A Plain and Sweet Christmas Romance Collection

by Jerry S. Eicher, Lauralee Bliss, Ramona K. Cecil

Enjoy a simple Christmas, sweetened by love, in historical communities of plain faith people. Four romances develop among the Ohio River Valley Quakers of the mid-1800s. Two Mennonite couples face influences from outside their old traditions. Two Amish couples from the early 1900s are affected by world events. And in an Amana community, childhood sweethearts are reunited. Each story also includes a recipe for a sweet traditional treat.

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

445 pages, Paperback

First published September 1, 2016

About the author

Jerry Eicher’s bestselling Amish fiction (more than 210,000 in combined sales) includes The Adams County Trilogy, the Hannah’s Heart books, and the Little Valley Series. After a traditional Amish childhood, Jerry taught for two terms in Amish and Mennonite schools in Ohio and Illinois. Since then he’s been involved in church renewal, preaching, and teaching Bible studies. Jerry lives with his wife, Tina Eicher, and their four children in Virginia.

Reviews

[Deanne Patterson · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have wanted to read this book since I've seen it at Walmart in October.
I wanted to like it I really did. Unfortunately this book just didn't do it for me. I think I only even liked one or two stories in the book. I especially didn't like the Quaker and Amana stories. I don't like the way they talk and couldn't relate to their thee's and tho's. Honestly I liked the cover more than the words inside!

[Stefanie · Rating 3 out of 5]

I loved the historical aspect of each of the stories in this book, but some of them lacked any interesting twists to the stories.
Some of the novellas were so sweet and enjoyable to read, whereas others were quite boring. The switch between different belief settings (Quaker, Amish, etc.) was interesting and I enjoyed learning about different things in each background.
Overall the majority of this collection was fun to read!

[Judy Lesley · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you to NetGalley and Barbour Publishing Inc., Barbour Books for allowing me to read this digital galley.

I've always been curious about this mixture of romance and faith novels and decided a good way to experience them would be through a collection of stories written by different authors. What I found were nine wholesome, charming and relaxing looks at romance inside religious communities I'm not very familiar with. The added bonus is a recipe included at the end of each story. One recipe was even from one of my favorite places to visit, Colonial Williamsburg. This is the type of book where you can read one story a day to lift your spirits or read it from cover to cover to discover all the different situations you will find. I've listed the stories along with other information which was interesting to me so you can make sure you haven't read the stories before.

Laura Lee Bliss -"A Crossroad to Love" - 2011 - Quaker - 1846 - Waynesville, Ohio
Ramona K. Cecil -"Simple Gifts" - 2011 - Quaker - 1880 - Serenity, Indiana
Dianne Christner -"A Christmas Prayer" - 2016 - Mennonite - 1881 - Mountain Lake, Minnesota
Melanie Dobson -"Treasure of the Heart" - 2016 - Amana Colonies - 1907 - Amana, iowa
Jerry Eicher -"Love is Forever" - 2016 - Amish - 1941 - Lancaster County
Olivia Newport -"Love's Pure Light" - 2016 - Amish - 1910 - Lancaster County
Rachel O. Phillips -"Pirate of My Heart" - 2011 - Quaker - 1825 - Rock and Cave, Illinois
Claire Sanders -"Equally Yoked" - 2011 - Quaker - 1838 - Southern Ohio
Anna Schmidt -"Abigail's Christmas Candles" - 2016 - Mennonite - no date given - Hope, Wisconsin

Naturally, out of all nine stories I did have some I enjoyed more than others, but considered as a whole I think this collection was a very good introduction for me to the treats in store among these types of novels. I look forward to exploring more by these and other authors.

[Shirley Chapel · Rating 5 out of 5]

A beautiful collection of 9 Christmas stories by various authors. Among them are Jerry Eicher , Olivia Newport and Melanie Dobson. These novellas are all historical Romances from the Amish, Quaker, Mennonite and Amana Settlements. The book cover is very pretty and festive. The outside cover has a snow scene that continues on front and back cover flaps.
It would be very hard and would make my review too lengthy if I were to review each story . I would like to mention that I found Equally Yoked by Claire Sanders to be an edge of the seat read. I was very fortunate to have won a signed copy of this book from Jerry Eicher last Christmas. The book had been in my TBR pile since then. I finally pulled it out and read it . Since I won it from Jerry I will review his novella from this book. I wasn't told to give a review for the book but chose to do so.
Love is Forever by Jerry Eicher
Mervin Yoder is in Love with Mattie Beiler. He would like nothing more than to propose marriage to her and make her his frau. But times are uncertain as WWII spreads across Europe, with the possibility of America entering the war.
Mervin feels it would be unfair to Mattie to marry her only to be called up to serve as a conscientious objector far from home. Mattie would love nothing more than to marry Mervin and be his faithful bride waiting for his return from the war. He's caught between two decisions. Should he marry the love of his life or wait till after the long war is over and he returns home again.
I enjoyed the entire book and recommend it to all readers who like to read historical fiction and enjoy Christmas books.

