what he really needs to do is to get all of his life under the influence of Jesus. Maybe he needs more time to grow as a follower of the Lord. I hope that as the series unfolds, the details of whether he truly knows Jesus will become more clear.


I like Alejandro. As I mentioned in a previous review of the Plain Fame series, he is quite a romantic man. Alejandro wants to be better man because of Amanda. He isn't happy about the separation between Amanda and himself, but he tries to show that he supports her decisions. He hires a farm worker to assist on Amanda's parents' farm and a nurse to help care for her father. When the two of them are able to reunite, he pulls out all the stops to show Amanda how much he loves her. They are married now, and I didn't comment about their marriage in the review that I wrote for "Plain Change" because I thought that it would have been too much of a spoiler. Their intimate moments are not explicit, but the times leading up them...well,...sometimes I felt like looking away, because I felt as if I were intruding in private encounters only meant to be shared between the two of them.


I would not consider "Plain Again" to be a stand alone book, although it probably could do so just a *little* more successfully than "Plain Change" would. The conclusion of "Plain Again" has a satisfactory ending, if one decides to stop reading the series at this point; for a number of years, only the "Plain Fame," "Plain Change," and "Plain Again" had been published. However, "Plain Return," and "Plain Choice," the fourth and fifth novels of the series, have been released during the past few months. There are still some loose plot threads that haven't been resolved yet, and I still feel invested enough in Amanda's and Alejandro's story to want to find out what happens to them.




Disclaimer: I received an e-copy of "Plain Again" by Sarah Price from NetGalley in exchange for a review. All opinions stated in the review are mine.

This review also appears in my blog:
http://whatiscbreading.blogspot.ca

[LadyCalico · Rating 2 out of 5]

This series has soured, badly. The author seems to have suddenly changed her mind about writing a trilogy and decided to stretch the third volume out to three books. Does she have the material to do that and keep the stories fresh and interesting--no. Most of this book is essentially a repeat of Book 2--go to concerts, interviews, after parties, award shows, then do it again, wash, rinse, repeat until the couple finally have a bit of a story, and a far from good one, in about the last 75 pages. This book was repetitive and boring, and I think this is a good place to quit this series gone stale.

[Catherine · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a good book.
Only weeks after being married, Amanda is back at her parents' farm in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania to tend to her ailing father while Alejandro is back on the road performing for his adoring fans. How will time and distance impact their relationship? Will the demands of his fans overshadow his love for Amanda? And how will the Amish community react to Amanda's presence (along with the return of the paparazzi) in their community? An Amish Christian Romance that will leave you breathless and wanting more."--

[Janet · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars.
Again, I felt quite uncomfortable with this book. Their lifestyle didn't always seem appropriate with the Christian Life. I enjoyed parts of it, also there were some references of taking the Lord's name in vain. I don't like this in any book, it shouldn't even appear at all, in Christian Fiction. Sorry, I don't like to be critical, but feel, if I read/listen to CF then I want something different to mainstream books.

[Rebekah · Rating 4 out of 5]

Some twists and turns

This story had a twist that I didn't really see coming and I was happy with the outcome. Another good read in this series.
Content: Not descriptive, but this does have more detailed content. I would still consider this a clean book although there are some who would not.
Language: Completely clean
Religious: yes

Happy reading!!

[Linda Joiner · Rating 5 out of 5]

True Love

I found that it is true, sometimes people do not know the real truth. It is important to talk to your loved ones and be willing to forgive. I would recommend this book to any young adult.

[Mary Christopher · Rating 5 out of 5]

A true love story!

As with all couples everyone has their ups and downs. To truly understand these books start from book one. Don’t start from any other book, you will really miss the love story!

[Amy Griffin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well, this one threw me a curve ball

In the middle I was so upset ( in a "good writing" sort of way) at the characters and was sucked in. I would have done the end of the book differently but who am I to question the author, some people might really be like this!

[Donna · Rating 5 out of 5]

Surprising!

The is the best one yet the keep you on the edge of your seat! I appreciate the authors style and the fact that aren’t typos like in the vast majority of kindle books I have read!!

[M. Brown · Rating 4 out of 5]

Book 3 of 5 (plus the Christmas follow-on) I read to understand how an author writes multiple romance stories about the same couple. Answer: bring in new characters as antagonists and a new situation to cause a major disagreement between the heroine and hero.

[Terri · Rating 5 out of 5]

Plain Again Book 3

This book is a continued book series. Amanda is a former Amish Woman who meets and marries Alajoeda and it follows his concert tours along with Amanda staying in amazing Amish country. This is a great book.

[Gregory Huber · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a book

It s so easy to put yourself in the book. This book was amazing. It was a roller coaster ride of emotions. Sarah Price is one of the best Authors I have came across in the Amish book sets.

[Lewis Romesburg · Rating 4 out of 5]

Plain Again.

As this book progressed,I was writing my own ending in my head. Even though I’m still liking my ending, that’s not how it ended. You must read this third book in the series to find out the ending I was so sure wouldn’t happen.

[Mary Mccormack · Rating 3 out of 5]

Honest review

I liked this addition to the series and hoping the next brings their relationship more together. Their relationship is due to have stumbling points, but hopefully they don’t end up to cliché. I love them both and don’t want it to end up a stereo type.

[Tricia Hungerford · Rating 5 out of 5]

Best so far!

At first... Oh no, not really! But then....oh, you just have to read it!!!!
I can' ruin it for you!

[betty harper · Rating 2 out of 5]

Very disappointed. Title says plain again. Did not happen. Also felt her husband Alejonda? Used her for his own gain. Do not recommend for Amish readers.

[Fonda Spangler · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great Series.

This was a great book to read. Looking forward to the next book
They always kept God in the loop of the story

[Serina · Rating 5 out of 5]

Just Great

Amanda and Alejandro must fight for their love to succeed in this book. They must answer to God and to their hearts and souls on what it is to be a married couple.