Book picks similar to
The Tomato Patch by Sarah Price


amish
amish-fiction
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Katie Opens Her Heart


Jerry S. Eicher - 2013
    Eicher (nearly half a million copies sold) returns with the first book in another of his delightful and compelling series.Here is the touching story of an awakening young Amish girl, Katie Raber, who finds she wants more from life than to be known as simply "Emma Raber's daughter."Emma has refused to remarry since Katie's daett died soon after she was born. And in an effort to keep Katie home, Emma has forbidden her from participating in the rumspringa tradition.When widower Jesse Mast calls for Mamm's hand in marriage, Katie hopes to move into a new phase of life and leave the old "Emma Raber's daughter" behind. But Emma is having none of it, and Katie must consider abandoning all hope of ever changing her mamm's bitterness or of ever having popular Ben Yoder notice her. Out of sheer frustration, she begins attending nearby Mennonite youth gatherings.Sparks fly when Jesse's children object fiercely to the attentions their daett is paying to Emma Raber. And widowed Ruth Hochstetler makes her own move for Jesse Mast's hand.Book one in the Emma Raber's Daughter series.

The Way Home


Ruth Hartzler - 2014
     When Noah Hostetler while on rumspringa loses control of a borrowed car on an icy road and drives into a buggy, the Miller sisters are hurt. Injured and with unforgivingness in her heart, Hannah Miller vows she will never again feel for Noah what she once did—a deep and loyal love. Both Hannah and Noah believe that with God’s grace anything is possible, but healing from a painful past is no easy task. Can Hannah rediscover what once she felt for Noah before his terrible mistake, or will her heart remain closed to him forever?

An Unexpected Amish Proposal


Rachel J. Good - 2021
    Good’s heartwarming Amish romance series, set in a bustling Pennsylvania community . . . When an organic farm causes rents to skyrocket at the Valley Green Farmer’s Market, Fern Blauch’s family baked goods stand is driven to the edge of eviction. . . . Until a mysterious temporary reprieve. Fern is confused when she discovers the benefactor is barbecued chicken stand owner—and her longtime crush—Gideon Hartzler. She’s grateful, but pridefully tells him she intends to pay him back. If only she can find a new place to sell her wares . . . To stay competitive, and help as many others as he can, Gideon expands his stand to provide full meals—including dessert. That’s where Fern comes in. As the two work long hours, side-by-side, business booms—and so does their attraction. Still, the demands of caring for aging parents and struggling relatives cause them to hide any feelings beyond friendship. But as new challenges emerge and Gideon and Fern turn more deeply to their faith, and to each other, will love find a place at their table?

The Christmas Orphans


Hannah Miller - 2019
     After her parents die in a buggy accident, Diane is bereft. It was all so sudden, not only for her, but also for her four younger siblings. Heartbroken, Diane turns to the young man she's courting for support. But when Elmo learns that Diane is determined to care for all four of her siblings, he's quick to back away. Now Diane is all alone, and the local bishop has told her that unless she can prove to him that she can run her parents' fabric store as well as raise her siblings, the children will be split up and sent to relatives in distant states. Diane has already lost her beau and her parents – she can't face losing the rest of her family, too. And the bishop has imposed an impossible deadline: Christmas Day. The snow is falling, the holiday is fast approaching, and Diane is struggling to cope with responsibilities she never asked for. Yet as Christmas Day draws near, there's a glimmer of hope in the darkness. Diane meets Ben Lehman, himself trying to raise his two children after grieving the loss of his wife. As Christmas approaches, he might turn out to be just what Diane has been missing ... before she runs out of time.

Thrown to the Wolves


Holly Newcastle - 2014
    But when five-year-old Jacob Glick wanders off into the woods, his sisters, Rebekah and Anna, are obliged to retrieve him. The siblings soon stray too far, as darkness falls, and they are lost. Rebekah, the oldest of the children, is eighteen and ready to marry, although the man she has had her eye on is courting someone else. To her chagrin, only Daniel Stoltzfus has offered for her, but an incident in the past is the reason she is so determined to give him a wide berth. Never, under any circumstance, would she consider courting Daniel. While lost in the woods and struggling to survive, the Glick children are forced to find food and shelter. Rebekah and Anna are tested not only mentally and physically, but also in their faith, as they are pushed to the limits of what they can endure. A danger lurks, stalking them, and, when they are attacked by wolves, it’s quick-thinking and luck that saves them, but the ordeal is far from over.

Red at Night


Katie McGarry - 2014
    She's the girl with purple hair from the wrong part of town. He's a high school senior who hangs with the cool crowd. Until a car accident leaves him haunted by guilt, and Jonah starts spending time at Stella's favorite refuge…the local cemetery.Stella knows she should keep her distance—after all, she spent her girlhood being bullied by Jonah's friends. Once he's sorted out his tangled emotions, Jonah won't have time for her anymore. Too bad she's already fallen for him.