[Loraine · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a group of 9 novellas all focusing on the simple Christmas and romance among the "plain people." I have to admit that I usually stay away from books written about the various "plain" sects: Amish, Mennonite, Quaker, Amana (Inspirationists) because after reading many years ago I began to find them pretty much formulaic. So I am delighted to say these novellas each had a little twist that made them much more interesting. Four romances develop among the Ohio River Valley Quakers of the mid-1800s. Two Mennonite couples face influences from outside their old traditions. Two Amish couples from the early 1900s are affected by world events. And in an Amana community, childhood sweethearts are reunited. Each story also includes a recipe for a sweet traditional treat. I was disappointed that there were some formatting issues with the Kindle version.

The stories focus on forgiveness, second chances, spiritual growth, acceptance and, of course, Christmas romance. My favorites were: Loves Pure Light-the house to house Nativity was such a beautiful reminder of the true spirit of Christmas; Pirate of My Heart - feisty Keturah finds way more adventure than she ever expected and discovers the true meaning of love versus romance; Equally Yoked - Susanna was such an inspiration and found she had more gumption than she ever thought possible as well as learning what faith really meant. Abigail's Christmas Candles - Mennonite Abigail Yoder, teacher, brought change from New York to Hope, Wisconsin. Some in the small Mennonite town weren't sure it was the kind of change they wanted. Abigail learned more about herself as well as teaching her students, their parents, and the community that sometimes change was just what they needed.

A great collection of cozy Christmas reads that are definitely a change of pace.

** I received a complimentary copy of this book from NetGalley and Barbour Books to facilitate this review. Opinions are mine alone. I was not compensated for this review.

[Lori · Rating 5 out of 5]

Being a huge reader of Amish , Quaker and Mennonite fiction this book was a wonderful read!!
I enjoyed every minute and I really appreciated new to me authors.
I love how each story drew me in and each are special in their own way.
I think what I loved about these stories is how they help each other in times of need.
I think that we can learn a few things from the plain people. We'd be a whole lot better off if things were like back then. When families prayed at the dinner table and talked about their day.
As for me and my family we try to serve the Lord. It's not always easy but we do try.
This book is also sure to get you into the Christmas mood for years to come
Perhaps you could read each story until Christmas Day!
I highly recommend these wonderful stories. Each author offers something special messages in their stories.
My thanks to Netgalley. NO compensations were received. All opinions are my own.

[Maureen Timerman · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book has something for anyone who likes a good clean Christmas story, with a bit of romance thrown in.
You are in for a real treat, only have a little bit of time for reading, there are nine novellas here, and you will be finishing one and ready to start another in no time.
These are plain people, Amish, and Mennonite, a few Quakers and then we also have an Amana Colony, made me wish there were more.
Be ready for snow, of course Christmas time, and there are some real blizzards our folks have to contend with. Come and enjoy a refreshing adventure.
I received this book through Net Galley and the Publisher Barbour and was not required to give a positive review.

[Jordyn · Rating 3 out of 5]

⭐⭐⭐(and a half)

I liked this book(I read it with my mom). It wasn't as good as some I've read but some stories were still really cute! I wish there were more Amish and mennonite stories but still like a couple of the Quaker stories. I learned some too about the Quakers (I never knew very much about them) My favorites were probably Equally yoked and Love's pure light!

[Amy · Rating 5 out of 5]

A Plain and Sweet Christmas Romance Collection is a collection of nine wonderful stories. These nine stories include:
A Crossroad to Love by Lauralee Bliss
Simple Gifts by Ramona K Cecil
A Christmas Prayer by Dianne Christner
Treasure of the Heart by Melanie Dobson
Love is Forever by Jerry Eicher
Love's Pure Light by Olivia Newport
Pirate of My Heart by Rachael O Phillips
Equally Yoked by Claire Sanders
Abigail's Christmas Candles by Anna Schmidt
I just love these short stories. There were a few authors who are new to me and some that are one of my top must read authors. If I had to pick a favorite from this book, I would have to choose, Melanie Dobson's Treasure of the Heart.
Great Christmas Collection!
5 plus stars.

