Book picks similar to
A Precious Gift by Shelley Shepard Gray


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Fearless Hope


Serena B. Miller - 2014
    She ends up taking a job as a part-time housekeeper for the Englisch man who has bought the farm that once belonged to her family. Logan Parker is a bestselling crime fiction writer from New York City who accompanies his fiancée on a trip to Holmes County, Ohio, but the trip takes a strange turn when he sees an Amish farmhouse for sale. Intrigued by a strong sense of familiarity, he enters the house and is overcome with a feeling of deep peace. He’s never been to Ohio before, but something in this house feels right, and he purchases the farm to use as a retreat. Something about the peacefulness of the house frees him from the crippling writer’s block that threatens to ruin his career, and something about the quiet Amish woman who comes to clean his home makes him less and less excited about returning to New York and the woman he is supposed to marry. Slowly, Logan and Hope are drawn together, and when they discover that they share a strange past, they must decide how that affects their future. Will Hope overcome her fear of embracing love again?

Sweet as Honey


Jennifer Beckstrand - 2016
    Jennifer Beckstrand writes lovely stories, sure to touch your heart.”--RaeAnne Thayne, New York Times bestselling authorSmart, kind, and good-hearted, the three Christner girls are affectionately known as The Honeybee Sisters in the beloved Wisconsin Amish community where, under the care of their aunt, they've grown into skilled beekeepers--and lovely, sought-after young women. . .Though she has blossomed into a beauty, Lily Christner doesn't really believe it. Deep down, she still feels like a lonely, gawky teenager. Maybe that's why she's all but promised herself to Paul Glick, the one boy who never teased her in her awkward girlhood--unlike Dan Kanagy, whose creative name-calling left her in tears many a time. Now he's back in town after two years away--and being surprisingly sweet, suspiciously attentive--and making Lily unsettlingly yet deliciously nervous. It seems Dan wants Lily's forgiveness--and her heart. But can he convince her--not to mention her protective schwesters and aendi--that despite the past, her future lies with him?...  Praise for Jennifer Beckstrand and her Matchmakers of Huckleberry Hill series"Full of kind, sincere characters struggling with the best ways to stay true to themselves and their beliefs." --Publishers Weekly"Readers will treasure this series and put the first outing on their keeper shelf." --RT Book Reviews"A delightful voice in Amish romance. Sweet and funny." --Emma Miller

Courting His Amish Wife


Emma Miller - 2021
    Now husband and wife, but complete strangers, they must figure out how to live together in harmony. But with Levi’s family questioning the motives for their surprise wedding, getting to know each other—and possibly finding love along the way—is harder than they expected.From Love Inspired: Uplifting stories of faith, forgiveness and hope.

An Amish Christmas Kitchen: Three Novellas Celebrating the Warmth of the Season


Leslie Gould - 2019
    This collection from bestselling Amish fiction novelists Leslie Gould, Jan Drexler, and Kate Lloyd finds the beating heart at the center of the holiday and offers three novellas that celebrate family, faith, and especially the sights and smells of a bustling holiday kitchen. Leslie Gould tells the story of how, in the wake of a heartbreaking loss, a young Amish woman finds unexpected comfort and hope in a yearly baking tradition surrounding the local Lancaster Christmas market. Jan Drexler offers a sweet tale of a shy Amish woman who decides to use her gift for sweets to woo a local Amish boy with her beloved Christmas cookies. And Kate Lloyd offers a heartwarming tale of a woman's unexpected discovery about the truth of her past, and the warm and welcoming Amish family table she finds herself invited to on Christmas.

