Review: Accidentally Amish: Valley of Choice book #1

Accidentally Amish

by Olivia Newport

Quote: " If you set aside your pride, you'll admit you were frightened last night. You're used to solving problems, but you're in a predicament you don't know how to get out of." ~ Rufus Beiler 

(pg. 36)

Started: August 14, 2017

Finished: August 21, 2017

paperback/ 368 pages

From the Cover:

Torn between two cultures...

When software creator Annie Friesen needs to protect her intellectual property from her scheming partner, she escapes the chaos of Colorado Springs for the hospitality of an Amish family in the San Luis Valley. Annie's own ancestral connection to early Amish settlers unfolds in a story within a story, and her worlds collide...

especially when she feels an attraction to her host, Rufus Beiler.

A cabinetmaker by trade, Rufus has troubles of his own. Because of a competitor's false accusations, his business is in jeopardy. and so is his family, ever since his sister, Ruth, left the Amish community in a shroud of questions.

Now Annie, an outsider, begins meddling in affairs that don't concern her. When Rufus tells her she can't continue to hide among the Amish forever, Annie is torn. Will she return to her accomplishments in the high-tech, modern culture of Colorado Springs or remain with Rufus and the humble simplicity of the San Luis Valley Amish?

My Review:

I'm sad to say I did not enjoy this book as much as I had hoped to. I bought all three in this trilogy(luckily) as a set at Half Price Books. I was kind of excited, as you never find a whole set at these secondhand thrifty shops. So, I jumped at the chance. I think I paid like $8 for the set.

Anyway, I usually enjoy Amish books. They are great easy reads and have great messages or spiritual insights. I love getting caught up in the easy, humble lifestyle they live with such purpose. I truly am fascinated by so much of their religion and lifestyle. The history of their way is enough to get me hooked reading almost anything Amish.

I honestly think what threw me off on this book was the new, modern, contemporary side of it. I just couldn't get into Annie's whole high-tech software life and them jump over to the farm  making cabinets and milking cows. It just didn't come full circle realistically for me.

There was way too much going on in this one short book. 

From Annie running from her problems, Rufus and Tom dealing with their own troubles, Ruth showing up in the story and going back and forth. Then there was back and forth between two towns("Amish town" and "Annie's world") and then we have her doing the genealogy to find the Beiler/Byler connection and the story jumps back in time to the late 1700's.

It really was way too much.

Just when I would get interested in one "good" part, it would zip over to a totally different"story".

I did start to like the characters and the historical part was definitely my favorite.

I only gave this book 3 stars. 

I believe it had great potential; just too much for one book.

I'm really hoping the second and third books get a little less chaotic in the story line and stick to a few major characters, instead of pulling in so many and so much.

Here's hoping! On to book #2,  In Plain View.

Happy Reading!