THE AMISH WIDOWER is written in first person and shows how Seth suffered from the loss of two wives, Despite attempts at matchmaking, Seth remains uninterested.... But God works in mysterious ways and I absolutely loved this story!



Must read. I was given a copy free and all opinions are my own.

Who doesn't love a romance that offers second chances at love ? This one is about an Amish widower who has lost two wives and doesn't think he can risk his heart again, and yet, Leah causes his heart strings to stir. She is Englisch though so their relationship is forbidden to him. He would have to give up everything or she would have to become Amish. What are the chances of either of these things taking place for Seth? His heart has suffered so much tragedy and suffering more would just be too heartbreaking. Is he willing to risk it all? or will he remain as he is?
This is a sweet romance and I think readers will agree. I am rating this book 4 stars and highly recommend it to readers who love Amish fiction, romance, or Christian fiction.
I received a digital version of this book from netgalley and Harvest House Publishers in exchange for my honest review. I was not required to write a positive review and all opinions expressed are my own.

Romance was fair but as I stated in a different review I am fed up with the Amish and how so many people are goo-goo over them. The Amish are not any different than any one else. They smoke, drink, cuss, commit crimes and do everything else as the "English" do.

Wonderfully written story line and the characters are amazing. You will feel as you are part of their family.

Wow !! What a fantastic book !! I read it in two days !! The main character Seth, goes through a lot of tragedy just in chapter on of this book !! And the reader finds out that even before we met Seth in chapter one of this book,that he had lost another loved one as well. I really liked how this story progressed as well. I like how the characters come full circle in the end.

“The Amish Widower” by Virginia Smith is probably the best Amish story I’ve read that wasn’t a suspense novel or thriller. Seth is the second son in an Amish family which means that he does not inherit the farm. He lives with his parents, grandmother, brother’s family, and sister’s family. It’s a little crowded. Seth has tried to deal with the deaths of two wives, one in childbirth and one in a buggy accident. He blames himself for both and has vowed never to marry again. His family and the district’s bishop have decided that he has grieved enough and keep pushing him to find another wife. Not only is he dealing with this, but he feels like a fifth wheel in the family. He is not really needed to help with the farm, a job he hates anyway, and the house is getting too small for the number of people living there.

While he is visiting a pottery shop with the women in his family, he becomes very interested in being a potter. He is taken as an apprentice by the Amish man who runs the shop. For a while he travels to the shop from his family home using a driver, Robbie. Robbie has a secret though and when Seth finds out, his anger overcomes him. Even though this was not a page-turning thriller, I could not help reading more and more until the situation was resolved.

I think Ms. Smith did a wonderful job of portraying the grief, guilt, and anger that can take over the whole being of a person. Giving Seth the power over it all is, I think, the gist of the story. I enjoyed reading this book.

Book Four is a SCORE!

I was excited, yet skeptical, when I heard about The Amish Widower. The first three books in the Men of Lancaster series, by Mindy Starns Clark and Susan Meissner, was amazing. But who could turn down a Book Four in the series? But again, when I saw that it was written by another author, Virginia Smith, I wondered if it could possibly be as good as the other three? OH, YEAH! The Amish Widower is phe-nom-en-al!

Smith takes us on a journey with Seth, twice-the-widower, who has vowed to never marry again. When Seth happens upon a pottery shop, he is immediately fascinated by everything: the pottery process, the older, affable, and potter-extraordinaire Elias…and Elias’ terse, Englisch granddaughter Leah. Can Seth ever find peace again? What about making pottery…will his district allow it? How does Leah fit into all of this? Read and find out!

I was given The Amish Widower in exchange for my honest review. It was stupendous. Do not let the page-count scare you – it is worth every single word. The plot and subplots are richly layered to create a depth that I have not seen in fiction in quite some time. Virginia Smith makes readers fully invested in the story and its characters. It was so refreshing to read a new storyline in the Amish genre – it was not only refreshing, but informative! I couldn’t put the novel down. This is definitely among the Top Five I’ve read this year. Snag your copy now – you won’t be disappointed!

I loved this book. Very emotional. I read long into the night because I had to know how the story ended. Don't miss all the books in this series and get ready for some great reading.

