👣💒 “The Amish Bachelor’s Bride” (Humble Blessings #2) (2023) 💒👣 – Book Review
MY REVIEW
Paperback: 224 pages
Publisher: Love Inspired (January 24, 2023)
Language: English
ISBN: 1335585494
ISBN-13: 978-1335585493
⬅️ Click Photo for Purchase Information
“Marrying in name only…
Could lead to more than they expected
Single mother Lavinia Simmons’s world is turned upside down when she discovers her late husband gambled away their home. A quick marriage of convenience to bachelor Noem Witzel in return for caring for his niece and nephew is the solution both Lavinia and Noem need. Neither of them is looking for romance. But what if these perfect strangers have other ideas?”
Thank you in advance to the author, Pamela Desmond Wright, for providing a complimentary review copy through her launch team. A positive review was not required nor requested, and all words are my own.
This is the author’s third book, and no offense to her previous ones, she keeps getting better with each one. This one definitely had a unique twist and I really wanted to read this. And, the cute cover? So sweet!
Despite this being the third book by Wright, it is the second in the Humble Blessings series that takes readers to Wisconsin’s Amish community. Although this can act as a standalone, I do recommend reading the first book – Finding Her Amish Home. Some characters do return from that book (Abram and Maddie).
Wright introduces us to:
👨🏻🌾 Noem
👒 Lavinia (actually, she returned from book #1)
👨🏻🦳 Gabriel
🧒🏻 Sophie
🧒🏻 Penny
⛪ Bishop Graber
This will have mentions of a gambling addiction, as well as a miscarriage (both happened prior to the beginning of the story).
This begins on a VERY said note – Noem is burying his “shunned” sister Callie while his father and her kids are there. Penny is young and doesn’t understand why her mom can’t come home, Jesse is an infant. Noem takes the kids since their Englisch father doesn’t want them.
This doesn’t set well with his father. The bishop has an idea for Noem – a marriage of convenience with Lavinia who is the recent widow of Josiah.
Gabriel is against it at first, yet Noem and Lavinia really don’t have many options. Gabriel also thinks the kids belong with their father despite knowing how the man left Callie. Lavinia is still plagued by Josiah’s gambling debts.
Lavinia is torn – she is mad at Josiah, but loved him, and doesn’t think she can give her heart to anyone again, let alone Noem.
It’s either live with her siblings or with Noem, and Lavinia chooses her dignity – at least she’d have “her” own home. But, what Noem brings her into – it isn’t in the best shape. In addition, there is Gabriel’s cold and distant attitude towards Lavinia. Noem promises Lavinia they will get their own place as soon as he can.
Gabriel soon warms up to the idea of Lavinia and Noem, even his “grandkids”. He admits having trouble with his faith after losing his wife and then Callie being shunned. This revelation helps his relationship with Lavinia and even helps Noem in “rearranging” his marriage with her.
Noem is offered a sweet deal regarding a repair shop, but it might hamper his and Lavinia’s goal, there’s also a tragedy as well.
But, as usual – these stories have a happily ever after ending, and this packed a surprise at the end as well. I sort of saw it coming, but was DELIGHTED to see it.
I have to admit – this was one of those “over before I realized” it reads, but I wasn’t disappointed in anyway. This was definitely a “fast-paced” but not a “rush-through” type of read. I was barely able to put it down.
There was an “open” plot arc with a guy who’d come by and threatened Noem and Lavinia about Josiah’s debt. I really wanted to know if the debt was “real” and what happened to the leech. So, I hope when the author returns to Humble, we get to find out.
I loved some of the lessons here:
➡️ “The heart has plans, but God establishes the steps”
➡️ “Better to find a solution than cry over the problem”
➡️ “You pray God gives you the patience to get them raised” (I had to laugh at this one due to why Lavinia said it).
The perspective of the “gambling” addiction, especially in the Amish community, was a different plot arc. It is not one that I would expect, given their religious beliefs, though in a way – I don’t doubt it at all.
I gravitated to this because it was “slightly” personal with respect to that.
Between 1985-1991, my mother struggled with gambling. Thankfully, she didn’t gamble away a life savings or a home (we didn’t have one – only lived in apartments) like Josiah did in this story. And, while there were some “kid-friendly” places (with arcades and prize games), it wasn’t all fun for me.
What eventually stopped my mom wasn’t the loss of money, but a broken promise. She had promised me $100 to get something.
I don’t remember what it was, not even to this day. What I remember most of all – the look of shame and disappointment in her face in telling me she gambled the money away. She told me when she picked me up from school. The look of anguish in her face at my disappointment almost did her in, in addition to her own guilt. She was always hoping for “one big payout” – enough for a car or home, better fitting clothes for me, and healthier food choices.
She avoided casinos for a while, but when they offered free check cashing, she went. Many times – there was NO gambling involved. We also did get quite a few rewards – tons of t-shirts (over 2 dozen), free meals, free drinks (beer, wine, or sodas). She did gamble again, but had a set amount, would walk away when it was gone. After 2011, she stopped gambling entirely.
I didn’t develop an addiction at all. I set an amount and when it’s gone – it’s gone. Fun note – I was given two rolls of nickels ($4). I spent $1.25, won $15 – called it a fun time, gave the remainder to my mom. We were only playing to pass time as we were waiting for a bus (we didn’t have a car at the time) and didn’t want to wait in triple digit heat.
Gambling is a HORRIBLE addiction that some cannot understand. One can understand the “chemical” changed through drugs and alcohol, but gambling? It is a bit hard for some to understand. And, I praise Wright for touching it as well as the frighteningly realistic impact it can have.
I am definitely looking forward to her next book in either the Humble Blessings Series or her Texas Amish Brides series. And, fans of hers will definitely want to read this.
And, if you’re wondering why she’s got two series going at the same time – check out my review here:
🏡💕 “Finding Her Amish Home” (Humble Blessings #1) (2022) 💕🏡
(https://readingexcursions.blogspot.com/2022/06/finding-her-amish-home-humble-blessings.html).
Since this is not only a “Christian” based line, but an Amish book, there will be strong messages of faith as it pertains to the characters’ way of life. It isn’t overly preachy in tone though.
RATING:
5 ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ /5 ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ – Goodreads
5 ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ /5 ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ – Bookbub
5 ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ /5 ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ – Personal Rating (see rating explanation in this blog: https://readingexcursions.blogspot.com/2020/01/rating-system-2020-changes.html;update https://readingexcursions.blogspot.com/2022/07/what-goes-into-my-reviews-2022-edition.html)
PREVIOUS BOOK IN THE SERIES:
Series: Humble Blessings (Book #1)
Publisher: Love Inspired (June 28, 2022)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1335585079
ISBN-13: 978-1335585073
⬅️ Click Photo for Purchase Information
“What she wants more than anything
Could also be the most dangerous…
After her twin sister’s death, Maddie Baum flees to Wisconsin Amish country with her nephew in tow in the hopes of protecting him from his criminal father. Befriending Amish shopkeeper Abram Mueller gives her a glimpse of the happiness she’s been yearning for all along. Can she find a fresh start with Abram—or will old sins tear them apart?”
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Like the Amish, Pamela Desmond Wright is a fan of the simple life. Her childhood includes memories of olden days: old-fashioned oil lamps, cooking over an authentic wood-burning stove and making popcorn over a fire at her grandparents’ cabin. The authentic log cabin Pamela grew up playing in can be viewed at the Muleshoe Heritage Center in Muleshoe, Texas, which was donated to the city after the death of her grandparents.
You can also find her on the following social media accounts:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/PamDWrites
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/pamdwrites/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/PamDWrites
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