A Reluctant Bride (An Amish of Birch Creek Novel)

In A Reluctant Bride, marriage was never a thought for Sadie Shrock, let alone marrying because she seems to have no other choice. Sadie is a very sweet girl that I liked instantly. She had a lot to deal with all at once and handled it as well anyone would. I did not care for a few of the characters at first. They grew on me, like they did with Sadie. This book has grief, heartache, deceit, greed, lies, abuse, and death. I was left hanging with a few questions about characters that will most likely be addressed in the rest of the series. A Reluctant Bride is book 1 in the Amish of Birch Creek series. I was provided a complimentary review copy of this book. 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.

Sadie Schrock, the oldest of three sisters, had no use for Bishop Troyer’s sons. The eldest, Solomon was only 19 and already a drunk and a very mean person. Aden Troyer didn’t seem to have a backbone. He and Sol were in the cornfield the day 16 year old Sadie was walking back to the family store with bags of ice. Drunk as usual, Sol appeared in front of Sadie and blocked her way. Aden couldn’t stand up to his brother to protect her and ran home. Disgusted with the bishop’s sons, Sadie swore to never marry. She kept that promise for more than six years.

One day while Sadie and her sister Abigail worked in the store, their parents and Joanna went to pick apples. That day Sadie’s world turned up-side down. A police officer came into the store to inform Sadie that the buggy her parents and youngest sister were in had been hit by a car. Her mamm and daed were dead and Joanna had been taken to the hospital.

I don’t want to give everything away. Pick up a copy of this book and read Sadie’s story. Read about the love and devotion she has for her sisters. Read about Bishop Troyer…you’ll understand why the boys are the way they are. Read about why Sadie does marry after promising herself she never would. You’ll be surprised by who she marries!

Thank you Kathleen Fuller for a wonderful read!

Kathleen Fuller writes Amish fiction that perplexes me. I read A Reluctant Bride and got totally wrapped up in the story, but the "villain" in the book was the bishop of the community.

Sadie Schrock was never going to get married. She wanted to be the one in charge of her life. When her parents died in a hit and run accident that seriously injured Sadie's sister, Joanna. Sadie went to the bishop to see if the community funds could help pay some of Joanna's hospital bills. Instead, the bishop wanted Sadie to marry his older son so that he could get the gas rights to Sadie's land. Instead of marrying the older son, the younger one volunteers to marry Sadie.

I understand that greed affects people in all walks of life, but for most of the Amish fiction I've read, the bishop tries to live above reproach, and takes very seriously the mandates for overseers in Timothy and Titus.

I enjoyed the book, but I felt there could have been more depth to the characters and more substance to the plot. However, the book is a good read for a quiet afternoon. Four Stars.

My thanks to Thomas Nelson for allowing me to read and review this book. I was only obligated to share my honest opinion.

This is an excellent marriage of convenience story! The circumstances leading to Sadie and Aden's union are tragic, and the author did a wonderful job endearing the characters to us in the beginning so that when the shift occurred, I was completely immersed and connected to the high emotion. The complexities of Sadie and Aden's personalities are understandable after what they have gone through in the past and present, and the way Aden dedicates himself to Sadie's happiness is healing for both of them. I loved the slow progression of their relationship with all its nuances. There is some suspense with the pressure the bishop is putting on Aden and his brother, and the resolution was one I didn't see coming but brought a satisfying conclusion. I'm so glad there are two more books in the series from Sadie's sisters' points of view, and can't wait to read them!

(Thank you to Thomas Nelson Publishing for a copy of the book in exchange for my honest review)

Things are not always as we perceive and at first look the Amish Community of Birch Creek, looks and acts just like most others. As we delve into the character’s lives here, one family is not like most of the others, and this family is at the forefront of all of the families. This is the Bishops family, and there are a lot of deep dark secrets here.
Beginning with just about the first page we see that one of the Bishops sons is a drunkard. He attacks of one his own, Sadie Schrock, and life then throws funny punches at her by placing him in her life forever.
I was shocked at some of the revelations that happened in this story, and yet they happen in all cultures, and unfortunately they seem to repeat themselves. We can only hope that it stops at this generation and does not move forward.
It is a compelling page-turner, and yes you will shed tears, and hope for the best. Will life turn around for Sadie and her sisters?
I received this book through Net Galley and the Publisher Thomas Nelson, and was not required to give a positive review

I was instantly drawn to this book from the moment I read the back cover. I was hoping the inside of the book was just as good as the description on the back. Did the book live up to my expectations? Yes!! In fact, it surpassed them!

