This book contains four Christmas novellas set in Lancaster, Pennsylvania. Each story presents a unique perspective on Amish life. While they differ in details, the stories all convey the true meaning of Christmas: helping others, expressing love, and opening one's heart to new beginnings and chances. Some themes found in these stories include care-giving for a special child, reuniting with a lost love, discovering one's purpose in life, friendship and romance, and moving to a new town. The stories are all set at Christmas time and feature a Christian perspective. They are clean and sweet novels, kisses only, no violence or strong language. I enjoyed every story and all the unique characters, especially the children.

I received this book from the publisher and from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. The opinions expressed here are entirely my own.

Four novella's that will warm your heart with the blessings of the Christmas spirit.
Lucy's Christmas Sunbeam is a sweet story of Lucy and her raising her infant sister with Down's Syndrome. Falling in love with a secret can be challenging.
A Bird-in-Hand Christmas, Makayla returns home after being widowed only to find out her father has hired her old boyfriend. A spark is still there but will she take another chance?
Christmas Lily, funny story when a young scholar just loves his teacher but his father has a different opinion.
Leaving Lancaster, when the father of three daughters decides he is moving everyone to Kentucky they each have their own reasons for staying or going.
Each story grips your heart strings, each being a five star read you can't put down.
I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

Kicking off my Christmas reading is A Lancaster Amish Christmas with 3 of my favorite Amish writers. You can’t miss those sweet stories of love during the holiday season! I received this book as an ARC and this is my honest review.

Wonderful Christmas stories! I always find shorter stories so enjoyable, They get to the point and give all the joy in sweet bursts!

This four novella compilation includes works by authors Anne Blackburne, Amy Clipston, Mindy Steele, and Amy Lillard. All four novella are centered around Lancaster County and the holiday season.

Lucy's Christmas Sunbeam by Anne Blackburne introduces readers to Lucy and her younger sister. When Lucy's parents die, she takes on raising her little sister, born with Down's syndrome. But when her boyfriend turns sinister, Lucy breaks things off and decides to go it alone. Till one day she runs into the new hardware store owner and love is awakened. But can Lucy keep her little family together while pursuing love?

In A Bird in Hand Christmas by Amy Clipstone, recently widowed Makayla returns home to visit her parents for Christmas. Little does she know that old flame Wyatt was recently employed by her father. Can these two overcome old rumors to build a life together? Or will Makayla enter into a loveless marriage with someone else?

Christmas Lily by Amy Lillard tells the story of seven year old Jacob who develops a crush on his new school teacher and sets out to play matchmaker between her and his recently widowed father. But the two are far from friendly. Will mother nature plot to bring the two of them together? Or will Jacob find himself saying good-bye to his teacher forever?

In Leaving Lancaster by Mindy Steele, three sister, Louise, Beth, and Leah, discover their father has decided to sell the family farm and move to Kentucky. All three sister have mixed feelings about the move. With only on Christmas left on the farm, will the girls find their miracle?

It typically really hard to develop interesting characters within a novella. However, all four authors did an incredible job of bringing their characters and stories to life. I was very pleasantly surprised at how much interest was packed into these novellas, making them just as engaging as full length novels. Each story is told from a unique viewpoint, from single parenthood to older marriages to second marriages. All in all, I felt like this collection was really well done. All the authors took the time with their storytelling and created a wonderful set for the Christmas season.

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

This is a beautiful book and it is so amazing, the story is so lovely and very enjoyable to read. i loved everything about this book and i would recommend to anyone who loves reading to give this book a go. it is a lovely book and i will read other books from this author.

With three Amish authors I enjoy and one new-to-me author in the mix, it was a no-brainer for me to read the A Lancaster Amish Christmas collection. Plus, this officially kicks off my Christmas reading for the season, which makes me very happy. (Side note: I read Christmas books year round because I love them but I begin to do so in earnest around the beginning of September, so this book is right on time!)

