The Amish Midwife

Lancaster Courtships #3

by Patricia Davids

An Unexpected Family

Amish midwife Anne Stoltzfus is used to late-night visitors—but she's shocked to find reclusive bachelor Joseph Lapp on her doorstep with a baby in his arms. Their neighborly quarrels are pushed aside when Joseph explains that his sister has left her daughter in his care—and Joseph needs Anne to be her nanny. Soon they're bonding over baby Leah, and the love they feel for her is healing them both. When Joseph makes an offer of marriage, Anne's painful past resurfaces and she's unsure of what to do. But taking a chance could mean love—and family—are waiting just across the fence.

Lancaster Courtships: Life and love in Amish country

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

335 pages, Hardcover

First published October 20, 2015

About the author

I was born and raised in Northcentral Kansas. I'm a farmer's daughter, but I now make my home in the city of Wichita. I'm an RN. Neonatal nursing has been the main focus of my career. What can I say? I love babies. I was invited to the highschool graduation of a baby I took care of. Talk about making me feel old!

In June of 2011 I became a widow after my husband of 36 years and 11 months died from multiple brain tumors. It was a very sad time, but thanks to the three f's, my faith, my family and my friends, life is moving forward. I have four brothers, one daughter and two grandchildren who all work at making me feel loved.

I'm the author of more than 30 books and I'm currently writing a series called The Brides of Amish Country for Love Inspired.

Reviews

[Anna Kay · Rating 4 out of 5]

Anne was super sassy (at one point chucking a smashed tomato at her "infuriating" neighbor Joseph), but has a big heart when it counts. Also, mischievous goats are involved in the matchmaking of these two very stubborn people! All in all, a nice break off from my usual. It also avoided being overtly, zealously preachy. Seeing as the in-your-face God talk is why I usually avoid Amish romances/fiction, I count this one as an overall win! :)

[Susan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Joseph does not want to be responsible for Leah. He failed Fannie and he knows he won't do right by Leah either. He begs his neighbor, Anne to help him by becoming Leah's nanny. THE AMISH MIDWIFE is such a different story and I was instantly pulled in to this, at times, heartbreaking story. What kind of a mother can just walk away from her child? Will Joseph be able to put his fears aside and raise Leah? I was on the edge of my seat the whole time reading their story, afraid of what was going to come next. All of the characters are well developed and felt very real to me. Anne was so spunky and sassy that she had me laughing out loud over and over again. That is exactly why Patricia Davids is one of my favorite Christian authors.


ARC given by Netgalley for honest review.

[Dianne · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am starting to like Amish romances more and more, the older I get. I don't think I love the overt sexuality in other types of romances as much as I used to.

I worried about Amish based romances because I don't want to be preached to, or to be told that 'their God' is the only true one - I shouldn't have worried. Ms Davids adds religion to her romance in a very subtle way and also in a way that soothes your soul.

This was a very emotional story and it had me weeping in several spots, yet we do get a very happy HEA so never fear.

It all started with a tomato patch, a goat and a pair of very stubborn Amish neighbors and a well places thrown tomato, and soon turns serious when Joseph Lapps sister comes home and asks him to take care of her infant for a couple of days. Now Joseph needs help from the tomato thrower who also happens to be a midwife.

The romance is very subtle, the underlying plot is a good one and the secondary characters are not too 'pushy' but lend the right amount of incentive to push this couple a little closer together.

Ms Davids adds to her book a lot of interesting facts about cooking, pumpkins, goats,cheese making etc. and I liked that fact very much. It was not enough information that it takes away from the story, just enough to leave you a little more informed and maybe willing to try something new.

All in all this was an excellent read.

[Penmouse · Rating 5 out of 5]

Author Patricia Davids book The Amish Midwife is how a good Amish genre book should be written. Lately I've read far too many Amish themed books that depended more on formula writing and less on good writing. Davids book uses good writing to tell a great story.

