I have enjoyed reading Amanda Flowers’ Amish mysteries and this new series is off to a great start. Millie Fisher is the Amish version of “Miss Marple” and also the community’s matchmaker. She’s kind and compassionate, but she’s also very determined. She, along with her English sidekick, Lois, are actively trying to solve the murder of Zeke Miller. They are on the right trail of solving the murder, but they are also walking right into danger. It’s going to take all the courage they have to prevent further crime in their quiet Amish community.

This book was fun to read. Millie and Lois are great characters, and the mystery was interesting. The pacing of this author’s stories is always on target, and the clues come along at just the right pace to keep the reader guessing. Although this book is not classified as “Christian fiction”, it’s clean and sweet and readers of Christian fiction would be comfortable reading this book.

There are some characters who appear in this book from Amanda Flowers’ other Amish mystery series, “Amish Candy Shop Mysteries”. I enjoyed seeing them in this book, and look forward to the crossover between these two series.

I received a copy of this book from the publisher. All opinions are my own.

Princess Fuzzypants here: While decidedly Amish, Millie’s world collides with the English world around here and she is quite comfortable with the connections. In fact, when her best childhood friend reappears in the small town where they both grew up, she embraces renewing their friendship. It appears they have more than a few things in common, one of which is not a particularly pleasant connection. The Amish man Millie’s niece was engaged to but broke off the engagement (much to the chagrin of the community) is also the man who has been wooing her friend’s granddaughter. That would be awkward enough before the Amish Lothario is murdered and left in her niece’s greenhouse. Naturally both women who were unaware of each other are the primary suspects.
But it seems Zeke was not just a swine, he was also embroiled in some very dark and dangerous deeds. In fact, the more the two old friends investigate, they discover there are some nefarious folks in both of their communities and one of them might even resort to murder. What is worse, Millie’s nephew, for whom she feels great guilt, may in fact be one of the bad guys.
I enjoy how the Amish stories by this author inform as well as entertain with fully developed characters who highlight the differences and the similarities of the two cultures. She always does a good job of putting together stories that blend how the two cultures unite and where they clash. There are also some adorable kittens to add to the reader’s delight.
Four and a half purrs and two paws up.

Amanda Flower's "Matchmaking can be murder" is a great start to a new series! Elements of Flower's Amish Candyshop Mystery Series are naturally intertwined throughout the story with the same picturesque, close-knit town of Harvest, Ohio. Complementary to Flower's other Amish series, An Amish Matchmaker Mystery provides readers an opportunity to witness the community from an Amish perspective. Highly recommend to readers of Amish/ pioneer-inspired romances looking to crossover, as well as readers of Flower and her pen name, Isabella Alan.

I haven’t read a book by Amanda Flower that I have disliked. This one is no exception. I love the way writing style and flow of the story. I would recommend it to others.

I'm a big Amanda Flower fan, and this book lived up to my expectations. It's a new series, the Amish Matchmaker Mysteries. It's based on a matchmaker named Millie who moved back to her home in Harvest, OH.
Millie has a niece named Edith, and she doesn't like his fiance. Unfortunately, he turns up murdered and Millie is a top suspect. She has to clear her name and make sure there are happy couples getting married along the way.

This is a charming cozy mystery, and I'm looking forward to the next installment.

Thanks to Kensington Books and NetGalley for the ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Millie appeared briefly in Toxic Toffee and was such a delightful character (along with her two pet goats) that she is now the star of her own series. Back in her home town after years being away tending to a sick relative, Millie is trying to settle down and reestablish her connection with her niece, Emily. But shortly after Emily confides in Millie that she is canceling her upcoming wedding to Zeke, the jilted groom is found dead in the family greenhouse, and Emily is the prime suspect. While Millie has a knack in her matchmaking career due to her empathy and ability to read people, can she use this ability to help find the real murderer. This was an enjoyable first book to this new series, bringing along "cameo" visits from several characters in the Amish Candy Shop Mystery Series, including the adorable Jethro, the black-and-white polka dotted pig. I also liked the interaction between Millie and Lois, her best friend from their school years, who had recently moved back and was working with her daughter in the local cafe. There were several cute chuckles when Lois would use current slang or mention popular culture items, and Millie would be in the dark because of her Amish background. But more important, their interaction shows that friendship can bridge any gap, even those as broad as between the Amish and the "Englisch." The mystery kept the reader guessing, with several suspects, before the final reveal. I am looking forward to further Millie/Lois adventures. Disclosure: I am voluntarily reviewing this book and all opinions are strictly my own.

