Amish Family

A solitary sort, 42-year-old Atle Petersheim spends his time hard at work in his wood shop. But as the days get longer, he realizes just how lonely he’s become. When his longtime crush, Sadie Mast, a widow and mother of three, asks him to help her build a room in their barn for her son, Atle can’t say no. Eager to pursue Sadie at last, he turns to bookmobile librarian Sarah Anne Miller for courting advice. More than happy to help, Sarah Anne decides the best way to learn about love is through books - romance novels, to be precise.

For Leah Otto, marrying Jude Shetler is a long-held dream come true. As a young girl, she was captivated by his good looks and talent as an auctioneer. When Jude, now a widower with three children, begins to court her, Leah doesn't hesitate. Other men may not appreciate her tomboy ways, but Jude values Leah's practical nature, and both enter the marriage with joy and optimism. Three months later, Leah feels as if her world is coming down around her. Her twin teenage step-daughters are pushing boundaries, and Leah, more at ease in a barn tending her goats and chickens than in a kitchen, struggles with her housekeeping duties.

Mattie Fisher's three daughters know that she's been keeping a secret from them. With each item pulled from the beloved family hope chest, they've discovered a new clue about their mother's past. But there's a reason Mattie has been keeping her history hidden, and she's not sure she's ready to reopen old wounds. Will dredging up the past change the way her children view her? Or her marriage to their father? And can she handle the pain of revisiting the memories that preceded the last few happy decades?

In the midst of grieving their father and settling his estate, the Byler family faces some of life's hardest challenges - sickness, disaster, loss. When Joel should be stepping up as the man of the family, his selfish determination continues to cause chaos. Can the family pull together, or will the prodigal son defy his father's last wish and part the family for good?

Gracie Glick is known for being the helpful one, always available for a relative in need. But now that she’s longing for a home and family of her own, it’s time to help herself. With few eligible men in Pontotoc, Gracie’s choices, and her time, are limited. So she takes a bold leap of faith: She proposes to Matthew Byler, a handsome, recently widowed, father of five. It’s not until after they’re married that Gracie learns Matthew doesn’t want more children.

Joel finally stops running from responsibility for his actions and takes a good long look in the mirror. Seeing how far he has digressed from the man his parents raised, can Joel return to the faith he once held and break the grip money and possessions have had on his life? Will his family and Kristi believe he is able to change after causing them so much pain?

Love alone isn’t enough to overcome some obstacles. Lena Kauffman is a young Old Order Amish schoolteacher who has dealt all her life with attention raised by a noticeable birthmark on her cheek. Having learned to move past the stares and whispers, Lena channels her zest for living into her love of teaching. But tensions mount as she is challenged to work with a rebellious young man and deal with several crises at the schoolhouse that threaten her other students.

In this unabridged audio download of A Promise of Hope, the second installment in the Kauffman Amish Bakery series by Amy Clipston, an Amish widow with newborn twins discovers her deceased husband had disturbing secrets. As she tries to come to grips with the past, she considers a loveless marriage to ensure stability for her young family ... with her faith in God hanging in the balance.

Adam was her first love and best friend. But then he went away. Determined to experience the freedom of living in the Englisch world, he left Emma heartbroken. How could he have chosen the world over her? Now Adam is back in Middlefield, and Emma can't seem to keep him away from her family's farm. But this time she's determined to guard her heart. It might be love that keeps him there...or perhaps just guilt. When a newcomer arrives in town and shows an interest in Emma, she dismisses Adam's insistence that she be cautious.

Celebrate Second Christmas, a treasured, lighthearted time of community, with four Amish romances. This collection includes “When Christmas Comes Again” by Beth Wiseman, “Her Christmas Pen Pal” by Ruth Reid, “A Gift for Anne Marie” by Kathleen Fuller, and “The Christmas Aprons” by Tricia Goyer.

Miriam Lapp, who left the Amish community in Pennsylvania three years ago, is heartbroken when her sister calls to reveal that her mother has died suddenly. Traveling home to Pennsylvania, she is forced to face the heartache from her past, including her rift from her family and the break up of her engagement with Timothy Kauffman. Her past emotional wounds are reopened when her family rejects her once again and she finds out that Timothy is in a relationship with someone else.

A young Amish boy ventures from Pennsylvania to California in this richly imagined historical novel from the author of An Unseemly Wife. It's 1867. Growing up among the Pennsylvania Amish, 11-year-old Joshua knows that his father is a respected church deacon who has the ear of God. But he's also seen his father's weakness for drink and borne the brunt of his violent rages. In the aftermath of a disastrous fire, Joshua fears his father's reprimand enough to run away from home.

All of Pleasant Valley seems to think the newcomer from Lancaster County is the perfect match for teacher Leah. After all, so few new families come to their separate Amish community, and fewer still unmarried men. Daniel Glick is a widower with three young children to look after - clearly he's in need of a wife.

Preston Winslow has a heart as open as the sky and room in his life for someone special. When he falls in love with Broadway actress Elise Klassan, he holds nothing back. Elise, who has made tremendous sacrifices to forward her career, is swept off her feet by handsome, charming Preston...but the stage has been her first love for so many years, she doesn't know if there's room for Preston in her life.

When her mother passes away, Ella is forced to auction off her family’s farm. Her father died years ago, and she could never manage the fifty acres on her own. But after she moves to town, she can’t deny the pain she feels watching the new owner, Loyal Weaver, repairing her family’s old farmhouse—everything Ella had once dreamed of doing.

Lucy is traveling by herself via train to Jacob’s Crossing to help care for her cousin Mattie, recently diagnosed with breast cancer. Trying to overcome the sudden death of her husband, she’s glad to get away and focus on someone else for a while.

Mattie Lapp has faced more in her 23 years than she ever imagined. After finally and overcoming cancer, she’s ready to reenter the world with hopes for her future. But while she was in and out of hospitals, facing a devastating surgery and debilitating chemotherapy, other girls her age were courting and finding the men they would marry.

A whisper of a threat looms over widow Deidre Morris. She and her young son have unwittingly become prisoners of her intimidating father-in-law's power. One wrong step could find her son torn from her and in the hands of the influential judge. But when Deidre collides with an intriguing stranger, the prospect of a new friendship gives her renewed hope...until a devastating murder rocks the quiet community of Echo Falls and Deidre learns first impressions can't be trusted.

Katherine Yoder has loved Johnny Mullet since the two were children, but he’s never returned her affections. Now Johnny is trying to forge a new life for himself by purchasing a farm and building a business of his own. But times are tough, and he soon learns that he can’t take anything for granted - especially Katherine. Before Johnny has the opportunity to tell Katherine his true feelings, she’s struck by a serious illness. While Katherine struggles to recall recent memories of Johnny, a surprise visitor comes back into her life.

Best-selling novelist Cindy Woodsmall might seem to have little in common with Miriam Flaud, a woman immersed in the culture of Old Order Amish. But with nine children and almost 60 years of marriage between them, Cindy and Miriam both have found the secrets to facing life with strength and grace. Whether enduring financial setbacks, celebrating new babies and times of prosperity, grieving the crushing losses in the deaths of family and friends, or facing disappointments with their respective communities—through it all they find guidance for each day by looking to God.