Dorcas is a tall, sensible-looking girl who honours her parents and has been praying for a beau since she was fifteen, without luck. Now she's finally managed to gain a job, working for a widow named Sara, which will help her family's strained finances, and she feels grown-up. Falling into a briar patch isn't a good start, but the handsome clean-shaven - so unmarried - man who picks her up is amused, and prefers to call her by her middle name, Addy.

A MATCH FOR ADDY hasn't been on the cards, but this workman Gideon is a stranger to the Delaware community, from Wisconsin. He doesn't know she normally respects her mother's wish to dress in drab colours and today is wearing her first new lavender dress. In fact, he's the first Plain man who hasn't dismissed her outright. This is the most exciting thing that's happened to the girl in years. Gideon turns out to have unexpected skills, like sewing and making excellent spiced sausage. Given that there are unwed girls with dowries willing to pay the matchmaker, though, is there any point in Addy raising her hopes?

I thoroughly enjoyed the descriptions of the Amish community activities. While dancing is not approved, the young people gather for lively singing evenings or softball while Sundays mean a church service followed by a communal meal. The women don't wear wedding rings, so single girls might choose to serve a man with extra food or tea to let him know of their interest. The Amish Matchmaker series follows on from the Hannah's Daughters series by Emma Miller, so we meet many familiar faces and the friendly herd of alpacas. The main new character is Sara Yoder, an easygoing, wise lady who has come to live here and carry on her matchmaking for everyone's benefit. Newcomers would find A MATCH FOR ADDY an ideal place to start if they wish to know more about the lifestyle. The gentle romance and dilemmas are a pleasant antidote to today's busy world while this is still a modern tale. Emma Miller's many fans won't be disappointed.