The collection kicks off with Lucy’s Christmas Sunbeam, a touching story from Anne Blackburne whose books I haven’t yet had the pleasure to read. But I will definitely have her on my ‘to-read’ list from now on because I found her characters layered and engaging. I especially appreciated the inclusion of Lucy’s little sister Millie (whom she’s raising as a daughter) with Down Syndrome and the warm affection that Lucy – and Amos – shower on her. Millie is such a sweetie, and the fact that Amos recognizes her worth & Lucy’s right away endeared him to me just as quickly. The glimpse of the additional issues that go along with a Down’s diagnosis in an Amish person was eye-opening to me, too, and a couple of unexpected conflicts gave the story further dimension.

A Bird-in-Hand Christmas by Amy Clipston also melted my heart with a little one, specifically with the precocious and adorable Lukas. He is so stinkin’ cute… and so is his endearing adulation for Wyatt, which of course adds all sorts of delightful tension to the romance since Lukas’ mom Makayla and Wyatt used to be in love. Before she abruptly left a few years ago, got married, became a mother, lost her husband, and got engaged to her late husband’s best friend… Needless to say, a lot has happened since Makayla and Wyatt last saw each other, so it was sweet to watch them get to know one another again. And I enjoyed getting to know them in the process and rooting for their second chance at true love, though I had a difficult time understanding Makayla’s extreme reaction in leaving Wyatt in the first place.

Amy Lillard’s Christmas Lily is a fun forced proximity romance between a struggling single dad widower and his young son’s pretty teacher… two people who get off to a comically bad start before 7yr old Jacob and nature give them a friendly nudge in the right direction. I love snowed-in romances (especially if they happen over Christmas), I love teachers in fiction, and I love single dads who are domestic disasters, so this story was right up my alley! Simon and Lily Kate are great characters with well-defined personalities that draw you right in to their story and keep you invested in their progress toward a happily-ever-after. Not only that, but Lillard’s writing voice is always entertaining, and Christmas Lily is no exception.

The final story of the bunch is Leaving Lancaster by Mindy Steele, and it centers around a family preparing to move their deer farm from Pennsylvania to Kentucky – an impending life change that motivates some shifts in relationships for the family’s three oldest sisters, Louise, Beth & Leah. Namely, it lights a fire under a couple of young men to finally act on their feelings, and I do so love it when a romance hero is panicked into action. It lets all those repressed emotions begin to surface, which in turn sets free some fun sparks and delivers some swoonworthy moments, and Steele does a wonderful job of capturing those weighted tensions. I also enjoyed that she switches perspectives between Beth and Louise, allowing us to get to know both sisters individually while we’re also getting two sweet romances for the price of one! I wonder if we’ll see Leah again in the author’s future Amish novels – I hope so!

Bottom Line: A Lancaster Amish Christmas is an entertaining and cozy collection of Amish romances with a dose of holiday spirit that makes you want to break out the twinkle lights, hang some pine boughs & berries, and bake lots of yummy cookies. Each novella reflects its author’s unique writing voice, allowing readers to get a nice sampling of whichever author(s) might be new to them, and all the stories feature layered, engaging characters and sweet plots that point to faith, family, and true love. This was a great book to kick off my Christmas reading season, true, but it can also be enjoyed any time of the year with its timeless romances and relatable family dynamics.

(I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book)