The characters in this book were well developed. There are ones you will immediately like and ones you will hate. The author did a wonderful job of creating these characters and making them feel so real that I forgot they were fictional.

The story is told at just the right pace. The story has a very real and natural progression that lent to the believability of the story. I didn't feel like anything was rushed and the Sadie and Aden's story was told to perfection.

A Reluctant Bride is a wonderfully told story of love, loss, and second chances. It is definitely one for the keeper shelf. A second or third reading of this book will be just as good as the first. A must read for fans of love stories, Amish or not.

I received a free copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for my honest opinion, which I have given.

Sadie has always said that she will never get married. But when her parents are killed in an auto vs buggy accident, she is left with no choice by the marry the bishop's son, Aden. Ever since his older brother tried to kiss her against her will, she has harbored resentment against Aden and his brother Sol.

Aden has had a hard life- abused by his older brother because his father, the bishop, demanded it. Now, he sees a way out of his father's home. And a way to really protect Sadie. He feels guilt for not protecting her from his brother's advances all those years ago.

This is a story of power abused by church leaders and forgiveness of brothers. I enjoyed the story and look forward to reading more about Sadie and Aden.

Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book from the publisher. All opinions expressed are by own.

A Reluctant Bride is Kathleen Fuller's best yet. This Amish story has complex characters who are thrown together in unexpected ways that provide an intriguing story.

Sadie and Aden both harbor deep hurts and secrets that make their individual lives difficult enough on their own. But when they are suddenly thrown together out of necessity, they have to make choices about how much to share in order to begin healing.

Kathleen did an awesome job of crafting these and other characters in ways that provide a very engaging story. Some of the turns in the plot were expected, but others caught me off-guard, one element of great stories. She brought in several tragic and difficult topics and allowed her characters to deal with them in emotion-provoking ways. I alternated between cheering the characters on and crying with them as they struggled with their hurts and fears.

Fans of great Amish fiction should thoroughly enjoy A Reluctant Bride. Thanks to Kathleen for providing a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

I highly recommend this powerful and captivating story by Kathleen Fuller. She never fails to present a well-written book with great character development and fresh ideas and themes.
Amish fiction is typically filled with faith, great cooking, and strong family values. However, you will find the author has dug deeper into the subject matters of today’s world to show that no one, not even the Amish, is exempt from Satan’s pull when we allow him to creep into our hearts and lives. Although it is a work of fiction, this book serves as a strong reminder of the reality of the pain endured by many who are victims of; mental and physical abuse, deceitfulness, misrepresentation by church leadership, alcoholism, and hidden secrets.
As difficult as those subjects are, I admire how Ms Fuller handles them with sensitivity, grace, and skill. You will find them coupled with kindness, forgiveness, trust, grace, and second chances, bringing to life the goodness of God even in the worst of circumstances.
Thank you to the publisher, Thomas-Nelson, for the opportunity to review this work of Christian fiction.

Sadie is an Amish woman who works in her parents’ store. She has two sisters and a happy life except for the bishop’s son who has a drinking problem and makes advances towards Sadie which she cannot tell anyone about. Sadie’s life is changed tragically when her parents are killed in an accident and one of her sisters is seriously injured. Sadie has to make some tough decisions and determines to continue running the family store herself, but the bishop has other ideas. The bishop, who actually has his own selfish interests at heart, tells Sadie that she will not be allowed to own her own business and that if she wants to keep the business she must marry his son. The bishop has a second son, however, who has always liked Sadie and steps up and rescues Sadie from his alcoholic brother by telling a falsehood and saying that he and Sadie had been seeing each other secretly and want to marry. Sadie is caught between wanting to keep her family’s business and marrying someone she really doesn’t even know.

