Andrew by Jennifer Beckstrand: Review Tour & Giveaway

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?

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MY THOUGHTS.....

"I think we can safely assume that no boys are going to come poking around. I jumped the fence, I'm pregnant, and you have a shotgun." 

This is Mary Coblenz's reply to Bitsy Weaver when Bitsy tells her that she can stay with her for a while but she doesn't want young men coming around. And it explains Mary's current situation in a nutshell. Two years ago she left her Amish community to live in the English world but she has now returned to Bienenstock, Wisconsin and she is unmarried, about to have a baby, and shunned by her own family. And even though Bitsy offers her love and acceptance, she is treated poorly by the others in the community. What follows is a story that should remind readers that we all have sinned, everyone deserves a second chance, and forgiveness should be offered to everyone.

Andrew Petersheim is one of the Amish who harshly judges Mary. As she tries to create a life for her and her baby, Andrew is very vocal in reminding her of her failure to live as a proper Amish lady should. I found it hard to like Andrew in the beginning and even though he denies being arrogant, he does admit that he is tall, strong, and a godly man and his mother thinks that 'Any girl would be blessed to get Andrew for a husband.' He also has very strong opinions about Mary's situation. 'What kind of girl didn't even feel remorse... for doing that? She acted as if she didn't care, as if she didn't see the need to repent.' Soon, however, we see Andrew beginning to mellow and he begins to recognize his own faults and realize that Mary deserves a second chance.

I really liked Mary and I admired her determination to make a home for her baby and to remain in a community that was so eager to judge her. Mary's willingness to forgive and her ability to look for the good was very admirable and I absolutely loved Bitsy Weaver who had lived as an Englisher for many years before returning to her Amish roots. She could be considered a little eccentric but she was the first to offer assistance to those in need and she was the perfect person to befriend Mary. She also wasn't afraid to defend Mary and she made sure Andrew understood this. 

The eight-year-old Petersheim twins are also a great addition to this story. Family circumstances have left them without their own bedroom and they decide that their only hope is to find wives for their three older brothers. Their first attempt at matchmaking is finding a wife for their oldest brother Andrew and it is Mary who catches Benji and Alfie's eyes. These boys and Bitsy gave me several laugh-out-loud moments and I am hoping that I will find them in the next books of this new series, The Petersheim Brothers. 

This book has a lot of humor but it is the faith-filled message that will remain with me. I realized that my initial dislike of Andrew's actions and reactions were in fact things I may have once been guilty of myself! This story reminded me that we humans are eager to judge and we often concentrate on each other's faults and shortcomings; instead, we need to focus on encouraging and helping those who have fallen. Or, as Andrew so wisely decided, 'Maybe their sins were worse than his. Maybe his sins were worse than theirs. Only Jesus knew that. Their job was to love and forgive each other.' 

Jennifer Beckstrand has written a sweet, romantic, and heartwarming book and I recommend Andrew to all who enjoy Amish and Christian fiction. 

I received a copy of this book through Celebrate Lit Tours and NetGalley and I am voluntarily sharing my opinion in this review.

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 Brothersseries 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.

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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 link below to enter. https://promosimple.com/ps/e57a/andrew-celebration-tour-giveawayhttps://promosimple.com/ps/e57a/andrew-celebration-tour-giveaway