The Christmas Remedy by Cindy Woodsmall
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

The Christmas Remedy touches on two subjects that are both unusual in today's culture. Holly Noelle Zook is a young Amish woman who has been granted special permission from the Amish bishop to work at a small-town pharmacy and attend LPN classes because she realizes that members of her Amish community need to practice preventative medicine and to seek medical attention when they need it. Greene's Pharmacy is a rarity because of the "big box store" pharmacies that are now a large part of our society and owner Lyle Greene is determined to keep it as it has always been. He has made it his goal to personally know his clientele, to continually offer honest service with sound medical advice and he especially wants to earn the trust of the Amish community.

When Mr. Greene suffers a sudden illness a series of events occur that could cause his pharmacy to close. An act of sabotage brought on by greed and revenge suggests that illegal practices have been performed and there is the mystery of who is responsible. Mr. Greene's son returns to help but the strained relationship between he and his father only seems to deepen, even as the close relationship between Mr. Greene and Holly flourishes even more. These circumstances remind us that family love and devotion are not solely determined by being related by blood.

Authors Cindy Woodsmall and Erin Woodsmall were able to draw me into this story of a young Amish woman torn between the rules of her Amish culture and her overpowering desire to help her people. They also showed how families can drift apart until it appears there can be no reconciliation. The Christmas Remedy is labeled as an Amish Christmas romance and there are actually two possible romances featured. Holly must decide if she should continue to put her work ahead of any personal life with Joshua Smucker and there is the hint of a relationship between two other characters. I would love for there to be a sequel so that these story lines could be further developed. This is an enjoyable book and I recommend it to all who enjoy Amish fiction and Christian romance.

I received an ARC of this book from Waterbrook Publishers and voluntarily wrote this review. These are my honest opinions.

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