This story was a page-turner for me and I read the book quickly. Kathleen Fuller is a talented writer and paints an Amish picture that is quite different from many of the other Amish fiction books. Definitely a good read.

Sadie swore she'd never get married. But when tragedy hits her family, she finds herself getting married in order to save her home. Aden didn't save Sadie when they were younger but he's not going to be weak now. Little do they know that Aden's father is keeping secrets from them and the entire Amish community and that is the real reason they are forced into marriage.

I love Amish fiction and I jumped at the chance to review A Reluctant Bride for Booklook Bloggers. A Reluctant Bride is the first in the Amish of Birch Creek series by Kathleen Fuller.

I enjoyed getting to know Sadie and Aden. They both had baggage and it made them so much more real. Sadie had her reasons for not wanting to get married and hating both Aden and his alcoholic brother, Solomon. Aden's relationship with Solomon and his father, the Bishop of their community, is troubled by both mental and physical abuse. It was hard to see how the two would come together at all.

But when they do, through no real choice of their own, their developing relationship is precious. I found myself encouraging them both to let go of their past fears and doubts. I wanted to join them at the dinner table and get them talking to each other.

Into the mix, Fuller adds in some mystery and intrigue. She was able to keep me wondering until the end and beyond. She left a couple of pieces of the story line at a cliffhanger to be finished in the coming books. (I hope!)5 Hearts

I will definitely be watching for the next book in the series. I'm excited to see how the cliffhangers get resolved and hopefully get a glimpse of Sadie and Aden in the future. I had never read any of Kathleen Fuller's books but I enjoyed this one immensely and will be looking up her other books.

If you enjoy the Amish Romance, you'll enjoy A Reluctant Bride by Kathleen Fuller! It's everything that is typical of the genre, with a twist!

I enjoy reading Amish romances and A Reluctant Bride by Kathleen Fuller was just the ticket! The story grabbed me from the first paragraph and I couldn't stop reading till I finished the book. Heartache, drama, romance, faith - all the ingredients for a really good book!

The only thing I really didn't like was a small part of the ending of the book. Not the resolution of issues that occurred throughout the story - that was really good.

What didn't sit well with me was the abrupt and rather bizarre, ending surrounding one of the antagonists in the story. It just didn't really make sense how it ended for that one character. Luckily, the ending for all the other characters in this story was definitely worth the reading!

I received a free copy of this book from Booklook Bloggers in exchange for an honest review.

A Reluctant Bride by Kathleen Fuller was a really wonderful read. I really loved Aden because of the quiet strength I saw in him. To go through what he did and not turn into an angry man shows how much inner strength he had. He was my favorite character. I also enjoyed Sadie's character. The only problems I had with A Reluctant Bride was the fact that the story only took place in like a week. I felt like everything that happened between the character happened too quickly, I would have found the story much sweeter if Aden and Sadie had spent more time together. I also felt like there were some unanswered questions. But otherwise I really enjoyed the writing and story telling.

5 out of 5. An amazing Amish Afternoon Snack.

I received a copy of this book from BookLook in exchange for my honest review.

A Reluctant Bride is an emotionally charged story! Heart-wrenching and dramatic, it beautifully illustrates the power of forgiveness.

When Sadie Schrock’s life is turned upside down, she finds herself in a situation she never expected. Determined to make this best of the situation, for herself and her sisters, Sadie slowly lowers her defense and allows a relationship to develop. Sadie and Aden’s story is compelling, and I’m excited to know more books will follow in the Amish of Birch Creek series.

A Reluctant Bride is a gripping tale and a highly recommended read for fans of Amish fiction!

