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Review of “Return to the Big Valley—3 Romances from a Unique Pennsylvania Amish Community” by Wanda Brunstetter, Jean Brunstetter, and Richelle Brunstetter

Publisher’s Description:

The Brunstetters Return to a Unique Amish Setting for Three New Stories of Love.


Journey back to an area of Pennsylvania that is home to three distinct Amish communities and meet three young women who face heartfelt disappointments in romance.


 Wilma’s Wish by Wanda E. Brunstetter 

Wilma Hostetler has been courted by Israel Zook for the last year, and he’s recently proposed marriage. But when his sister dies, leaving him to care for five young nephews who openly dislike Wilma, she has second thoughts of starting with a ready-made family and decides to call off the wedding. Can anything be done to restore the relationship, or will Israel seek another wife? 


Martha’s Miracle by Jean Brunstetter 

Martha Yoder is different from other Amish women in her love of hunting and the outdoors. Meeting Glen Swarey, who is working with the local fire department, seems to be a good match. But can Martha accept Glen’s thoughts of leaving the Amish faith, or will she walk away from a chance at love?


 Alma’s Acceptance by Richelle Brunstetter 

Alma Wengerd is a young widow who leaves her home in Kentucky to stay with friends in Pennsylvania. Soon she is speeding into a renewed romance with Elias Kurtz and raising the brows of the older church members. When Alma is waylaid by some unexpected news, could putting her happiness with Elias on hold be her only option?

My Review:

I liked this book.  This is a collection of sweet, clean stories with faith themes of trusting God during difficult times.  It’s the type of story collection that’s great for those times when you want something lighter and shorter to read. 

 I do think that as compared to Wanda Brunstetter’s full-length books, the characters aren’t quite as developed in this trio of stories.  I didn’t get quite as involved in the storylines in this collection for that reason.  The details sometimes seemed rushed to get to the ending of the story.  However, that’s the nature of this type of story collection and putting aside those two things, I still enjoyed reading the book.


I received a copy of this book from the publisher.  All opinions are my own.
Click here to purchase a copy:
https://www.amazon.com/s?k=return+to+the+big+valley+wanda+brunstetter&crid=1J7JHFRCBGLE&sprefix=Return+to+the+Big%2Caps%2C319&ref=nb_sb_ss_ts-doa-p_1_17

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

New York Times bestselling author Wanda E. Brunstetter’s inspirational romance novels have captured the hearts of millions of readers and based on personal research intended to accurately portray the Amish way of life has made her Amish Country’s Most Beloved Storyteller. Considered one of the founders of the Amish fiction genre, Brunstetter’s fascination with the simple life began when she met her husband, Richard, who grew up in a Mennonite church with close ties to his family’s Pennsylvania Dutch heritage. Meeting her new Mennonite sisters-in-law caused the author to yearn for the simpler life. Brunstetter’s desire to explore the Amish culture increased when she discovered that her great-great grandparents were part of the Anabaptist faith. In their travels, she and her husband have become close friends with many Amish people across America, and many of her books are read and trusted by the Amish, who credit her for giving readers a deeper understanding of the people and their customs. Whenever she visits her Amish friends, Brunstetter finds herself drawn to their peaceful lifestyle, sincerity and close family ties, which is in stark contrast to the chaos and busyness that plagues so many modern “Englishers.” Time and time again, Brunstetter loses her heart in the Amish life, and she hopes her readers will, too. The author of nearly 100 books translated in four languages and with more than 10 million copies sold, Brunstetter’s stories consistently earn spots on bestseller lists including New York Times, Publishers Weekly, USA Today, CBA, ECPA and CBD.