The Amish Widower by Virginia Smith is a wonderful Amish tale focusing on the theme of forgiveness.
Life can be hard. We receive knocks we weren't expecting. We have a choice... run to God or run from God. Both scenarios occur in the novel. Life without God equates to lack of peace. Questioning one's faith in times of hardship is not wrong. "Did no one know how often I had questioned my faith?" It is in the trials, the tribulations, the questions and the doubt, that we grow.
Withholding forgiveness can warp our lives as we become bitter and fearful. If we hold on to unforgiveness, we risk the sin of hubris. God forgives and we must too. Without forgiveness, we risk a life of pain that will destroy us from the inside out. "Forgiving is what we do when we can no longer stand the ain of not forgiving." Forgiving is a choice. Sometimes a choice that we have to choose to do again and again. Forgiving is not easy. The hardest person to forgive, is the one in the mirror. We may think we do not deserve forgiveness and we would be right... no one deserves forgiveness but that is where God steps in and extends grace and forgiveness to all who truly repent. " If a man receives only what he deserves, we are all doomed."
Guilt is another theme. Guilt weighs us down. It is a heavy burden to carry when our guilt is linked to our unforgiveness of ourselves. We need to release our burden to God and let Him work in our lives.
There is the theme of healing - both physical and spiritual. The latter can only be done by God if we let Him in. "Gott cannot heal you from something you hold so tightly."
Everyone has scars. Some are visible. Others are not. The novel deals with the theme of PTSD, showing how both prayer and health professionals are needed for healing.
There is a wonderful motif of a potter and his clay. God is the master potter. We are the clay. We are shaped and refined by Him individually and uniquely. Each one of us is a person of beauty in the hands of God.
The theme of prodigals is present in the story. The reader waits with baited breath to see if any return.
There is a wonderful family feel to the novel. Community is important too. Bonding over food made this reader feel decidedly peckish!
The Amish Widower was written in the first person from a male point of view. In spite of being female, he was easy to empathise with. It was a wonderful read, with many godly themes, and I loved it.
I received this book for free. A favourable review was not required and all views expressed are my own.

The Amish Widower is a touching book - one that changes you if you let it. It is a book of love, intense grief, forgiveness, reconciliation, trust, guilt and most importantly repairing relationship with GOD. Seth lost everything one day as he was driving his expectant wife (in a horse and buggy) - this was his second wife he lost. He is determined not to have another one so as not to get hurt and lose another one that way or any way for that matter. After a year the community thinks its time for him to move on and find a third time, of course he did not. He got involved with a potter who got his creative side going - his granddaughter was around running the shop - will things grow between them? will he trust GOD? she is not Amish - she chose not to be - will she choose to be for him? This story will pull at your heartstrings - and teach you allot about the Amish if you did not know.

The Amish Widower by Virginia Smith is the fourth book in The Men of Lancaster County series. Seth Hostetler lives in Lancaster County with his second wife, Hannah. They are on their way home from Sunday services when a car with two teens inside start causing trouble. The boys hollering and honking causes the horse to spook and the carriage ends up flipping over. Hannah is flung from the carriage and dies on impact. Seth vows he will not marry again and endanger another woman. A year later Seth is living on the family farm and he has yet to get over the loss of Hannah. The woman in his family, though, have decided that it is time for Seth to find a new bride. When Seth takes the ladies on a shopping trip, they stop at Plain Man’s Pottery owned by Elias Beachy. Elias offers Seth a lesson and it turns out that Seth has a knack for pottery. Seth finds it soothing and a chance to escape from his family’s matchmaking. Elias’ granddaughter, Leah works in the shop, and there is something about her that attracts Seth. They both have suffered losses. One day a young man stops by the Hostetler farm. His name is Robbie Barker, and he offers to be a driver. Seth is not comfortable driving a buggy since the accident and uses Robbie’s services. Robbie is nervous around Seth in the beginning, but they soon become friends. Robbie has a secret that he needs to share with Seth, but it will change the relationship between the pair. In addition, it could send Seth’s temper spiraling out of control. Find out what happens by reading The Amish Widower.

