Amish Fiction

It was the early 1900s when Obadiah (Oba) and Merriweather's (May's) parents died tragically, leaving them orphans at ten and eleven years old. When none of their nearby relations volunteer to take them in, they are set on a train to Arkansas to go live on their Amish aunt and uncle's cotton farm. Once there, it didn't take long to discover they would be treated cruelly, no matter what they did. May, always anxious to be a godly young lady, took on more and more responsibility, trying desperately to keep the peace and convince her older brother not to run away.

Lorie Kauffman is grief stricken when her father passes away unexpectedly. But her heartache quickly turns to bewilderment when she discovers that he had been leading two lives - one of simplicity and hard work in Wells Landing and one fraught with painful ordeals in Tulsa. As she starts digging into her family's past, Lorie finds that she's no longer certain where she belongs. Lorie knows that if she leaves Wells Landing, she may never be able to return.

New to Stoney Ridge, schoolteacher Mollie has come to town for a fresh start. When Luke Schrock, new to his role as deacon, asks the church to take in foster girls from a group home, she's the first to raise her hand. The power of love, she believes, can pick up the dropped stitches in a child's heart and knit them back together. Mollie envisions sleepovers and pillow fights. What the 11-year-old twins bring to her home is anything but. Visits from the sheriff at midnight. And then the most humiliating moment of all: the girls accuse Mollie of drug addiction.

Families rejoicing together, caroling parties full of cheer, and church get-togethers brimming with delicious cooking and warm fellowship. Ivy Weaver would give anything to be a part of Christmas in Wells Landing. But one reckless mistake made her an outsider, and it's all she can do now to tend to her ailing grandfather and make a living. She sure doesn't need Zeb Brenneman returning to help after he abandoned her for no reason. He's working hard to make amends, but Ivy isn't sure there's enough faith - or still-sparking love between them - to stir her forgiveness.

Crystal Glick is grateful to live with her brother’s family since her father died and her fiancé, Owen, broke their engagement. Crystal loves her bruderskinner and cheerfully helps her sister-in-law through a difficult pregnancy with babies number seven and eight, but she yearns for a husband and children of her own.

Independent-minded Leah Gingerich has always been outspoken. And even though she is now a progressive Mennonite, she's rediscovering the joys of family traditions back in her Amish hometown. Yet she can't help but clash with her handsome new Amish neighbor, Jamie Stoltzfus. He's too hard-headed and old-line to see that his traumatized young nephew, Peter, needs faith and help - or that a woman who stands up to him may be what he needs to heal.

Love and Buggy Rides: Janie Lantz is a cashier at Lancaster Souvenirs and Buggy Rides, where Jonathan Stoltfuz is a buggy driver. A frightening accident brings Janie and Jonathan together in a blossoming friendship, yet daunting obstacles stand between them and something deeper.

Tragically losing her parents as a child, Lisa Miller has grown up afraid of loving and losing. She dedicates herself to working as a teacher in an Amish schoolhouse and helping the grandparents who raised her, all while avoiding the advances of newcomer Paul Herchberger. Paul enjoys antiques, and meets Orley Troyer while looking for unique old milk bottles in yard sales. Orley and his wife offer prayers and advice as Paul tries to reach Lisa's closed heart. But when secrets are revealed, will Lisa use them as an excuse to close herself off again?

Restaurant critic Derek Schumaker, notorious for his bitter reviews, is about to visit Daisy's Tea Garden, and Daisy and Aunt Iris are simmering with anxiety. A bad word from the culinary curmudgeon could really hurt their business. But how can he resist her cucumber sandwiches with pimento spread - not to mention the cheesy cauliflower soup and strawberry walnut salad? Schumaker takes a to-go order when the afternoon tea service is done, which Daisy hopes is a good sign. But when he perishes from a seizure, it looks like his food was dosed with something deadly.

A wrong turn in a rainstorm leads Englisher Amelia Devries to Michael Hostetler - and the young Amishman's charming Old Order community of Hickory Hollow. Despite their very different backgrounds, Amelia and Michael both feel hemmed in by the expectations of others and struggle with how to find room for their own hopes. And what first seems to be a chance encounter might just change their lives forever.

