Review + GIVEAWAY: Andrew by Jennifer Beckstrand

About the Book

Book: Andrew  
Author: Jennifer Beckstrand
Genre: Amish Romance  
Release Date: June 25, 2019

Andrew, Abraham, and Austin Petersheim’s family business has earned them the nickname The Peanut Butter Brothers. But if their matchmaking younger siblings have their way, all three may soon bear another title: husband . . .

Handsome, hardworking, and godly, Andrew Petersheim has always been sure of his place in his Wisconsin Amish community. He’ll be a welcome catch for the local girl who finally captures his heart. Mary Coblenz certainly isn’t that girl. Two years after “jumping the fence” for the Englischer world, she’s returned, unmarried and pregnant. Yet instead of hiding in shame as others in the community expect, she’s working at the Honeybee Farm, ignoring the gossips—and winning over Andrew’s eight-year-old twin brothers ... 

For all Andrew’s certainty about right and wrong, it seems he has a lot to learn from Mary’s courage, grace, and resilience. She’s changing his notions about forgiveness and love, but will she in turn accept the challenge of starting over and choose to stay—with him?

Click here to grab your copy!

My Thoughts

Jennifer Beckstrand and stories with matchmaking schemes go hand in hand! From the intuitive wisdom that comes with age, to the enthusiastic persistence of youth, Beckstrand weaves subtle and often laugh-out-loud humor with spiritual themes that touch our daily faith walk. Andrew begins a new series that brings us back to the Honeybee Farm and the delightful gun-toting Aunt Bitsy – now married, but still with the colorful hair.

Age knows no boundaries when it comes to matchmaking. First, it was Anna and Felty, two of my favorite fictional characters, and now it’s the incorrigible boys, Alfie and Benji Petersheim. With their grandparents having moved into their house because of health needs, the two boys have been relegated to sleeping in the cellar – hence their desire to marry off three older siblings and get their bedroom room back.

On the surface, Andrew is a cute and delightfully entertaining romance, but there’s much more complexity to this story. Mary, pregnant and unwed, returns to her Amish community after having left it for the English world, and finds acceptance in an unexpected source – not from family and friends, but from Aunt Bitsy. Andrew, initially attracted to Mary until he realized she was pregnant, reflects the judgmentalism of the Amish community. I loved his spiritual journey of learning a lot about grace and forgiveness, that things aren’t always black and white.

Beckstrand has crafted yet another wonderful story with easily relatable characters and life lessons of acceptance, redemption and second chances. I am eager to spend more time with the mischievous Alfie and Benji, as well as their remaining older brothers. Abraham releases in November of 2019.

Highly recommended.

I received a copy of this book through Celebrate Lit. The opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own.

 

About the Author

Jennifer Beckstrand is the two-time RITA-nominated, #1 Amazon bestselling Amish romance author of The Matchmakers of Huckleberry Hillseries, The Honeybee Sistersseries, and The Petersheim Brothers series for Kensington Books. Huckleberry Summer and Home on Huckleberry Hill were both nominated for the coveted RITA® Award from Romance Writers of America. 

Jennifer has written twenty-one Amish romances, a historical Western, Jessie and James, and the nonfiction book, Big Ideas. She and her husband have been married for thirty-four years, and she has six children and seven adorable grandchildren, whom she spoils rotten.

 

More from Jennifer

If you enjoyed The Honeybee Sisters, you’re going to love The Petersheim Brothers, or the Peanut Butter Brothers as they’re known in their small Amish community of Bienenstock, Wisconsin. The Petersheim brothers work their small farm and make peanut butter. The idea for The Petersheim Brothers series came when two of my friends and I were creating The Honeybee Sisters Cookbook. My friend Alicia suggested I write a book about Peanut Butter Brothers, and the idea stuck. 

One of my favorite characters in my Amish romances is Aunt Bitsy, the irrepressible, unconventional woman who raised the Honeybee Sisters, tried to chase off all their suitors, and then lit fireworks at their triple wedding. In Andrew, the first book in the Petersheim Brothers series, Aunt Bitsy takes in a girl who has jumped the fence and wants to come back to the Amish community to have her baby. Aunt Bitsy is still protecting her dandelions and her bees, still dyeing her hair all sorts of bright colors, and still praying to Gotte right out loud. 

Andrew is about forgiveness, second chances, and learning to love. It will have you laughing and crying, and you might just fall in love with two of the most mischievous little boys in Wisconsin. Enjoy. 

In honor of the Peanut Butter Brothers, I want to share one of our favorite family recipes. These bars are perfect for picnics, parties, and potlucks. They’re easy and delicious!    

Peanut Butter Bars  

Cream together:

1 cup butter
1 cup brown sugar
1 cup sugar  

Blend In:

2 unbeaten eggs
1 tsp. baking soda
2/3 cup peanut butter
½ tsp. salt
1 tsp. vanilla  

Stir In:

2 cups flour
2 cups quick oats  

Spread mixture in greased jelly-roll pan or large cookie sheet. Bake: 350 degrees for 20-25 minutes. Do not overbake. Remove from oven.    

Sprinkle on: 1 ¼ cups semi-sweet chocolate chips. Let stand five minutes.  

For peanut butter mixture on top, combine:

½ cup sifted powdered sugar
¼ cup peanut butter
2 to 4 Tbs. evaporated milk

Mix well. The chocolate chips will melt on the bars. Spread melted chocolate evenly. Drizzle peanut butter mixture on top. Cool completely. Cut into bars.

Giveaway

To celebrate her tour, Jennifer is giving away a grand prize of a $20 Amazon gift card!!

Be sure to comment on the blog stops for nine extra entries into the giveaway! Click the image above or the link below to enter.

https://promosimple.com/ps/e57a/andrew-celebration-tour-giveaway

Blog Stops

The Power of Words, June 26

The Avid Reader, June 26

Moments, June 26

Lighthouse Academy, June 27

D’S QUILTS & BOOKS, June 27

Blossoms and Blessings, June 28

Christian Author, J.E. Grace, June 28

Reading Is My SuperPower, June 29

Bigreadersite, June 29

Abba’s Prayer Warrior Princess, June 30

Truth and Grace Homeschool Academy, June 30

Genesis 5020, July 1

Stephanie’s Life of Determination, July 1

Inklings and notions , July 1

Maureen’s Musings, July 2

Locks, Hooks and Books, July 2

Christian Bookaholic, July 3

Pause for Tales, July 3

Southern Gal Loves to Read, July 4

For Him and my family, July 4

A Reader’s Brain, July 4

Mary Hake, July 5

Splashesofjoy, July 5

Vicky Sluiter, July 5

Texas Book-aholic, July 6

Happily Managing a Household of Boys, July 6

Debbie’s Dusty Deliberations, July 7

janicesbookreviews, July 7

Little Homeschool on the Prairie, July 8

Older & Smarter?, July 8

Quiet Quilter, July 9

Jeanette’s Thoughts, July 9