A Lancaster Amish Christmas is an anthology with four romances, all set in Lancaster county Pennsylvania. I had read books by three of these authors, but Anne Blackburn was a new one for me.
Lucy’s Christmas Sunbeam by Anne Blackburne is the story of Lucy Beiler, who stepped in to raise her little sister, Millie, when her parents died suddenly. Millie has Down's Syndrome and when Lucy's previous beau found out she was going to raise her, he moved on. Lucy is happy living
in the dawdi house on her brother’s farm, but when she runs into the hardware store owner, Amos Fisher, sparks fly. He connects with Millie right away, but is he interested in helping to raise her?
A Bird-in-Hand Christmas by Amy Clipston Makayla Hertler is told that her boyfriend, Wyatt was seeing someone else, so she packed up and moved to New Wilmington, Pennsylvania, not wanting to remain in Bird-in-Hand and see him with someone else. Makayla marries and has a child and is living a happy life, until her husband is killed in a construction accident. Her son, Lucas, is 5 YO, and she wants him to have a father. When her husband's best friend, Jacob asks her to marry him, she agrees even though she doesn't love him. Her mother writes to her and wants her to bring Lucas home for Christmas. She reluctantly agrees. When she arrives, she finds out that Wyatt is working for her father, and is still single. Lucas bonds immediately with Wyatt and Makayla realizes that she still has feeling for him. Can she break things off with Jacob and try to make a go with Wyatt? Is she getting a second chance at love?
Christmas Lily by Amy Lillard Lily Kate Troyer is the substitute teacher in Lancaster, who is planning to head home to spend Christmas with her family. One of her students, Jacob Bontrager, is trying hard to find a wife for his lonely widower father. Jacob has already fallen in love with Lily Kate, but will his father. When Jacob leaves his mother's scarf at school, Lily Kate knows she should take it to him before heading home. She heads out as a storm builds and she ends up stranded at the Bontrager farm. Lily Kate steps in making meals, building snowmen and even receiving Christmas gifts. Will these two lonely people see the feeling they have for one another and make a family for Jacob?
Leaving Lancaster by Mindy Steele The Wicky sisters didn’t expect their father to sell their thriving deer farm with plans to move them to Kentucky. Oldest sister, Louise, plans on going with the family to help care for her younger siblings, but wonders what will happen to her growing jam business. Twins Beth and Leah have mixed feelings. Leah thinks she is in love with Connor and wants to stay behind, but only if he asks her to. Beth is always up for an adventure, so is planning to go, until she realizes that she has feelings for Daniel, a local that she worked with. Marcus, is their neighbour, who is in love with Louise and needs to step up before she leaves with her family. With only one Christmas left in Lancaster, can God deliver a Christmas miracle for all three?

I enjoyed all four of these romances. They were all novellas, so we don't get a lot of character development, but all the characters had known each other for years, so it wasn't instalove. The stories are set at Christmas and there is definitely Christmas magic at work, but the Amish don't have huge festive celebrations. Each of these stories is full of faith, love, family and miracles. If you enjoy Amish Fiction, I recommend you pick this one up. Rebecca Gallagher narrated this book and does a very good job with the various character voices. I enjoyed her storytelling, her accents and her expression.

Here's a Christmas gift from four favorite Amish fiction romance writers. I received an e-copy of this collection from Barbour through NetGalley. This is my own opinion about the book.
This is a collection of feel-good Christmas stories that will entertain the reader during the busy holiday season.
Lucy's Christmas Sunbeam is a touching story where a single young woman decides to raise her infant sister after the death of her father. Her fiancé is not happy and breaks their engagement. Millie is important to Lucy and if she must remain single to raise her, she will. One day she runs into Amos Fisher at the local hardware store, and she may change her mind about romance.
A Bird-in-Hand Christmas is the story of widow Makayla travels home with her young son to learn that not only is her former fiancé still single after 7 years, but he also works for her father. This story of misunderstanding may lead to a second chance for the couple.
Christmas Lily is a delightful and laugh out loud offering where outspoken schoolteacher Lily Kate runs into widower Simon for their first meeting. His son Jacob is planning a way to have them meet again. There is great humor in this novella.
Leaving Lancaster is another one that made me laugh. It seems a couple single men needed the inspiration of a father announcing that his family will move out of state to understand two single sisters would soon be out of reach. Lousie and Beth Wickey are the storytelling voices. Connor Bricker and Daniel Fisher make this romantic story special. Daniel was a favorite for me.
This is a 5-star read for me!

