Amish Sweethearts (Neighbors of Lancaster County)

by Leslie Gould

Paperback, 2016

Status

Available

Call number

813.6

Publication

Bethany House Publishers (2016), 378 pages

Description

Fiction. Romance. Christian Fiction. Best friends and childhood sweethearts Zane Beck and Lila Lehman may be neighbors, but they come from different worlds. When Lila's father arranges an Amish suitor to court her, Zane enlists in the armyâ??unwilling to watch. Although separated by years and distance, their feelings, now hidden, never fade. But will these two ever find a way to be togeth

User reviews

LibraryThing member kaykwilts
We first meet Zene Beck and Lila Lehman in Amish Promises, the first book in the Neighbors of Lancaster County series. They were childhood friends and neighbors on Juneberry Lane. Fast forward eight years and their childhood friendship has deepened into something more. This presents a problem
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because they come from two different backgrounds. Lila is Amish and vows that she will never leave the Amish like her aunt did. Zane is not Amish, growing up in the modern world. Lila tries to move on with her life dating a nice Amish boy but it never really clicks with her. Zane tries to forget Lila by joining the military. This book kept me in suspense on where their relationships were headed. Would she find love with the nice Amish boy? Would Zane find love with the girl he met in the military?

Timothy, her grouchy father is back but a little more mellow. There are some nice characters added in and the return of some old favorites. Also, a couple of the younger Lehmans are going through their rumspringa. It will be interesting to read in the next book what will happen to these people and the new relationships that can potentially develop.

Thanks to Bethany House and Netgalley for providing me a preview ARC digital copy to review. Amish Sweethearts is due to be released on February 2, 2016.
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LibraryThing member alekee
Amish sweethearts brings to mind two, probably baptized members of the Amish church, and maybe a courting buggy, and going to singings, That would be the furthest from the truth of this young couple.
Lila and her family, her mom is deceased, are Amish, and her neighbor, childhood friend, and man she
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cares about are English. What is even more startling is the fact that said friend Zane is in the military and ends up in Afghanistan.
Lila knows that she can not leave the Amish faith and has an Amish boyfriend, for over three years, he has wanted to move forward and marry her, but Lila knows something is missing, and you will immediately think of Zane.
This story takes us through a lot of happenings in this small community, we stay with Lila’s Mennonite grandmother, and what a sweetie she is along with her grandfather. We get close and personal with Zane’s family, and how much they are accepted by their pacifist neighbors, even though both Zane and his dad are or were military. We spend time in Lila’s home, and meet her siblings and as usual we find the squabbling that goes on in all homes, but there is respect and love in this house.
There are a lot of struggles along the way and we meet them head on, but wonder how this is all going to resolve itself. God places the right people in the right place and at the right time, and we feel his presence here.
I really enjoyed this story, and loved my visit in Lancaster County.

I received this book through Net Galley and the Publisher Bethany House and was not required to give a positive review.
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LibraryThing member Kris_Anderson
Amish Sweethearts by Leslie Gould is the second book in Neighbors of Lancaster County series. Lila Lehman and Zane Beck have grown up next door to each other and are close friends. Lila is Amish and Zane is Englisch (as the Amish call us). It is May in 2010 and Zane just received a scholarship to
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college in Michigan. Zane asks Lila to come with him to Michigan. Lila could not do that to her family (especially to the man that raised her). She sends Zane away. Instead of going to college, Zane joins the Army (mainly because his father told him that he was not soldier material). Two and half years later Zane is returning home for Christmas. He has avoided coming home because of Lila. He still loves her and cannot get her out of his mind. Lila is being courted by Rueben (the Bishop’s son) but she has yet to join the church (she still thinks of Zane). Everyone tells Lila that Reuben is perfect her. Zane is going to be deployed in a month to Afghanistan (he is going to work in a Civil Affairs Unit as a translator). Two people so much in love but so far apart. Can these two overcome the many obstacles in their path to happiness?

Amish Sweethearts is a lovely book. It is well-written, engaging, and easy to read. Amish Sweethearts can be read as a stand-alone novel (in case you did not read the first book in the series). We get to see life from two different perspectives. How time and experience change people. I started this book and just kept reading until I finished it. I give Amish Sweethearts 5 out of 5 stars. Amish Sweethearts is not a sappy romance book nor is it overly religious. Leslie Gould wove together a wonderful, heartwarming tale.

I received a complimentary copy of Amish Sweethearts from Bethany House and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
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LibraryThing member SAMANTHA100
In Amish Sweethearts, a novel by Leslie Gould, we learn that Zane Beck and Lila Lehman had shared a beautiful friendship as children. As young adults their differences can not be ignored. Lila is Amish while Zane is not. It is obvious they have feelings for each other, but Lila is being courted by
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Reuben, an Amish man. Perhaps for the wrong reasons, Zane enlists in the Army and comes face to face with life altering challenges. Lila struggles with her family obligations, her love for Zane and her commitments. Reuben is not the man she loves, but marriage to Zane doesn't seem possible. Their complex relationship is filled with misunderstandings and long separations. Can Lila and Zane share a future together despite the obstacles?
The author skillfully takes the reader into the protagonists lives as well as those of the large cast of realistic secondary characters who are very important to the story. Lives are intertwined and relationships change. Family dynamics are revealed. Strong themes of family, love, faith and hope come together to make this a deep and moving novel. Highly recommended.

