With Christmas fast approaching, the market was busy and bustling with excitement. The lovely 24-year-old Naomi King enjoyed her life in Bird-in-Hand, her Amish community in Pennsylvania. She is a skillful quilter and wonderful baker and enjoys working in the market as part of the family business. As her hand smooths over the beautifully made quilts, Naomi was approached by a lovely and irresistible little girl and her heart went out to her, especially when she found out the little girl's mother had died.

There is nothing worse that the feeling of having lost your child! So, when Caleb Schmucker, finally spotted his beloved daughter, Susie, chatting with a young Amish woman at the quilt stand, a little of the panic and anxiety left the sadness in his eyes. As the handsome man smiled in thanks to the young lady, a small spark of connection seemed to happen.

While Naomi loved helping her parents by take care of her eight younger siblings, she had always dreamed of being married and having kinner of her own. With two failed romances, Naomi was painfully aware of the gossiping and scornful looks of others and she vowed she would not make the same mistake again. Even her own mother warned her to stay away from him when they found out that the handsome widower was visiting his sister's family for Christmas in their community. For her part, Caleb's sister, Sadie, had her own plans for Caleb to stay and none of them included Naomi. Was their little spark of connection doomed to be extinguished with all this cold negativity swirled around them?

Amy Clipston's Christmas themed Amish romance novella is a delightful treat that immediately pulls you into this deceptively simple story with its skillfully woven plot and wonderful character development. Prefaced by a short glossary of Amish expressions, the dialogue makes you feel as if you are right in the story and just makes you want to find out both how it ends while still lingering on each page to savor its wunderbaar sweetness!

It is a delightful read as a stand-alone romance while fans who love Amish based stories will be pleased that it can also be read as part of the author's series on the women of Kauffman Amish Bakery in Lancaster County. A wonderful gift for yourself or others!

Book Summary

Take a trip to Bird-in-Hand, Pennsylvania, where you'll meet the women of the Kauffman Amish Bakery in Lancaster County. As each woman's story unfolds, you will share in her heartaches, trials, joys, dreams ... and secrets. You'll discover how the simplicity of the Amish lifestyle can clash with the 'English' way of life---and the decisions and consequences that follow. Most importantly, you will be encouraged by the hope and faith of these women, and the importance they place on their families.

Naomi's Gift re-introduces twenty-four-year-old Naomi King, who has been burned twice by love and has all but given up on marriage and children. As Christmas approaches---a time of family, faith, and hope for many others---Naomi is more certain than ever her life will be spent as an old maid, helping with the family's quilting business and taking care of her eight siblings. Then she meets Caleb, a young widower with a 7-year-old daughter, and her world is once again turned upside-down.

Naomi's story of romantic trial and error and youthful insecurities has universal appeal. Author Amy Clipston artfully paints a panorama of simple lives full of complex relationships, and she carefully explores cultural differences and human similarities, with inspirational results.

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