I received a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for an unbiased review. All thoughts expressed are my own.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book! It is somewhat different than the Amish ficiton books I have read in the past (and I have read a lot) in that the bishop was not a Godly man. He was controlling, angry, deceitful and violent. The story leads one to believe this stemmed from his own childhood and his father. He forces Aden (his son) and Sadie to marry after Sadie tragically lost her parents in an accident. Aden had suffered abuse at the hands of his father and older brother, Sol. TI loved watching Aden and Sadie's relationship unfold. Also, Sol coming to repentance. his book is about forgiveness and abuse by church leaders. This is the first book in a series and I cannot wait for the others! I am reviewing this book for netgalley.

This is definitely not the typical Amish romance.

But… WOW!

And I mean WOW!

Not only do we get a romance – granted a bit odd, but still a romance, we get suspense and even a bit of a scandal – and that is out of character for the typical Amish romance.

Bit it’s just too good to miss!

Well, maybe good isn’t quite the word… (tongue in cheek). NO! I’m not telling you what exactly that means! You’ll have to read the book to see!

But trust me when I tell you – it is worth a read!

What a powerful story! What a unique perspective! What an amazing journey!

And it’s the first book in the series so I have hope for MORE!

Review © JCMorrows 2015

This was quite an interesting story full of truth and lies, secrets and openness, brokenness and healing, and so much more. The author did an amazing job of developing such an uplifting story out of all the pain, suffering, and misery. The hero and heroine had such a huge task of overcoming so many events from the past that it seemed hopeless at times. I recommend this to all who feel the need for another chance to get things right. God doesn't always work things out the way we think He should but He does work them out for our good. So many of us can learn from the actions of the characters in the book who listened to God.

A Reluctant Bride is such a page turner. Bullying happens even in the Amish lifestyle. It is a very sad reality. But it does happen.
Sadie and Aden have overcome so much in their lives. Between the bullying, the mental anguish, the secrets, and other hurtful things from the brethren, it is amazing to me what they are able to do.

It is simply amazing, a gut-wrenching but heart-warming book. I think the author, Kathleen Fuller did an amazing job in writing this story. I look forward to the rest in the series. I received this book in hopes of an honest review. All opinions are my own.

I opened this book, and from the very first page, I could not put it down! I could feel my heart beating just as fast as Sadie's as soon as I turned the page! Sadie is honest and fresh, but with a heartbreak she just can't let go of. As the pages go on and we meet new characters, my heart beat just never slowed down! I found myself at one point during my evening prayers with a prayer for Sadie and Aden on my heart. I know that sounds funny, but they became very real to me. My only regret is finishing this book so quickly when I really want to spend more time curled up on the couch learning more about them. I am very hopeful that there will be more books to come because I have questions that I need to have answered!! What happens next and why did things happen like they did.....I will be waiting, patiently again, for the next book! (maybe more impatiently this time!)

A Reluctant Bride by Kathleen Fuller is the first book in her An Amish of Birch Creek series. Sadie Schrock is sixteen years old (in the very beginning) living in Birch Creek. It was her turn to go get ice for their family store. On her way home she encounters Sol Troyer. He is always pushing himself at Sadie and she keeps rebuffing him. Sol drags Sadie into the cornfield and insists upon a kiss (and then he will let her go). Aden, Sol’s brother, tries to intercede, but he is unsuccessful (and then he leaves Sadie). Sol gets very fresh so Sadie knees him where he is most vulnerable. Sadie runs home (and tells no one).

Six years later Sadie is devoted to working in her parent’s store, Schrock Grocery and Tools. Her mother keeps trying to get her to find a man and get married. Her two sisters, Abigail and Joanna want to go to the singing that evening, but their mother will not let them go unless Sadie goes with them. Sadie eventually agrees to go and then wishes she had not when she finds out it is being held at Bishop Troyer’s (Sol and Aden’s father). Sadie cannot stand being there for very long especially when Sol shows up. Soon, though, the unthinkable happens. Sadie’s parents and Joanna are in a buggy accident (a car hit them). Her parents are both gone and Joanna is severely hurt. Joanna will need weeks of rehabilitation (Abigail will stay with a relative near the rehab center to help Joanna). When Sadie goes over the finances for the store, she finds out that they do not have much money. She will need help from the community fund to pay the hospital bills (which is what it is for). When Sadie goes to ask Bishop Troyer, the bishop refuses to give her the money (sounds suspicious). Bishop Troyer sees this as a golden opportunity (he is up to something). He tells Sadie that she has to marry his son, Sol. Thankfully, Aden intervenes (you will have to read the book to find out how). They are married within days.