Snow Globe


Laura V. Hilton - 2014
    Her client, Anna Petersheim, is pleasant and tells captivating stories. Plus, her home is quiet and far more peaceful than Esther's, with so many siblings. She only dreads the day when Anna's grandson, Viktor, will return from the river to take over the farm. She and Viktor were classmates years ago, and he'd been an obnoxious flirt who paid attention to every girl but her.A Toughened Riverboat CaptainA seasoned riverboat captain, Viktor Petersheim has seen his share of trials. He left the Amish after the death of his parents and siblings in a house fire for which he still feels responsible. Now, after years of working on the Mississippi River, he returns home to claim the farm he inherited from his grandparents and, hopefully, to repair some of the damaged relationships and broken hearts he left in his wake.Love off the RiverWhen Viktor arrives home, it doesn't take long for him and Esther to realize their mutual attraction. Even so, their relationship remains as tumultuous as a shaken snow globe, like the one Esther finds at a garage sale and gives to Viktor's grandmother as a token of affection. Viktor isn't the only man with an eye on Esther, and soon it looks as if she's ready to make a future with someone else. Will the two go their separate ways again? Or will the hand of God work something beautiful out of their angst and agitation?

A Stranger's Gift


Anna Schmidt - 2011
    On the heels of a horrific hurricane, Hester Detlef, field director for the Mennonite Disaster Service, blows into the life of self-made, shunned Amish man John Hafner. Will she find a way through his shield and into his heart? Although the hurricane has left John homeless and badly injured, the last thing he wants is some do-gooder Mennonite woman intruding in his life. Will his impatience with her intention of restoring his faith and property keep him from accepting this beguiling stranger’s kindness?

A Christmas Home


Marta Perry - 2019
    Her new job with neighbor Noah Raber's furniture business seems promising—until she and the woodworker clash over everything from the best way to reach new costumers to how to raise his mischievous six-year-old twin boys.Though Sarah longs for a home of her own, she fights the appeal of this ready-made family, resolved to maintain a professional distance. But when she and Noah both agree to help with the school's annual Christmas program, Sarah finds her heart touched by the motherless boys and Noah's quiet strength. Thrown together at work and at the school, their feelings continue to grow, and Sarah struggles to keep Noah at arms' length. Loving Noah may seem impossible, but with faith, love, and a little help from their close-knit community, there may yet be a Christmas home for them both.

Winter Surplus


Sicily Yoder - 2012
    The last three teachers found love and didn't stay at teaching for a full year.   Nathan has two special-needs children, and is a widower, so he needs a teacher that will stay put.   Abby has taken the job to help her blind season, but she has to keep pushing her selfish needs back as she finds Nathan very intriguing. However, Nathan is battling his affection for Abby because he can't see God answering both of his prayers: the prayer for a good schoolteacher and a good wife.   Will Abby stay focused as a schoolteacher, or will she let her heart slip away. Will Nathan be able to help keep Abby work-centered, or will his manliness make him error?

Jonah's Redemption


Sylvia Price - 2020
    He yearns for his Amish roots, but his past mistakes keep him from returning home.Mary Lou is recovering from a medical scare. Her journey has impressed upon her how precious life is, so she decides to go on rumspringa to see the world.While in the city, Mary Lou meets Jonah. Unable to understand his foul attitude, especially towards her, she makes every effort to share her faith with him. As she helps him heal from his past, an attraction develops.Will Jonah’s heart soften towards Mary Lou? What will God do with these two broken people?This is the 1st book of a 5-book series.

Home to Pebble Creek


Vannetta Chapman - 2013
    Fans of the series will enjoy this chance to briefly revisit Pebble Creek, and new readers will be introduced to an Amish community that is more deeply explored in the three full novels, A Promise for Miriam, A Home for Lydia, and A Wedding for Julia. When Joseph Bontrager left Pebble Creek, all of Esther Schrock’s dreams and hopes for the future went with him. Bravely picking up the pieces of her broken heart, she resumed her life teaching at the schoolhouse with Miriam King. Now, nineteen months later, Joseph has returned. Despite her initial excitement, Esther feels anger rise up instead of love. Will she be able to forgive him for leaving? Forgive him for more than a year and a half of silence without a single letter? With Miriam’s encouraging words, and despite ominous clouds on the horizon, will Esther be able to replace the bitterness in her heart with affection for Joseph once more?

