Amish Wisdom

Esther Zook is starting over after her father's death, piecing together a new life with as much care as she puts into her intricate quilts. When her wayward sister abandons her baby, it throws all those plans for a fresh start asunder. Esther had accepted her status as an old maid - but a mother? And a single one, at that? Not that she hasn't noticed Levi Kiem, the eligible young man who's making repairs in her house. Yet he surely has no interest in Esther as anything other than a friend....

Addie Byler may be Apple Creek's resident wallflower, but she knows she has a lot to offer—and much to be grateful for. Raised by her loving grandmother, she lives a life filled with good friends and hard work. Wary of romance, Addie assumes no man will look beyond her glasses and her tendency to talk to her rescue donkey, Snickers—until the day she finds a note from a secret admirer. A prank, most likely. But then, a second note arrives . . .

Linda couldn't be more surprised when Ben turns out to be caring and helpful, despite his rowdy pranks and bad-news friends. And falling in love with him suddenly seems just right. But when a heartbreaking misunderstanding comes between them, both she and Ben must risk enough to trust, stitch the pieces back together - and dare a forever precious happiness.

Mattie Zook always stands up for what's right—which is why she's been exiled from her Pennsylvania Dutch home to her Aunt Esther's farm. Outraged at local discrimination against the Amish, she's using her rumschpringe to run for town council. Esther can only hope that sensible local farmer Freeman Sensenig will help Mattie—and keep her from going too far. But Mattie is soon finding her new campaign manager all too appealing . . .

Siblings Martin, Kelsey, Beth, and Jonny are as different as can be, but they have one thing in common. They're all longing to reinvent their lives. Raised by their divorced lapsed-Amish father and English mother, they only knew real stability and a sense of family when visiting their Old Order grandparents, Josiah and Sylvia Schrock, in peaceful small-town Millersburg, Ohio. Now, the four want to try living with them and joining their faith—much to the Schrocks' surprise.

Romance is in the air, old-fashioned courtship is alive and well, and love is an eternal promise in these three novellas from Beth Wiseman, Kelly Long, and Kathleen Fuller.

In 1977, in an Ohio Amish community, pregnant wife and mother Ida Stutzman perished during a barn fire. The coroner’s report: natural causes. Ida’s husband, Eli, was never considered a suspect. But when he eventually rejected the faith and took his son, Danny, with him, murder followed. What really happened to Ida? The dubious circumstances of the tragic blaze were willfully ignored and Eli’s shifting narratives disregarded.

Come and sit awhile as you enjoy 18 fictional short stories of love, joy, and the peace found in Amish country. Amish Country is known for an atmosphere of peace and quiet, perfect for front-porch sitting with a good book. Join New York Times best-selling author Wanda E. Brunstetter, her daughter-in-law, and granddaughter, as they share 18 heartwarming stories from Amish Country. These fictional short stories include journeys we can all relate to as we seek how to live led by love, joy, peace, patience, and other Fruits of the Spirit.

Esther's distant cousin, widower Menno Eicher, needs to be hard-headed and practical. Swamped by family and farm responsibilities, he must find the perfect wife as quickly as possible, so he's shown up in Colorado—with "finding a wife" on his To-Do list! Esther's community has many women who could match his ever-growing requirements. Yet after a chance meeting, Menno keeps coming back to baker Joanna Yoder. Hard-working, honest, and forthright, she's distracting Menno from his search, opening his heart—but refuses to believe he's falling hopelessly in love with her . . .

Though Mary Yoder longs to marry someday, she finds caring for her community's injured and sick is much easier than courting. But when Englischer Clay Markham crashes his car nearby, Mary's nursing shows her his hidden wounds are more painful than his injuries. Though she's irresistibly drawn to his kind nature, can she risk letting him into her heart? On the run from his troubled past, ex-pro baseball player Clay can't believe the quiet sanctuary he's found under Mary's care. Her gentle faith and knowledge are somehow giving him hope he can change his life.

Olive Hesh doesn’t know it, but she’s about to give someone a terrible shock. She was employed to be a nanny to two-year-old, Leo. The only thing is Leo’s father, Blake Worthington, doesn’t know an Amish girl is about to walk through his door. Olive convinces Blake she can handle the job, but can she be around this wealthy and handsome Englisher every day without compromising her faith? Her best friend is falling for an Englisher, and she does not want to make the same mistake.

From best-selling authors in the Amish genre come three sweet stories centered around Amish traditions and the possibility of romance.

As the daughter of a deacon, Amy Yoder knows all eyes are on her to set a good example by marrying an Amish man. But Amy has discovered that finding one is much easier said than done. When her mother secures her a suitable match, Amy isn't expecting much, but Andrew is everything she could have hoped for in a husband. The only trouble is, the man she's now pining for lives in Wisconsin, a great distance away. Now that Amy has found Andrew, she's determined to bridge the space between them, but will absence make the heart grow fonder - or stop their happily-ever-after before it begins?

In "No Place Like Home", widow Eva Dienner returns home to meet the man her parents always intended for her. After Hurricane Harvey, Sarah Hook returns to the home she fled and back into the arms of Abram King in "When Love Returns". In "The Courage to Stay", Irene Keim seeks a fresh start in the home of her new friends, but when their son comes around, he's determined to push her out. Atlee Shetler is visiting Birch Breek to escape the memories of his late wife and finds the project of renovating a bakery and its owner much more than he's bargained for in "What Love Built".

Between work and keeping his little brothers out of trouble, Austin Petersheim barely has time to think, much less court the most popular maiden in town. But if he can establish a local market to direct-sell his family's goods, he'll stand out as a potential husband. He's so grateful for the help of his longtime friend, Hannah Yutzy, who has such practical ideas—and is so easy to talk to....

Ettie's sister, Florence Lapp, is in trouble. Her house has burned down, and her gun is missing. When Florence announces she's staying with Ettie and Elsa-May until the case is solved, Ettie is spurred on to make that happen, and fast. Events take a more serious turn when the gun shows up and is linked to a murder. Ettie finds out that Florence has some odd friends, and one of them has been charged over the shooting. Florence insists her friend is innocent even though the DNA evidence proves otherwise.

Ever since she and her friends opened a market stall for employment, Amish maid Claire Shoneberger has finally stopped worrying about finding a husband. After all, there are no eligible bachelors left in her community. Now Claire is starting a new job at an English bed-and-breakfast - where the owner's son has a flirty reputation with women. Only, Englisher Donovan Billings isn't quite the worldly scoundrel Claire expects. An attraction to Donovan could be dangerous, yet Claire finds herself warming to him. Any man can have a change of heart.

Widowed sisters Esther and Lizzie are the town innkeepers—and the town matchmakers. But when a new tenant moves into a guest cottage at their Peony Inn, the sisters are shocked to discover that maybe this time, one of them might finally find a match of her own. Retired dentist Dr. Benjamin Stoltzfus has signed a six-month lease at the cottage—and gentle Esther and spirited Lizzie are in a surprising competition for the kind doctor’s affections.

Four books in one volume: A Legacy of Love by Amy Clipston, The Cedar Chest by Beth Wiseman, The Treasured Book by Kathleen Fuller, and The Midwife’s Dream by Kelly Irvin.

Tillie Gingerich is so in love with Melvin Yoder that she agrees to leave her conservative Amish home to live with him in the English world. But when the struggle to make ends meet leads to conflict and reveals troubling weaknesses in their relationship, Tillie returns to Pontotoc - pregnant and unmarried. Her loving family accepts her, but to convince the rest of the community, they must turn to the bishop. Distraught, Tillie runs away on Christmas Eve - only to get as far as an isolated house on the edge of town.