A Perfect Plan" by Beth Wiseman

Out of the three this was my favorite.

Priscilla King has been planning to marry Chester Lapp since she was sixteen years old and as the wedding approaches she gets the hick up and things seem to go wrong. This is how she deals with these obstaclesa and seeks God to confirm that she is doing the right things. Very enjoyeable.

"The Perfect Match" by Kathleen Fuller

Naomi Fisher has great luck in matchmaking for others, now she hopes to find love herself when Chester's cousin shows up. But will she allow the obstalces to stand in her way of love?

"The Perfect Secret" by Kelly Long


Rose agrees to marry Like not out of love but out of friendships, she realizes that this is not the right reason to marry. She then learns who the real Luke is.


( )

Originally posted on These Pretty Words.

“A Perfect Plan” by Beth Wiseman
This book is a compilation of three novellas all centered around the love lives of a group of intertwined Amish women. The first story, A Perfect Plan, follows the over-stressed and superstitious Priscilla who is engaged to charming Chester Lapp. The story is sweet and romantic, but it focuses on what happens when everything you want to be perfect kind of falls apart.

I found these characters a lot of fun to read about and could literally feel their tension increase as things started falling apart around them. Of the three, this book had the most Christianity written – lots of praying and talking about God and his plan for the young couple.

“The Perfect Match” by Kathleen Fuller
This story was, by far, my favorite of the three. The romance between cautious Naomi and adorable Zeke was absolutely perfect – sweet and kind, with bits of heat thrown in there (it’s Amish fiction, folks – heat means kissing). I thought the author did a fabulous job of introducing her characters to the readers and kept her pacing strong throughout. Naomi’s hesitancy to open her heart again after having it crushed comes through loud and clear. And Zeke… well, he’s just about as perfect as perfect gets.

Immediately after reading this novella, I went online to find more books my Kathleen Fuller. I am really looking forward to reading her other series, though is she chose to write a little more about Naomi and Zeke, I wouldn’t complain a bit.

“The Perfect Secret” by Kelly Long
This novella was my least favorite of the three though still well-written. I simply didn’t feel that it stayed true to what, in my opinion, is the core of what Amish fiction should be about. There was stealing, lying, kind-of-cheating. And while the story concluded with the standard acceptance of God’s word and forgiveness, I just really feel like the plot was a bit too far off for me to suspend my disbelief. Lovely writing, just not for me. ( )

An Amish Wedding
Beth Wiseman, Kathleen Fuller, & Kelly Long
This is a book with interlinking stories about 3 Amish woman written by 3 authors. The first story is about a couple that has known each other their entire lives and are planning to marry. Along the way they discover some secrets about each other and that knowing things about each other is a good basis for building a relationship. The second story is about a young woman who has waited on the Lord to lead her to the man she is to marry. This man is brought into her life story takes off from there. The third story is about a couple that is engaged to marry and all the mishaps that occur on the way to the alter.
The three stories were pleasantly enjoyable. I found the first story to be my favorite of the three. I did like the 2nd and 3rd, which were easy reads. The entire book was well written and each story was links throughout the book. The majority of the characters were in each story and was interwoven to the point that you could not tell that they were written by three authors. ( )