Living in Harmony


Mary Ellis - 2012
    It’s about fresh starts and love…and how faith in God and His perfect plan for our lives provides us with the peace and joy we desire.Amy King—young, engaged, and Amish—faces difficult challenges in her life when she suddenly loses both of her parents in a house fire. Her fiancé, John Detweiler, persuades her and her sister Nora to leave Lancaster County and make a new beginning with him in Harmony, Maine, where he has relatives who can help the women in their time of need.John’s brother Thomas and sister-in-law Sally readily open their home to the three newcomers. Wise beyond his years, Thomas, a minister in the district, refuses to marry Amy and John upon their arrival, suggesting instead a period of adjustment and counseling. During this time Amy discovers an aunt who was shunned. She wishes to reconnect with her, but this puts a strain on her relationship with John.Can John and Amy find a way to live in happily in Harmony before making a lifetime commitment to one another?

The Blizzard


June Bryan Belfie - 2016
    The rich suburbanites found themselves in Amish country dealing with the absence of electricity and modern conveniences. Kayla found herself attracted to David, the handsome blond teenager and member of the Amish family they took refuge with. The feeling appeared mutual. After letters and visits back to the Amish family homestead, the young couple realized conflict was ahead for them. Could there ever be a meaningful relationship between them, beyond friendship? David also felt a calling to attend college. Still in his rumschpringe years, he could decide to leave the familiar community and become part of the English world. But could he leave everything familiar behind him for the unknown?

Winter Wheat


Karen Anna Vogel - 2017
    When her marriage ends, she relishes the peace, except when her mother-in-law torments her with debt. Fearful of losing her farm, Lena reaches out to Jacob King, who plows up the fields and plants winter wheat. Come spring, it should bring in a good profit. Jacob King has loved Lena since he was old enough to like girls. At twenty-seven he’s given up looking for a woman like Lena. Now that Lena is free to remarry, she considers Jacob’s proposal. But she needs time away and lives with her aunt and uncle in Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania for the winter. But the Amish in Pennsylvania are vastly different than the strictest of strict Amish sect Lena is used to in New York. As Lena finds liberty in Pennsylvania to wear colors other than black and blue, be a passenger in a car, have trusted English friends, and other luxuries forbidden back home, will this divide her from Jacob? All winter, like the dead seeds of wheat grow and swell under the earth, so does Lena. As the desire to remarry grows, God is molding a man who will love her unconditionally… Best-selling author, Karen Anna Vogel, is known for her ‘redemptive novels.’ filled with hope. She’s been a trusted English friend to many Amish in New York and Pennsylvania over the past thirty years and strives to accurately portray their culture. To learn more about Amish life, you may want to grab her devotional, 31 Days to a Simple Life the Amish Way: Inspirational Secrets from Amish Friends.

Amanda Weds a Good Man


Naomi King - 2013
    But it isn’t quite that easy....Amanda Lambright loves Wyman Brubaker, and after four years as a single mother, she is grateful for his support and for this new chance at happiness as his wife. She’s confident that their children will get along just fine. But once Amanda’s clan moves into Wyman’s home, the tight quarters and Wyman’s reluctance to make changes to accommodate Amanda cause friction. The older kids are squabbling. The little ones are frequently in tears. Tiny Alice Ann isn’t speaking at all. Amanda and Wyman can’t find any privacy. And Amanda wonders if she’ll ever have a chance to pursue the pottery making that means so much to her. Amanda believes that family lies at the center of any well-lived Amish life. Can she find the wisdom to guide the reluctant members of her new extended family toward the love that will bind them together?

Amish Renegade: Amish Romance (An Amish Vows Romance, Book 1)


Rose Doss - 2018
    Furious, Kate married another Mann. Now she is a widow, her parents are dead, and she has an orphaned child to raise. Out of options, she turns to Gott for help. One night while praying she realizes she must marry and quickly. Unfortunately, the only single Mann in her Amish community is Enoch Miller, who hasn’t spoken to her in years. Trusting in His guidance, she summons her courage and asks Enoch to marry her. Will Enoch agree to marry her? Will he get over his anger or will he deviously devise ways to make Kate pay for the pain that she has caused him? Can Kate and Enoch come together to raise the orphaned child and find the love they once lost? Or will bitterness and revenge drive them apart for good?