Healing Hearts: Healing Hearts / A Change of Heart / A Choice to Forgive

Healing Hearts

by Beth Wiseman

Three hope-filled stories about second chances, trusting your heart, and the power of forgiveness. Healing Hearts— Empty-nesters Levina Lapp and her husband Naaman have no children under their roof for the first time in 30 years. When Naaman leaves to visit cousins in Ohio, Levina never expected him to be gone a year. Now that he's back, will they be able to move beyond this estrangement and rekindle the fire of the love they once shared? A Change of Heart— Leah is a writer in a community that does not encourage such fruitless endeavors. She lacks the skills necessary to be a good Amish fraa —cooking, cleaning, quilting, and gardening. Aaron is aware of Leah's short-comings, but his heart is captured by this spirited young woman. Will Leah's role as an Amish wife and mother force her to set aside her creative life—or will Aaron make an offer she never dreamed was possible? A Choice to Forgive— Lydia has loved two men in her life. Daniel, who disappeared one Christmas Eve long ago, leaving only a note saying he wanted to live in the Englisch world. And Elam, Daniel's brother, to whom she had been happily married for 15 years. When Elam dies, Lydia gives up on ever loving again. But she is shocked when Daniel wants to return to the Order and her life. Is there enough forgiveness in her heart to overlook the past and move into a future that could fulfill her dreams?

Genres: Amish, Christian Fiction, Romance, Christian, Fiction, Amish Fiction, Audiobook

422 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2011

About the author

"I wish I had the time to review books and chat with you here, but my writing deadlines just don't allow it. Please like my Fans of Beth Wiseman Page on Facebook where I try to post any news and interact with readers."
Beth is the best-selling and award winning author of the Daughters of the Promise series - Plain Perfect, Plain Pursuit, Plain Promise, Plain Paradise, and Plain Proposal. She is contracted with HarperCollins Christian Publishing. Her other series--the Land of Canaan Novels--begins with Seek Me With All Your Heart, then The Wonder of Your Love and now, His Love Endures Forever. Seek Me With All Your Heart is the first Amish fiction book selected as a Women of Faith novel in 2011. Beth has also written three contemporary Christian fiction novels, Need You Now published in 2012 and The House That Love Built in 2013. In The Promise, (2014) Beth jumps way outside the box. This story takes readers far away from Amish Country and small Texas towns to a dangerous place on the other side of the world. Inspired by a true story, Beth believes this is the book she’s been working toward for a long time. 2015 brings Beth back to the Pennsylvania Amish with her new series, Amish Secrets. She is currently working on book #2 following much success with book #1, Her Brother's Keeper.

You can also follow Beth on Twitter: @BethWiseman

Reviews

[Ellen White · Rating 4 out of 5]

CHOICE TO FORGIVE Two brothers on Christmas Eve night, the betrayal and causing the one who loved her and leaving. Saying she forgiven him, when the truth became known of why he left eighteen years ago would she still.
A CHANCE OF HEART. A father knew it was a sin to worry, one of his 3 daughters. Leah and her notebook, writing, her imagination, not doing her duties, he didn’t know what to do. Who would want her as a wife. There was a suitor that was interested, he too wondered if it was worth his time.
HEALING HEARTS
Lavina’s love for her husband, the trust he wouldn’t leave again was hard.
Naaman saying he will earn her trust and not leave again.
Three stories of forgiveness, and following God’s path. All three are enjoyable.

[Loraine Alcorn · Rating 5 out of 5]

I just finished my digital copy of Healing Hearts By Beth Wiseman a collection of Amish Romances.
Wow, I just loved this book each story is very different and just filled with inspiring drama and romance. I have read a lot of Amish Romances, though never had the opportunity to read such a nice collection. You have 3 separate stories each one a really nice length and not hurried in any way.
These actually gave me a feel of reading 3 different novels because so much happens in each story.
Healing Hearts by Beth Wiseman offers the reader not only an authentic glimpse into the Amish culture but also makes each person in each story so very real.