The Amish Widower is a beautifully crafted novel that captured my interest immediately. Seth is a man struggling with the loss of two wives, and he feels responsible (though he had nothing to do with either of their deaths). We get to see him work through his grief and anger (he has trouble controlling his temper). It was nice to see him find an outlet in pottery. The author takes readers through process of creating the pottery (which I found fascinating). I loved the descriptions of Seth’s creations especially his unique candleholders. I felt that The Amish Widower has a great flow and good writing. The story develops naturally and easily. I give The Amish Widower 4.5 out of 5 stars. While The Amish Widower is a part of a series, each book can be read alone. The ending is expected, but I still enjoyed reading the book (I did not want to put it down). I appreciated how Ms. Smith shows the healing power of forgiveness. We can see how forgiveness helps both parties. The Amish Widower is my favorite story in The Men of Lancaster County series.

Dit boek is prachtig. Je waand je de omgeving van de Amish. Het boek na mij mee naar gebieden wat je ziet op tv over de Amish. Het verhaal is goed. Mooi en ontroerend. Een echte aanrader. Als ik het goed heb is deze ook al te koop in het Nederlands. Ik kan niet meer dan dit boek aanraden.

a wonderful story full of hope and inspiration. thank for sharing it w/ me.

This is an emotive story, exploring grief, guilt, love, loss, the power of forgiveness and moving on through the points of view of several characters and Amish beliefs. Don’t let that put you off, though, even this is the fourth book in the series, I have to say it works brilliantly as a standalone as I thoroughly enjoyed it despite not having read any of the previous stories in the series.

The story starts as Seth Hostetler and his young wife are travelling from the Sunday service when a tragedy happens, killing both his wife and their unborn child. This is the second time Seth has become a widower and he vows not to take a third wife in case tragedy strikes again. A year later his family and the Amish community of which they are part seem determined that it is time for him to take a third wife. He’s already struggling to determine his role in life as a younger son but when he braves driving the horse and carriage again to take his Mamm and sister shopping he discovers an Amish potter who offers to teach him how to make some of his wares. Seth has found a much needed and appreciated outlook for his creative talents. He enjoys developing new skills and working with the elderly potter. The potter’s granddaughter, Leah, works in the potter’s shop, selling their wares. She was brought up to be Amish but has chosen not to follow their ways after a traumatic event, so a relationship between the two should not happen. The story follows their life journey and that of Robbie, an Englisch teen who volunteers to drive Seth and his family anywhere they need to go. As the story unfolds, the deeply held beliefs of Seth will be sorely tested and only through forgiveness will any of them come to terms and move on in their lives.

This definitely wasn’t what I’d expected in this story - it was so much more powerful. It reveals aspects of the characters as the story unfolds, bringing them to life in the reader’s imagination. One of my favourite characters has to be Seth’s grandmother, she’s definitely well worth looking out for, a loving but determined matriarchal figure in the family, a lady who will stand for no nonsense! This is a moving story of overcoming grief and guilt, helping others and being able to forgive others as well as yourself. Living in England, I’ve never had any contact with members of the Amish community and this gives an insight into their ‘Plain’ lives. I’ve found this intriguing and very interesting. I’m not sure I could do it as I’d really miss using my car, Kindle and computer, however, other aspects of their lives are very appealing and the very sense of community something that is very powerful. I thoroughly enjoyed this book and will certainly be reading more by this author and other books about the Amish in future. I highly recommend this insightful, moving and heartwarming story to anyone who enjoys escaping into a emotive romance and gain an insight into the beliefs and practices of the Amish whilst you do so!

I spotted this book was available to request on NetGalley and am very pleased to be given a copy by the publishers without obligation. This is my honest opinion after reading the story.

Set in a modern time, The Amish Widower has such a good premise, a well developed story line, and mostly tangible characters. Seth drew me in, made me feel for his plight and his mindset, and made me want to smack every other 'do-gooder' that attempted to sway his life in the direction they thought it should be. OK, I really loved Elias (the potter) too and how he was a steady support for Seth without trying to sway his choices. There was a host of supporting characters and all of them were well developed and added to the story without detracting from who Seth was. I was a bit worried about picking up the 4th book in a series but it truly did well as a stand alone novel and did not feel as though there was anything missing by not having read the first books of the series. Enough backstory and procrastinating getting down to why this book is only rated 3 stars at Amazon, Goodreads and Barnes & Noble.