Millie Fisher has a knack for knowing when a relationship is meant to be. Unfortunately, she also knows without a doubt that her beloved niece, Edith Hochstetler, isn’t headed for true love and happiness with her fiancé, Zeke Miller. After all, Edith owns the very lucrative Edy’s Greenhouse and Millie senses Zeke is more interested in Edith’s money and business than he is in Edith herself. Millie is relieved when Edith cancels the engagement but horrified when Zeke’s dead body is found in the greenhouse- with Edith standing over him. Can Millie and the members of the Double Stitch quilting group help clear Edith’s name?

Amanda Flower has a gift for creating likable characters, the kind you want to pull up a chair and chat with while working on a quilt or munching on some scrumptious candy from Swissmen Sweets. I love the Amish town of Harvest, Ohio, and it’s such a joy to visit with familiar faces while getting to know new ones, such as Millie. And oh, I adore the concept of a matchmaker with a talent for recognizing true love!

MATCHMAKING CAN BE MURDER is the first book in the <i>Amish Matchmaker Mystery</i> series but fans of Amanda Flower will notice characters from her <i>Amish Candy Shop</i> series, including a short appearance by Jethro, the potbellied pig. MATCHMAKING CAN BE MURDER is a delightful cozy mystery, full of wonderful characters and an intriguing mystery. If you love cozy mysteries, don’t hesitate to give MATCHMAKING CAN BE MURDER a try.

*review is in the editing queue at Fresh Fiction*

Title: Matchmaking Can be Murder

Author: Amanda Flower

Series: An Amish Matchmaker Mystery book 1

Genre: cozy mystery

Rating: 2.5 Stars

Publisher: Kensington

Matchmaking Can be Murder is the newest book in a new cozy mystery series by Amanda Flower. An I have to say it wasn’t my favorite book that’s she’s written. However, it was one of the funniest cozies that I’ve read in a while. Millie Fisher reminds me a bit of an Amish Miss Marple. So if you like cozy mysteries along those lines then this is a cozy mystery for you.

I received a copy of this book from the publisher through netgalley. I was not required to write a positive review. All opinions expressed are mine alone.

Millie Fischer has moved back to Harvest, Ohio after spending ten years in Michigan taking care of her ill sister. She has a widowed niece in Harvest and moves back to be close to family and to help her niece if she can. She is known in the Amish community as a matchmaker and is not happy about her niece's upcoming nuptials. She doesn't approve of her niece's fiancé and is thrilled when Edith decides to call off the engagement. When he is found dead in Edith's greenhouse the next day, she immediately becomes a suspect. Millie, and her childhood friend Lois work together to find the culprit.

Matching Can Be Murder is a good start to a new series. I love that many of the characters from the Amish Candy Shop series make cameo appearances in this book. I like the characters of Millie and Lois. They are a hoot together sneaking around to investigate. Lois is an Englischer, so some of the other characters are not very nice to her, but Millie always sticks up for her friend. Millie is a likable and well-developed character, who is smart and uses common sense to find clues. I also loved Millie's two mischievous goats. Amanda Flower always has animals, and rather quirky ones at that, in all her books. These two often chased off people that Millie didn't especially want around. The murder mystery was interesting and well-plotted. I didn't know who the killer was until the reveal, but there were plenty of suspects. This is a good start to a new series and I look forward to seeing what Millie gets into next. Amanda Flower is one of my favorite cozy mystery authors and I highly recommend not only this book, but any of her cozy mysteries.

Widowed Millie Fisher moves back to her childhood home of Harvest, Ohio, and immediately is noticed as a Matchmaker in the Amish community. With her uncanny ability to make matches, she knows that her widowed niece, Edith Hochstetler, is engaged to the wrong person, crude and greedy Zeke Miller.