In the first story, A choice to forgive-we meet Lydia many years ago Daniel, the man she was supposed to marry up and left the community to live with the English leaving only a note on Christmas eve says he would always love her. Broken hearted Lydia was comforted by Daniel's brother Elam and they ended up marring. Now a Widow Lydia comes face to face with Daniel as he has come back to town. This is a truly wonderful story of forgiveness, love,and Heartbreak. You find out why sometimes even the best intentions for keeping secrets can lead to life changing consequences. This is truly unique story thats exceptionally uplifting and faith affirming.A must read


In the second story, A Change of Heart we meet Leah. Not your typical Amish girl Leah cant cook, sew or do anything to try and prepare for eventual marriage. She does not want to get married and only wants to write her stories so that by her words she may lead people to faith in Christ. Her family, however, is not sympathetic to her wishes and tries to encourage her to think about marriage and her future, Leah will have none of this until she starts seeing Aaron. At first Leah sees him so she can have someone read her work, she has no desire for a courtship. Leah's family especially her father despairs of her ever settling down. They do not understand why she spends so much time writing and not learning the skills she will meed to be a good Amish wife
I loved this story its really went together nicely and I loved all the characters. This was a joy to read, making me laugh out loud and at times bring a tear to my eyes altogether a very uplifting story .

The last Story Healing Hearts we meet Levina Lapp. Levina was abandoned by her husband for a year and she had to struggle both in faith and work to keep up her household and carry on with life .Being a mother of 5 grown children she has a lot of support but missed her husband terribly.
When her husband Naaman comes back home begging for her forgiveness, Levina wonders how will she ever trust him with her heart again. Neeman does not know what made him leave his home and family and he is regretful and ashamed. Both husband and wife have a long way to go to heal hearts both between themselves and their children.
This story was my favorite of the 3 stories. I could identify with Levina and her heartbreak and how difficult it would be to trust again and allow her husband back into her heart. I loved how because their faith in Christ, and love for each other, it lead them to a new stage in life better than what came before.
This is a very uplifting story that shows that forgiveness and faith can make even really bad situations completely whole again. A lot of stuff happens in this story and it has many levels. I just loved it and I know you will too.

Bottom line is all these fantastic stories will greatly help you in your faith and walk with Christ.I would recommend this collection to anyone and will as I now recomend it to you thanks for reading my review of Healing Hearts by Beth Wiseman

[WifeMomKnitter · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Beth Wiseman's Amish novellas are now available for the first time in one collection.

Healing Hearts - Levina Lapp and her husband Naaman are alone for the first time in 30 years. When Naaman left to visit cousins in Ohio, Levina wasn't expecting him to be gone a year. Now that he's back, will they be able to move beyond this estrangement and fall in love again?

A Change of Heart - Leah is a writer in a community that does not encourage such fruitless endeavors. She lacks the skills necessary to be a good Amish fraa. Aaron knows these things about Leah, but his heart is captured by this spirited young woman.

A Choice to Forgive - Lydia has loved two men in her life. Daniel disappeared one Christmas Eve long ago, leaving only a note saying he wanted to live in the Englisch world. And Elam, Daniel's brother, to whom she has been happily married for 15 years. When Elam dies, Lydia gives up on ever loving again. But she is shocked when Daniel wants to return to the Order and her life.

These novellas previously were published in An Amish Love, An Amish Gatheirng, and An Amish Christmas."

For some reason, I'm drawn to Amish fiction. So, when this collection was made available through Booksneeze, I snatched it up.

Though, I have to admit that I was able to finish two of the three stories: A Change of Heart and A Choice to Forgive.

I found both stories that I did read delightful.

I found myself cheering for Leah as she struggled to get others to understand that her writing talent was her true calling. I also thought that the love that blossomed between Leah and Aaron very sweet, well, when she finally took a second look at the boy she had known since childhood.

