A Picture of Love (Amish Inn #1) by Beth Wiseman

 

Book Description

Both of them have vowed from the bottom of their broken hearts never to love again.

 

Sweet Naomi Byler cooks meals for the guests at The Peony Inn, where Amish sisters and owners of the inn Esther and Lizzie love her like a granddaughter. She’s as happy there as a young woman can be, considering that her fiancé, Thomas, has left her to court someone else. She knows she’ll get over the love of her life in due time, but she assumes marriage will never be a part of her future.

Amos Lantz and his mother are guests at the inn, visiting town for a cousin’s wedding. Attending a wedding is the last thing Amos wants to do since his own fiancée, Sarah, died tragically just a year ago.

Naomi and Amos understand each other’s grief and become quick friends when they discover their mutual love of painting. As the two begin to paint through their sadness together, Esther and Lizzie play matchmaker—a risky move with the potential to backfire. And when Thomas makes an unexpected return intending to win back Naomi, she realizes she no longer knows her own heart.

In this new Amish series from bestselling and award-winning novelist Beth Wiseman, true love takes root in the deepest of wounds. 

My thoughts:

A Picture of Love is the first book in The Amish Inn novels by Beth Wiseman and it is written with warmth, humor and filled with delightful characters.  And of course, the appearance of a red suitcaseJ

Esther and Lizzie are sisters, both are widowed, and they own and operate The Peony Inn, where Naomi Byler cooks meal for the guests.  Naomi is loved like a granddaughter by Lizzie and Esther which makes for some clever and amusing situations between the sisters Speaking of amusing situations, there’s Gus Owens who rents a cottage from the sisters.  Lizzie and Gus simply cannot get along with each other at all and their interactions with each other result in amusing dialog.

There are plenty of tender moments when Amos Lantz and his mother stay at the Inn for a wedding they are attending.   Naomi and Amos are both suffering from a loss and are not looking for a romantic relationship.  I really enjoyed how they bonded over their love of painting which was an interesting part of the story, especially in an Amish novel.  I didn’t really care for Thomas who had broken Naomi’s heart but it added an interesting twist to the storyline when her came to visit her. I really was worried when Lizzie started experiencing health issues, but totally understood her hesitation in finding out what was wrong with her.  I was pleasantly surprised to find out who she chose to share her dilemma with. 

I absolutely adored everything about this book and can’t wait for the next book in the series to release. Thank you to the publisher for the copy.  All opinions are my own.