Merry Amish Christmas!

Enjoy four Amish stories that take place during Christmas time.

The first tale is, "Lucy's Christmas Sunbeam." Lucy, although young, took over raising her infant sister, Millie, after her parent's deaths. Millie has Down's Syndrome, and because of that, Lucy's boyfriend dropped her like a hot rock. She hasn't thought of romance since. Lucy loves Millie more than anything else, but now someone is trying to take her away. Perhaps Jacob, the new owner of the hardware store, can help Lucy.

The second book, "A-Bird-in-Hand Christmas," features a young widow, Makayla, and her small son, Luke. They are spending the holidays with her parents; the first time Luke has gotten to do that. As soon as they arrive, Makayla runs into her former boyfriend, Wyatt. He broke her heart years ago when Wyatt began dating someone else. Now, he is working for her parents, and wants to worm his way back into her life. Makayla will not let him, despite Luke loving Wyatt.

"Christmas Lily," is the third installment. Little Jacob would like a mom for Christmas, specifically, his new teacher. But his dad, and the teacher, Lily, have not gotten off to a good start. In fact, Lily doesn't want anything to do with him. But then a Christmas snowstorm threatens to strand her with Jacob and his dad.

In "Leaving Lancaster," out-of-the-blue, their father announced he had sold their home. They will all move hundreds of miles away. Louise has a thriving business, and is worried about being successful in the new location. Leah doesn't want to leave her long-time boyfriend--who has never gotten around to proposing to her. The sisters feel that they have no choice but to follow their father's plans. But both are filled with dread about this move.

All four of these stories make a nice Christmas escape. They are clean, charming tales that will bring a smile to your face. This five-star book is just the thing to bring in the Christmas spirit for Amish fans, and everyone else.

Thank you, Barbour Books, for providing Tickmenot with a book to review.

Amish romances are my favorite, and when you add Christmas, it makes them so much more magical. This collection features four novellas, each with a unique approach to the stories. In 𝓛𝓾𝓬𝔂’𝓼 𝓒𝓱𝓻𝓲𝓼𝓽𝓶𝓪𝓼 𝓢𝓾𝓷𝓫𝓮𝓪𝓶 by Anne Blackburne, Lucy takes on the mother role for her infant sister with Down’s Syndrome following the death of her parents. This was a special approach to a Christmas story, and I thoroughly enjoyed every part. When Amos, the local hardware store owner, enters the picture, it makes your heart melt. There was a bit of suspense with Lucy’s ex-boyfriend, who had left her because he didn’t want an instant family. Just a great read!

Amy Clipston wrote 𝓐 𝓑𝓲𝓻𝓭-𝓲𝓷-𝓗𝓪𝓷𝓭 𝓒𝓱𝓻𝓲𝓼𝓽𝓶𝓪𝓼. Widowed and returning home for Christmas, Makayla discovers her ex-boyfriend Wyatt working for her father, and as her son quickly bonds with him, she begins to hope for a second chance at love. All the misunderstandings in this one! I could relate to Makayla and her quick reactions to things, so I understood how she ended up where she was in her life. The ending on this one was so great!

In 𝓒𝓱𝓻𝓲𝓼𝓽𝓶𝓪𝓼 𝓛𝓲𝓵𝔂 by Amy Lillard, seven-year-old Jacob Bontrager's attempts to match his widowed father with the new schoolteacher seem to fail until a snowstorm unexpectedly brings her to their farm, making him wonder if fate is finally on his side. This one was my favorite of the group. I jumped up and down and clapped my hands in several spots. Lily Kate, Jacob’s new schoolteacher, and his father, Simon, had a falling out almost as soon as she arrived in town, so it was fun to see this story unravel.

