Reviewed in the United States on August 9, 2023An Unexpected Gift by Diane Craver is a touching Amish tale. While An Unexpected Gift can be read as a standalone (the author provides needed details for new readers), I suggest reading The Amish Mother’s Secret first. I thought An Unexpected Gift contained good writing with realistic characters. The characters from The Amish Mother's Secret return and some new ones are added. Somone has good news to share with the family, but the news could upset another. Another family member is struggling with a difficult decision. I like how the triplets along with their biological parents go out of their way to help someone in need. We get to learn about the Swartzentruber Amish. I like that the author explains some of the differences between Old Order and the Swartzentruber Amish. The story has English, Old Order Amish, and Swartzentruber Amish. The point-of-view switches between characters in each category. I did find it an information overload in the beginning as the author introduced the various characters and provided their background (it was so much at once). It became easier as I moved further into the story. An Unexpected Gift has faith, love, forgiveness, compassion, hope, and grace. We also see the importance of accepting a person and not judging them. All things are possible with God. I am looking forward to the next book in the Amish Adoption Series. There is a recipe for coconut cream pie at the end. An Unexpected Gift is an expressive story with a lost love, a surprising blessing, an unpredicted decision, disapproving parents, nuptial upheaval, and a gracious God.
My publisher shared this review by Kris Anderson while I was on a road trip to Berlin, Ohio. I love her thoughtful words about Book 2, An Unexpected Gift. Thanks, Kris, for taking the time to read my book and to write this review!
Reviewed in the United States on August 9, 2023An Unexpected Gift by Diane Craver is a touching Amish tale. While An Unexpected Gift can be read as a standalone (the author provides needed details for new readers), I suggest reading The Amish Mother’s Secret first. I thought An Unexpected Gift contained good writing with realistic characters. The characters from The Amish Mother's Secret return and some new ones are added. Somone has good news to share with the family, but the news could upset another. Another family member is struggling with a difficult decision. I like how the triplets along with their biological parents go out of their way to help someone in need. We get to learn about the Swartzentruber Amish. I like that the author explains some of the differences between Old Order and the Swartzentruber Amish. The story has English, Old Order Amish, and Swartzentruber Amish. The point-of-view switches between characters in each category. I did find it an information overload in the beginning as the author introduced the various characters and provided their background (it was so much at once). It became easier as I moved further into the story. An Unexpected Gift has faith, love, forgiveness, compassion, hope, and grace. We also see the importance of accepting a person and not judging them. All things are possible with God. I am looking forward to the next book in the Amish Adoption Series. There is a recipe for coconut cream pie at the end. An Unexpected Gift is an expressive story with a lost love, a surprising blessing, an unpredicted decision, disapproving parents, nuptial upheaval, and a gracious God.
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Tom booked 2 nights at Hocking Hills State Park Lodge for our anniversary on August 2nd!
The lodge is new and beautiful. We did Ash Cave trails and other ones! I'm happy that my book, AN UNEXPECTED GIFT, is No. 31 in the Adoption series on Amazon! Of course, if it goes higher I'll be even happier! :) A reader from Texas told me she happened to wake up at 2:00 a.m. yesterday and saw at 2:30 that my ebook had downloaded on Amazon. She started reading it instead of returning to bed. She loves the book and says that it is her favorite book of mine. By the way, there will be a Book 3!
