Friday, November 1, 2019

Book Review: The Bake Shop by Amy Clipston

The Bake Shop by Amy Clipston



Publisher & Release: St. Martin’s Press, October 29, 2019

Time and setting:  Regency period, London

Genre: Historical Romance

Length: 331 Pages

Heat Level: 1 Flame

Rating:  4.5 Gold Crowns

Book Description: 

Return to Lancaster County with the first installment of Amy Clipston's charming new Amish Marketplace series.
Christiana Kurtz loves to bake, but when her bake stand becomes too busy, her mother encourages her to move her business to the local market. Her new bake shop becomes so inundated with customers that the line blocks the leather and woodcraft shop next door, which is run by Jeffrey Stoltzfus. When Jeffrey complains that her stand is driving away business due to the lines, she complains to him that his personalization machine smells. Though their relationship starts off on bad footing, they eventually forge a friendship.
When Christiana’s father makes a surprise visit to the market, he is upset to find that Jeffrey uses the building’s electricity to personalize his items. He tells Christiana that Jeffrey is too modern for her, and she’s forbidden from dating him. Christiana is crushed, but she knows she must obey her father.
When Jeffrey’s shop catches fire one day, he puts the entire market in jeopardy—including Christiana’s bake shop. Christiana, however, can’t deny how she feels about Jeffrey despite his mistakes. Though the odds are against them, can two young people find a way to rebuild both their businesses and their relationship?

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Vikki’s Musings

Thanks goes to the publisher, via Net-Galley, for the opportunity to read and review The Bake Shop by Amy Clipston prior publication. My opinions are my own and are not influenced in any way.

I thoroughly enjoyed this emotionally charged romance, an excellent example of why I love Amish romance. Ms. Clipston gives the reader a genuine experience of what Amish life must be like. From the language to the description of the setting, it’s evident she has done her research.

Christiana Kurtz is a delightful heroine. While she has a progressive attitude and wants to establish her business, she respects her father and tries to adhere to his wishes, even though, he is unbinding toward her desires and wants. My heart ached when he demands she break all connections to Jeffrey Stoltsfus.

Jeffrey’s character is amazing. He is such a good man, and while cautious because of his broken engagement, he takes a chance on loving again with Christiana. That is very brave of him to risk heartache again, especially when he discovers how rigid Christiana’s father is. I could feel his pain and crushing disappointment when the man demands they sever all ties. However, he is not willing to accept that all hope is lost. He sets out to prove he is a good Amish man who lives his Amish faith and is worthy of Christiana.

The romance between Christiana and Jeffrey is sweet and is established through their growing friendship. Their emotions are genuine, and their love for each other is clear to me, even before they realize it in the story. My heart broke when Christiana’s father demands they no longer spent any time together. When her grandmother told her why her father was so unbinding was the key to his getting him to change his staunch unwillingness to bend, but only Christiana’s heartbreaking grief influences him to change his mind. I loved how this heartwarming tale ends!

If you enjoy Amish romance with plenty of raw emotion and a fantastic view of Amish life, then you will love The Bake Shop as much as I did. I can’t wait to read the next book in Ms. Clipston’s new series. Happy reading!

Author Bio:


Amy Clipston has been writing for as long as she can remember. Her fiction writing "career" began in elementary school when she and a close friend wrote and shared silly stories. She has a degree in communications from Virginia Wesleyan College and is a member of the Authors Guild, American Christian Fiction Writers, and Romance Writers of America. She is the author of the bestselling Kauffman Amish Bakery series with Zondervan, which is part of HarperCollins Christian Publishing. 

An advocate for organ and blood donation, Amy donated a kidney in 2011 at Johns Hopkins Hospital. Through her donation, her husband received a second kidney transplant. Amy and her husband matched another couple and swapped kidneys with them. Amy lives in North Carolina with her husband, two sons, mother, and four spoiled rotten cats. 

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