The second book in the New Directions series following Weaving of Life, this Amish romance will keep you guessing until the end! Susan Lapp is back in Lancaster and ready to begin a serious relationship with Levi Yoder. After all the ups and downs of her time out west, it's good to be back in the familiar routines of church, family, and working at the market and housecleaning. Nothing stays simple for long, though, and Susan finds herself trying to help her sister Kate navigate her complicated and painful marriage that is taking a toll on their entire family. As Susan and Levi continue to court and wedding season comes into full swing, Susan wonders whether a proposal is imminent. Each wedding the two attend together makes her think more and more about her future with Levi. He's charming, kind, and familiar by now, but is he the man God wants for her to marry? When Susan hears that a child she nannied for in Wyoming goes missing, she is desperate to...

The Miller family's move from Ohio to Montana was, for the most part, uneventful, except that Sadie Miller had to leave her beloved horse, the palomino named Paris. Still, she likes the Montana snows and her job at Aspen East Ranch serving the ranch hands.Unexpectedly, Ezra appears, the man who seems to be perfect in every way and fully intends to marry Sadie. But does she love him back? And who is this fascinating Mark who helps to rescue a dying horse and shows up at the Amish hymn-sing though he is English? Why can't she get his dark eyes and tall stature out of her mind? Now Sadie's own close-knit family is falling apart. Mam claims her head is cluttered and unclear, and she no longer trusts herself to make a chocolate cake from scratch or to cut Reuben's hair in a straight line. The worst part is, Dat refuses to acknowledge Mam's struggles.Sadie finds some refuge in Nevaeh, a black and white paint. But when a dreadful accident involving wild horses occurs, Sadie must move forward into the unknown future. Will Dat let Mam seek professional help? Will Mam be willing to go? Will Mark be at the next hymn-sing? Is he Amish or English? Will he like her favorite pink dress? Will she see the wild horses again? Why do these phantom-like animals take her breath away every time they appear on the horizon? Review"As a writer who is Amish, Byler draws on her personal experience to present an authentic portrait of life in the sect. This gentle romance by the author of the "Lizzie Searches for Love" series will please CF readers who can't get enough fiction about the Plain People."-Library Journal *"Author Linda Byler is Amish, which sets this book apart both in the rich detail of Amish life and in the lack of melodrama over disappointments and tragedies. Sadie demonstrates courage, compassion and contentment, and Byler's writing will leave readers eager for the next book in the series." *-Publishers WeeklyAbout the AuthorLinda Byler grew up Amish and is an active member of the Amish church today. Growing up, Linda Byler loved to read and write. In fact, she still does. She is well known within the Amish community as a columnist for a weekly Amish newspaper. Linda and her husband, their children and grandchildren live in central Pennsylvania.

A romance novel by an Amish writer, based on true experiences!It isn't that Lizzie doesn't want to stay Amish. It's just that there is so much to figure out.Like why can't she let her hair be a little looser on top?And why can't she wear shoes with a little bit more of a heel?And will she ever really just know for a fact who she is going to marry like her next-older sister, Emma, does?And how does it happen that her just-younger sister, Mandy, is going on a date before Lizzie ever has a real one?So does it matter at all if she eats one more whoopie pie? Amos seems to like her a lot when she pounds out the ping-pong games. He even asks her to be his partner in doubles. But then he asks Ruthie if he can take her home!It has been this way Lizzie's whole life.She has too hot a temper. She hates housework and dislikes babies. She loves driving fast horses but is petrified of going away from home for a week to work as a maud (maid).Now that Lizzie is...

A hopeful story of unexpected love in the midst of illness, pain, and family conflict John is the youngest of seven boys and is constantly overshadowed by his big brothers who seem to all be stronger, smarter, and better looking than he is. As a teenager, he knows he's overweight and is sure he'll never be popular like his brothers are. But those struggles are nothing compared to the battle he is about to fight. After weeks of feeling exhausted, depressed, and achy, he has no idea what's wrong with him and begins to wonder if he'll be miserable for the rest of his life. By the time he is finally diagnosed with Lyme disease, his body is failing and his spirits are nearly at rock bottom. John's parents and brothers try to help him, but as weeks turn into months with no real sign of improvement, the illness begins to take its toll on all of them. Minor disagreements turn into angry fights and old hurts surface amidst uncertainty and exhaustion. The Amish family that...