[Vicky Sluiter · Rating 5 out of 5]

This collection of novellas was a treat to read. Short enough to read quickly, but that doesn’t mean they aren’t great stories. The authors have done a wonderful job of capturing the flavor of each community.

With forgiveness and sweet romance, this collection is the perfect Christmas reading. And who can resist the recipe that comes with each story? Please make the time this Christmas season to read A Plain and Sweet Christmas Romance Collection. You won’t regret it.

A received a complimentary copy of this book but was not required to leave a review.

[Sheila Samuelson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Read 2 times.
Rating 5 Stars!! (Wish i could rate it 10 Stars!!)
Review:
This was my 2nd time reading this book and i still love the theme and storylines in all 6 short stories!!

It's mainly Historical Fiction set between 1800s and 1900s with a little Romance thrown in to give you a nice old fashioned feel to Christmas.

The Characters in each story were so fun to get to know and the settings were so beautifully described!!

Can't wait to read more Books like these in the future!!

[Kathleen (Kat) Smith · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you're new to Amish fiction, and love the idea of a Christmas setting with some great story lines, then you might want to pick up A Plain and Sweet Christmas Romance collection. In it you will find 9 different Christmas Romances of Amish, Mennonite, Quaker and Amana settlements, which vary in some of the dress styles, their religious beliefs, and manner of speech. They hold fast to the belief that what happens stays in their communities to handle and marrying outside of the church, can often result in a shunning from the community especially if they have been baptized into their churches.

Yet the one thing that remains clear in all of them, is their sense of support within the community. Help is always offered from within regarding medical issue, issues dealing with breaking the law and tragedies. They are always there for one another. The best part also of this series, is it gives you a brief insight into the style of writing each of the nine authors. This will help you decide if you want to pick up full length novels of other books in that genre as well. It is well worth it too, if time is an issue. Reading them one at a time, as you have time available, keeps you from feeling overwhelmed about not being able to get through a larger novel, than these nine stories provide.

The nine authors that have contributed to this collection are: Jerry Eicher, Olivia Newport, Lauralee Bliss, Ramona K.Cecil, Dianne Christner, Melanie Dobson, Rachael O. Phillips, Claire Sanders, and Anna Schmidt. I have read quite a few of the novels of most of these authors, so it was a nice change of pace to meet some I had never heard of before. This collection is comparable to the length of a full size novel and in it, you get 9 short stories that feel like so much more than a simple novella. There is also a wonderful treat included at the conclusion of each one, a recipe that you can make at home from the story! Just the cover of this collection invites the reader to curl up by the fire on a cold wintery night.

I received A Plain and Sweet Christmas Romance Collection by various authors compliments of Barbour Publishing and NetGalley. This is such a beautiful collection of wonderful heartwarming stories of faith, hope and love set among the Christmas season. This is a must have for lovers of Amish Romance, and even for those who want a great sampling of the various communities mentioned in this review. For me, this really introduced me to some authors I had never heard of before, as well as bring back some favorites from best selling authors as well. For me, this collection would rate a 4 out of 5 stars. There are some stories that really didn't connect with me as a reader, and wanted to get through them to something else, especially the Quaker stories with their 'thee's and thou's in how they speak to one another. Kind of like trying to understand Shakespeare in high school, yet overall a great collection.

[Robbie · Rating 4 out of 5]

A Plain and Sweet Christmas focuses on how the Quakers, Mennonites, Amish and those from the Amana Colonies in Iowa either do or do not celebrate Christmas. Of course, there are romantic elements to each story. Surprisingly, some of the stories focus on married couples. However, just because you are married doesn’t mean there is no romance, right?

I enjoyed reading about the Amana Colonies. I have family members who lived in Iowa, so I’ve always been fascinated with the Amana Colonies. Unfortunately, I have never been able to visit them. Maybe one day I’ll get the opportunity. Having read these stories will help me to appreciate their history even more.

The compilation features authors whose books I’ve read before and some that are new to me. I am always excited to read a set of novellas like this because of the exposure to new authors, and A Plain and Sweet Christmas Romance Collection doesn’t disappoint! Also, there are some great recipes at the end of the stories; I can’t wait to try some of them out.

Each narrative is well-written with very different perspectives, some more heart-wrenching than others. Even so, if you are looking for a heartwarming, faith-filled book full of Christmas history, drama, hope and renewal, along with love and romance, then you are sure to enjoy A Plain and Sweet Christmas Romance Collection.

