Amish Midwives: Three Stories

This trio of cozy romance novellas highlights an underexplored corner of Amish life: midwives who put taking care of other families ahead of building their own. Each romance creates a homey sense of community that will appeal to genre fans and features a sweet suitor who appreciates the value in the heroine’s work. Clipston’s playful “Bundles of Blessing” includes realistic details about working in a small community, but the years’ old miscommunication that drives the plot is rather pat, with too straightforward a villain to satisfy. Grey’s contemplative “A Midwife for Susie,” the strongest of the bunch, sees its heroine rebounding from a tragic delivery both professionally and personally, helped along by a supportive friend who may soon become something more. Long’s sweet and slightly frantic “Christmas Cradles” is a snow-dusted baby-fest, as a midwife races between deliveries and winds up sharing confidences with the handsome stranger serving as her driver through the long night. As a set, this mature, joyful anthology speaks to second chances while lifting up its female characters. (Mar.)