I really enjoyed this book! It has a great story and fantastic characters! Sam is my favorite! He's the all American boy, Amish version! He's loving, caring, compassionate and loyal. Sadie is a great character too! I like all of the secondary characters and their stories! Each one is relatable! A definite must read! ( )

An Amish Bride by Rosalind Lauer is the second novel in Joyful River series. While An Amish Bride could be read as a standalone, I believe it is best to read An Amish Homecoming first. I thought An Amish Bride was well-written with developed characters. Miriam Lapp is my favorite. She is such a sweet woman who will not hesitate to meddle if it helps those she loves. The story is engaging with a good flow and pacing. We get to know Sadie Beiler and Sam Lapp. Sadie is best friends with Essie Lapp, Sam’s younger sister. Sadie spent her spare time in the Lapp household and considers it her second home. Sam had always seen Sadie as a sister until she blossomed into a beautiful woman. He finds that she is kind, gentle, and compassionate. Sam would like to court Sadie, but he hesitated too long. Sadie is now going with Mark Miller, but Sam is worried because he knows that Mark has a dark side. When Mark goes out of town without telling Sadie, she begins to question their relationship. She spends more time at the Lapp home and finds something unexpected. An Amish Bride by Rosalind Lauer is a sweet story. We get to follow the day-to-day life of the Amish. It is amazing how rules differ between church districts. I would have a hard time letting men make decisions for me. The Amish are bound by the rules set forth by the Bishop and the elders. Sadie must follow a ruling of the elders and learns how difficult it is to obey yet remain faithful. We get to catch up with the characters from An Amish Homecoming. They three sisters have been staying with the Lapp family for a year now and have a different perspective than when they arrived. A trip home sheds light on the differences between the two homes. The girls need to make decisions about their future. Isaac, Sam’s cousin, is making some hard decisions. He likes using his medical knowledge to help people and wants to continue doing so in the future. Isaac will need to make a choice between a higher education and being baptized in the Amish faith. I did find the book a little long and I would have liked less repetition. Some details are repeated twice or more. I enjoyed reading An Amish Bride. It is a great diversion from reality. I hope there will be another tale in the Joyful River series. An Amish Bride is a tender tale with a weepy wedding, strep throat sadness, a boorish beau, a firm friend, a disappointing decision, a meddling mother, and a happy house. ( )

"An Amish Bride" continues the story begun in Book One of this Joyful River series. Sadie is the focus of this story, as she struggles to decide about her future. When her boyfriend Mark shows his dark side, Sadie fears she has made a mistake. Sadie seeks guidance and support from her friends the Lapp family, and rediscovers her feelings for elder son Sam. When Sadie tries to break things off with Mark, things go further awry for Sadie. She ends up bearing the responsibility of a relationship that has gone wrong, and the result of lies and cover-ups, though she did nothing wrong.

This book also features Megan, Serena, and Grace, the Englisher cousins who have come to live with the Lapps. They also seek guidance for their futures, as they find they no longer fit in with their friends in Philly.

The characters in this novel are realistic and endure struggles that are common to the human condition. The story demonstrates that the Amish communities must grapple with the same ills found in non-Amish society. I was both annoyed and astonished at the stance taken by the community leaders regarding violence against women and the result of their male dominance. The novel comes to a rather abrupt ending. I would have liked to see more development of the action in the final chapter.

Readers who enjoyed the first book in this series will reacquaint themselves with old friends. The book can also be read as a standalone.

I received this novel from the publisher and from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. The opinions expressed here are entirely my own. ( )

I loved my return visit Joyful River, and I sure wasn't disappointed, what a page-turner.

This book begins with the wedding, and the realization that you don't always see what is right before your eyes, but there is also something that we don't expect in an Amish Community.

There are some tough subjects that the author brings to light, and some hard times for those who want to be together, and we are along as we journey to the truth, and hope for the future.

Now with some still unanswered questions, I am hoping for future reads!

I received this book through Net Galley and the Publisher Kensington, and was not required to give a positive review. ( )