The Coffee Corner

The pleasant third installment to Clipston’s Amish Marketplace series (after The Farm Stand) turns its focus onto Bethany Gingerich, the proprietor of a marketplace booth selling flavored coffee and homemade donuts in Bird-in-Hand, Pa. Still single at 24, Bethany worries she’ll never find the married bliss that many of her cousins already have. Though she has a crush on taciturn carpenter Micah Zook, she worries her talkative nature will scare him off. Quiet Micah—who makes a point of visiting the marketplace on Saturdays to sample Bethany’s coffees—actually admires Bethany’s outgoing personality, but he’s still grieving his late fiancée and can’t work up the nerve to ask Bethany out. Though the stakes are low, the sweet romance will keep readers engaged as opposites attract within the well-drawn setting of Bird-in-Hand’s Amish community. Though both Bethany and Micah can come across as immature, their relationships to their community, families, and faith add depth. The result is a heartwarming story that works as both a standalone romance and a satisfying series installment. [em](Dec.) [/em]