"Diane Craver writes a touching Amish romance with themes of forgiveness, hope, and new beginnings expertly woven together in a compelling story that is hard to put down." Susan Lantz Simpson, USA Today Bestselling Author "Craver has crafted a story about motherhood and marriage that fans of Amish fiction are sure to love." Laurie Stroup Smith, author of The Pocket Quilt Series Blurb: EMT Jenna Zimmerman is happily married to handsome Eli but she feels crushed after having two miscarriages, especially since her birth mother has gotten pregnant after having cancer. But living with Eli’s parents, specifically his mother, makes Jenna’s life stressful, which is most likely contributing to her inability to carry a baby to term. When Jenna gets called to a severe buggy accident, she helps to transport an Amish teenager, Isabella, and her fiancé, Justin, to the hospital. Isabella is a few weeks pregnant, and they’ve managed to keep the secret to themselves while waiting to get married in a couple of weeks. When Justin dies from his injuries, Isabella tells Jenna her strict parents will kick her out of the house once they inevitably discover her pregnancy. Isabella is part of the conservative Swartzentruber Amish community where strict laws abide. And there’s no way her parents will allow her to keep the baby. So she asks Jenna and Eli to adopt her child. But Isabella’s parents are furious when they learn of their daughter’s pregnancy and the potential adoption. They won’t allow their grandchild to be adopted by parents that belong to the Old Order Amish, a more liberal sect. They demand that Isabella’s child, even if it will not be in their home, be raised under the tenets of the Swartzentruber community. Jenna fears her dreams of having a child with her husband may be out of her reach once again. As much as she trusts God is faithful in all things, she doesn’t understand why she can’t have a child. And if she can’t adopt Isabella’s baby, and she can’t get pregnant on her own, she’ll never be a mother. Jenna strives to accept what might never be while still clinging to hope. Jenna Zimmerman is happily married to handsome Eli but she feels crushed after having two miscarriages, especially since her birth mother has gotten pregnant after having cancer. But living with Eli’s parents, specifically his mother, makes Jenna’s life stressful, which is most likely contributing to her inability to carry a baby to term. When Jenna gets called to a severe buggy accident, she helps to transport an Amish teenager, Isabella, and her fiancé, Justin, to the hospital. Isabella is a few weeks pregnant, and they’ve managed to keep the secret to themselves while waiting to get married in a couple of weeks. When Justin dies from his injuries, Isabella tells Jenna her strict parents will kick her out of the house once they inevitably discover her pregnancy. Isabella is part of the conservative Swartzentruber Amish community where strict laws abide. And there’s no way her parents will allow her to keep the baby. So she asks Jenna and Eli to adopt her child. But Isabella’s parents are furious when they learn of their daughter’s pregnancy and the potential adoption. They won’t allow their grandchild to be adopted by parents that belong to the Old Order Amish, a more liberal sect. They demand that Isabella’s child, even if it will not be in their home, be raised under the tenets of the Swartzentruber community. Jenna fears her dreams of having a child with her husband may be out of her reach once again. As much as she trusts God is faithful in all things, she doesn’t understand why she can’t have a child. And if she can’t adopt Isabella’s baby, and she can’t get pregnant on her own, she’ll never be a mother. Jenna strives to accept what might never be while still clinging to hope.EMT Jenna Zimmerman is happily married to handsome Eli but she feels crushed after having two miscarriages, especially since her birth mother has gotten pregnant after having cancer. But living with Eli’s parents, specifically his mother, makes Jenna’s life stressful, which is most likely contributing to her inability to carry a baby to term. When Jenna gets called to a severe buggy accident, she helps to transport an Amish teenager, Isabella, and her fiancé, Justin, to the hospital. Isabella is a few weeks pregnant, and they’ve managed to keep the secret to themselves while waiting to get married in a couple of weeks. When Justin dies from his injuries, Isabella tells Jenna her strict parents will kick her out of the house once they inevitably discover her pregnancy. Isabella is part of the conservative Swartzentruber Amish community where strict laws abide. And there’s no way her parents will allow her to keep the baby. So she asks Jenna and Eli to adopt her child. But Isabella’s parents are furious when they learn of their daughter’s pregnancy and the potential adoption. They won’t allow their grandchild to be adopted by parents that belong to the Old Order Amish, a more liberal sect. They demand that Isabella’s child, even if it will not be in their home, be raised under the tenets of the Swartzentruber community. Jenna fears her dreams of having a child with her husband may be out of her reach once again. As much as she trusts God is faithful in all things, she doesn’t understand why she can’t have a child. And if she can’t adopt Isabella’s baby, and she can’t get pregnant on her own, she’ll never be a mother. Jenna strives to accept what might never be while still clinging to hope. Pre-Order for ebook at Amazon: (paperback will be available soon)
Amazon Whenever it is available at other online sites, I'll post the links. BLURB: EMT Jenna Zimmerman is happily married to handsome Eli, but feels crushed that no babies are in their future. When Jenna gets called to a buggy accident, she helps to transport a young teenager, Isabella, and her fiancé Justin to the hospital. When he dies, Isabella wants to keep her pregnancy a secret because she fears her strict parents will kick her out of the house. Jenna becomes a close friend to Isabella. Eli and Jenna belong to the Old Order Amish while Isabella is a part of the conservative Swartzentruber Amish community. Her parents don’t like the more liberal Old Order Amish. Confused, Isabella doesn’t know what to do about her baby. She doesn’t want to get married to give her baby a father, but is troubled how she can raise a child on her own. If she leaves her community, she can keep her secret and give the baby up for adoption. Or she could ask Jenna to adopt her baby and make her parents unhappy about her choice. She realizes this decision might cause her not to have a home to return to after the baby is born. Will Jenna and Eli want to adopt Isabella’s baby or decide to wait to get pregnant themselves? Unfortunately, Amazon is going to raise the prices of print books very soon, so I ordered my self-published books before I have to increase the prices. I should have ordered my non-Amish books but I still can before the price goes up.
