Book picks similar to
Katie Opens Her Heart by Jerry S. Eicher


amish
christian-fiction
amish-fiction
christian

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?

A Promise for Miriam


Vannetta Chapman - 2012
    As they face challenges to their community from the English world, they come together to reach out to their non-Amish neighbors while still preserving their cherished Plain ways. Amish schoolteacher Miriam King loves her students. At 26, most women her age are married with children of their own, but she hasn?t yet met anyone who can convince her to give up the Plain school that sits along the banks of Pebble Creek. Then newcomer Gabriel Yoder steps into her life, bringing his daughter, an air of mystery, and challenges Miriam has never faced before. Will Gabe be able to let go of the past that haunts him? He thinks he just wants to be left alone, but the loving and warm community he and his daughter have moved to has other plans for him. After a near tragedy is averted, he hesitantly returns offers of help and friendship, and he discovers he can make a difference to the people of Pebble Creek?and maybe find love again.

The River


Beverly Lewis - 2014
    Since Anna's death, it had been such a barrier...a place and a moment she could not seem to move past. A line I can't move beyond...The River Tilly and Ruth, two formerly Amish sisters, are plagued by unresolved relationships when they reluctantly return to Lancaster County for their parents' landmark wedding anniversary. Since departing their Plain upbringing, Tilly has married an Englisher, but Ruth remains single and hasn't entirely forgotten her failed courtship with her Amish beau.Past meets present as Tilly and Ruth yearn for acceptance and redemption. Can they face the future in the light of a past they can't undo?

Jacob's Daughter


Samantha Jillian Bayarr - 2011
    Not knowing which direction to go, she finds herself hiding out in the same Amish community in which she grew up. With her ten-year-old daughter Abby, in tow, she fears her secrets will catch up to her. When Abby discovers her real father may be living just down the road from where they are staying, she sets off on an adventure to meet him. What she doesn't know are the many secrets that her mother never shared with her--the same secrets that will turn her life upside down.Jacob Yoder is an Amish widower, trying to raise his ten-year-old son, when his past shows up on his doorstep unexpectedly, threatening to change his life forever.Will life ever be the same for Lizzie and Jacob again? Or will their mistakes change everything?

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.

A Miracle of Hope


Ruth Reid - 2013
    Josiah Plank is certain he'll never love again, but he needs someone to care for his eight-year-old daughter, Hannah. The two take on their arrangement tentatively at first but soon realize they are each in for more than they imagined.Lindie experiences a breakthrough with Hannah when she recognizes Hannah's special gifts, but a risky pregnancy and serious health issues threaten to demolish the foundation Josiah and Lindie are building. Will their growing love survive despite their struggles, or will their hearts become as cold as the northern winter?

When the Heart Cries


Cindy Woodsmall - 2006
    She's been in love with Mennonite Paul Waddell for three years, and before returning to college for his senior year, Paul asks Hannah to be his wife. Hannah accepts, aware that her marriage will change her relationship with her family forever.On the evening of their engagement, tragedy strikes and in one unwelcome encounter, all that Hannah has known and believed is destroyed. As she finds herself entangled in questions that the Old Ways of her people cannot answer, Hannah faces the possibility of losing her place in her family, in her community- and in the heart of the man she loves.When the Heart Cries is book one in the Sisters of the Quilt series.

Fire in the Night


Linda Byler - 2013
    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 burned 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.

Courting Cate


Leslie Gould - 2012
    Her sweet and flirty sister, Betsy, on the other hand, seems to have attracted most of the bachelors in Lancaster County!But the sisters' wealthy father has made one hard-and-fast rule: older Cate must marry first, before younger Betsy can even start courting. Unfortunately, untamable Cate has driven away every suitor--until Pete Treger comes to town, that is.Prodded by the men of the area, Pete turns his attention to winning Cate's hand. But is his interest true or is there a scheme at play?