Millie is thrilled when Edith decides to break off the engagement...until she finds Zeke dead in Edith's greenhouse. In an effort to prove Edith innocent, Millie and her childhood friend, Lois, who is English, work to get to the bottom of things before disaster strikes, and Edith is arrested for Zeke's murder.

I wondered about this spin-off from the Amish Candy Shop mysteries. I enjoyed meeting Millie in that series, but I have to admit I didn't think she could hold up a whole series. Boy was I wrong. Millie is a strong character, and she works to make sure things are right in her community, which makes her perfectly capable to being a main character.

Although I like Millie, I have to admit that Lois is my favorite character in this book. She adds so much zest and laughter to the book. As a team, she and Millie are perfect. It was also great to see characters from the Amish Candy Shop books, including Ruth Yoder, who I love seeing in books. There are great descriptions of Amish life in here which give the book great character. The mystery was perfectly drawn, and there was a twist at the end that I didn't see coming.

Matchmaking Can Be Murder is a wonderful start to a new series. Amanda Flower has done it again.

Back in Harvest, Ohio, after years in Michigan caring for an ill sister, Millie Fischer is trying to repair a rift within her family and warn her niece that her intended is not her perfect match. Luckily her niece already had come to that decision and planned to break it off. Then the intended turns up dead, at her niece's greenhouse. The story is set within the same Amish community as her Amish sweets series, so there is a familiarity and to some of the subsidiary characters. I enjoyed Millie, her goats and her reconnections to lost friends from her childhood. Plenty of room for more stories to come.

This was just an OK cozy read for me. I normally enjoy Amanda Flower's cozies but this one was not up to her usual standards. This one is a spinoff from her Amish Candy Shop series. Millie is an Amish Matchmaker in Ohio. Her niece is preparing to get married but Millie knows it is not a good match. Edith breaks off the engagement and he is found dead on her property. Since she is the prime suspect Millie sets out to solve the murder. Meanwhile at the new cafe in the village Millie's childhood English friend, Lois, is helping her granddaughter and has moved back. When the granddaughter is also a suspect they team up together. The writing had a lot of repetition. Often times almost exact sentences were repeated. The mystery was very weak and easy to solve. Millie and Lois do not do a lot of sleuthing and they do not solve the crime. I did like the relationship between Millie and Lois. I liked the village setting and the author does a very good job portraying the Amish. I am not sure if I would read another book in this series but I will continue to read her other series.

Another excellent edition to a wonderful series! Full of twists and turns that leaves you wanting more and enjoying each moment until the end when the killer is caught!

Millie Fisher returns to her hometown of Harvest, Ohio after a long absence and reconnects with her niece, Edith, and a childhood English friend, Lois. She is careful to offer matchmaking advice but she knows that Edith's intended husband is not the right man for her. The day after Edith breaks the engagement, the young man is found murdered in the greenhouse and Millie is determined to clear her niece of any trouble.

I have enjoyed reading the Amish Candy Shop Mysteries and this is a spinoff, also taking place in the fictional town of Harvest in Holmes County. Many of the characters also show up in this story.

Thanks to the publisher and to NetGalley for an ARC; all opinions are my own.

A new cozy mystery series about an Amish matchmaker, I like the lead character so far but the secondary characters and the mystery were kind of boring to me.

In this first book of the Amish Matchmaking series, author Amanda Flower revisits Harvest Ohio. Matchmaking Can Be Murder is a great start to the series. The characters are well developed and the mystery is satisfying. I love almost everything Amanda Flower writes, she gets better with each book thanks to netgalley for the complimentary arc in exchange for this review which is my honest opinion.

Millie FIsher has a talent for knowing when two people are right for each other and is responsible for several successful matches in her Amish community. Millie is pleased when her beloved niece Edith calls off her wedding to Zeke Miller. However, when Edith finds Zeke’s dead body in the greenhouse she manages, Millie is afraid her niece will be blamed for the murder. Millie teams up with her childhood, non-Amish friend, Lois Henry, to find the real murderer and finds out she has a knack for sleuthing as well.

