Since her husband died seven years ago, Leanna Wengerd
has done her best—tending to her son, Chester, and running her Jam and Jelly
Nook at the Amish market. Though she enjoys seeing her cousins and customers at
the marketplace, she wishes she could find more time for her rebellious teenage
boy.
When Chester gets into trouble for trespassing, he winds
up at the police station with his friend Maggie, who was riding with him to a
youth group gathering. Leanna comes to the police station to fetch Chester and
happens to meet Emory, Maggie's father. Emory is also a widower, raising Maggie
alone—and both he and Leanna have similar burdens and problems.
Over time Emory and Leanna become closer friends,
discovering how much they have in common. As single parents, they struggle with
the limits of what they can provide for their children and feel somewhat
responsible for what happened to their respective spouses. The two eventually
realize they have feelings for each other—but when they try to date, their
children resist. Will God pave a way for them to build a family together, or
will hurdles block the path to a second chance at happiness?
Good book. This is the fourth and final book in the Amish
Marketplace series about four cousins who have shops in their local marketplace.
It is the story of the oldest cousin, Leanna, a widow with a teenage son. Chester
has gone from being a sweet boy to a sullen, contrary, young man, leaving her
at her wit's end. Her worries come to a head when she receives a late-night
call to pick him up from the police station. When Leanna arrives, she discovers
he was trespassing with friends, one of whom is a young Amish girl named
Maggie.
Maggie's father, Emory, is a widower struggling to raise
his daughter on his own. Maggie is shy and would rather stay at home working on
her sewing and taking care of her dad instead of going out with other young
people.
Leanna and Emory meet at the police station and quickly
connect over their shared troubles. Grateful to talk to someone who understands
their challenges, a solid friendship forms between them. There are some sweet
scenes between them as they share their troubles over coffee or a quick
conversation in her jelly shop. As Leanna and Emory spend time together, Maggie
and Chester aren't ready to see their parents moving on and make their
displeasure known. When Emory discovers that Chester doesn't like his job, he
offers Chester the opportunity to work with him at his shed business. Leanna is
thrilled to see Chester with such an excellent role model and soon notices a
change in his attitude.
Meanwhile, Emory's family pressures him to start dating,
claiming that Maggie needs a mother's influence. His brother and sister-in-law
are especially vocal with their opinions and quite pushy with their attempts to
set him up. Justin also does his best to discourage Emory from spending time with
Leanna. When Emory gives in and starts seeing Madelyne, he feels guilty because
he feels more for his friend Leanna than he does for her. Meanwhile, Chester
tells Leanna that Emory is seeing someone and tells Emory that his mom isn't
interested in dating. Their friendship becomes awkward as each struggles to
hide changing feelings.
When Leanna gets an offer to expand her shop, she invites
Maggie to join her and sell her items. I loved Maggie's excitement and seeing Leanna
take her under her wing. It was sweet to see how Leanna's cousins make Maggie
part of their group. Leanna becomes very protective of Maggie, especially when
Sarah Ann attempts to stir up trouble. Sarah Ann has been a thorn in the
cousins' sides since the first book, and I loved seeing Leanna snap and read
her the riot act when she started in on Maggie.
Meanwhile, Emory feels increasingly guilty over his
relationship with Madelyne. He knows he doesn't love her but feels like he may
have gone too far to back out. Besides, he thinks Leanna is only interested in
friendship. At the same time, Leanna's feelings for Emory continue to grow,
even though she thinks it's useless. If Emory were interested in her, he
wouldn't be dating Madelyne. A crisis in Leanna's family forces both Leanna and
Emory to do some soul-searching about what is important. I loved the ending, as
both Chester and Maggie do what they can to make things right for their parents.
The scene with Emory and Chester warmed my heart, and I loved the difference it
made to Emory. Leanna's conversation with her grandmother gave her the
confidence she needed to talk to Emory. I loved Emory's big moment as he shared
his feelings and Leanna's unique way of showing him hers.
I loved the epilogue and getting a chance to catch up on
the lives of all four couples.
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