Wednesday, November 26, 2014

Experience Amish Romance in EMMA BLOOMS AT LAST by Naomi King

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Emma Blooms at Last . . . Romance is in the air during the fall wedding season in the Amish community of Cedar Creek. But while one loving couple prepares to tie the knot, Amanda and Wyman Brubaker’s large family faces a threat from outside their happy circle…and must learn to pull together.


Recently wed Amanda and Wyman Brubaker are thrilled that their children from previous marriages have blended together to form a strong family. But when the construction of Wyman’s new grain elevator is delayed, making the project more expensive than anticipated, Amanda’s determination to rally the kids into taking on work to improve the family’s finances comes into conflict with Wyman’s sense of responsibility as head of the household….

Meanwhile, as James Graber and Abby Lambright prepare for their long-awaited nuptials, folks gather from far and wide. Amanda’s nephew Jerome has long been smitten with James’s sister Emma and wants to seize this chance to woo her. But Emma’s been burned once and is twice shy of trusting the fun-loving, never-serious Jerome. As Emma and Jerome struggle to understand each other, and find the courage to make a leap of faith, the Brubakers face a bigger challenge than they first anticipated and begin to discover just what it means to fight…the Amish way.

 

Enjoy an Excerpt from EMMA BLOOMS AT LAST
Always a bridesmaid, never a bride.
           
It was barely five o’clock in the morning, not nearly daylight yet. As Emma Graber peered at the white-draped tables in the greenhouse, where the wedding feast for Abby Lambright and James would take place later today, the familiar saying made her sigh. This Thursday in mid-November marked the fourth wedding Cedar Creek had celebrated this fall, and now that her brother was finally marrying her best friend, Emma felt her inner clock ticking.

Life was passing her by. She’d always pictured herself with Abby’s nephew, Matt Lambright, but he’d married Rosemary in September, leaving Emma to lament all those years she’d lost to an unrequited love. Had caring for her aging parents doomed her to remain a maidel, as well? She’d been paired with Jerome Lambright as a side-sitter at Amanda and Wyman Brubaker’s wedding, and she’d spent most of that day—and a few occasions since then—avoiding his flirtatious looks and remarks. He’d be around all day today, too, and Emma was feeling edgy about his presence. Was she a fool to shy away from his attention? Jerome seemed awfully flashy, showing off with his mule teams . . . way too full of himself.
           
Emma told herself such concerns had not kept her awake half the night—that she’d been dressed for the wedding at four this morning because the local women had agreed they’d prepare the food early, to keep Abby from helping at her own wedding. Indeed, the back door of the glass-walled greenhouse swung open and the bride stepped inside as though she intended to work while no one could catch her at it.
           
“Gut morning, Abby! All ready for your big day?” Emma called out.
           
Abby’s startled laughter rang in the large, high-ceilinged room. “Jah, and I don’t know what to do with myself, Emma!” she admitted as she strode between the tables. “Mamm and Barbara and the rest of them keep insisting I’m not to cook or cut pies or—”
           
Emma caught her best friend in a hug, reveling in the way Abby returned her embrace. “See there? It’s not as easy as you think, accepting help from other folks,” she teased. “Consider this whole day—all the food and the work your friends want to do—as their gift to you, Abby. I expect to see you smiling alongside James, enjoying yourself until the last guests go home tonight.”

$50 Gift Card Giveaway
Ends 12/5/2014
Hosted by Naomi King and Goddess Fish Promotions
 
 
Author Naomi King
Drawing upon her experiences in Jamesport, the largest Old Order Amish community west of the Mississippi, longtime Missourian Naomi King writes of simpler times and a faith-based lifestyle in her Home at Cedar Creek/One Big Happy Family series. Like her series heroine, Abby Lambright, Naomi considers it her personal mission to be a listener—to heal broken hearts and wounded souls—and to share her hearth and home. Faith and family, farming and frugality are hallmarks of her lifestyle: like Abby, she made her wedding dress and the one her mom wore, too! She’s a deacon, a dedicated church musician and choir member, and when she’s not writing, Naomi loves to travel, try new recipes, crochet, and sew. Naomi, whose real name is Charlotte Hubbard, now lives in Minnesota with her husband and their border collie, Ramona.

 

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