I also found myself struggling along with Lydia as the one she thought was her first true love (Daniel) comes back into her life after a 15 year absence. She struggles with staying true to the feelings she developed for her husband, Elam, when Daniel disappeared. She also struggles with the anger that she has for the both of them when she finds out the truth about what drove Daniel away so long ago.

[Rachel · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book contains a set of 3 stories by Beth Wiseman. These stories were previously published in An Amish Christmas, An Amish Gathering, and An Amish Love.

In A Choice to Forgive, Lydia has loved 2 men during her lifetime. The first left her unexpectedly on Christmas Eve and has now returned to try to win back her love after the death of her husband and second love.

My favorite story was A Change of Heart. Leah has a gift for writing, which is frowned upon in the Amish community. Not only does Lydia lack the necessary skills to be an Amish wife, but she seems to have no interest in pursuing romantic interests. Can Aaron capture her heart?

In Healing Heart, Naaman Lapp left his wife of 30 years. After 11 months, he returns hoping to rekindle the romance with his wife Levina, but she doesn't know if she can trust her husband, especially when a sheriff appears and is searching for Naaman.

[Shawn Remfrey · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read the first story in hopes of something interesting to read. I read the second story because the book was already in my hand. I read the third story because I was feeling too lazy to get up and look for something else.

While I didn't dislike the stories, I didn't particularly find them any more spectacular than your average old-school Harlequin romance. Everything sticks to the formula.

The only thing I learned from reading this book is that Amish women in romance novels are every bit as foolish as every other woman in romance novels.

If you enjoy romance, this is your typical read and you'll probably find it soothing. For me, it killed some hours and I didn't hate it. This is the absolute middle of the road read for me.

[Diana C. Kobylak · Rating 5 out of 5]

Three Amish stories related to love, acceptance, and forgiveness. My favorite story is A Change of Heart. Leah is an 18 year old Amish young who woman, who does not expect to ever marry. She is not good at household chores expected of a married woman such as cooking, sewing, or gardening. What she is good at is writing books. Aaron has lived her since he laid eyes on her at school. But the only reason she’ll agree to pair up with him is so he can read her stories and give her feedback. Leah’s father has high expectations for his daughter and tries to force her to become a good future fra and stop the writing silliness.

[Elizabeth Meadows · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book and flew through it. The second story was my favorite about a girl who wasn't good at anything domestic and just wanted to be a writer. It took awhile for her Amish family to see the value in that.
The other two stories dealt with women forgiving their men for abandoning them at an earlier point in their lives. Both were very interesting. I wholeheartedly support forgiveness and grace, but I'm not sure I could have done it so easily in each of their situations.

[Tammy Bernadt · Rating 5 out of 5]

A choice to to forgive I read. The others I have read all ready
Great book:

[Megan Rang · Rating 5 out of 5]

3 amazing Amish stories all in one book! Loved it.

[Margarete Baur · Rating 5 out of 5]

Best of the bunch.

As with all Beth's books they are wonderful and easy to read and follow, I look forward to many more books to come.
Wonderfull.

[Penny McKnight]

Fast reading - Clean and enjoyable plots.

[Kathy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love anything and everything Beth Wiseman writes!

[Holli McGuffey · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved each of the stories in this book. They all easily could have been great as stand-alone books!

[Rebecca · Rating 3 out of 5]

Sweet stories, but the writing was not great. I stopped counting how many times the phrase "their eyes fused" was used.

[Di Schlenk · Rating 4 out of 5]

Three sweet novellas about hope and healing.

[Droid · Rating 4 out of 5]

**MINOR SPOILER INFO BELOW**

**First Reads Book Review**

I am a huge fan of Amish novels. I'm not sure if it the setting, the simplicity, or the unwavering devotion to God that gets me, but I love them. I love how you can be transported almost to a different world, yet they are people who, in many ways, have similar struggles and joys that non-Amish experience - just in a different context.