I won't give away the specific plot as I don't want to write a spoiler review, but I can write her book is filled with enough twists and turns to keep you interested. I also loved the humor, love and warmth expressed by the characters found in The Amish Midwife.

If you've tired of reading Amish themed books due to formula writing, please read The Amish Midwife as it will restore your faith in Amish themed books.

Highly recommend.

Review written after downloading a galley from NetGalley.

[Andrea Woodard · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved it, could not put it down.
Easy read

[Tina Watson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Patricia Davids did excellent research for her book, "The Amish Midwife", the third and final book in the series of Lancaster Courtships. I have to say that "The Amish Midwife" has to be my favorite out of all three books in the series.

Single, Amish midwife Anne Stoltzfus has lived three years in the small village of Honeysuckle. She lives next door to Joseph Lapp, who's goats can't seem to stay in their fence, but instead love to eat Anne's garden. Anne grows her garden to make extra money besides being a midwife in her area of Lancaster County.

Bachelor Amish Goat Farmer Joseph Lapp loves being with his goats more than being around his church community members. But he is their for church members when there is a need and his lending hands are needed. Joseph has had his share of hard life at an early age, he became responsible for his sister, Fannie, when she was six years old, their parents lives were taken during a tragic accident along with his girlfriend.

Fannie Lapp has been out among the Englische for about three years now, writing to Joseph here and there. Sudden she returns to Honeysuckle needing his help, but not telling him the whole truth.

Will Joseph help his sister?
Can Anne learn to love goats?
Does the church help Joseph or will they turn their backs again?
Can wounds finally heal?
Will Fannie turn her life around?

What an exciting, interesting, and a different spin on Amish romance that Patricia Davids has written for us, readers. I felt like I was on the edge of my seat the whole time as I was reading "The Amish Midwife". Patricia Davids has added enough detail to make her book come together and flow fluently; that you are not missing anything as you read "The Amish Midwife. And you learn something too or at least I did. I look forward to reading more book by Patricia Davids in the future.

All three authors did an excellent job of making sure each other had the information of the characters used and details used in the series, that nothing would be off in their books individually.



I received a free copy of this book through NetGalley for an honest review. No money was exchanged. This is my honest review in my own words.

[Tash · Rating 4 out of 5]

Reviewed @ Thoughts By Tash
Review copy kindly provided by Netgalley in exchange for a honest review
The Amish Midwife is the third in the Lancaster Courtship series and can be read standalone though it does refer to previous couples. Whilst I hadn’t read the previous books, I found myself falling for the story as Davids writes stories that are charming and sweet

This was different from other Amish books I have read , it was more modern in certain ways. The hero and heroine didn’t have a courtship per say in the typical sense at first. Also if you took the Amish lifestyle away this couple could fit in anywhere and any story but the Amish bit was what made them special.

Anne is happily single because of her secret painful past . She makes ends meet as a midwife and selling pumpkins however she hasn’t lost her spirit. She can handle anything and immediately you connect with her sassy spirit when she takes things into hand with her next door neighbour Joseph. The owner of the smelly goats she wished weren’t next to her property. They co exist barely and whilst Leah is involved in the town. Joseph stays away wanting to forget where things went wrong.

Until his past and present collide when his sister Fannie returns and leaves with him her baby. Joseph doesn’t have a clue how to look after a baby especially after the fall out with his sister. He doesn’t want to repeat the mistakes with Leah and turns to the one person who can help. Anne



The Amish Midwife was a beautiful story of second chances. Joseph thinks he can’t do anything right. I loved that he was sensible to go to Anne to be her nanny thinking that it would be a simple solution. It wasn’t and that was the magic of the story as this was something different. Readers are taken on their journey as the struggle with the decisions . It was addicting watching these two overcome things, wondering if the author would give them the ending that they want or wrench things apart for a better ending. Davids delivered a beautiful Christian story and one of my favourites to date in this genre.

