Amish Cooking Class – The Blessing

Heidi Troyer is back in the second Amish Cooking Class book. She has a new group of students, with three men and three women. Like the first book, readers get a glimpse into the lives and problems of each of the students as well as Heidi and her husband, Lyle. Although there are all new storylines, there are still carryovers from the first. Of course, the big one is that Kendra is about to have her baby, and the Troyers are well prepared to adopt him or her. Other characters from the first are mentioned or make a brief appearance, which brings a nice continuity to the series but doesn’t detract if the books aren’t read chronologically.

These are comfortable, simply told stories that will appeal to readers of Amish fiction. The most irritating thing about these books is that the author has a verbal tick of using the word “sure” too often. Every character “sure hopes” several things over the course of the book, but it’s a minor annoyance against the charming and clean storyline of food, faith, and friendship. Overall, Heidi is a delightful character, and her cooking classes are a welcome addition to the genre.