The Forgiven


Marta Perry - 2014
    Rebecca Fisher gladly accepted her husband Paul’s dreams as her own, but now that he has passed away, she’s struggling to raise two children and keep her home. Renting her stable to carpenter Matthew Byler offers a partial solution—even though Matthew has a troubled history, having sometimes failed to embrace Amish beliefs. As Matthew seeks to prove himself, Rebecca realizes how dependent she has become on others. Where can she find the courage to grow and change? Lancaster County, 1941. As war threatens, Anna Esch pours her experiences into her diary. Her world seems to crumble as neighbors turn against the Amish and her love, Jacob, is sent to a camp far away for refusing to fight. She can’t know, as she grows from a girl into a woman during a time of trouble and grief, that one day another Amish woman will gain strength from the words she writes and will learn that she, too, can become a keeper of the promise.FIRST IN A NEW SERIES

Love Finds You in Charm, Ohio


Annalisa Daughety - 2009
    She teaches school, enjoys the attention of a wonderful man and has a loving family. But this Amish girl has more on her mind than buggies and bonnets; she longs for adventure and wants to see the world. So when her sister Abby convinces her to spend the summer with relatives in Charm, Ohio, Emma jumps at the chance. In Charm, she meets an Englisher who has come to town to escape her chaotic life and despite their differences, the two become fast friends. Emma finds herself pulled between two worlds and her ultimate decision will impact not only herself but everyone she knows.

Her Brother's Keeper


Beth Wiseman - 2015
    She was skeptical when he wrote to tell her that he had fallen in love with an Amish woman, but her life is turned truly upside down when she receives word that her brother has unexpectly passed away. When her letters to her brother's girlfriend provide little in the way of answers, Charlotte sets off for Lancaster County determined to uncover the truth about her brother's death. Having done some research about the Amish and picked up some suitable second-hand clothing, she's convinced that she can fit into the community and do some digging without anyone discovering who she really is. Charlotte hasn't been in Lancaster more than a day before she learns that there's more to being Amish than putting on a bonnet and not using electricty. And, against all efforts to the contrary, she's finding that she actually likes her brother's girlfriend, Hannah. The more time she spends with Hannah's family, the more she understands why Ethan felt comfortable here. In fact, she's starting to think that it might not be so crazy to open her own heart up to God, especially when she begins seeing signs that remind of her Ethan and provide her with an overwhelming sense of peace. But this peace might not last so long if Hannah and her family uncover Charlotte's true identity. Even if the Amish are known for their spirit of forgiveness, will they understand why Charlotte chose to deceive them?

A Gift of Grace


Amy Clipston - 2009
    As each woman’s story unfolds, you will share in her heartaches, trials, joys, dreams … and secrets. You’ll discover how the simplicity of the Amish lifestyle can clash with the “English” way of life—and the decisions and consequences that follow. Most importantly, you will be encouraged by the hope and faith of these women, and the importance they place on their families. Rebecca Kauffman’s tranquil Old Order Amish life is transformed when she suddenly has custody of her two teenage nieces after her "English" sister and brother-in-law are killed in an automobile accident. Instant motherhood, after years of unsuccessful attempts to conceive a child of her own, is both a joy and a heartache. Rebecca struggles to give the teenage girls the guidance they need as well as fulfill her duties to Daniel as an Amish wife. Rebellious Jessica is resistant to Amish ways and constantly in trouble with the community. Younger sister Lindsay is caught in the middle, and the strain between Rebecca and Daniel mounts as Jessica’s rebellion escalates. Instead of the beautiful family life she dreamed of creating for her nieces, Rebecca feels as if her world is being torn apart by two different cultures, leaving her to question her place in the Amish community, her marriage, and her faith in God.

Plain Jayne


Hillary Manton Lodge - 2010
    Even in this land of buggies and bonnets, Jayne finds life more complicated than she expected.  Can she persuade herself that her growing friendship with the mysterious and handsome Levi Burkholder is just about research?  And what’s a latte-drinking, laptop-using, motorcycle-riding reporter to do when this new life starts to change her?Plain Jayne will delight readers.

A Christmas for Katie


Shelley Shepard Gray - 2012
    Her sister-in-law Ella is about to have a baby, making Katie an aunt for the second time … and she's only six and a half! Plus, her favorite librarian, Miss Donovan, seems sad. She won't even fix up the rundown nativity in front of the library in time for Christmas. Then, an old woman is attacked outside the library, and, one by one, the nativity figures start to disappear!Luckily, there's a new deputy in town, Connor Fields. He takes a real liking to Miss Donovan … and he promises to find the missing nativity pieces for Katie.Now, all Katie has to do is pray that Ella's delivery goes well and that some kind of nativity is in place for Christmas Eve. Oh, and that Miss D. falls in love with Connor. Katie knows from watching her three brothers that it makes people real happy. And that would be a Christmas miracle indeed!