Title: Matched and Married by Kathleen Fuller
An Amish Mail-Order Bride Series Book Two
Publisher: Zondervan
Genre: Contemporary, Amish, Romance
Length: 320 pages
Book Rating: B
Complimentary Review Copy Provided by Publisher Through NetGalley
Summary:
Neither Margaret nor Owen has any interest in getting married. But in the small Amish town of Birch Creek, where marriage is on everyone’s mind, their plans don’t stand a chance.
Margaret Yoder can’t seem to catch a break. Even though she’s dedicated to her Amish faith, her wild rumspringa won’t stay in the past, and her mother keeps pressuring her to get married. To placate her mother and get away from former “friends”, she decides to return to Birch Creek to visit family—and pretend to find a husband.
Like Margaret, Owen Bontrager isn’t looking for a spouse, something that’s hard to avoid in Birch Creek, where an ad for brides in the local paper has brought a swarm of single women to the thriving town. When he meets Margaret in an unexpected way, they discover they have more in common than they ever expected. In some ways, they are a perfect match.
Margaret struggles to keep her goal of avoiding romance in order to focus on being a faithful member of the Amish church, and it doesn’t help that she finds Owen intriguing. Knowing they don’t have a future together; she returns home and gives in to her mother’s insistence that she get married.
Can Margaret betray her feelings for Owen and become a dutiful daughter and wife to the man of her mother’s choosing? Or will Owen find a way to free Margaret of her past by giving her the future they both are surprised to find they desire?
Review:
Matched and Married by Kathleen Fuller is a sweet Amish romance with charming characters. Although this newest release is the second book in the Amish Mail-Order Bride series, it can be read as a standalone.
Margaret Yoder continues to be tempted by the Englisch friends she made during her Rumspringa. She also continues to be at loggerheads with her mother who thinks her youngest daughter can do nothing right. Margaret is spirited and unable to conform to her mother’s rigid need to control everything. She has no desire to marry but when ordered to begin looking for a husband, Margaret returns to Birch Creek, OH to stay with her beloved Aenti Mary and Onkle Freemont and help them with their harvest. She is a hard worker but she also has plenty of free time. Margaret spends time exploring the nearby woods where she searches for flowers. She has renewed interest in herbal treatments after crossing paths with Owen Bontrager who is on a forced vacation. The two become good friends after agreeing neither is planning to marry but will love find them when they’re not looking?
After her Rumspringa, Margaret decided to fully commit to being Amish. But she discovered that leaving behind parts of Englisch life is easier said than done. She is determined to live up to her decision, but the strife between her and her mother is hurtful and troubling. Margaret is nothing like her mother or her sisters so she always feels like a failure. The opportunity to visit her Aenti Mary is just what she needs to escape from her mother’s disappointment.
Owen works on his family’s farm and he puts in long hours ensuring they are successful. He works longer than anyone and he has exacting standards for how things are to be done. Owen is very frustrated by his father’s edict to take a week off from work. When boredom sets in, he begins reading his grandfather’s books.
Owen and Margaret’s friendship is based on their mutual interests but it does not take long for their feelings for each other to deepen. However, neither of them wants to break their agreement to be friends only. What will they do when Margaret acquiesces to her mother’s unexpected demand?
Matched and Married is a heartwarming romance with a delightful cast of characters. Owen and Margaret have strong personalities and they a perfect match, but will they give in to their growing feelings for each other? In addition to their romance, another member of their community is trying to move on from her husband’s desertion but not knowing if he will ever return complicates her life. With an engaging storyline, relatable characters and realistic issues to overcome, Kathleen Fuller’s latest addition to the Amish Mail-Order Bride series is sure to be a hit with readers.
