The Amish Baker’s Rival
is a delightfully sweet novel that I devoured quickly over this weekend.
Mary Brenneman is a young
Amish woman running her stepmother’s bakery, Amish Sweet Delights. Finances are tight after medical bills for
her twin sisters’ birth. Her heart is
also still broken from being left at the alter a year before by a man who
decided he no longer wanted to be Amish.
Handsome Englischer Noah Miller arrives in the small town and opens a grocery,
deli, and bakery directly across the street.
How can one small town support two bakeries?
The annual fall festival is hosting a bakery
contest with a $20,000 prize that is attracting bakers from across the
country. Noah and Mary both compete with
the thought that if either one wins, they will be the baker that survives. As they practice their recipes and get to
know each other better, they realize there may be more there than just being
rivals. Who will win the contest and can
an Amish woman and Englischer man have a future together?
I greatly enjoyed this sweet
romance. I love to bake and enjoyed the
discussion of baking and the inner workings of a bakery. I also really liked the story of Noah and his
siblings returning to town to connect with their Amish grandparents. It was interesting learning about Amish
customs and beliefs. The characters were
well written. I learned at the end this
was part of a series, but it is very much a standalone novel.
Overall, The Amish Baker’s
Rival is an excellent inspiration romance that was a true delight to read.
Book Source: A signed copy from author Marie E. Bast as
part of the TLC Book Tour. Thank-you! For more information and to see the rest of the tour schedule, click on this link.
From the Publisher:
This exciting new Amish romance is from Publishers Weekly bestselling author of The Amish Baker and The Amish Marriage Bargain.
She’ll do anything to protect her bakery… no matter the cost to her heart.
Small-town, Amish baker Mary Brenneman is devastated when handsome Englischer Noah Miller opens up a bakery right across from hers. Now she must win a local baking contest just to stay in business. But somewhere along the way, Noah and Mary’s kitchen wars are quickly warming into something more…
Still mourning the death of his parents, Mary helps Noah search for the Amish grandparents he has never met. And when a crisis hits Mary’s bakery, Noah volunteers his assistance.
After Mary’s now ex-fiancé broke their engagement so he could go live in the Englisch world, she vows to stay away from men…especially Englisch men. Even though she likes Noah more each day, she keeps her distance.
With her heart packed with distrust, Noah hopes to soften her resolve and convince Mary of their undeniable love. But trouble brews at the baking contest when Mary thinks Noah has stolen her recipe. After the surprising result of the contest, Noah and Mary must face their feelings and decide what road God has set them upon.
