The Amish Marriage Bargain by Marie E. Bast Book Review and Amazon Gift Card Giveaway

ABOUT THE BOOK
Will a baby girl bring them together at last?
She’ll do anything for her niece…Even marry the man who broke her heart.
Nothing can keep May Bender in her Amish hometown—except caring for her baby niece. But the bishop insists that May also marry her widowed brother-in-law, Thad Hochstedler—the beau who jilted her to wed her sister. Can May risk her heart long enough to learn the real reason for Thad’s first marriage…and possibly rediscover their love?
Book: The Amish Marriage Bargain
Author: Marie E. Bast
Genre: Amish    Release Date: December 17, 2019

MY BOOK REVIEW
Marie E. Bast wrote a beautiful story about May making a promise to her dying sister, April she and a bargain made strictly so she can be a mother to her tiny daughter and help save their family farm. May's solution to the finacial problesm were very clever. 

May is faced with the decision to accept her aunt's offer to work in her Indiana bakery or marry Thad. She also wanted to keep her promise to her sister, April to take care of her daughter Leah. No question about it she wanted deeply to take care of Leah, but then she would have to deal with Thad and his family. Thad's mother treated her poorly and made her feel incompetent. May and Thad dated and was really in love with each other in the past only to be jilted when he married her sister April instead. After her sister, April passed away Thad inherited the family farm where May was living as she helped care for his daughter, Leah. Now she is left with the decision on what to do. 

We see the struggles of the small dairy farmers trying to survive from the government USDA regulations. This allowed us to see a creative side of May as she came up with a variety of ideas of making cheese as a way to save their family far. Thad was involved in a local diary farmer association. 


The lead characters are relatable. They are hard working. 
May is strong with a business sense who can think beyond the norm. She always felt inferior to her sister.  Throughout the book we see May having a kind heart and deeply loves her neice, Leah.  She is having the hardest time forgiving Thad for marring her sister. Thad didn't know how to treat woemn right and made some big mistakes. he did the best to provide for his family and tried to show May kindness in hopes of winning her heart back. Even though he was dense I still like him.  

Marie E. Bast did a great job of adding conflict and a variety of situations to keep the story interesting and not a repeat of other Amish Romance novels. I know they are in in Amish country, but the diaglogue didn't sound natural to me. Marie E. Bast highlighted many customs of the Amish and items in the Ordnung. There are many Amish rules I don't agree with especially rules for the women. 

There were times in the story something would happen then Bast would include, "as was the custom with the Amish" which was unnecessary and took me away from the story at times. The theme of the book is to letting go and forgive. Throughout the book it had a mystery romance feel to it.  It is your typcial Amish romance novel, but it was a nice read. 


I received a copy from CelebrateLit. The comments and impressions are my own. 

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Marie E. Bast is a Publishers Weekly bestselling author. Her stories whisper words of hope and healing through complex characters and twisting plots. She enjoys writing Amish, contemporary and historical stories. Married for twenty-eight years, Marie and her husband have two grown sons and one daughter. When she’s not writing, she’s walking, golfing, gardening or spending time with her family. Visit her website at MarieBastAuthor.com or follower her on social media.
Check out her blog: Click Here 

More from Marie

Did you know that until as late as the twentieth century, marriage was never based on love?
In fact, the institution of marriage predates recorded history. But in ancient biblical times, the reasons for marriage are numerous. The kings, nobility, wealthy, and aristocratic families used arranged marriages to ensure loyalty between kingdoms, which forced a united bound and ensured the integrity of their inheritance and the family wealth.
Arranged marriages, marriages of convenience, and marriage bargains were practical to keep property and kingdoms intact and in the family line. But these marriage contracts also spilled over into the commoners’ lives. In times of poverty, a daughter was only another mouth to feed and therefore a burden on the family. That fueled the arranged marriages where the groom gave the family money, animals, or some other commodity in exchange for the marriage.
Also, arranged marriages were instrumental for women over the age of 30 who were unwed. Even in the nineteenth century, many women would find that a marriage of convenience was the way to go. Often, a widower needed a mother and housekeeper for his family, and sometimes a woman without means to support herself would readily accept a marriage of convenience. Even today, some cultures still use arranged marriages.
But one of the most unique marriage of convenience is the marriage bargain, and that is the central theme to my newest book, The Amish Marriage Bargain, which releases in book form December 17, 2019, and eBook January 1, 2020. The marriage bargain is the specific negotiation of the terms of the agreement regarding a particular situation and often included land.
After her sister dies, May Bender will do anything for her niece…Even marry the man who broke her heart. But like the days of old, the bargain goes deeper than that.

GIVEAWAY


To celebrate her tour, Marie is giving away to four winners each a $25 Amazon card will also receive a copy of the book!!

Be sure to comment on the blog stops for nine extra entries into the giveaway! 

BLOG STOPS
The Power of Words, January 2
The Avid Reader, January 3
Texas Book-aholic, January 4
Vicky Sluiter, January 4
Mary Hake, January 4
Among the Reads, January 6
Betti Mace, January 6
Older & Smarter?, January 7
Batya’s Bits, January 7
janicesbookreviews, January 8
Hallie Reads, January 8
Bigreadersite, January 10
She Lives to Read, January 11
Quiet Quilter, January 12
Pause for Tales, January 12
EmpowerMoms, January 14
Splashes of Joy , January 15


Comments

  1. I am enjoying these tours and finding all the terrific books my family is enjoying reading. Thanks for bringing them to us and keep up the good work.

    ReplyDelete

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