The Lopsided Christmas Cake by Wanda E. Brunstetter & Jean Brunstetter

Title: The Lopsided Christmas Cake

Author: Wanda E. Brunstetter & Jean Brunstetter

Pages: 208

Release Date: September 1, 2015

Genre: Amish Fiction

Publisher: Shiloh Run Press

Format: eBook (available in paperback also)

Note: I received a free eBook copy of this novel through NetGalley in exchange for my honest opinion.

About the book:

     Join the Hochstetler twin sisters on stage as they bumble their way through baking a cake for a charity auction in front of a live audience. The take-charge Elma and the klutzy optimist Thelma manage to entertain their audience – and attract the admiration of two bachelors, an outspoken woodworker and a shy harness maker from a neighboring Amish community. As fall leads into the Christmas season, could romance be blossoming for one or more of the Hochstetler twins?

     Find out in this brand new romance from New York Times bestselling author Wanda E. Brunstetter, writing with her daughter-in-law Jean Brunstetter.

My review:

     This is an enjoyable Amish romance.

     I fell in love with all four of the main characters. Their personalities were very different from each other and that made their interactions entertaining to me.

     I’m not used to reading Amish stories where the romantic leads are in their thirties already. It was actually refreshing to have adults that were already settled away from their parents. At the same time they were trying to figure out life on their own and concerned that they may never find the right person to marry.

     The story was very sweet and I really liked that they took time to develop a friendship first. Then as they spent time together they gradually moved into a courting relationship.

     The only think that was a distraction for me was the sporadic use of a single Pennsylvania Dutch word. If they had been used regularly throughout the story I would have enjoyed them. At times it felt a little like the authors were reminding the reader, “This is an Amish story. They don’t speak English.” Then there was a forced feeling in fitting in the English translation for the word used.

     This slight distraction is definitely not enough to stop me from recommending the book though. Because of it I am subtracting half a star. That means I am giving this book (at least here on my blog) a 4 ½ star rating.