If you have read any of the books in Jennifer Beckstrand's Huckleberry Hill series, then you are well acquainted with Anna and Felty Helmuth, the Amish grandparents who have dedicated much of their time and effort to matchmaking for their grandchildren. First Christmas on Huckleberry Hill is the tenth Jennifer has written in the series, and in it she takes readers back to a time long before the Helmuths became grandparents to share the early days of their relationship.
Just like all the other stories, this one is a delight to read. And it gives some fun history of things like Felty's unexplained enjoyment of Anna's unusual recipes and the infamous license plate game. Of course, the story wouldn't be complete without a little taste of grandparent matchmaking, so Felty's and Anna's fun love story is "bookended" with just a little hint of of what will be coming in the next book -- Second Chances on Huckleberry Hill.
I highly recommend First Christmas on Huckleberry Hill to any fan of delightful Amish stories. In fact, if you haven't read the previous books in the series, I would suggest you give them all a try. (The order of the books is not terribly important in reading, but FYI, this is #10 in publication order.)
About the Book
Before irrepressible eighty-somethings Anna and Felty Helmuth became Huckleberry Hill, Wisconsin’s most-beloved matchmakers, they were mismatched young lovers facing seemingly impossible obstacles…
She can’t cook, sew, sing, or clean. And no matter how hard young Anna Yoder tries, she’d much rather help people in trouble than be a well-behaved pretty face and properly perfect Amish maidel. So she instantly reaches out to her old schoolmate, Felty Helmuth, when their Amish town ostracizes him for his Korean War army service. He's still the only one who's ever understood Anna—and liked everything from her green Jello carrot salads to her love of books. And this holiday season, she can't help hoping that somehow she and Felty can find a way to be the perfect match…
Felty sensed he was called by Gotte to serve his country, though it went against his community’s peaceful ways. Troubled by his wartime experiences, he is resigned to being an outsider avoided by most eligible Amish girls. But lively, intelligent Anna has grown into a warm-hearted generous woman who accepts Felty for who he is. And in the face of family and community opposition, he and Anna will take a leap of faith to prove they are made for each other—and a lifetime of happiness.
About the Author
Jennifer Beckstrand is the RITA-nominated and award-winning author of The Amish Quiltmakers Series, the Matchmakers of Huckleberry Hill, The Honeybee Sisters series, The Petersheim Brothers series, as well as a number of other novels and novellas. Novels in her Matchmakers of Huckleberry Hill series have been RITA® Award and RT Book Reviews Reviewer's Choice Award finalists. Huckleberry Hill won the 2014 LIME Award for inspirational fiction and Huckleberry Hearts was named a Booklist Top 10 Inspirational Fiction Book of the Year. Jennifer has always been drawn to the strong faith and the enduring family ties of the Plain people.
Jennifer has four daughters, two sons, four sons-in-law, one daughter-in-law, and eleven adorable grandchildren. She lives in the foothills of the Wasatch Front with her husband and plays pickleball and cuddles her grandchildren when she’s not writing.
Please visit her online at JenniferBeckstrand.com.
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