Review: Amish Midwives

Synopsis:

From bestselling authors of Amish Fiction come three sweet stories about new life, hope, and romance.

Bundles of Blessing by Amy Clipston

Lost in grief after the death of her husband, Kristina Byler gave up remarrying and found comfort and purpose in becoming a midwife. She is surprised when Aidan Smoker—her ex-boyfriend and the man she was sure she’d one day marry—moves back to the community after living in Ohio for the past eight years. They’re both certain there’s too much pain in their shared past for them to have a future, but they keep finding themselves drawn together. As Kristina helps other women bring children into the world, she starts to wonder if a family of her own might be possible after all.

A Midwife for Susie by Shelley Shepard Gray

Haunted by secret guilt after a tragic accident, Joanna Zimmerman is sure she’s left midwifery behind her. She keeps to herself, certain this is for the best. Her childhood friend Dwight Eicher knows that Joanna hasn’t been herself lately, but every time he’s tried to talk to her about what’s wrong, she’s avoided his questions. When his sister, Susie, becomes pregnant, Joanna must decide if she can find the courage to return to the job she once felt so called to. Meanwhile, both Dwight and Joanna face romantic feelings that have the potential to change their friendship forever.

Christmas Cradles by Kelly Long (Also in An Amish Christmas)

When Anna Stolis takes over for her aunt, the local midwife, Christmas night heats up with multiple deliveries, three strangers’ quilts, and unexpected help from the handsome and brooding Asa Lapp. 

Three sweet contemporary Amish romances.
Stand-alone novella collection.
Book length: 80,000 words
Includes discussion questions for book clubs.

Rating: 5-stars

Review:

Amish Midwives is a fabulous collection of three Amish stories. Each story captures the real lives of the Amish people and their faith. I fell hard and fast for each of the heroes in this collection. The heroines were just as amazing. One of the things I love about Amish fiction is that both of the main characters, the protagonists, are the heroes. Together they can solve anything, apart things are too difficult. It shows one just how much faith only can help as well as the friends and family of the couples. I enjoyed the clean reads. Their Christian ways of faith are something that we can all learn from. Anger and jealousy are two sins that we all should not succumb to but allow to swallow us up until we are not sure of ourselves or others. But once we put our faith in the hands of God, we can do anything and the weight from those feelings are lifted. These tales show readers so much more than just an incredible story that steals them away from the real world. There’s more to life than what we take for granted.

Bundles of Blessings by Amy Clipston is spectacular. I love her writing. She always knows how to draw me deep into her fictional world. Her characters are addictive. Here, I follow along as a former dating couple grew apart in the past only to learn the real reasons why they were broken in the first place. A secret after so many years comes out. Neither one has forgotten the way the other one sets their hearts on fire. Their attraction is still burning despite the hurt of being torn apart. Now, they may just have the second chance at their happily ever after. I cannot stress just how good this Amish tale was. I loved every moment of it. Now, I’m left waiting for the next brilliant story from the superb writer, Amy Clipston.

A Midwife for Susie by Shelly Shepard Gray is another wonderful Amish story. I loved this one just as much as the previous tale. In this one, I got to follow an Amish wife who has never married, yet works as a midwife. Joanna is a hard worker. She is so easy to like. I felt like she was my own sister. Joanna works long hours to help mothers bring their babies into the world. Only Joanna ended up losing one baby and it has her rethinking her career choice. But then her childhood best friend and the other ladies she has helped convince that sad unfortunate things like that happens. They tell her only God can control it and that she does the best anyone can expect of her. This, then leads to her best friend, Dwight, begging on his sister’s behalf for her to be his sister’s midwife. Joanna finally agrees. This leads to her and Dwight spending a lot of time together. He makes sure she eats and rests. Dwight is unusual for an Amish male. Because he is the better cook. Joanna cant cook despite her best attempts. Dwight knows this and takes care of the cooking for her. He is such a kind, strong, and wise man. I loved these characters!

Christmas Candles by Kelly Long is the last perfect Amish adventure within the beautiful collection. In this particular journey, I followed a young Amish midwife as she takes over her aunt’s clients. During this book she has to go through a snowstorm to each client’s house to make sure the mothers have no issues delivering their babies. To go about traveling, Anna will need a young Amish man, Asa to deliver her to each place. As they travel together, the snow storm gets worse. Asa who swears off women, is attracted to the kind and strong midwife, Anna. Anna proves she is stronger and the perfect midwife for each client. Yet when on the last round, she ends up falling for Asa. But during an illness, he mentions another woman’s name. Anna runs away in fear. Asa finds out what happened and seeks out Anna. I loved this sweet, engaging, and beautifully woven story. Kelly Long is just as talented at writing the best Amish stories as her fellow Amish writing friends. This book is a joy! I recommend it to all readers.