I got this book to read through the wonderful Book Sneeze program. I don't tend to read novellas (I like to sink my teeth into a book) but I do like reading Amish books & I've read & reviewed Long before.

This book is 3 separate stories in one: A Perfect Secret, A Marriage of the Heart & Christmas Cradles.

A Perfect Secret was a little weird to me - Amish man, running off in the middle of the woods, wearing & pretending to be English. I didn't particularly get into this one or even like it.

I liked A Marriage of the Heart a little better, but just as I was starting to like the characters & get into the storyline, it ended. I would have really liked to have seen more.

Christmas Cradles was definitely my favorite of the book, & is the reason why the book gets 4 stars instead of 3. If I was to rate just that story, I would give it 5 stars. I loved the characters & the storyline from the first paragraph & identified with Anna. I too once thought myself rather plain & unlovable & thought no man would ever want me, thought of myself as too different for anyone to really want to be with me. I also just enjoyed how Anna & Asa somehow end up falling in love.

BAD.

I mean, the writing was OK - nothing really bad, nothing really good, the main premise of the book was OK - girl meets boy, boy meets girl, girl marries boy, boy wants to marry another girl while still being married to the same girl .... but the religious stuff is way unrealistic and yes, I know that's exactly the point of the point, but it leaves a dry taste in my mouth (horrible pregnancy gone wrong but saved by prayer is a very good example of this one).

I just didn't like the characters, couldn't get into the characters, thought the whole romance seemed way too quick / forced, didn't even really believe there was any romance between them.