I'll admit, my favorite Amish author is Beverly Lewis. She has a way of pulling me in and I get completely absorbed by her stories as if I am living them, not just reading them. This is how I have come to judge Amish novels, by how her books make me feel.

1: Can the book draw me in and make me lose track of time? Do I forget the chores I have waiting for me and just get lost in the story?

2: How accurate is the writing? Not the words, but the references to Amish life. Are they used appropriately and frequently enough that I feel completely transported?

I have been branching out and trying to read other authors with similar stories to tell, so I was excited to get this "First Reads" copy of Healing Hearts: Three Amish Novellas by Beth Wiseman. The stories are novellas, so by definition, they are short. This is a double-edged sword, in my opinion. The stories aren't quite long enough to give you enough detail, but just long enough that you feel you got what you wanted out of it. These are no exception.

A Choice To Forgive: I loved how the author kept you guessing about the "big secret" most of the way through the story. This kept my attention and made me want to keep reading. She throws in a slight twist in the end, but it wasn't anything I didn't see coming. It did keep me reading though, and everything in the end was wrapped up nicely, if not overly quickly. But again, it is a novella. The biggest issue I had with this story is that several times the author refers to the characters as being "Old Order Amish", yet they seemed to be very modern by Amish standards. They use quite a lot of battery, gas, and propane operated items, which is quite contradictory to anything I've ever learned about Old Order Amish. Other than that, the story was told well, and it was nice to have the mini-Amish dictionary in the beginning of the book; something not all authors provide.

A Change Of Heart: I had a hard time connecting with the characters in this story and subsequently it was my least favorite out of all three novellas. I felt the characters were too modern and the story was more contemporary than any Amish story I've ever read before. The author does a good job of making the characters seem real and animated, she just lacked the connection to the Amish world which would have given it authenticity. Having a character that not only writes stories, but is both sassy and bratty was very unconventional in an Amish story of any length. Overall I liked the story, just not the setting in an Amish community. The story also abruptly ends and is wrapped up in two pages. I would much rather have read an extended version of this novella in a novel, rather than have it wrap up so quickly.

Healing Hearts: This was my second favorite of the stories. Unlike the other stories, I liked the modern take on love that was presented in this novella. I think the author stretches a bit in some of her Amish behavior expressed, however this seems to be her style of writing - pushing the envelope of what is and isn't Amish. I was again hooked by the "mysterious behavior" of the lead male character, which kept me reading through the end. The biggest downside to this novella is its length, as it is quite short. But I truly connected with the characters and was vested in the story. I just wish it had been a bit longer.

Summary: Overall, I liked the three novellas in one book. I was definitely drawn into the stories, and I read the entire book in a span of 4 days. At points I was completely lost and found myself forgetting space and time to read. The author did do a good job of inserting Amish references and imagery, but sometimes the context did not fit with the actual behavior of the characters(Old Order references vs. Modern behavior). I wasn't, therefore, completely transported, but I think part of that has to do with the fact that the stories were novellas, and not complete novels. It wasn't enough to turn me off from her as an author, and I plan to read some of her other books in the future.

[Megan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Healing Hearts is a compilation of three novellas by Beth Wiseman. The first is "A Choice to Forgive" which was originally published in An Amish Christmas. In this story, Daniel returns to his home community after 18 years away, much to the surprise of his first love, Lydia. Lydia had loved Daniel once, but after he disappeared one Christmas Eve with only a note, she moved on with her life. Married to Daniel's brother until his untimely death 2 years earlier, Lydia struggles with his return. She thought she had forgiven him years ago, but finds that may not be the case. There may be more to forgive than she thought. This is a sweet story of forgiveness and second chances. I was brought to tears a couple of times, especially during Lydia's earnest search for God and his will. I do find that many of the Amish stories I read include the death of a loved one and often the return of an old flame; however I enjoyed this quick read and found a strong message in it.