I received this book free from Bethany House and I give this review of my own free will.
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LibraryThing member Virginia51
This was a great 2nd book in the Neighbors of Lancaster County series. Zane Beck, an Englisher, and Lila LehmanAmish) have grown up as next door neighbors. No one worried about their freindship. Then Zane decides to join the army mainly because he knows that he can't have Lila. Can they ever be
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together? Can Zane survive his time in the army and can Lila handle what he is doing. She has grown up believing in not fighting. This is well written and comes to a wonderful conclusion. I received this book from Bethany House for a fair and honest opinion.
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LibraryThing member PennyMindingMom
"Amish Sweethearts" is a book two in the series of "Neighbors Of Lancaster County" by Leslie Gould. It can be read as a stand alone book or part of the series.

"Amish Sweethearts" tells the story of Zane Beck and Lila Lehman. Zane Beck moved to Lancaster County as a young boy with his family. His
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next door neighbors were the Lehmans’. Zane Beck who was an Englishcer, became a very close friend of Lila Lehman who was Amish. Zane and Lila felt that nothing would come of how they felt for each other than friendship. Can Zane and Lila who come from two different worlds find love and have a future together?

The story portrays the different cultures between the Englisscers and the Amish. I found that Zane and Lila had a lot of struggles in their lives when they tried to live on their own terms. When they turned their situation over to God that was when they found peace and contentment. It also shows in God’s timing he puts certain people in the right place at the right time. If you just stop and prayerfully listen he will lead you into the direction you should take.

It is a book when you start to read you just want to keep on reading and not put it down until you come to the and. The author, Leslie Gould, draws you into the people’s lives and you go through their joys and struggles with them.

I would highly recommend the book as a must read and would give it a 4 thumbs up.

Disclosure: I received a complimentary eBook of "Amish Sweethearts" from Netgalley in exchange for my review. All opinions are 100% my own.
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LibraryThing member Mizroady
Childhood best friends, that was the way it was supposed to stay as they grew older, but the heart doesn’t listen to reason where love is involved. Zane and Lila lifelong friendship turned into a deep love and respect. When her mother died he was the one that helped her through it. She knew all
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his deepest secrets and dreams. How could they not draw so devoted?
Their families have always been close and supportive of one another too, despite the fact that Lila’s family is devout Amish and Zane’s are not. Lila is torn. She could never leave her faith and her father and siblings depend on since her mother is gone. Yet she knows there is no way she can marry the Amish boy her father has decided is the one for her.
Zane decides to share his true feelings and the possibility of them being married. The attempt blows up in his face when Lila tells him to leave and not come back! In a burst of youthful foolishness he joins the Army! He is sent to Afghanistan and she fears he may not come back alive and it would be her fault.
I loved the depth to all the characters and how the author expressed their myriad of thoughts and feelings. There was so much going on in their lives and minds! Lila’s had such a heavy burden of responsibilities and dealing with her family member’s personalities and issues. Ms. Gould made Zane’s experiences and emotions come to life in the book. I found myself wanting it to work for them, but wondering is it possible? A very different love story!
I received this book free from Bethany House Publishers in exchange for an honest review. The opinions stated are my own.
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LibraryThing member caslater83
This is another good book written by Leslie Gould. The Amish people try to live simply, yet life can be complex at times for them. The love between Lila and Zane is truly special and complex in its own way. It started off as a typical childhood friendship and only grew stronger as the years went
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by.

Zane joins the military--not something that the Amish approve of as this culture is generally known for being pacifists. I imagine that it would be hard to navigate the societal norms of Amish life when a person has a military background. But Zane learns a lot from his job assignment. The Aghan people are just as simple (or even more simple) than the Amish. They value family, community, and peace. He understands the importance of building relationships with the locals because they need to be valued as people.

While Zane is away on a tour of duty, Lila must decide her own future. Should she comply with her family's wishes and marry the bishop's son or should she find someone else that she truly loves? Someone who understands her as much as Zane does? She's not your ordinary Amish girl--she loves poetry and current events. She's very open-minded to learning more about the world around her--because Zane loved to share his knowledge of things with her.

The two have a beautiful friendship that makes me wish I had someone like that in my life. I don't think I would have made the same "rash" decisions that they made, but I do understand their reasons at the time. Emotions do run high and sometimes we make decisions without fully thinking things through.

A good book to read.
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LibraryThing member gincam
Author Leslie Gould has created a lovely contemporary Amish Romance series with “Neighbors of Lancaster County”, and I recommend reading Book 1, “Amish Promises” for the most reader’s enjoyment before reading Book 2, “Amish Sweethearts”. Both books feature a complex romantic
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relationship between an Amish woman and an Englisch man, and the conflicts are heightened by each man’s service in the military. In “Amish Sweethearts”, childhood friends Lila Lehman and Zane Beck share their cultures and learn from each other, but as they reach their teens, their feelings of friendship deepen with the promise of something more. When Lila’s stern father initiates the courtship of his daughter by the bishop’s son, a distraught Zane joins the Army and leaves his heart behind with Lila. Years and distance widen the separation between Lila and Zane, and when he is deployed to Afghanistan, the dangerous reality of his military service causes him much contemplation and self-questioning. Lila’s future seems set by her father’s wishes, but can her heart follow what her society dictates? Can the love that began so long ago overcome great obstacles and lead to a happy future for two true sweet hearts?

Book Copy Gratis Bethany House Books
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Language

Original language

English

Physical description

378 p.; 8.5 inches

ISBN

0764215248 / 9780764215247

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