The Bake Shop

Written by Amy Clipston

Narrated by Lauren Berst

The first installment of Amy Clipston’s bestselling Amish Marketplace series! Cakes, pies, and a tender romance await you in The Bake Shop.

Christiana Kurtz loves to bake, but when her bake stand becomes too busy, her mother encourages her to move her business to the local market. Her new bake shop is an instant success, but it becomes so inundated with customers that the line blocks the leather and woodcraft shop next door. The shop’s owner, Jeff Stoltzfus, catches Christiana’s attention at first glance with his dark brown eyes and sad expression, and she longs to know more about him.

After a series of mishaps and Jeff’s complaints that her stand is driving away his business due to the lines, their relationship begins rockily. Drawn to each other despite themselves, Jeff and Christiana forge a friendship that begins to deepen, and Jeff slowly begins to trust her with the painful secrets of his past.

When Christiana’s father makes a surprise visit to the market, he is upset to find that Jeff uses the building’s electricity to personalize his items. He tells Christiana that Jeff is too modern for her, and she’s forbidden from dating him. Christiana is crushed, but she knows she must obey her father.

When Jeff’s shop catches fire one day, he puts the entire market in jeopardy—including Christiana’s bake shop, but she can’t deny how she feels about him despite his mistakes. Though the odds are against them, can the two young people find a way to rebuild both their businesses and their relationship?

• Sweet, inspirational Amish romance
• Full-length novel (85,000 words)
• First book in Amy Clipston’s Amish Marketplace series

• Language: English
• Publisher: Zondervan
• Release date: Nov 5, 2019
• ISBN: 9780310356431

Amy Clipston

Amy Clipston is the award-winning and bestselling author of the Kauffman Amish Bakery, Hearts of Lancaster Grand Hotel, Amish Heirloom, Amish Homestead, and Amish Marketplace series. Her novels have hit multiple bestseller lists including Christianbook, CBA, and ECPA. Amy holds a degree in communication from Virginia Wesleyan University and works full-time for the City of Charlotte, NC. Amy lives in North Carolina with her husband, two sons, and five spoiled rotten cats. Visit her online at AmyClipston.com; Facebook: @AmyClipstonBooks; Twitter: @AmyClipston; Instagram: @amy_clipston; BookBub: @AmyClipston.

Reviews for The Bake Shop

[Jennifer Fleischman · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Was a great book, had me until the end !

[kevin shumway · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This is a wonderfully written story full of twists in the storyline.

[thornton37814 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Christiana's little farmstand bake shop does a good business, but sometimes eager customers do not respect business hours and come knocking at the door in the midst of meals. When she visits her cousins who operate businesses at the Bird in Hand market, she notices a vacant booth. Her strict Amish father hesitates to allow her to operate there because they have electricity, but she convinces him she'll use a propane oven. On that first visit she spilled coffee on Jeff whose wood and leather business adjoins the vacant booth. The challenges to their budding relationship sometimes seem insurmountable. Can either of them trust the other? Will her strict Amish father allow it? The novel's theme seems to be God can help you get past your past. I listened to the audiobook. I noticed the reader slowed down a bit after the first few chapters which made its pacing move more like other readers. (It really was a tad too fast at first. I usually listen to audiobooks at 1.25x speed, and I had to pay closer attention because of the really super fast speech until it slowed down to a more normal pace.)

[maydacat_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Christiana loves to bake, and has a stand to sell her goods in front of her home. When a booth becomes available in an English market center, her cousins, already having their own shops there, talk her into joining them. But it takes some persuasion to get her father to agree to the move. On her first day there, she meets a handsome Amish man by dousing him with coffee, and then discovers his leather shop is next to her bake shop. But gradually, a friendship develops between them. What seems like a perfect relationship is thwarted when her father forbids it. Overly strict and uncompromising, his word is law in that household. What transpires after his edict is a fascinating and moving tale. This first book in the series is well written, has interesting characters, and a lovely plot.

[ladyofthelodge · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

"The Bake Shop" tells the story of Jeff and Christiana, two young Amish people with secrets of their own. These two become acquainted at the marketplace where both of them have booths. As they get to know one another, Jeff and Christy share thoughts and dreams. When Christiana's dad finds out about their interest in one another, he becomes very protective of Christy, throwing a road block into their romance.This story moved along at a pace that kept the interest of the reader. The lively characters display spirit and spunk, with an underlying thread of tenderness and care. Each of them is well-described and plays an integral part in the storyline. I liked this aspect of the story, since there were no superfluous characters to keep track of. I also liked the idea that Jeff and Christy owned their own businesses and were not fearful of taking their own paths within the Old Order Amish traditions. The Christian message is clearly stated but not preachy. Although the characters experience disappointment and conflicts, the story is clean and sweet.Readers of Amy Clipston will not be disappointed in this offering. I am looking forward to more books in this series. I received this book from the publisher and from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. The opinions expressed here are entirely my own.