In Little Amish Lizzie, the first book in the Buggy Spoke series, five-year-old Lizzie moves to a new home with her family and must adjust to a new school, new house, and lots of new people. But some things stay the same, including her spunky, sensitive, and mischievous personality. It feels like her big sister Emma is just the opposite—she is sweet, respectful, and good at just about everything that Lizzie isn't. When Lizzie and Emma begins, Lizzie is eight years old and it's not that she wishes she weren't the kind of girl who loves hiding for hours to read a good book or racing down too-steep hills on her sled or eating lots of doughnuts. But she does wish she could make herself walk instead of running once in awhile so she wouldn't get in trouble at school, and she knows no one thinks she's as pretty or as good as Emma is. Times are hard for the Glick family—Dat's business is still not doing well and his cheerful optimism is beginning to wear thin. Lizzie...

Simon can't stop thinking about the pretty Amish teacher at the local one-room school. But he's ignored the sparks between them because he's so shy.So Simon's little brother, Isaac, takes matters into his own hands. He's determined to give his brother the best Christmas present ever—a date with his favorite teacher.Amish novelist Linda Byler brings her tender humor and skillful observation of family relationships to this holiday story. "I love Isaac's self-confidence and scheming as he prods his reluctant older brother," she says knowingly about her characters.Byler takes her reader straight into the Amish world as Isaac is both charmed and annoyed by his too talkative, but quite bright, Mam. He can barely tolerate his little nieces and nephews, who substantially outnumber the grown-ups when the whole family gets together. And he loves his humble, circumspect Dat, although his father isn't always pleased by how well Isaac sweeps the forebay in the barn.As...

One Christmas morning, while young Amish twins Henry and Harvey are sledding, they find a big black dog wandering in a field. They adopt the Newfoundland and name him Lucky, and he soon becomes their best friend and playmate. When tragedy strikes and Harvey drowns in a spring creek, Henry's only source of comfort is his furry companion. To make matters worse, the Depression is especially hard on Henry's parents who have more children than they can care for. He is sent to live with another family, where he becomes enchanted with Katie Stoltzfus. Eventually, Lucky passes away, leaving a hole in Henry's heart, and he wonders if he will ever find another friend as faithful and loving. As Henry grows up, he has other dogs, but none are as special as the Newfoundland he and his brother once cherished. When Katie marries another man, it seems Henry will never be happy again. Every passing Christmas reminds him of the people and animal friends now missing from his life. Though, no holiday...

Who is responsible for setting the barn fires that continue to keep the Amish of eastern Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, on edge? Who is responsible for seeing that they are stopped?In this third and final novel in the Lancaster Burning series, author Linda Byler takes us inside the home of Davey Beiler, the leader of this Amish district. He clearly feels the heat in more ways than one. Some of the younger members of his church are ready to testify against the man who has allegedly started atleast several of the fires. Davey counsels patience and forgiveness.But when Sarah, Davey's daughter, spots flames late one night in the widow Lydia's barn, Sarah refuses to let the fire win. She gets the horses out just in time, but not before a beam explodes overhead, knocking her to the ground as the barn rages in flames all around her. In that moment, Sarah's life “turned darker than black." Gone were her lovely good looks, her life as a teacher, and perhaps the...

Hannah, feisty and independent as ever, has put everything into building up her family's homestead in North Dakota. Despite tragedy and almost unimaginable hardship due to the Great Depression, unpredictable weather, and unforgiving landscape, she and her new husband Jerry are leading their Amish friends and family in their homesteading venture. When the winter storms and the untimely death of a child become too much for the rest of the community to bear, they move back east. But Hannah and Jerry stay on, doggedly pursuing Hannah's dreams of a successful ranch. But even Jerry's spirits begin to fail and when a flag of grasshoppers destroys every last morsel of vegetation after yet another drought, Hannah finally relents and they too return to the fertile soil of Pennsylvania, where life will be safe and predictable. Or so they think, but when tragedy strikes again, Hannah is suddenly a widow, in a place that no longer feels like home and with family who cannot grasp the depth...

New love and even more questions enter Lizzie Glick's life in When Strawberries Bloom, the second novel in a series by an Amish writer and based on life experiences.Lizzie's dream of teaching school has finally come true. She loves the brand-new school building, the sound of the children singing, and the independence she has in the classroom. Even the occasionally unruly boys can't ruin the excitement she feels each morning when she starts the school day.But at home things are in turmoil again. What do Dat's sudden health problems mean for the future of their farm? And what about Lizzie's future? Emma and Mandy are so certain that Joshua and John are their perfect matches, but Lizzie doesn't know what to think about Stephen and how he might fit into her life.What will Lizzie decide? Will she continue to teach school? Or will she give up that dream so that her wish for marriage and a family can come true?Stephen says he loves her, but Lizzie isn't sure he really...