Let's start with the do-gooders. And oh my gravy and grits there were too many to count. The bishop, do-gooder. Seth's best friend, do-gooder. Seth's family, a whole bunch of do-gooders. The do-gooders started to get annoying and tacky. Here's Seth living his life, finding his way and trying to overcome the loss of not just one wife but two. And the second wife had only passed within the last year. The more you try to push single young women onto him the more steadfast he is going to become about his desire to never marry again. I wanted to start smacking heads (Gibbs style) and tell them to lay off and back off before you push him over the anti-marriage edge. Next let's talk about the big 'twist' of the story. When the character for the twist was introduced I knew immediately why that character was there, yet had to wait 3/4 of the book before it was revealed. Meanwhile feeling as though I was gnashing teeth along with the characters for the truth to come out. I felt like the agony of Seth and this other character were too drawn out. Instead of drawing out the twist and flilling with the do-gooders, so much more could have been accomplished with this story. And while I loved the overall story I was just frustrated so often.

But, I did like this book. Truly. I cannot imagine the grief and self-recrimination that would come from losing two wives at such a young age. Seth really struggled with this. Self-recrimination, self-blame, overwhelmed. Oh wait, yeah P.T.S.D. Amish are no more immune to this than any other population. Mental health issues are not only for those without faith, without community, and without support. I LOVED that this book introduced the idea of Amish/Mennonite counseling. The idea that even the devout need a little help from a professional now and then is not such a stretch. And the fact that these options are available is so important. Someone who can help them work though issues within their similar belief system is so important. A bishop, without training can only do so much. And, as so obvious in this story, sometimes they can do more harm than good. I also appreciated that Seth's family was encouraging, and open, to his pursuing his own path and not just the family farm. I think learning to be a potter helped to heal Seth's heart more than anything that he did throughout the story.

I was provided the opportunity to read this book through NetGalley. I am not required to write a positive review and all thoughts and opinions expressed are my own.

It was the first book of this author's that I have read. It was sooooo good! I had to read it every chance I could. The book was a real page-turner and I notice that it is a part of a series. I would love to read more from this author. The story has some surprises that caught me off guard. I loved that! You will love this book if you love Amish fiction.

The story has great Christian themes and yet these characters had real human feelings that they needed to be able to learn to deal with.

I received an ebook copy of this book from NetGalley for an honest review, which I have given. All thoughts are my own.

A continuation of the original series, The Men Of Lancaster County created by Mindy Starns Clark and Susan Meissner.
Tragedy doesn't care who we are it comes knocking on all of ours doors at some point!
Amish widower Seth Hostetler has had his share of tragedy. He has had the unbelievable sadness of trying to cope with the death of not one but two wives. He has moved back to his parents house after his second wive's death and no longer has the confidence to drive a buggy. His second wife died in a buggy accident that he feels he should have been able to prevent. Feeling like a fifth wheel at his parent's house because there are so many people already living there doing the chores he decides to take up a hobby. Pottery making becomes important to him when he takes it up. It's his way of relaxing and it clams him and helps him to forget. He needs a ride there since he doesn't drive anymore and his neighbor, Robbie offers to be a driver for the members of his family. His family is grateful for this. When he meets Robbie, he notices he has anxiety and his hands shake. As he and his family get to know Robbie, his anxiety lessens and they come to like him. Later in the story we find out what secret Robbie hides and how it affects his whole life.
Forgiveness is a balm to the soul and is mightily shown here!
Excellent book!
Pub Date 01 Apr 2017
Thank you to NetGalley and Harvest House Publishers for a review copy in exchange for my honest opinion.

The Amish Widower was a spectacular read. The devour Amish fiction and this was one of the most enjoyable ones I have read in ages. The was an original flare to the book that stands out. You really feel the pain Seth has endured and sense the healing he gets from his pottery. I would encourage anyone to read this book.

The Amish Widower is a very well written book. I enjoyed the plot and the well developed characters. If you enjoy books about the Amish I recommend this one.