Three Amish women yearn for the perfect wedding. An Amish wedding contains 3 novellas, written by different authors:
A perfect secret by Kelly Long
A perfect match by Kathleen Fuller
A perfect plan by Beth Wiseman
A perfect secret’s story is about Rose Bender and Luke Lantz. Lifelong friends and neighbours. It seems a very logical step that they should marry. But Rose seems to miss something: Romance, passion? Is it wise, that she accepted Luke’s wedding proposal? And, what is his secret? Why does Luke put on English clothes at night and goes to the woods? Rose is in doubt.
Then the second novella, A perfect match. The main characters are Naomi King and Zeke Lapp. Naomi was in love with David, but he went away to earn money for the wedding and met another girl and married her. Needless to say, that Naomi was very hurt and has great difficulty to trust her heart again. Zeke lives in Middlefield, Ohio and visits Paradise on the occasion of the wedding of Chester and Priscilla (remember these names). He immediately likes Naomi and her baking skills, so he does his best to win her heart. Then his father has an accident and he has to return to Middlefield. Will Naomi’s heart be broken again?
The third novella is A perfect plan by Beth Wiseman. Chester Lapp and Priscilla King are about the be married. But a lot goes wrong before the wedding. There are problems building the house, baby sister Sarah Mae “uses” the bridal gown of Priscilla to sow some clothes for her doll, and so on.
They have so many setbacks, that they are doubting whether they should get married at all. Fortunately, they go ahead and they have a beautiful wedding day. What I like in these novella’s is that you meet the same persons in the different novella’s, although written by different persons. The novellas are easy to read and very nice. I’ve read more novels about the Amish way of life and these novels are no different.
The first two stories mention the wedding of Zeke and Priscilla, which ofcourse is the main event in the third novella. I can surely recommend this book. By the way, I most certainly enjoyed reading the Amish recipes. I’ll be sure to try them one day! ( )

"An Amish Wedding" consists of three novellas by three different authors set in the same Amish community and focusing on three young Amish women who have dreams of falling in love and having the perfect Amish wedding.

A Perfect Secret - Kelly Long

Rose Bender and Luke Lantz have known each other their entire lives and it is almost inevitable that they will marry. Rose cares for Luke but wishes there was more excitement in their relationship. Rose gets her wish when she discovers Luke may have a secret side to him. But will Rose's attempts to discover Luke's secret ruin their relationship?

"A Perfect Secret" is a very cute romance about two people who have loved each other for so long that their relationship almost seems stale. I like the fact that both Rose and Luke push at some of the Amish conventions without doing any real damage. The plot does seem a bit unbelievable (surely Luke should have realized Rose saw through his "disguise" and the reasons for donning the disguise were a bit contrived) but it was still a lot of fun to read as these two friends discover the depths of their love.

A Perfect Match - Kathleen Fuller

While Naomi King is excited her sister Priscilla is getting married, she herself has no desire to get married after having her heart broken. Zeke Lapp, in Paradise for his cousin Chester's wedding, has been chased by young women for years but still hasn't fallen in love. When Naomi and Zeke meet sparks fly between them but Naomi thinks Zeke will be perfect for her friend Margaret. Can Zeke convince her they are A Perfect Match?

"A Perfect Match" is another cute story. The attraction between Zeke and Naomi is evident from the start and it is fun to watch them together. I do wish the background story of Naomi and David has been built up a bit more but it is still clear that she's been deeply hurt. While there are immediate sparks between the two, author Kathleen Fuller still lets the romance develop slowly (or as slowly as possible in a novella). It is a very nice romance and I hope to see more of Naomi and Zeke in future books by Fuller.

A Perfect Plan - Beth Wiseman

Priscilla King has long dreamed of having the perfect wedding when she marries Chester Lapp. But as the wedding day approaches everything seems to go wrong from problems with their new house, a wedding attendant with poison ivy, problems with Chester's job, and an embarrassing case of hiccups for Priscilla. Priscilla loves Chester but with all these obstacles she begins to wonder if their wedding is really part of God's plan.

While "A Perfect Plan" is a nice ending to this trilogy of novellas and fits in perfectly with the other stories, I do wish is a way that it was a stand alone novel so readers could read more about Priscilla and Chester's courtship - instead this story takes place after they get together and are almost married. Still, it is a nice little story and Priscilla's pre-wedding jitters will be understandable to anyone who is or was a bride to be. Nothing that happens to them seems to be too contrived and is very believable. Of the three stories and authors, Wiseman does the best in showing Amish customs (the wedding itself and how much the Englisch world keeps creeping into the Amish lifestyle - many Amish carry cell phones now). It is very interesting to read (and again another reason I wish this was a full length novel as there is clearly an ongoing struggle as to how much of the Englisch world is let into the Amish way of life).

"An Amish Wedding" is a delightful collection of related novellas that fans of Amish fiction will enjoy. ( )