A Joyful Break


Diane Craver - 2012
    For a year she’s been trying to fill her mother’s shoes by taking care of her father and siblings. She quit her job at the bakery so she could have more time to clean and cook at home. Before her mother died, Rachel was positive she wanted to marry Samuel Weaver, but now she can’t think about wedding plans. She blames her father for her mother’s death. If they had installed a phone in their barn or a shanty, her mother might have received medical help in time to save her life. Her mother’s death has made Rachel question if she should be baptized and join the church. She wonders if non-Amish women live longer and have less stress. Maybe her forty-four-year old mother would still be alive had she left the Amish lifestyle like her sister Carrie did. When her Aunt Carrie invites her to go to the beach, Rachel decides the time away will help her to decide whether to join the Amish church or to live in the English world. She is conflicted because she loves Samuel and her family. Instead of a relaxing time away, several disturbing events happen while Rachel’s in Florida. A photographer snaps troublesome pictures of Rachel because of her famous senator uncle, and a handsome and charming college student falls in love with Rachel.

The Choice


Suzanne Woods Fisher - 2010
    Her choice begins a torrent of change for her and her family, including a marriage of convenience to silent Daniel Miller. Both bring broken hearts into their arrangement--and secrets that have been held too long. Filled with gentle romance, The Choice opens the world of the Amish--their strong communities, their simple life, and their willingness to put each other first. Combined with Fisher's exceptional gift for character development, this novel, the first in a series, is a welcome reminder that it is never too late to find your way back to God.

Blackbird


Cheryl McIntyre - 2013
    I love you, Hope. And I'm not the only one. I know you care about me. I see it in your eyes. I feel it. Everybody needs love. Everybody. And some people need it more than others. You're a liar if you say you don't. I'll do that for you. I'll love you. All you have to do is let me." –Sometimes Never What happened in the years between the final chapter and epilogue of Sometimes Never? Blackbird is an 18,000+ word novella that continues Mason and Hope's story as they finish high school, start separate colleges, and confront their demons. Though Blackbird can be read on its own, it is better enjoyed after reading Sometimes Never. Recommended for 17+ due to harsh language and some sexual situations.

Blueberry Cupcake Mystery


Naomi Miller - 2016
    Katie Chupp spends her days at The Sweet Shop, taking care of customers and baking delicious treats . . . not exactly a profession where one expects to be thrown into the midst of mysteries and mayhem.But when the bakery is broken into, someone has to find the thief . . . besides finding another place to do the baking and get the orders to the customers.Is this a random theft, or is the thief trying to ruin the town's Independence Day celebration?Book 1 of the Sweet Shop Mysteries seriesAnd watch for book 2 - Christmas Cookie Mystery - COMING SOON!

Leaving Lancaster


Kate Lloyd - 2012
    Growing up in Seattle without a dad or grandparents, she wonders what it would be like to have a heritage, a place of belonging. Holly is furious when her mother, Esther, reveals a long-kept secret: Holly’s grandmother and uncles are still alive and begging Esther to return. And Holly is shocked when she learns that the family she’s never known lives on a Lancaster, Pennsylvania, farm—as part of an Amish community her mother once abandoned.Guilt-ridden Esther, terrified to see her mother and siblings, begs Holly to accompany her on a visit to Esther’s mother before she dies. But can their journey to a conflicting world heal their emotional wounds and finally bring them home?Set in the heart of contemporary Lancaster County, Leaving Lancaster explores the power of forgiveness, family reconciliation, and love where least expected.

Where Healing Blooms


Vannetta Chapman - 2014
    Then, her mother-in-law, Mary Ann, reveals one of her garden's hidden secrets, something very unexpected. Will she continue alone or will she accept the gifts God has given her?

The Amish Midwife


Mindy Starns Clark - 2011
    There she meets Marta Bayer, a mysterious lay-midwife who desperately needs help after an Amish client and her baby die.Lexie steps in to assume Marta’s patient load even as she continues the search for her birth family, and from her patients she learns the true meaning of the Pennsylvania Dutch word demut, which means “to let be” as she changes from a woman who wants to control everything to a woman who depends on God.A compelling story about a search for identity and the ability to trust that God securely holds our whole life—past, present, and future.

Love Still Stands


Kelly Irvin - 2013
    In the first installment, Love Still Stands, a group of dedicated families leaves Bliss Creek to establish a new community in Missouri. Among them is Bethel Graber, a beautiful young woman with a passion for teaching. But after being disabled in a terrible accident, overseeing a classroom is out of the question...and romance seems a long-lost dream.Bethel begins physical therapy, determined to make a fresh start. But that won't be easy in the town of New Hope, where the locals seem anything but eager to welcome their new Amish neighbors. Amid growing intimidation from the community, Bethel must find the strength to face her many challenges and the faith to believe that God still has a plan--and a love--for her life.

Unexpected Family (A Lancaster County Courtship Romance)


Abigail Fisher - 2015
    A tragic accident. A young boy lost in the world... When a devastating accident leaves a young, Amish boy mute and orphaned, his uncle Simon steps up to care for him, but Simon is unsure how to help his innocent nephew Abram through his trauma. Lucy, a kind and nurturing young school teacher, finds her heart going out to this sweet new boy in her classroom. Due to her own secret past, she can relate to his tragic experience and non-verbal response, and she feels God’s hand in guiding him to her. She also cannot help but notice his handsome, caring uncle who is showing interest in her. But when Lucy’s past and shame are revealed, will Simon still be interested? Should Lucy even allow the attraction to grow knowing what she knows about herself? Only God knows how past pain and sorrow can bring hope to a questionable future for all of them. Can these three faithful souls truly become an "Unexpected Family?"