The Jam and Jelly Nook - Amy Clipston (Zondervan - May 2021)

Series: Amish Marketplace (Book 4)

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.

The Coffee Corner - Amy Clipston (Zondervan - Dec 2020)

Series: Amish Marketplace (Book 3)

Alongside her cousins who have booths of their own, Bethany Gingerich runs a busy and successful coffee and donut stand at the Amish market. Since she has café-style tables and chairs, her regular customers enjoy purchasing a morning treat so they can sit and talk to their friends.
 
Micah Zook and his grandfather, Enos, visit Bethany every Saturday morning to purchase coffee and donuts before going to work at Enos's custom outdoor furniture shop. Bethany enjoys talking to Micah and Enos, and she's always thought Micah was handsome -- but she doesn't think her crush will ever result in anything more.
 
When Micah and his grandfather don't come to see her one Saturday morning, Bethany begins to worry. And when she learns that tragedy has struck, she wonders how to help Micah in his time of need. Turns out he needs a friend now more than ever, and Bethany may be just the kind of friend that God has provided for him.
 
Good book. This is the third in the Amish Marketplace series, about four female cousins. Each one has a booth at the Marketplace where they sell their goods to Amish and non-Amish customers. Bethany runs The Coffee Corner, a coffee and donut shop with an ever-changing variety of flavored coffees. This is her story.
 
Bethany is a cheerful young woman who makes all visitors to her booth feel welcome. She and her three cousins are very close and used to eat lunch together on the days they worked at the Marketplace. But two of those cousins, Christina and Salina, found boyfriends and married recently and haven't been as available for their visits. Bethany is happy for them but wonders if she'll ever find a love of her own. I liked Bethany a lot. Her kind heart shines through in everything she does. She also frequently frustrated me because she is so pessimistic about her appeal as a possible wife and mother.
 
Micah and his grandfather, Enos, come to Bethany's booth every Saturday morning. Micah came to live with Enos to help his grandfather and also learn the carpentry business. He also wanted to get away from his father, who was constantly critical of Micah and his desire to be a carpenter rather than a farmer. His father's lack of sympathy over the death of Micah's fiancée was the final blow to Micah's relationship with his family. His father's attitude affected Micah's belief in himself, and his grief over his fiancée's death left him unwilling to risk his heart again.
 
I enjoyed the development of the relationship between Bethany and Micah. Over the months that Micah visits the Coffee Corner, Bethany developed quite the crush on him. Lost in his grief, Micah remains oblivious to her for the longest time, reinforcing Bethany's belief in her lack of appeal. Unfortunately, once he does begin to notice her, his shyness and lack of confidence prevent him from doing anything about it. Bethany believes she'll have to settle for friendship, though her cousins encourage her to be more proactive. Just when things start to look up a little, a more brazen Amish woman makes a play for Micah. Sara Ann knows just what kind of sly digs will hurt Bethany, and she uses them to great effect. Meanwhile, Micah doesn't know how to handle Sara Ann's aggressiveness, complicating his growing interest in Bethany.
 
Then tragedy strikes and Enos's death leaves Micah feeling adrift and alone. Besides their family relationship, Enos was Micah's best friend. Micah's grief overwhelms him; then, he discovers that their business was in serious financial trouble. I ached for Micah, who saw no way out of the mess other than selling everything and leaving. Meanwhile, Bethany seems to be the only person in the community who worries about Micah. I loved seeing her try to get him to open up to her, share his grief and worries, and ached for her when he pushed her away. When Micah's despair carries him down a destructive path, it is up to Bethany to find a way to bring him back. I loved the way she did it, enlisting the kind of help that would be hard to turn down. Once Micah sees hope for his future, he's more willing to offer Bethany his heart. Her happiness when she discovered he returned her feelings was a joy to see.