Barns are burning in the Lancaster County's Amish community, and no one knows who's doing it or why.Sarah Beiler's barn was the first to burn and it was quickly followed by two other barn fires. The entire Amish community is on edge and wrestling with how they should respond to these seemingly random crimes.Should the Amish consider police protection as Sarah's cousin, Melvin, insists, or should the community continue to follow their traditional peaceful approach to violence as Sarah's father, Davey, the local minister, counsels? Then another barn burns, this one more devastating than any other, and the community again rallies around the distressed family.Even in the midst of this chaos, life must go on for Sarah and her family. But now it feels as if nothing is normal. The local Amish school board asks Sarah to take over teaching a school where the students are out of control. How will she handle obstinate Amish kids and their defensive parents...

Bestselling Amish writer Linda Byler introduces a new Amish novel, the first in her new series about Sarah Beiler in Lancaster, PennsylvaniaThe Amish community of Lancaster is being terrorized by barn fires.David and Malinda Beiler’s barn was the first to go. The clues are sparse, but Levi, the Beilers’ oldest son, happened to be awake in the middle of the night and spotted a white vehicle driving past the house with its lights off.Sarah, David and Malinda’s daughter, is in her late teens and old enough to observe her parents’ agony. Not only is she afraid, too, and wishing she could protect her parents, she’s entranced by the flirtatious Matthew Stoltzfus. He’s dating her friend, Rose, but when he tenderly bandages Sarah’s hand after she burns it at the barn raising, she wonders who he’s really interested in. When a second Amish barn burns for suspicious reasons, the Amish grow more restless. “We’re too quiet too much of the time,” a group of Amish men tell David Beiler, their minister. Seriously considering police protection, the increasingly tense community questions their traditional nonresistant approach to violence.Sarah now finds herself at odds with her mother over her choice of boyfriends and uncertain about how to respond to the attention of Lee, a newcomer to Lancaster. Not only that, she wonders if her dad is a wise enough leader as her community reels from within and without. Everyone is on edge as the losses mount and suspicions undo the usual steadiness of these people.About the AuthorLinda Byler grew up Amish and is an active member of the Amish church today. Growing up, Linda loved to read and write. In fact, she still does. She is the author of Running Around (and Such), the first novel in the “Lizzie Searches for Love” series. She is well-known within the Amish community as a columnist for a weekly Amish newspaper. Linda and her husband, their children, and grandchildren live in central Pennsylvania.

Born a Native American, but brought up Amish, Hester Zug, at age 20, flees her Amish home. Her father's too-tender care of her has made her stepmother wildly jealous, and so Hester sets off, knowing only that she can't stay. Hester's natural instincts for navigating the forests in colonial Pennsylvania along with the book of medicines and remedies given to her by an aged Native American woman allow her to survive until she gets sick from drinking river water.Twice rescued—first by matronly Indian women who find her unconscious in the woods, and then by a boy in downtown Lancaster, where she'd been left for dead by the dreaded Paxton boys—Hester finds herself in the kind, if rough, hands of Emma Ferree. Because of her wide heart, Ferree, a widow, offers her home to fugitives.The dazzlingly beautiful Hester eventually marries an Amish man, who is more in love with the way she looks than with her heart and mind. And when that childless marriage falters, she is...

Lizzie is a five-year-old Amish girl in Lancaster, Pennsylvania. She is spunky, sensitive, and not nearly as pious as her older sister Emma. Lizzie sometimes daydreams instead of praying when she bows her head before meals . . . but she figures God knows she's grateful for the good food Mam puts on the table every night. Her wild spirit often gets her in trouble, though, and she wonders why she can't be as sweet and kind as her goody-two-shoes big sister. Will she always be at odds with her own fiery spirit? Although Lizzie loves adventure, when her father's business begins to struggle and she learns they're moving to a new house in a different town, all she wants is to stay in the beloved home she knows with the little picket fence, the bubbling creek, and her favorite climbing trees. Through Linda Byler's vivid descriptions of Amish life, you can walk with Lizzie as she adjusts to a new school, experience the terror of their awful buggy accident, laugh at her misadventures,...