Go here to order! 5 Stars
Identical triplets separated at birth. Two different lifestyles. Two different mothers. One goal. When Lindsay Prescott finds out that she has stage 4 lymphoma cancer, she resolves to right a wrong in her life by telling her daughter Phoebe that she is a triplet and that her sisters were raised by an Amish family. The sisters are understandably hurt. They endeavor to make up for lost time by spending lots of time together. However, Katie, the Amish mother, is terrified that her daughters will leave the faith and turn *Englisch*. Can love and understand bridge the gap and bring two hurting families together? Masterfully done story, Diane. The characters were well developed. You could just feel the pain and joy experienced. Now you need a sequel! :) I would love to hear what happens next among the characters. Reviewer: Jazmyne Sharing link to my interview on American Christian Fiction Writers
www.fictionfinder.com/author_interview/read/interview_with_diane_craver I LOVE my cover for Book 2 in my Amish Adoption Series!
RELEASE DATE: JULY 27th Blurb: EMT Jenna Zimmerman is happily married to handsome Eli, but feels crushed that no babies are in their future. When Jenna gets called to a buggy accident, she helps to transport a young teenager, Isabella, and her fiancé Justin to the hospital. When he dies, Isabella wants to keep her pregnancy a secret because she fears her strict parents will kick her out of the house. Jenna becomes a close friend to Isabella. Eli and Jenna belong to the Old Order Amish while Isabella is a part of the conservative Swartzentruber Amish community. Her parents don’t like the more liberal Old Order Amish. Confused, Isabella doesn’t know what to do about her baby. She doesn’t want to get married to give her baby a father, but is troubled how she can raise a child on her own. If she leaves her community, she can keep her secret and give the baby up for adoption. Or she could ask Jenna to adopt her baby and make her parents unhappy about her choice. She realizes this decision might cause her not to have a home to return to after the baby is born. Will Jenna and Eli want to adopt Isabella’s baby or decide to wait to get pregnant themselves? Recommended and rated this book
5 stars The Amish Mother’s Secret Diane Craver Reviewer: Chery Hart The Amish Mother’s Secret is much deeper of a story than I expected. The elements of faith and unconditional love hold such importance in this heartbreaking and heartwarming story. And don’t miss the author’s personal info at the end! I was quickly immersed into Lindsay and Phoebe’s lives and empathized with them and what they went through. Secrets are revealed and changes the trajectory of several lives. I enjoyed this touching story and the various characters. Though I didn’t like some of them, I understood them, and wanted their faith to grow. This is a touching and meaningful story centering on family, faith, and forgiveness. I love a story that keeps me turning pages and characters who feel like friends. It pains me a bit to leave these new friends behind. I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions are 100% mine. |
AuthorI write Amish fiction, Christian fiction, Historical Christian fiction, Contemporary Romances, and Chick-Lit Mystery. I am a wife, mother, and grandmother. I have 6 wonderful children and 6 adorable grandchildren. I give thanks to God for being a cancer survivor! Archives
November 2023
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