Tuesday, March 17, 2020

"An Amish Picnic" by Amy Clipston, Kelly Irvin, Kathleen Fuller, and Vannetta Chapman -- Book Review and Blog Tour

About the Book

Book:  An Amish Picnic
Author: Amy Clipston, Kelly Irvin, Kathleen Fuller, and Vannetta Chapman
Genre: Amish; Christian Romance
Release Date: March 3, 2020
From bestselling authors in the Amish genre come four sweet stories about picnics and romance.
Baskets of Sunshine by Amy Clipston
Kevin Weaver has lived with his brother’s family since his parents passed away when he was young, but he craves a home and family to call his own. Freeman Kurtz owns a successful brick mason business, and Kevin takes the job as Freeman’s apprentice to pursue his own financial freedom.
Phoebe Kurtz is helping her sister with her booth at the marketplace when she notices Kevin, her father’s employee. Their friendship grows, but Kevin is convinced that the difference in their ages makes a relationship between them impossible. Amidst summer outings, Kevin and Phoebe must decide if taking a chance on love is worth the risk.
Candlelight Sweethearts by Kelly Irvin
Esther Marie Shrock loves her job at Valley Grocery Store where she’s worked for four years. Despite a stutter that has plagued her since childhood, she thrives filling orders from a steady stream of customers. Still, at 25, she and her family wonder if romance is in her future.
Jasper Cotter isn’t good with people, but he’s found himself obligated to take over day-to-day operations of the family owned grocery store—a store he doesn’t have the first clue how to run. Thrown together, Esther Marie and Jasper don’t exactly see eye to eye. One night, the store loses power, and the candles aren’t the only things shooting off sparks. Esther Marie and Jasper are suddenly forced to discover common ground when it matters most, and they might be surprised with love along the way.
Reeling in Love by Kathleen Fuller
Nina Stoll and Ira Yoder are just friends. Just friends and fishing buddies. Every Saturday afternoon, they have a picnic at their favorite fishing hole and see who can out fish the other. Until Nina starts to wonder if there’s more.
Her plans to share her feelings go awry, and circumstances seem destined to keep Nina and Ira apart. With both Nina and Ira confused and hurting, it’s going to take courage, some help from the community matchmakers, and a little bit of divine intervention for Nina and Ira to realize they’re each other’s perfect catch.
Picnics and Prospects by Vannetta Chapman
Faith Troyer is claustrophobic, and David Lapp builds tiny houses. They went on a date years ago with disastrous results. Now that they’re in their late twenties, their families and friends are beginning to wonder if either will ever find that special someone. When a picnic outing is diverted by the discovery of a package of letters dating back to the 1970s, they take it upon themselves to find answers to a mystery that causes them to rethink their past and consider their future.


Baskets of Sunshine by Amy Clipston - This is a "Amish Marketplace" story. I did not read "The Bake Shop" and I gather it is the story of Christiana and Jeff by some of the comments in the book. I like to read series in order so I get the full picture, but I didn't feel too lost having not read that book first. Phoebe bugged me with her getting almost mad at Kevin when he played games with his friends because she told him to. She was kind of like a whining toddler for him doing exactly what she told him. There wasn't much tension other than them not communicating or making up what the other person thought. 
Candlelight Sweethearts by Kelly Irvin - I liked how the main characters in this story were not your typical good looking, almost perfect characters. They had difficulties and struggles. I don't think I've read a book with a character who stutters. Once they got over their difficulties expressing how they felt to each other, the romance moved really quickly, but because they had known each other for their whole lives, it didn't seem rushed.

Reeling in Love by Kathleen Fuller -  This story also had characters who wouldn't be considered beautiful. Nina was a little plump and a tomboy, but she still yearned for more with her relationship with Ira. I liked the friend relationship that grew into something more. I felt like there was more to the story when some things were mentioned about other people's relationships, like they had a book about them, so it will be interesting to go back and see if their stories were already told.

Picnics and Prospects by Vanetta Chapman - Faith's claustrophobia and introvertedness made her a relatable character. The letters they found were also an interesting addition to the story. 

About the Author


Amy Clipston is the award-winning and bestselling author of the Kauffman Amish Bakery, Hearts of amy-clipstonLancaster Grand Hotel, Amish Heirloom, Amish Homestead, and Amish Marketplace series. Her novels have hit multiple bestseller lists including CBD, CBA, and ECPA. Amy holds a degree in communication from Virginia Wesleyan University and works full-time for the City of Charlotte, NC. Amy lives in North Carolina with her husband, two sons, and four spoiled rotten cats. Visit her online at AmyClipston.com; Facebook: AmyClipstonBooks; Twitter: @AmyClipston; Instagram: @amy_clipston.
kelly-irvinKelly Irvin is the bestselling author of the Every Amish Season and Amish of Bee County series. The Beekeeper’s Son received a starred review from Publishers Weekly, who called it a “beautifully woven masterpiece.” The two-time Carol Award finalist is a former newspaper reporter and retired public relations professional. Kelly lives in Texas with her husband, photographer Tim Irvin. They have two children, three grandchildren, and two cats. In her spare time, she likes to read books by her favorite authors. Visit her online at KellyIrvin.com; Instagram: kelly_irvin; Facebook: Kelly.Irvin.Author; Twitter: @Kelly_S_Irvin.
With over a million copies sold, Kathleen Fuller is the author of several bestselling novels, including the kathleen-fullerHearts of Middlefield novels, the Middlefield Family novels, the Amish of Birch Creek series, and the Amish Letters series as well as a middle-grade Amish series, the Mysteries of Middlefield. Visit her online at KathleenFuller.com; Instagram: kf_booksandhooks; Facebook: WriterKathleenFuller; Twitter: @TheKatJam.
Vannetta ChapmanVannetta Chapman writes inspirational fiction full of grace. She is the author of sixteen novels, including the Pebble Creek Amish series, The Shipshewana Amish Mystery series, and Anna’s Healing, a 2016 Christy Award finalist. Vannetta is a Carol award winner and has also received more than two dozen awards from Romance Writers of America chapter groups. She was a teacher for fifteen years and currently resides in the Texas hill country. Visit Vannetta online: VannettaChapman.com, Twitter: @VannettaChapman, Facebook: VannettaChapmanBooks.

Read an Excerpt

Read an excerpt here.

Blog Stops

Batya’s Bits, March 6
The Avid Reader, March 6
Bigreadersite, March 8
Quiet Quilter, March 10
Splashes of Joy, March 15
Artistic Nobody, March 18 (Guest Review from Donna Cline)
EmpowerMoms, March 18
Little Homeschool on the Prairie, March 19

"An Amish Picnic" is available in paperback:
  • Paperback: 400 pages
  • Publisher: Zondervan (March 3, 2020)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 0310357888
  • ISBN-13: 978-0310357889
  • Product Dimensions: 5.2 x 1 x 8.2 inches

and in Kindle edition:
  • File Size: 4384 KB
  • Print Length: 400 pages
  • Simultaneous Device Usage: Up to 5 simultaneous devices, per publisher limits
  • Publisher: Zondervan (March 3, 2020)
  • Publication Date: March 3, 2020
  • Sold by: HarperCollins Publishing
  • Language: English
  • ASIN: B07TBX9HXV

I got a free copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own and given voluntarily. No compensation was received for my review.

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