The second story in this collection is "A Change of Heart," which was originally published in An Amish Gathering. In it, Leah, a girl of 18, loves to write and is not so good at traditional Amish ways, like cooking, sewing, and gardening. Her sister's fiance has a brother who has always liked Leah's spark. He wants to court her, but Leah is not interested in marrying. By agreeing to read her book, they begin to spend time together. Unfortunately, her father wants her to help more around the house and not to write. On a journey with highs and lows, Leah "finds her way." I loved this one. I especially enjoyed Leah's character and how she writes about the Englisch. It is an interesting and unique twist. The romance was sweet and the relationship between her and her father was real and tangible. There was a clear message of being who God made you to be and not who others want you to be.

The final story is "Healing Hearts," originally published in An Amish Love. Naaman Lap returns home to his wife, Levina, after being gone for almost a year. His children have all married, and he felt lost and alone in a house with just his wife. Levina wants to forgive her husband; she wants to trust him again, but how can she after he abandoned her once already. Just as relationships seem to be healing a sheriff comes looking for Naaman, and Levina starts to doubt him once again. This was a beautiful story of God's will, of knowing God has a plan in everything even when you can't see it. It is a story of forgiveness and second chances, a story of love and marriage with real struggles. I really enjoyed the marital struggle and reconciliation in this one. So often in books love is made to look easy, and while falling in love usually is...human love needs to be nurtured or it will fade. The theme was strong and important.

I often find when reading novellas that I want more, which was the case with these three as well. This could be taken as a compliment because I liked them enough to want to read more; however, I am a character-oriented person, and in some places the characters could have been more developed. Overall, I really enjoyed these stories. They are light, easy reads with beautiful messages, and I would recommend this book. I will probably be looking for more by Beth Wiseman.

I received a free e-copy of this book from BookSneeze in exchange for my honest review.

[Virginia Campbell · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Healing Hearts", by Beth Wiseman, is a triple treat for lovers of charming, heartfelt romance! This trio of Amish tales features very appealing characters whose stories are both humorous and poignant. There is the youthful intensity of first love, but to my great delight, there is also the rediscovered appreciation of lovers in mid-life. In "A Choice to Forgive", a young widowed mother is reunited with her first love--her late husband's brother. Lydia and Daniel were young and very much in love when Daniel suddenly left the community without warning. Daniel's brother Elam, who loved Lydia, helped to console her and won her hand in marriage. After his brother's death, Daniel returns to the community seeking forgiveness and acceptance and a chance to once again win Lydia's heart. In "A Change of Heart", Leah is a an unconventional young Amish woman who longs to be a writer. She lacks the skills to be a competent housewife, but nonetheless, Aaron finds her to be irresistible. Leah's father despairs that his daughter will ever marry, and he tries to make her give up her writing to concentrate on learning to cook and manage a household. Lydia shares her stories with Aaron, who is even more impressed with her as a person after he reads her work. Will others accept Leah as the unique individual that she truly is, and will Leah realize that Aaron has loved her since they were children in school? In the novella also called "Healing Hearts", Levina struggles to accept her husband Naaman's return after a year-long absence. When all of their children were married, and the nest was empty, Naaman announced that he was going to visit his family in another state. Levina never imagined that he would be gone for a year, and her life changed in many ways while he was gone. When he suddenly comes back, seeking a return to her heart and their home and family, Levina is unsure of her feelings. Naaman has much to answer for, but Levina must also realize that it takes two to make a marriage. I enjoyed these stories very much and look forward to reading more works by Beth Wiseman.

Review Copy Gratis Amazon Vine

[Kristin · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a fantastic set of novellas and I would give the book a 5 out of 5 stars. Individually I would do the same. The first story out of the novellas is a bittersweet love story. If you've ever questioned the "what ifs" this book really hits home with the message of God's wisdom and that he always has a purpose. "And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to [his] purpose. " Never doubt it and never lose faith that He knows what He is doing.