The last story was 𝓛𝓮𝓪𝓿𝓲𝓷𝓰 𝓛𝓪𝓷𝓬𝓪𝓼𝓽𝓮𝓻 by Mindy Steele. The Wicky sisters face an unexpected move from their beloved deer farm to Kentucky, each grappling with their dreams and uncertainties as they hope for a Christmas miracle in their final holiday together in Lancaster. This was a different approach to a romance novel. Instead of the usual male and female points of view, the story was told from the perspectives of two female characters, so you have two romances in one. This did not work for me, especially in novella format. Just as you were getting into a storyline on one of the main characters you were interrupted by the other love story. Overall, this story also had too many characters. I could not keep up with the secondary characters and was flipping through trying to remember who each of them was. About halfway through the story, I gave up and just ignored the secondary characters. If there were fewer characters to keep up with and each of the love stories were independent, I think I would have enjoyed this story much more.

Overall, I thought this was a great book that certainly captured the Christmas spirit!

A Lancaster Amish Christmas has 4 Amish novellas that all takes place around Christmas. The authors, Anne Blackburne, Amy Clipston, Amy Lillard, and Mindy Steele, each wrote a 5 star delightful story. It is a must read and I enjoyed each one. Don't miss reading this wonderful novellas.
Thank you NetGalley and Barbour Publishing for letting me read a e-copy of A Lancaster Amish Christmas. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I'm a fan of at least three of these authors, so I knew I would likely enjoy their stories. I love anthology books, and I especially love the ones centered around Christmas, so this one was a win-win-win for me - great authors, more than one story, and Christmas!

Each author takes a unique look at falling in love at Christmas time. Each young Amish woman has a different issue - one is the caregiver for her youngest sister who has Down's Syndrome, one returns to Lancaster after being widowed and reconnects with the boyfriend she thought cheated on her, one is a teacher with a 7-year-old student who wants her for his "Maam", and one has her life upended when her father sells their farm to move the family to Kentucky. Never mind that she - and one of her sisters - just started seriously dating their beaus...

I enjoyed each of these stories. I especially enjoyed that I could read one in a pretty short amount of time, so I got through the entire anthology pretty quickly. If you're like I am and you enjoy Christmas stories, you'll want to add this one to your reading list!

Such a wonderful collection of stories centered around love at Christmas time! Follow along with four couples as they discover who and what God has in store for them! You’ll be so glad you did!

Rating: 4.25 stars ~ Genre: Amish, Christmas ~ Publish Date: 1 Sep 2024

Lucy's Christmas Sunbeam by Anne Blackburne ~ 4 stars

A delightful novella. A sweet story about a little three-year-old girl and her loving sister. And a man who chooses alcohol and seeks to ruin other people's lives while he trashes his own. There are some wunderbar scenes, BUT ... the title of this set is "A LANCASTER Christmas. Lancaster, Pennsylvania is primarily Old Order Amish, and readers assume Old Order unless the author states otherwise. In one scene, a man wants to go look at quilts in the afternoon. He is considering expanding his business to sell them. The problem???? The day is Sunday. I doubt even the progressive Amish would even suggest doing that. In this case, looking at quilts equals business. Sadly, that wasn't the only scene that did not fit Old Order Amish. The story itself is enjoyable and I loved reading it.

A Bird-in-Hand Christmas by Amy Clipston ~ 4 stars

Again, remember the title "A Lancaster Christmas". I found the lead female's name, Makayla, to sorta sound Hawaiian. But after a bit of research, in Hebrew, it means "who resembles God?" You will enjoy this novella as much as "Lucy's Christmas Sunbeam". Engaging characters. Nothing left hanging at the end. But ... please authors writing Amish stories, if your characters need more "freedom", please, please, PLEASE indicate they are not Old Order. Zippers!!!! Old Order do NOT use zippers. Zippers are hochmut, proud, not "plain". Again, the story is lovely but errors like this jump out at me. It stops the flow of the story.

