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A review by rosemaryandrue
The Amish Matchmaking Dilemma by Patricia Johns
3.0
When Mose comes to town in search of a wife, the local matchmaker sets him up with his childhood friend Naomi – but only as his speaking tutor, for Mose has a severe stutter. Though the pair feel drawn to each other, they seem too different in their outlooks to ever make a match of it.
I’m not religious. I’m certainly not Christian. But I do enjoy reading a wide variety of books, and considering the popularity of Amish romances, I thought it was a genre worth checking out, though it’s not exactly in my wheelhouse.
I thought this was a good first pick. It was a short and sweet romance, gently paced. I thought that Naomi and Mose were very well-suited, and enjoyed how they renewed their friendship and came to understand that their differences would only help the other person grow. I also enjoyed reading about the close-knit community, and how the characters approach the idea of involving themselves in the Englischer community while still holding fast to the insular nature of the Amish.
However, I did feel that some points were harped upon excessively. For example, there’s a lot of discussion of how Naomi is too liberal in her views (but still a good cook!), how she and Mose are afraid that if they embark on a relationship that it will turn out like the difficult marriage of their friends Leah and Daniel, etc. in a way that felt repetitive. I found myself somewhat annoyed with Mose on occasion too, especially in his impulsive behavior toward Trevor, but I suppose it fit with what we know of his character and he did at least repent of it.
And my ultimate take on Amish romance? I think the jury’s still out. While I enjoyed this book, I’m not sure the setting exerted any particular pull on me. I might try another book or two in the genre, but I don’t know how soon that’ll be.
Disclaimer: I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley. This is my honest and voluntary review.
I’m not religious. I’m certainly not Christian. But I do enjoy reading a wide variety of books, and considering the popularity of Amish romances, I thought it was a genre worth checking out, though it’s not exactly in my wheelhouse.
I thought this was a good first pick. It was a short and sweet romance, gently paced. I thought that Naomi and Mose were very well-suited, and enjoyed how they renewed their friendship and came to understand that their differences would only help the other person grow. I also enjoyed reading about the close-knit community, and how the characters approach the idea of involving themselves in the Englischer community while still holding fast to the insular nature of the Amish.
However, I did feel that some points were harped upon excessively. For example, there’s a lot of discussion of how Naomi is too liberal in her views (but still a good cook!), how she and Mose are afraid that if they embark on a relationship that it will turn out like the difficult marriage of their friends Leah and Daniel, etc. in a way that felt repetitive. I found myself somewhat annoyed with Mose on occasion too, especially in his impulsive behavior toward Trevor, but I suppose it fit with what we know of his character and he did at least repent of it.
And my ultimate take on Amish romance? I think the jury’s still out. While I enjoyed this book, I’m not sure the setting exerted any particular pull on me. I might try another book or two in the genre, but I don’t know how soon that’ll be.
Disclaimer: I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley. This is my honest and voluntary review.