The Amish Quiltmaker Series in order:
- The Amish Quiltmaker’s Unexpected Baby
- The Amish Quiltmaker’s Unruly In-Law
- The Amish Quiltmaker’s Unconventional Niece
- The Amish Quiltmaker’s Unlikely Match
- The Amish Quiltmaker’s Uninvited Guest (5/21/2024)
Note: Some of these books are available in paperback, but all are available for Kindle and on Audible.
Book 1: The Amish Quiltmaker’s Unexpected Baby
Esther Zook is one of the quiltmakers in this first book of the series. She moved to the tiny Amish community in Colorado after her father passed away, looking for a fresh start. At 30 years old, she is considered an old maid in the Amish community, so when her younger, troubled sister stops by, leaving her baby behind, Esther becomes a single mother just like that. Except she has never held a baby, fed a baby, or changed a diaper, so she’s going to have to learn fast.
Luckily, Levi Kiem stops by to help remodel her bathroom. The house needs some work, and Levi’s family does remodeling and has asked him to help Esther. So when she is overwhelmed by the new baby in her care, Levi steps up. As the oldest sibling in a large family, he is used to babies and knows what to do, how to change a diaper, prepare a bottle, everything Esther needs. He shows her how to do these things, but she is nervous and unsure of herself. Levi is extremely patient, while Esther gets frustrated easily and takes it out on her apricot tree.
The more time Levi spends with Esther, the more he is drawn to her despite the fact that he is six years younger than she is. His family is sending him to Ohio to find a wife since their small community has a dearth of eligible women in the right age bracket. But Ohio is not to be, despite Levi telling Esther in no uncertain terms that he is not interested in her. Until they fall in love.
This is a sweet romance as most Amish romances are, and just a lovely read. This particular community is more lax about some things than other communities, and I like how the Amish here are friends with the Englischers in this small town. These books do not have to be read in order as they each stand alone, and I started with the 4th book myself, but read the rest in order. I think it’s helpful to get a better grasp of the community and the characters.
Book 2: The Amish Quiltmaker’s Unruly In-Law
Ben Kiem is Levi’s younger brother, and he has the worst reputation in their small Amish community. He is hanging out with the wrong crowd, smoking and vandalizing property. Esther and Levi step up and try to help, and having him hang out with Linda Eicher is a step in the right direction. Linda also hasn’t been baptized yet, but she is a sensible, smart young woman – and a pretty one. Ben can’t understand why she wants to hang out with him at all, and he pushes her away on a regular basis.
Linda knows of Ben’s reputation, but he is a very good looking young man, and she sees his kind heart beneath the rebellious behavior. They fight constantly, but she is no pushover and he respects that, plus he really does enjoy spending time with her. Linda makes him feel better about himself. There are so many obstacles in the way of this couple ever getting together, but love wins out as always. This is another gentle romance and a soothing read.
Book 3: The Amish Quiltmaker’s Unconventional Niece
Mattie Zook has gotten into some trouble in Pennsylvania, so her father sends her to stay with her Aunt Esther in Colorado for a while. Mattie loves her aunt and uncle and their toddler, and Esther is pregnant, so she could use some help around the house and Mattie is happy to step up. But when the local town council passes a law banning horses and buggies from most of the roads in town, the Amish community is hit hard and Mattie gets really angry. Angry enough to do something about it, which leads to her deciding to run for the town council.
The Amish don’t vote, and the community is aghast that she is doing this but she hasn’t been baptized yet and is free to do what she wants. One of her aunt’s friends is an old woman, an Englischer named Cathy, and she decides to help Mattie. A local young man, a farmer, Freeman Sensenig, finds himself drawn to Mattie but he has been baptized so is not exactly free to help. But he helps anyway, along with some of the younger members who are in rumspringa.
The town council is run by a bully of a man who pushed them into passing the buggy law. Mattie has never run for office or even voted, and she is not familiar with how a campaign works or what could happen, so when that bully goes after her, spreading lies and causing trouble, the young people in town come to her defense. The Amish hate the new law, but they don’t fight these things, they just hope for the best. That’s not good enough for Mattie.
Meanwhile, Aunt Esther has asked Levi’s nephew to come over and hang out with Mattie, in hopes he will get her to forget about running for town council. Instead, she drags him into her mess and he is too young and ignorant to know how to get out of it. Freeman is constantly pointing out her deficits and they butt heads regularly, but there is a strong attraction there and really he is just worried she is going to get hurt.
It takes some time for Mattie and Freeman to find their way to one another, but the journey is so much fun. This was an interesting read for me, I didn’t know much about how the Amish view politics so I enjoyed learning about that. Mattie and Freeman find their happily ever after, and things calm down in the town.
Book 4: The Amish Quiltmaker’s Unlikely Match
Mary Yoder is considered to be an old maid in her Amish community as she’s 28 and has never been married. She is content to take care of her family and home, at least until she meets Clay. Clay is a professional Major League baseball player, who is being blamed for his team losing the championship game. He escapes into booze and ends up driving his car into the Yoder family’s barn. No animals were injured, and he offers to pay to fix it but Mary’s father decides he needs to fix it himself. Clay agrees, and Mary helps him with his injuries.
As Mary and Clay spend time together, she finds herself enjoying the Englisher’s company, and he finds the slow pace of life to be soothing to his soul – and Mary to his heart. There is a lot to overcome here, and it doesn’t seem possible that this odd couple could be happy, but that is the beauty of romance.
This is a lovely romance with all the feels – and some laughs as well. If you are looking for an escape from life – as Clay did – this is the perfect place to land. This author was new to me, and this book stands alone beautifully, but I was intrigued enough to hunt out the previous titles in this series. I really enjoyed this brief respite from modern life, and I’m looking forward to the last book in the series, which comes out in May.
3/2024 Stacy Alesi, AKA the BookBitch
Stacy Alesi's BookBitch.com™ 