Story 2 in this book was about a young girl named Leah. She isn't good at cooking, cleaning or doing the normal things that will make a man a good amish fraa yet she has captured the heart of a young man named Aaron. This story was about love and acceptance, loving each other for who we are and why God made us different in the first place. It also has a wonderful lesson to parents on loving and supporting our children's dreams.

Last but not least was the story that touched my heart the most. This little novella really opened my eyes to problems in my own marriage that I've overlooked. I loved this little lesson in remembering that we aren't just parents but we are also wives. Remembering the sweet little notes we used to leave to one another and just connecting and communicating, not as mom and dad but as a couple. A must read for mothers.

Beth Wiseman captured the very soul of her characters in this collection and I'm proud to have gotten to review this book.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher through the BookSneeze®.com book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255

[Tonya · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amish fiction as only Beth Wiseman can write. Deeply thought provoking, fun and a pure joy to read always. Healing Hearts is a 3 part book. Each a different story that has been released all together, for one large reading pleasure.

In the first book, A Choice to Forgive, Lydia married and lived with Elam for 15 years. Lydia was engaged to Elam's brother, Daniel, but on Christmas Eve many years before he backed out. Elam is gone, and Daniel suddenly comes back.

Daniel is baptized back into the faith, and everyone but Lydia knows what really happened on that fateful Christmas Eve. Even after Lydia finds out, will she truly be able to forgive Daniel, and maybe Elam?

In the second story, A Change of Heart, Leah is a spirited 18 year old. Leah is very spirited and not like most young ladies of the faith. She can't cook, sew or garden worth a lick. But God has blessed her with another very special gift. The gift of writing. Leah's folks, especially her dad thinks Leah will always live with them if she doesn't put aside this silly writing stuff and concentrate on trying to be a good wife. However, Aaron has his eyes on Leah, and he knows she isn't good at any of that stuff. Will everyone have a change of heart about what is really important?

And finally, we have Healing Hearts. Levina and Naaman have been married for 30 years. The summer before the current one, Naaman says he was going to visit his relatives in Ohio, not coming back for a year. Why? Why did he do this? Read this beautiful story as Levina, their kinner and the community wrestle with this, and forgiveness.

All the stories have a theme. A theme of love, forgiveness and God is bigger than all of us. Beth Wiseman is such a talented writer. I see Leah being Beth quite a bit. Each one of these stories will leave you wanting to apply them to your own life and gobbling up more of Wisemans' books!

I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

[Laura · Rating 4 out of 5]

Title: HEALING HEARTS
Author: Beth Wiseman
Publisher: Tyndale
July 2011
ISBN: 978-2-59554-920-4
Genre: Inspirational/Amish Romance

Three hope-filled Stories about second chances, trusting your heart, and the power of forgiveness.

Healing Hearts: Naaman Lapp left his wife, Levina, after 31 years of marriage. Now, eleven months later, he is home, wanting to take up where they left off. Levina allowed him back in her home, but it’s going to be some time before she allows him back into her heart. What can Naaman do to possibly win back his wife’s trust?

A Choice to Forgive: Lydia has built a life for herself when her fiancé Daniel vanished one Christmas eve. She married Daniel’s brother Elam, and they had three children. But now Elam is dead, and Daniel is back, and he’s asking Lydia for forgiveness and a second chance. Lydia doesn’t believe she’s capable of providing either. How can she go back to normal life with her long lost love as her neighbor?

A Change of Heart: Leah doesn’t care anything about the usual domestic work that an Amish woman does. She only cares about writing. Her daed is at his wits end what to do with her, when an ex-Amish Angel comes into Leah’s life. What will it take for Leah to find her way?

Each of these three stories was previously published by Beth Wiseman in another novella collection: An Amish Gathering, An Amish Christmas, and An Amish Love, and now they are together for the first time in an anthology entitled (appropriately) HEALING HEARTS.