I received this book from NetGalley. However, I was under no obligation to post a review.

[Debbie Phillips · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a plain (Quaker, Amish, Mennonite, Amana) and sweet book. Many stories, by many authors, in many different time periods, all set around the Christmas season. I had plans to do a great review of this book but I have been sick the last 2 days and I am still not feeling well, my brain is not functioning in a normal fashion, but I want to get this review done so I can post my list of books for 2019.

All I really need to say is I enjoyed this book very much and recommend it to all my friends. It is especially wonderful to read during the Christmas season but can be enjoyed at any time.

Ultimate Popsugar Reading Challenge prompt(s) –
#9 - A book you meant to read in 2018
#22 - A book with SALTY, SWEET, BITTER,OR SPICY in the title

[Ria · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am not at all religious and didn't agree with some of the morals and ethics of the teachings within the stories but nevertheless the morals and the stories themselves were quite charming, whimsical and a total product of the time they are set in.
All had a festive and romantic slant and ranged in time from the early to mid 1800s to WWII.
I throughly enjoyed every one too and that is unusual as I am not a huge fan of short story collections but all the tales included were a good read.
I totally get these are saturated with religion but I knew that before reading of course but as stated though I'm non religious myself anyone can enjoy them so this in no way limits the reading audience and is a great Yuletide read.

[Nicole Normand · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received a copy from NetGalley; this is my honest review.
This is the first time I review a collection from Barbour Books in a general sense (vs. each books individually).
The collection started with a 3-star for the first two books and made me wonder about the rest.
Fortunately, the rest of the collection were 4 and 5 stars.
These are good stories, sometimes sad, sometimes funny, mostly with good characters and all give you a good view of the particulars from the named settlements, with not too many sermons, verses and/or inspirational quotes along the way.

[Oluwatosin · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a really sweet book, each story giving you a glimpse into the lives of the settlement it featured. These settlements included Quaker, Amish, Amana and Mennonite Settlements and it was interesting to see how they lived and to know the reasons why they did or did not do certain things and how they celebrated Christmas.
It was a lovely read, especially during the Christmas season. I enjoyed every single story.

Thanks to Barbour Publishers and Netgalley for providing me with a free copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

[Cecilia · Rating 3 out of 5]

A Plain and Sweet Christmas Romance Collection is a collection of romance novellas. I was excited to read this collection, but unfortunately several of the stories were just not that interesting to me.
I could not really relate to the Quaker stories and became bored quickly. I did enjoy the novellas by Eicher and Newport. I found

[Pat Deoring · Rating 3 out of 5]

Light little Christmas stories with a love and religious theme. Amish, Mennonite, Quaker, etc communities prepare for the Christmas season. Didn't finish because Christmas came and it was very busy, but nice light reading for this time of year.

[Tasha enderby · Rating 3 out of 5]

I personally have a hard time getting into short stories without loosing interest and this book was very much just that for me. The stories are not connected by any means and vary in author and style.

[Flora · Rating 3 out of 5]

I am not a fan of Amish, Mennonite and other similar fiction, and I'm afraid this collection of romantic novellas did not change my mind.

The stories were very well-written though. Fans will enjoy these romances written with a Christmas background.

[Maya Joelle]

My grandmother gave this to me after she finished it (she loves Amish romances) and I actually enjoyed it! Not all of the stories, but some of them were very sweet. And one of the MCs was named Glory, which made me happy.

[Sydni · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely beautiful. This book of various short stories takes you on adventures of faith and love. With the general focus on Christmas, it is truly perfect for any time of year with the beauty of the Light of Christ residing in the hearts of those who have a personal relationship with Him.

[Bridget · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love Christmas stories! These are Cute stories! With my busy schedule I also appreciated that they were each short stories as well.

[JoAnn · Rating 5 out of 5]

I received this book via Netgalley and this is my unbiased review.

A great collection of Christmas stories. I enjoyed each selection and found them to be well written.

[Carla Ott · Rating 5 out of 5]

loved it

[Amy · Rating 1 out of 5]

Boring book. Didn’t finish it.

[Mae_chann · Rating 2 out of 5]

There was 1 story I kind of enjoyed. I think it was the second one. The stories were kind of boring and required a longer arch

[Susie Kruger · Rating 5 out of 5]

It was so good! I loved all the short, romantic stories, it was really entertaining.

[ANNETTE · Rating 3 out of 5]

Some of the stories were a little slow . The over all I liked it.