A Christmas Home (The Promise Glen #1) by Marta PerryNational bestselling author Marta Perry captures the spirit of Christmas in this first novel of her all new series set in the quaint Amish community of Promise Glen.
After ten years spent keeping house and raising her younger siblings, Sarah Yoder returns home to Promise Glen determined to make a fresh start. Her new job with neighbor Noah Raber's furniture business seems promising—until she and the woodworker clash over everything from the best way to reach new costumers to how to raise his mischievous six-year-old twin boys.
Though Sarah longs for a home of her own, she fights the appeal of this ready-made family, resolved to maintain a professional distance. But when she and Noah both agree to help with the school's annual Christmas program, Sarah finds her heart touched by the motherless boys and Noah's quiet strength. Thrown together at work and at the school, their feelings continue to grow, and Sarah struggles to keep Noah at arms' length.
Loving Noah may seem impossible, but with faith, love, and a little help from their close-knit community, there may yet be a Christmas home for them both.
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Series: The Promise Glen #1
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Eileen’s Thoughts
Sarah and Noah’s story was a wonderful tale of two people struggling with the restrictions placed upon them by their religious community and family needs in A Christmas Home by Marta Perry, book one in The Promise Glen series.
After the death of her mother, Sarah Yoder spent ten years keeping house and raising her younger siblings, following the wanderlust of their father. When she returns home to Promise Glen she is ready to make a life of her own. Sarah’s new job is with her neighbor, Noah Raber’s furniture business.
Noah is the single father of six-year old twin boys. His young wife ran away, abandoning their family, looking for an adventure. There is no divorce in the Amish community, so Noah is married, but not; single, but not; at loose ends. He needs Sarah’s assistance in organizing his business but acts resentful. The two clash over everything from the arrangement of the work space, how to reach new costumers, or how to raise his mischievous twin boys.
Despite longing for her own home, Sarah is conflicted with her feelings toward this ready-made family and especially Noah. When these two are forced to work together on the Christmas pageant, their feelings grow; forcing them to avoid being alone. Sarah knows that loving Noah will not end with a happy ending, but with faith, love, some help from their close-knit community, and maybe some Christmas magic, there might yet be a Christmas home for them both.
I felt sympathetic toward Sarah and Noah as both were in difficult spots. Noah was not a free man, able to pursue his interest in Sarah. As these two worked together, Noah recognized the strengths, kindness, and problem-solving skills that Sarah possessed; traits which made her perfect for him and his sons. Sarah wanted to be loved. Maybe more than that, needed to be loved and appreciated for who she was.
Ms. Perry wrote a sweet love story that is not to be missed. She provided a tale rich with emotions, attraction, chemistry, wonderful dialogue, and endearing characters in an interesting Amish community, all helping Sarah and Noah find a way to their own Christmas home. I highly recommend A Christmas Home to other readers and look forward to future books in this series.
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About Marta Perry
Marta Perry realized she wanted to be a writer at age eight, when she read her first Nancy Drew novel. Most girls reached the end of that book wanting to be Nancy. Marta wanted to be the person who created the story.
The dream lay hidden for years while she pursued other career goals, but eventually it re-surfaced, and she began to write, beginning with short children’s stories for Sunday school take-home papers. After seeing hundreds of her short stories published in a variety of magazines, Marta finally started work on the novel she’d always wanted to write. Fifty-some published novels later, she still feels the same excitement when she begins a new book.
A lifetime spent in rural Pennsylvania and her own Pennsylvania Dutch roots led Marta to the books she writes now about the Amish. The Pleasant Valley Amish series from Berkley Books are longer, more complex emotional stories with Amish main characters, while the Amish Suspense series from HQN Books are more adventure-filled books set in Pennsylvania Amish country. She also continues to write for Love Inspired Books.
Marta lives with her husband in a century-old farmhouse in the Pennsylvania countryside, but spends winters at their vacation home in South Carolina. When she’s not writing, she’s active in the life of her church and enjoys traveling and spending time with her three children and six beautiful grandchildren.
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