After Maria Mast's abusive ex-boyfriend is arrested for being involved in sex trafficking and modern-day slavery, she thinks she and her son, Carter, can safely return to her Amish community. But the danger has only just begun. Someone begins stalking her, and they want blood and revenge.

The matchmakers have their eyes on romance - and in this small Amish community, no one is safe. Their sights are first set on plain, independent Willow, who’s shocked when her parents try to marry her off to bachelor Samuel. But can she and Samuel evade their parents’ meddling long enough to find love on their own? Then there’s Valerie, a widow who’s never recovered from losing the man she really loved. Now at her friend’s urging, she and Ed have one last chance to find their own happiness…if they can revive the spark that once promised a lifetime of love.

Treva Zimmerman finds herself at a crossroads in life after a heartbreaking failed relationship. Returning to Lancaster County to visit her Amish grandparents and elderly aunt, Treva plans to leave her Plain heritage behind for a fresh start in Alaska. Torn between the expectations of her community and her own desires, she seeks to follow her own path—but all that changes when her aunt Rosene suffers a heart attack. As Rosene recounts her own past, Treva is determined to discover the whereabouts of Rosene’s former sweetheart.

"The empty house is not a home!" Mrs. Hopkins said sternly as Emma looked into the street. Emma's dead warned her...Mrs. Hopkins had many enemies and a ruthless streak. Later that month, Emma arrives at Mrs. Hopkins' home to find her fighting for her life at the bottom of the staircase.... The 911 dispatchers tried to change Gott's ways...but it was her time to meet her maker.... Emma must find the truth to clear her name.... She needs your help! Who else knew the empty house was full of lies?

As Promise Lodge's first wedding arrives, the evidence of a community building a foundation for the future is a cause for celebration. But the bishop's narrow-minded wedding sermon doesn't sit well with the Bender sisters, the town's courageous founders, especially widowed Mattie Schwartz. She believes marriage and family aren't the most important of God's gifts - even if she suspects her tender feelings for Preacher Amos Troyer run deeper than simple friendship.

Twenty-seven-year-old Amish woman Joanna Kurtz has been a bridesmaid plenty of times, but never a bride. And despite having a secret romance with responsible young Amishman Eben Troyer, their relationship can only go so far, because the two are always kept apart. Will Joanna ever know the joys of marriage?

After years of wanting a husband and family of her own, Amish nanny Trudy Schwartz’s hopes soar with the arrival of a handsome newcomer at the local matchmaker’s home. Looking for a fresh start, the last thing solitary carpenter Eli Mast wants is a wife, though he is grateful for the kind nanny caring for his young niece. But when Eli’s custody of little Leah is in jeopardy, he agrees to a courtship of convenience—except Trudy believes Eli’s intentions are genuine. Will the truth lead them to heartbreak…or will their arrangement blossom into an unexpectedly perfect match?

Long-time residents of Promise Lodge welcome a wave of newcomers that includes a pretty potter who's come to help an expectant couple, and a hard-working dairy expert ready to manage the herds on the expanding Burkholder farm. Then there's Isaac Chupp, the handsome, charming son of a notoriously unyielding Bishop from nearby Coldstream. Isaac has recklessly rebelled against his dat, and his bad boy reputation precedes him. Now he seeks a fresh start, applying for work at Dale Kraybill's bulk store.

Wilma Baker was a widow for the second time. She had buried her first husband when her daughters were still young. And now, here she was, burying her second husband when she was only middle-aged. When other Amish widows rally to support Wilma, how will Wilma's life-long best friend react? Meanwhile, Wilma's niece Debbie has problems of her own. She has fallen for her ex-boyfriend's brother. What will she do when both men come back into her life? Will she be sensible and choose the man she has known for years? Or will she choose his brother with whom she'd had an instant connection?

Daisy's worried one of her employees at Daisy's Tea Garden may be in a spot of trouble. Lately Karina's been loading up on soup and second-day baked goods at the end of her shift - and while the shop's scrumptious treats may be hard to resist, Daisy suspects there's more going on, especially since Karina has been seen hanging out in a rundown part of Willow Creek. Planning her own daughter's wedding is enough to keep her busy, but Daisy can't help feeling a protective maternal instinct - and an instinct to investigate.