My only big qualm is that I wished Fannie got her story and this wasn’t the end of the series. As she had a story to tell with past and wonder who would win her heart after all the things she had been to. Oh well, I can only imagine


For more of my reviews, visit Thoughts by Tash.And drop by the blog's Facebook page

[Kimberly · Rating 4 out of 5]

I absolutely loved this heart-warming story from Patricia Davids! The Amish Midwife is a story of love, hope, faith, forgiveness, and second chances sprinkled with a generous dose of humor. Joseph Lapp, brooding neighbor and dairy goat farmer, has experienced his share of heart ache that has left him a bit of a recluse and his goats are nothing more than a nuisance to his neighbor and community mid-wife, Anne Stolzfus. However, these two seemingly mismatched neighbors suddenly find themselves working together in caring for Joseph's niece despite the rumors that begin to swirl through the close knit Amish community. Is it possible that Anne could be falling in love with this gruff and hard-hearted man? Will her charming smile and generous heart melt away Joseph's pain and heartache? I quickly fell in love with Anne's character; she's a strong and independent woman who understand the importance of trusting in her faith as well as the support of her community. With endearing characters and a well-developed story line, Davids' has created a romance that had me laughing one moment and crying the next. Although this novel is the third in the Lancaster Courtship Series, it reads quite well as a stand alone novel...but I'm now anxious to read the previous two novels as well! FOUR stars!

[Rhonda · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 stars

This is book three of the Lancaster Courtship. It can stand alone. It is a good clean Amish romance.
Cute baby, fun and trouble making goats.

Anne Stoltzfus is a Amish Midwife. She also grows vegetables and sells them at her vegetables stand. She loves babies. Hates her neighbors goats that keep getting out of their yard and into her gardens.

Joseph Lapp is a Amish goat farmer. He is a loner. Goes to church, helps where he can but does not socialize.

Leah a three month old baby that was dropped off one evening by her mother to her Uncle Joseph.
Leah is a crying baby at first because she is sick.

I like how the Amish came together to help with the need of Joseph of having a baby all of a sudden.

One scene that gave me a chuckle was a little five year old girl looking into the Midwife's bag to see if she had a extra baby girl in their to replace her baby boy if possible.

I smiled a lot while reading this book. Made me want to try some of the produce that Anne sold.

I will read more of Patricia Davids books in the future.

I was given this ebook to read by Net Galley and Harlequin. In return I agreed to give a honest review of The Amish Midwife.

[Carrie Schmidt · Rating 5 out of 5]

Oh this was a fun book! Joseph and Anne’s relationship reminded me a little of Samuel and Rebecca’s from An Amish Harvest. Their banter and (mostly) friendly bickering over Joseph’s goats was hysterical and earned many chuckles as I read. Also humorous – the way their (at first) perfectly innocent friendship kept being misconstrued by the community gossips through very little fault of their own. And woven through the humor was a thread of exquisite sweetness. A grumpy goat farmer falling head over heels for his baby niece in his care and perhaps with his feisty neighbor. A spunky midwife whose irritation with Joseph melts into fond affection – and more – as she helps him care for baby Leah. Both trusting each other with the painful parts of their past … and maybe the uncertain parts of their future. Overall, just a delightfully entertaining and uplifting story!

(I received a copy of this book in exchange for only my honest review.)

[Maureen Timerman · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Amish Midwife by Patricia Davids is the third book in the Lancaster Courtship series, the first book The Amish Bride by Emma Miller, and the second The Amish Mother by Rebecca Kertz, and they all tie in together, with references to other characters that we have come to know.
A confirmed Amish bachelor farming with goats, Joseph Lapp, lives next door to Midwife and roadside vegetable stand farmer, Annie Stoltzfus. The book opening with a tangle of wills when Joseph’s goat gets into Annie’s garden patch, and watch for Annie hitting Joseph with a tomato! Got your interest? That is just a hint as to what is to come in this fast page-turning read, and when you think you know what is going to happen, guess what, wrong, well maybe not about all of it. Get ready for a story that will linger with you, and make you want more!
I received this book through Net Galley and the Publisher Love Inspired, and was not required to give a positive review.