Aden and Sadie are going to have to find a way to live together. Sadie will have to forgive Aden for what happened six years previously. Can these two find a way to overcome the past and move forward to their future? Then they find out why the bishop wanted them to marry (I do not want to spoil it for you). Then there is the issue of Sol. Why does Sol drink? There is a lot going on in A Reluctant Bride, but it all ties together. I give A Reluctant Bride 4 out of 5 stars. For me this was a hard book to read because of the bullying (brought up bad memories). It is a nicely written book and I like the ending. One thing I am noticing lately in many Christian and Amish fiction books is the problem of lack of communication. People keep storming off or stewing about an issue instead of talking about it (or praying about it).

I received a complimentary copy of A Reluctant Bride from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. The review and opinions expressed are my own.

Typical Amish Romance. Girl meets guy. Doesn't like him. Then changes her mind after he saves her from a bad situation. He said. She said. He looked. She looked. Not much for real world happenings. Just the constant notice me and him. It was a little comical how little the heroine ate. She was always skipping a meal and going to sleep. Many unanswered questions throughout. If you want a quick romance you might enjoy this. If you want to read a book with more substance don't choose this one.

The RELUCTANT BRIDE by Kathleen Fuller was not your typical Amish tale, and I'm not even sure it was as true to the Amish as most I've read. There are some inconsistencies in the traditions, although I do know that each district has different rules they hold to.
Sadie Schrock's parents are killed and her youngest sister hospitalized when a car hits their buggy. She is the oldest sister and left in charge of the younger ones.
Bishop Troyer has been the only leader of the district since its inception, and has never had an election for deacon's or preachers. Solomon the elder son is a drunk and abusive and Aden is youngest son and has learned to submit to his brother and father.
Upon the death of Sadie's parents Bishop Troyer decides she has to marry one of his sons and the sequence of events that follow is the narrative of the book.
I am of mixed thoughts of the book. It deviates from what I have come to understand about the Amish culture in much of the context but I was interested in how Kathleen would bring it to close.
I received this book free from Thomas Nelson Publishers for an honest review.

I have never read a book by Kathleen Fuller until I read this book. I am now a huge fan. This book grabbed me from the beginning and I literally read it in two days. This book shows a darker side of Amish life. It deals with childhood abuse, alcoholism, and bullying. It deals with death and heartache. It also shows the beauty of forgiveness and unconditional love. I can't wait for the next book in the series.

Stories written from an Amish point of view will always capture my attention. It’s my natural curiosity for another culture and Ms. Fuller’s book does not disappoint. Full of cultural references as well as suspense and romance, A RELUCTANT BRIDE will leave readers eagerly turning the next page to see if this reluctant bride stays reluctant for long. A good addition to any library.

Was not my favorite by Kathleen Fuller. Must say I do have most of her books, which I have loved.
This time was the subject matter and main theme of the book. The lies, the abuse, it just went on and on. Nothing was done about the Bishop
or what was happening in his household.Nor of protecting. Sadie, or her her younger sisters
Though the writing was good, in that the story arrived you through the book. When one can't relate to any of the characters or what it is about
Was given a copy by Harper Publishing for my honest opinion. Hopefully the other stories in this series of Amish of Birch Creek will be better
For she is a great writer

This was quite an interesting story full of truth and lies, secrets and openness, brokenness and healing, and so much more. The author did an amazing job of developing such an uplifting story out of all the pain, suffering, and misery. The hero and heroine had such a huge task of overcoming so many events from the past that it seemed hopeless at times. I recommend this to all who feel the need for another chance to get things right. God doesn't always work things out the way we think He should but He does work them out for our good. So many of us can learn from the actions of the characters in the book who listened to God.