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~ FRIDAY FICTION FEATURE ~
-- 'WHEN THEY MET AGAIN'' --
AUTHOR LESLIE GOULD
Welcome to the Blog Tour for When They Met Again by Leslie Gould, hosted by JustRead Publicity Tours!
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About the Book
Title: When They Met Again
Series: Letters from Lancaster County
Author: Leslie Gould
Publisher: Bethany House
Release Date: March 17, 2026
Genre: Fiction / Romance / Amish / Contemporary
A gently humorous just friends romance from Leslie Gould, threaded with heart-deep characters and the timeless traditions of simple Amish life.
It's love at first sight for Adam Slaybaugh, yet while Joanna Grebel finds him attractive and is intrigued when he declares his interest, she's less certain of the potential for a romantic future together. Instead, she proposes they be "just friends," but Adam's not willing to settle for anything less than a romantic relationship. In response, he leaves Lancaster County for Florida, and soon after, Joanna begins courting Jacob Byer--someone she deems a much more suitable match.
When Adam returns to Lancaster County years later to pursue a career in his grandparents' successful home renovation business, he finds Joanna suffering from a broken heart. Misunderstandings and matchmaking schemes begin a tender journey of healing and romance--but is Adam's love enough to finally win Joanna over?
For readers of Beverly Lewis, Wanda E. Brunstetter, and Shelley Shepard Gray, a sweet Amish romance with matchmaking grandmas and themes of enemies to lovers, he falls first, and love at first sight versus "just friends."
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EXCERPT:
Mandy and Miriam’s
grandfather, Daniel, was the bishop of their district, and he and Elaine were
hosting the ice cream social.
Joanna noticed a
stranger—a man— who was tall, muscular, and handsome with sandy hair and deep
brown eyes.
She
didn’t recognize him, and she tried not to stare.
After the singing, the
guys took turns cranking the ice cream freezer and showing off their muscles.
The stranger had a five o’clock shadow and appeared a few years older than most
of the Youngie. As they all stood around in groups eating the ice cream, Caleb
introduced him to Joanna and Mandy. “This is Jacob Byer,” he said. Miriam
stepped into the circle. Caleb continued. “Jacob is new to our—”
“Hallo!” Miriam said,
interrupting Caleb. “Welcome to Strasburg Township.”
Jacob took a step
backward but then smiled. “Denki. And who are you?”
“Miriam.” She grinned
and then swept her hand toward Mandy. “This is my twin.” She nodded toward
Joanna. “And our friend Joanna.”
Forcing herself to be
outgoing, Joanna asked Jacob, “Where are you from?”
“Ohio. Holmes County.”
Jacob took a step closer to Joanna. He towered over her, even though she was
five eight. “I have an uncle who lives here. Enoch Byer.”
Joanna
spoke as confidently as she could. “Are you visiting Lancaster
County or do you plan to stay?”
Jacob’s
eyes twinkled as his gaze met hers. “I’m staying.”
Someone called out,
“Joanna!” She turned. Adam sauntered toward them. “Are you ready to leave?” She
wasn’t.
“I hope I’ll see you
soon.” Jacob gave her a charming smile that left her feeling flustered. Miriam
was now standing beside him.
Joanna gave Jacob, and
everyone, a wave and turned around slowly. She didn’t want to hurry and make
Jacob think she was courting Adam. Nor did she want to go too slowly and risk
having Adam say something embarrassing in front of Jacob. Her heart beat
faster. Perhaps she hadn’t met the right person yet—until now.
On the way home as Adam
chatted away about the ice cream, about Mandy and Caleb, and about his
grandparents’ business that he was excited to learn, Joanna thought about
Jacob. About how tall he was. And how handsome with his square jaw and deep
brown eyes. And his charming smile. Compared to Adam, who seemed to be an open
book, Jacob was quiet and mysterious. She couldn’t stop thinking about him.
When they reached Mammi
Lu’s, Joanna thanked Adam for the ride and started to open the buggy door.
“Wait!” Adam set the
brake and jumped to the ground. “I need to do that for you.”
Joanna waited, a little
impatiently. When Adam appeared at her door he extended his hand to her as he
grinned.
She took his hand and
jumped down. “Denki.” She started toward the back door. Mammi Lu had left a
battery- operated lantern hanging to light her way.
“Wait,” he said again
but not as enthusiastically as before. “Aren’t you going to ask me to stay?
Lemonade on the porch? Maybe a cookie.”
Joanna turned toward
him at the bottom of the steps. “I’m tired. From the trip and everything.”
“Oh.” He took off his
hat and ran his hand through his dark hair. “I wanted to talk about the trip.
About sitting in the back of the van together. Don’t tell me you didn’t feel
something.”
Annoyed,
Joanna said, “I didn’t feel anything.” But she had. Although it paled when
compared with what she was feeling for Jacob.
His face fell. “Well,
I’ll see you tomorrow. At the office, right? You’re coming by to talk to Mammi
about a job.”
“Jah.” Joanna
momentarily regretted not asking him to stay. But not enough to change her
mind. “See you tomorrow.” If she got the job, she and Adam would have a chance
to get to know each other. Perhaps she’d want to court him eventually— unless
Jacob Byer asked her out first.
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MY REVIEW:
An inspirational story of Amish romance
set in a tight-knit traditional Amish community . . .
Joanna Grebel lives in Lancaster County,
Pennsylvania, with her grandmother—Mammi Lu. She helps around the widow's farm
by cultivating and cutting flowers for the farm stand on the property and by
assisting others in the community.
Later Joanna is employed by an older
couple in the community—Becky and Ike Slaybaugh—to work as an assistant in
their construction business. The Slaybaughs purchase homes, renovate them, and
flip them for a profit. Joanna is gifted at design and has excellent
organizational skills. She is tasked with outfitting the homes with cabinets,
fixtures, furniture, etc.
One of my favorite elements of this
story is the many inspirational Bible Scriptures that are shared between the
characters in letters and conversation. The other is the enduring friendship
between four of the older characters—Becky, Rhoda, Elaine, and Lu. These four
women were friends back in their Rumspringa time when they were teens. They
have been there for each other through courtships, marriage, the deaths of
children and spouses, and in good times, too.
The story is completely clean in
language and content. I received a copy of this book from the publisher through
JustRead Publicity Tours. All of my thoughts and opinions shared here are
solely my own.
PURCHASE LINKS: Goodreads | Baker Publishing Group | Amazon | Barnes & Noble | ChristianBook | Bookshop | BookBub
More in This Series
About the Author
Leslie Gould is a Christy Award-winning and #1 bestselling author of more than fifty novels, including multiple Amish fiction series. She holds a bachelor's degree in history and an MFA in creative writing. She enjoys church history, research trips, and hiking in the Pacific Northwest. She and her husband live in Portland, Oregon, and have four adult children and two grandchildren. Learn more at LeslieGould.com.
Tour Giveaway
(1) winner will receive a $25 B&N gift card plus a copy of The Shop Down the Lane and When They Met Again!
Full tour schedule linked below. The giveaway begins at midnight March 16, 2026 and will last through 11:59 PM EST on March 23, 2026. Winners will be notified within 2 weeks of close of the giveaway and given 48 hours to respond or risk forfeiture of prize. US only. Void where prohibited by law or logistics.
Giveaway is subject to JustRead Publicity Tours Giveaway Policies.
Enter Giveaway
Follow along at JustRead Tours for a full list of stops!
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