I enjoyed each of these stories, and enjoyed reading them again the second time just as much. I love the cover of this book. I’m not sure which of the three stories I like the best—it was a toss up between A Choice to Forgive and A Change of Heart, but all three were good. If you like Amish fiction and the ease of novellas, then HEALING HEARTS is a book to consider. Discussion questions, a glossary, and some recipes are included. $15.99. 419 pages.

[Tracy Smith · Rating 5 out of 5]

Combine faith, love, and alot of forgiveness and you have a wonderful mixture for "Healing Hearts."

This book contains three Amish stories that all deal with having enough faith and forgiveness to move on and let love and happiness into their lives.
The first, "A Choice to Forgive, " has Lydia moving on after the death of her husband of fifteen years and coming to terms with the deception that he went to his grave with concerning her first love, his brother.
The second, "A Change of Heart," weaves a tale that shows that not only good home-making skills are necessary to bring and keep a young couple happy anmd closer to their faith. The stories Leah creates by her mind and pen put her family and the one she loves on the right path.
And lastly, "Healing Hearts," tells the story of a man and his wife coming to terms with a voluntary separation that showed them how much they really mean to one another. Following their hearts brings love and forgiveness into their lives and happiness for their future.

This was a very enjoyable book for me. I love Amish romance and this one is just overflowing with it. The underlying tone of forgiveness runs through these stories and I believe it is a very important lesson that is to be learned in these trying times of today. Beth Wiseman does a really wonderful job at creating her characters in these stories and I really enjoy how easy they are to get to know. It was just an all-around good book!!

I would highly recommend this book to anyone who enjoys a sweet collection of Amish romance.

This book was provided to me by the publishers through Booksneeze for my honest review.

[Dianne · Rating 3 out of 5]

I won this book through a Goodreads giveaway and I'm so grateful I did because it gave me an opportunity to read something from a genre I wasn't at all familiar with...Amish Romance. The book consists of 3 separate novellas, each quite sweet and lovely. Each contained a message of hope, faith and God which I found really endearing...not the most dramatic of plot twists and "aha" moments...more like "ahhhh...I'm glad it turned out that way" moments. I also enjoyed learning a bit about Amish culture. Ms. Wiseman has lovingly shared her stories in this book...it's a book that definitely leaves you feeling good and contented.

[Diane Holm · Rating 5 out of 5]

Tales to reach your heart...

These three, wonderful, Amish stories will surly find a place in your heart.
"A Choice to Forgive" is about loss, love and starting over. A mighty change from within transpires when past memories become reality. "A Change of Heart" is about learning to accept who we are and enjoying the gifts with which we have been blessed. Recognizing new feelings of the heart can change the world around us. "Healing Hearts" entangles forgiveness, understanding, and love mixed up with misunderstandings, misjudgments, and the deep desire to rediscover that which was lost.

Great reading for Christian Romance lovers.

[Lorie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Loved all of these short stories. I had already read them all in the other books but it is nice to have them all together from one author. Although I really think it loses something that they have in the other books they are in as they are related in the book they came from. All of them would make great full novels!

[Sue · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent read, most set with the Christmas being a pivotal point in the story. Fairly short but not so much that the stories were short changed. Story teller took her time but paced the stories well. For a change of pace read and a bit of escapism to a simplier christian life I'd give these a chance.

[Mavelyn · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the first time I have read anything by Beth Wiseman. The book is a compilation of there of her previously written stories: A Choice To Forgive, A Change of Heart, and Healing Hearts.

I love Amish stories and was not disappointed with this book. Very well written stories with vivid descriptions of the people and the area. I would definitely not hesitate to read more from this author.

[Jewett · Rating 1 out of 5]

I like books about the Amish. That may be because I come from a section of Iowa that has a good size Amish population. This books shows how families get torn apart and how they heal. You sympathize with almost all the characters and understand where they are coming from.

[Patti · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book. 3 Amish stories, 3 very different plots. Very interesting!

*I won this book on Goodreads First reads

[Janet Murphy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Three great stories, all different. Love learning about the Amish ways. Beth Wiseman keeps her characters believable and real.