[Pam · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Amish Midwife is a love inspired inspirational novel by Patricia Davids. It has no graphic scenes or language.
Anne Stoltzfus is an Amish midwife who lives by herself and enjoys it. At least except for her next door neighbor, Joseph Lapp, and his goats. In particular, Chester is inclined to come through the fence and eat on her garden. She relies on the produce to bring in the extra money she needs to grow her business and to eat. The last thing she needs is another job.
Joseph Lapp is a recluse as much as possible. He prefers being with his 80 goat herd. He milks twice a day and sells his milk. He tends to work so hard with his goats that he sometimes neglects the rest of his land, especially the part that sides with Anne’s property.
When his sister drops off her four month old daughter with Joseph while she attends a musical interview with her friend, problems arise. How can he, a bachelor, care for a baby? He needs help and help is next door- Anne.

[Melody · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5 stars

I really loved the story in this book. It was different and new. Even though I knew this was a romance story, I couldn't imagine how Anne and Joseph were going to come to like one another, since at the beginning of the book, they really didn't get along. I also loved the characters. They were well developed, and I felt like I knew them.

One of my favorite part of this book is how it concludes the series by finishing the stories of some secondary characters that were started in the other books.

I would recommend the whole Lancaster County Courtships series to all fans of Amish fiction. I really had fun with this cast of characters.

[Marilyn · Rating 5 out of 5]

The plot and characters were realistic with their current struggles. Anne and Joseph are neighbors with their own lives and past losses. Anne was could not tolerate Joseph's goats getting into her garden. So there was a strain between them being close friendly neighbors. Joseph turned to Anne for assistance with his young niece, as his wayward sister Fannie had left her baby with him to care for her. Will Joseph's infant niece, Leah, bring healing to these two adults? A must read for those who enjoy Amish fiction.

[Phylis Carpenter · Rating 5 out of 5]

Anne lives next door to Joseph, the owner of Chester, the garden thief. Joseph has not kept his fences repaired properly because he has been too busy. His goats, one in particular, Chester, has been getting through the fence and eating and destroying Anne's produce that she uses to make a living. She is also a practiced mid-wife.

One day she hears a knock on her door and opens it to find Joseph standing in her doorway with a baby. She finds out that his sister, Fannie, dropped the baby off. And then she just left leaving Joseph to take care of the baby.

I loved this book. Parts made me really sad but other parts made me laugh. I think you will enjoy this book.

[Gaylina · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautiful story. I loved all the info on midwifery, and goats. Very touching.

[Julie (Let's Read Good Books) · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 stars

I loved this book! It's emotional, with delightful bursts of humor, and a slow building romance. Joseph is a gruff dairy farmer, more content dealing with his goats than talking to the humans in his Amish community. Anne is a mid-wife, irritated with the grumpy farmer next door and his mischievous goats, which keep sneaking into her garden and eating her produce. Both of them are suffering from tragedies in their past, and neither is will to risk heartache again.

When Joseph's younger sister, Fannie, unexpectedly leaves her infant daughter in his care, Joseph's life is turned on end. Not one to ask for help from anyone, he's suddenly in a position where he has no choice but to ask his neighbor Anne for much needed assistance. Even though he raised Fannie after the death of their parents, he knows nothing about raising a baby. Desperate, he asks Anne to be baby Leah's nanny, just until Fannie returns.

Anne is reluctant to care for Leah for fear of having her heart broken when the babe's mother returns for her. Seeing how badly Joseph needs help, though, Anne reluctantly agrees. As Anne and Joseph adjust their lives to fit a baby, and each other, they slowly nurture a friendship, and then, something more. Can they put their pasts behind them, and take a chance on new love?

The Amish Midwife is a sweet romance with a crabby man who would rather talk to goats than his neighbors, playful goats with healthy appetites, and a cranky baby with food allergies. I liked Anne, Joseph, and even the goats. Both single adults, Anne and Joseph's sudden close association gives rise to gossip about their reputations, and Joseph's inability to communicate give rise to most of the conflict in the story. It's a quick read, with a feel good ending, and made me happy to see that Patricia Davids has an extensive backlist.