This book is the beginning of a new series that is set in the same location as the author’’s Amish Candy Shop mysteries. Some of the Harvest, Ohio residents from that series, including Deputy Aiden Brody, who leads the murder investigation are also main characters in the author’s other series. I haven’t read all the books in that series and still had no problems enjoying this book. Those who follow that series or fans of Laura Bradford’s Amish mysteries will want to get to know Millie better. She is a devout Amish woman, but isn’t afraid to speak her mind especially if she is defending a friend or family member. She has a habit of sprinkling Amish proverbs into her conversations and I appreciate the wisdom of those sayings.

Millie’s friendship with Lois makes this book even better that it would be without their teamwork. Lois is loyal and soft-hearted, underneath a brash, bold exterior. Some of the members of the Amish community aren’t sure how to take her, but Millie knows Lois well since they grew up on neighboring farms. When the two team up to solve Zeke’s murder and clear Edith’s name, the book really gets entertaining. There are more suspects than you would think since Zeke is a seemingly hard-working Amish man, but they learn the young man was keeping many secrets. This gives Millie and Lois plenty of opportunities to question suspects in their own unique way. It’s no surprise with these two friends on the case, the surprising truth eventually comes out.

Like most cozy mystery series, there is some light romance included as well. This works perfectly in this book considering Millie’s vocation as a matchmaker. There are a few different potential pairings that she is considering that I assume may play out in future books. There is even a hint of romance in the widowed Millie’s own future that I look forward to reading about. I think Matchmaking Can be Murder is an excellent start to a new series and look forward to the next book.

~ Christine

I absolutely love this book! From the adorable goats (ok maybe the bishop's wife doesn't think they're adorable) to the new friendship that matchmaker Millie Fisher built with her childhood friend, Lois. Oh my gosh, they were hilarious sleuths, well Lois was the hilarious one, and they were different as night and day. I loved that she kept calling Millie "Amish Marple".

It was great to see already-familiar characters from the Amish Candy shop series like Juliet, Jethro and Aiden Brody (the sheriff, his mom and her little spotted pet pig who was as much of a stinker as those goats!), as well as Clara and Charlotte from the candy shop. But I definitely really like the new character of Lois and even her granddaughter Darcy. And Millie makes an awesome main character!

I had a feeling I knew who was behind a lot of things, although it played out a little differently. I was actually enjoying reading about the sleuthing more than I was trying to figure out whodunit. I'm so anxious now for the next book!

I voluntarily read and reviewed an ARC of this book provided by the publisher via NetGalley, and my opinions are my own.

Matchmaking Can Be Murder by Amanda Flower is book one in the Amish Matchmaking series. If this is how all in this series is going to be, I can't wait to continue reading it!
The protagonist, Millie Fisher has recently returned to Harvest, Ohio following the death of her sister whom she was taking care of. She already has the reputation of being a matchmaker but she had nothing to do with her widowed niece, Edith, being engaged to her current fiancé. Millie is not surprised when Edith tells her she is ready to end the engagement but when he turns up murdered in Edith's greenhouse, Millie knows she will have to investigate to prove her niece is innocent.
I love that Millie is a senior citizen and she has reconnected with her childhood English friend, Lois. Also, I like the setting is Harvest and has crossover characters.
This story has plenty of twists and turns and had me guessing until the end. There is also a hint of romance, a great setting with great characters, and humor. Did I mention pet goats? I can't wait for the next book in this series.
I was given an ARC by NetGalley and Kensington Books for an honest review.

At this point I forget which series brought me to Amanda Flower, but I'm happy I found her nonetheless! This was a good solid mystery with a solid dose of intrigue. I'm normally pretty good about figuring out "whodunnit" but I didn't have this one figured out until the very end. The characters were fun and I'm looking forward to seeing what they get their noses into next.

Heads up: In case you couldn't tell by the cover, this is a cozy mystery. Don't pick it up if you're expecting a nail biting page turner.

Thank you Netgalley, for an early copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions expressed, are mine and mine alone.

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/3127112925