Christmas Lily by Amy Lillard ~ 4 stars

I loved seven-year-old Jacob Bontrager's character. He thinks his new teacher is perfect. A perfect teacher and would be perfect as his new mamm. It's a cute story. My problem is a key plot development. What happens when the teacher ends up spending several days at their house? Despite a good reason. BUT nothing is said or done by the bishop and ministers. And there certainly would be. This novella didn't grab me and keep me reading like the previous two. You'll still enjoy it, I think.

Leaving Lancaster by Mindy Steel ~ 5 stars

The last novella started a tiny bit slow for me; but, it just got better and better. No errors involving Amish doing something they wouldn't do. Let's just say the move to Kentucky wakes up some semi-plodding young men. And two sisters. By the way, there is a recipe at the end for Christmas Jam called "Winter's Delight." It would not be that hard to make.

All four novellas are an enjoyable read. A wonderful, I should say wunderbar. read for Christmas. And despite the issues found, I recommend this tetralogy (not a 'quadalogy'). Tetra is Greek meaning 'four'.

I received a complimentary DRC (digital review copy) of A Lancaster Amish Christmas via NetGalley from the publisher, Barbour Publishing Barbour Fiction. A positive review was not required; the opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own.

Rating: 4.25 stars [(4+4+4+5)/4] rounded to 4 stars for sites using whole numbers.
Cover: Beautiful
Pages: 451
Publish Date: 1 Sep 2024
#ALancasterAmishChristmas #NetGalley #ShelleyShepardGray #AmyClipston #AmyLillard #MindySteele

4 short Amish novella about finding love and family. My favorite was the last story. Good short reads. I would recommend for fans of Amish books

A Lancaster Amish Christmas: Four Romance Novellas by Anne Blackburne, Amy Clipston, Amy Lillard, and Mindy Steele is collection of novellas that are filled with sweet Amish romance and will put you in the mood for Christmas.

If you enjoy reading clean Amish Christmas fiction, this book is for you.

Thank you to NetGalley and Barbour Publishing for an advanced e-pub of this book. All opinions expressed are my own.

A Lancaster Amish Christmas is four novellas written by four outstanding authors. Each of the stories are set at Christmas time. A time for love, healing and second chances. Anne Blackburne's story tells the story of Lucy who stepped into the Mother role for her special needs sister after her mother's passing. With her boyfriend not interested in a ready made family, Lucy is content to be an old maid until she meets the hardware store owner. Amy Clipston brings us Makayla. She finds that her boyfriend Wyatt is seeing another. Moving across state and marrying, Makayla finds herself a widow. Returning to visit her parents, Makayla learns that Wyatt is still single and very much interested. In Amy LIllard's story, Jacob feels the need to find his widowed father a new wife. Who best fits the bill? His recently relocated teacher, Lily. However, none of his matchmaking is working. It takes a major snowstorm to move love along. Finally, Mindy Steele brings us the Wicky family. When their dad sells the land for their deer farm and plans to move the whole family to Kentucky, Louise, Beth and Leah fear for their futures. Louise has a thriving jam business while Leah is afraid her boyfriend and future will not make it. Beth is ready for a new adventure but life may have other plans for her. I loved all four stories. I received a copy through Netgalley. A review was not required.

"I received a free copy of this book from NetGalley to honestly read and review."
I truly enjoyed three of the four novellas in this book. This was an easy read and nothing overly heavy to wade through. The second chance romances and second chance at love throughout was heart warming and so uplifting. I will be buying a copy to add to my shelves at home and look forward to reading the novellas written by Anne Blackburne, Amy Clipston and Mindy Steele. My only complaint was the third novella in this book. It felt too rushed and not thought out enough. I think if it had been a full length novel I may have liked it more. If you enjoy Christmas feel good stories and Amish fiction this is the book for you!

This book was amazing!! I was familiar with author Amy Clipston but that was the only one. All the authors did a great job in setting up the stories where you felt you were there. I greatly appreciate the opportunity of reading this book because I am a huge Amy Clipston fan. I would definetly recommend this book to others.