[Fiona Marsden · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 stars This is the third and final in the Lancaster Courtships Amish series. We have met Anna the midwife in the previous books. She is mature woman in her early thirties in an Amish community so you know there must be a story behind it.

Her neighbour Joseph is a milch goat farmer and lives solitary since his sister left to go Englisch three years ago. He's a bit of a grump and his relationship with Anna is a good example of good fences making good neighbours. His billy goat, Chester, is constantly getting into Anna's vegetable garden through a hole in the fence.

That all changes when Joseph's sister leaves her baby with him and he needs Anna's help. Thrown together, they start to learn a little more about each other and with a good dose of humour they start to like each other.

This was generally a light read though it dealt with some serious issues and at one point I got a little emotional thus the high score. The relationship between Anna and Joseph grew beautifully and the ending was very satisfying.

Now that I've finished the series, only one thing bothered me. A character introduced in the first book never appeared again and her problems never resolved.

[Kav · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love a good goat herding romance. Yes, you heard me right -- it stems from my first literary crush -- Peter in Heidi (I was ten). So even though Joseph is a bit of a recluse and socially challenged he won my heart because of the goats. How can you not love a hero who takes the time to name an entire herd of goats? And the animals clearly adore him. Anne, not so much. At first. Though they put their differences aside when Joseph becomes sole caregiver of his infant niece. Loved Anne's independent spirit -- capable midwife with a garden produce business on the side. She's constantly surprising Joseph and it isn't long before he's smitten. Their love story isn't without complications though. Heartache and laughter blend together to make this an endearing Amish romance.

*This is the third book in a multi-authored series -- Lancaster Courtships. It reads beautifully as a standalone though we do get glimpses of characters from the previous two books which I really enjoyed.

[Pam Graber · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a wonderful story of two people whose guilt has overshadowed their lives to the point where neither feels worthy to be loved. When Joseph Lapp's sister leaves her infant in his care, he seeks help from his next door neighbor, midwife Anne Stoltzfus. She agrees to help if he will keep his herd of goats out of her garden. The more time they spend together, the more Anne sees past Joseph's dour demeanor to the caring man he is on the inside. Can they get past their community's pressure to make a home for the baby? Will they decide that together they are better than the loners they were before?
This is book 3 in the Lancaster County Courtships series but it easily stands on its own merits. Patricia Davids knows how to tug the heartstrings!

[Ilana · Rating 2 out of 5]

Tthe better of the two books I have read lately called the Amish Midwife. But it was distracting how much the dude was obsessed with his goats. Would give it a three if not for being the second book this month I read this month about Amish Midwifes (bad at bookclubs)

[Hazel Robinson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wonderful

I truly enjoyed the story of Anne and Joseph. Joseph and his goats. Joseph came across to everyone as gruff, but when any of his neighbors were in need he was right there. It is amazing who God will use to get people to come together in this book he used a baby to show the Hero and Heroine that they needed each other.

[Dawn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Patricia Davids is an awesome author. I love all of her books and this one was a fantastic book. Come two people overcome their differences and bond to help a baby. You have to read this book to find out.

[Harlequin Books]

"Humorous scenes combine with a well-plotted storyline to make this an enjoyable conclusion to the Lancaster Courtships series" (RT Book Reviews, 4 stars).

Miniseries: Lancaster Courtships

[Barbara · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love the characters and story line! Watch out for Chester the goat, he is a very curious. Glad the pumpkin chuckers got great deal.

[Harlequin Books]

received 4 stars @ RT Book Reviews
Miniseries: Lancaster Courtships

[Sara · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is soooo beautiful!!!!

[Denise · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wonderful read!

I love reading Amish fiction and this book was one of the best I've read. The characters were believable and I cried at the end.

[Debbie West]

Great books the authors did on this series great job collaborating