[fcplcataloger · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Fans who enjoy Amy Clipston's Amish romances will continue to love them after reading The Bake Shop. It is a story of seeking freedom to spread your wings and finding love after facing great rejection. Christiana Kurtz is twenty-five and unmarried and she has become known for her delicious desserts. In fact, her success is making it difficult to operate out of the little bake stand next to her home that she shares with her parents and family in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania. When she gets the chance to open her own Amish bake shop in the local marketplace she believes that she's found her solution.What she doesn't foresee, however, is her father's strong opposition to her 'English' landlord and that next door there is another business owner who will soon become very important to her. As her feelings deepen for the leather shop owner, she realizes that Jeffrey Stoltzfus has been badly hurt and he is very reluctant to open his heart to love again. Christiana also faces the objections from her father about Jeff's use of electricity in his business. Old Order Amish have a strict rule about modern conveniences and Mr. Kurtz vehemently objects to any relationship between his daughter and this Amish man with his 'modern ways'.The Bake Shop has family drama, many references to the rules and beliefs of the Amish culture, and best of all, sweet romance. The Bake Shop is the first novel in the new Amish Marketplace series and I heartily recommend this book to those who enjoy Christian fiction and Amish romance. I received a complimentary copy from the author but I wasn't obligated to post a positive review. These are my own opinions.

[scoutmomskf · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Good story about love, friendship, and forgiveness. Christiana is a wonderful baker and runs a bake stand from her family's home. It is such a success that it nearly takes over her entire life and that of her family. When customers start knocking on her door at all hours of the day and evening, Christiana's mother suggests that she look at opening a booth at the local farmer's market. Her two cousins, who also have shops there, are all for the idea, but Christiana's father worries that being around so many Englischers will pull her away from the Amish faith. With a great deal of effort, Christiana convinces her father to give her a chance. She's excited for the opportunity to grow her business, and with the market only open three days a week, she may have enough free time for a social life too.Her first day gets off to a rough start when she collides with a young Amish man, spilling his coffee on him. Jeffrey doesn't react well, and both are dismayed when they realize that their shops are next door to each other. The situation becomes even more contentious when the lines to her shop block the entrance to his. There are some harsh words spoken between them, as neither wants to admit to being the problem. Cooler heads encourage Christiana and Jeffrey to talk through the issue and find a compromise.I found both Christiana and Jeffrey a little on the stubborn side. Christiana seems to be quick to judge and slow to forgive, something unusual in Amish books. She doesn't seem to like to admit when she is wrong and digs in her heels. Jeffrey started his wood and leather business as a new beginning after a huge disappointment. He is low in self-confidence in his abilities but blames Christiana's shop for his lack of sales. But under the antagonism are sparks of interest. Unfortunately, Jeffrey's heart was broken when his fiancée left him for another man, and he is reluctant to trust his heart to another. Christiana falls foul of his distrust several times, causing her to pull away from any interest she might have in him.Slowly, Christiana notices that there is more to Jeffrey than his attitude and becomes curious about the sadness she senses in him. With patience on her part, they become friends, sharing lunches and laughs. Jeff's depression begins to lift a little, but the past continues to haunt him. Christiana works hard to show him that she can be trusted. But just as each begins to think that there could be something more between them, Christiana's father discovers that Jeffrey uses electricity in his shop. Furious, and convinced it's just the first step on the road to leaving the Faith, he forbids Christiana from spending any more time with Jeffrey. Both are heartbroken.I ached for both Christiana and Jeffrey, as it looked like they would be separated for good. I was also angry at Christiana's father for his refusal to listen to either of them. I became a little more sympathetic to him after Christiana's conversation with her grandmother, but I wasn't sure if he would ever let go of his fear and anger. I loved Jeffrey's determination to find a way to reach him and make him understand his intentions and the depth of his faith. A near tragedy almost ends Jeffrey's hopes altogether, but love wins the day. I loved the way things worked out and what finally brought Christiana and Jeffrey back together.

[virginia51-1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This is a fantastic start to a new series. I love that Christiana moves her small roadside stand into a centralized marketplace that is open Thursday-Saturday. Her sales nearly triple and she meets an Amish man that has the booth next to her. She doesn’t think that anyone wants to date her and Jeff had his heart broken and is not ready for another girlfriend. I love how these two people learn to become friends and then slowly begin to take this to another level. I loved the story. I received a copy of this book from the author for a fair and honest opinion that I gave of my own free will.

[kris_anderson-1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

The Bake Shop by Amy Clipston is the first An Amish Marketplace Novel. I know when I pick up a book written by Amy Clipston, that I will enjoy it. The Bake Shop did not disappoint with the lovely setting of Bird-in-Hand, Pennsylvania and the developed as well as realistic characters. I picked up The Bake Shop and was quickly drawn into the story thanks to Amy Clipston’s engaging writing style. You cannot help but root for the young couple whose relationship got off to a rocky start. I like how the characters developed over the course of the story especially Christiana’s father, Freeman. Faith is woven into the story beautifully. We see the importance of having faith, the power of prayer, and how forgiveness is good for not only the person receiving it but also for the person giving it. I like the messages or life lessons I got from reading this book. The Bake Shop allows us to see how the past can influence our present behavior. We need to work through our issues if we are to have a fulfilling life. I was happy that there was an epilogue that nicely wrapped up the story. The Bake Shop is a sweet Amish novel that will leave you with a smile on your face.

[alekee_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

have read many books by this author, and she never disappoints me, and you are in for another treat with this book.The author gives us a young woman who goes about her life living her faith, and works hard to help support them.Then we are given a young Amish man who has been deeply hurt by his fiancée and sure doesn’t want that pain again, but does God have other plans for him?Enter a man who is deep man of faith, to the point that he won’t bend any rules that might lead anyone in is family from being Amish.You are about to embark on a journey that is not smooth, and has a lot of up and downs, to maybe bring a couple together.The pages flew as I picked this one up!I received this book through Net Galley and the Publisher Zondervan, and was not required to give a positive review.