Book picks similar to
Abigail's New Hope by Mary Ellis


amish
amish-fiction
christian-fiction
christian

A Man of His Word


Kathleen Fuller - 2009
    Newly wed and newly pregnant, Moriah is abandoned by her husband, Levi. He's left her, his family, and their faith without a backward glance. The community, stunned, rushes to the young woman's aid.But there is someone who feels more than just sympathy for Moriah. Gabriel Miller-Levi's twin-longs for an intimate commitment that might someday bind them to one another. Convinced of the impossibility of his dream, Gabriel settles for a mere friendship with the woman he loves.Moriah bravely goes on with her life, adjusting to her new role in their tight knit Amish community and preparing for the birth of her child. She is unaware that her brief marriage-once idealized as the happiest time in her life-may have been merely a shadow of the kine of love God has created for her. A love that can mend the soul, renew her heart, and give her a future filled with hope...if only she'll let it.

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.

The Wounded Heart


Adina Senft - 2011
    When a business offer turns into something more personal, Amelia is torn between what logic tells her is right and the desire of her heart.

A Plain & Fancy Christmas


Cynthia Keller - 2011
    Widowed three years ago, she has moved back in with her parents, attempting to raise her daughter, Katie, without further emotional upheaval. Meanwhile, four hours and a whole world away in New York City, Ellie Lawrence is laser-focused on a high-powered public relations career, with too little time for her family, her friends, or even her boyfriend.Then one fateful day, these two very different women receive shocking news of a mistake made three decades earlier and long kept hidden: Shortly after their births, the two were accidentally switched in the hospital. Shaken to the core by this momentous news, Rachel and Ellie are plunged into an exploration of who they are and where they really belong. While Ellie is eager to learn more about her Amish family and their life in the countryside, Rachel cannot help but feel jealous as she watches the only mother she has ever known bonding so easily with her natural daughter. But Rachel also knows that her own biological family is out there, and with Katie at her side she heads for Manhattan, where she establishes a connection with the raucous, spirited Lawrences. As Ellie and Rachel make their way through unfamiliar landscapes, they face life-altering challenges and grapple with a crucial question: Will their old conventions and desires give way to new customs and yearnings? With the Christmas holidays fast approaching, it takes the love of two families for Rachel and Ellie to discover their own paths to fulfillment and happiness.

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.

Running Around (And Such)


Linda Byler - 2010
    It's just that there is so much to figure out. Like why can't she let her hair 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 running around, will she scare off the Amish boys with her hi-jinks manners? She has certainly attracted the attention of the egg-truck driver. A scary thrill runs through her every time the worldly man comes to pick up an order, each time extending his stay a little longer. How long will she keep this a secret from Emma—and from Mamm and Datt? What will become of Lizzie? Is she too spirited, too innocent, and almost too uninhibited for a young Amish woman?

Reckless Heart


Amy Clipston - 2012
    Lydia Bontrager's youngest sister is frighteningly ill, and as a good Amish daughter, it falls to Lydia to care for her siblings and keep the household running, in addition to working as a teacher's assistant and helping part time at her grandmother's bakery. Succumbing to stress, Lydia gives in to one wild night and returns home drunk. The secret of that mistake leaves Lydia feeling even more restless and confused, especially when Joshua, the only boy she's ever loved, becomes increasingly distant. When a non-Amish boy moves in nearby, Lydia finds someone who understands her, but the community is convinced Lydia is becoming too reckless. With the pressures at home and her sister's worsening condition, a splintering relationship with Joshua, and her own growing questions over what is right, Lydia could lose everything that she's ever held close.

Seek Me with All Your Heart


Beth Wiseman - 2010
    Others are fleeing strict bishops with long memories.For Emily Detweiler and her family, the move is more personal. Tragedy struck Emily in Ohio, shaking loose everything she believed was firm, including her faith. Her family took the bold step of leaving Ohio to resettle in a small Amish community in Canaan, Colorado, where they hope the distance will help erase painful memories.David Stoltzfus's family moved to Colorado for reasons he doesn't understand. But Canaan is turning out to be something other than the promised land they all anticipated. Fearing that a health condition will cut his life short, David plans to return home to Paradise, Pennsylvania, as soon as he can. But then he meets Emily, who stirs feelings in his heart despite his apprehension about the future.Emily's growing love for David surprises her, but she fears that he will find out the truth about her past and reject her. But what if the truth is that they are made for each other? And that God longs to give them the desires of their hearts if only they will seek Him first?

Leah's Choice


Marta Perry - 2009
    After all, so few new families come to their secluded Amish community, and even fewer unmarried men. Daniel Glick is a widower with three young children to look after--clearly he's in need of a wife.But Daniel's past haunts him at every turn. Though he cannot miss the beauty in Leah's bright eyes and patient ways, he also sees a reminder of the pain he came so far to escape. Leah, too, has a burden on her heart. Years ago she was engaged to Johnny Kile, and was heartbroken when he decided to leave the Amish community. Since then she has immersed herself in her love of the children she teaches, forgetting any hopes of having her own family.When Johnny returns, seeking reconciliation, Leah must decide between two pathways, either of which will change her life forever...

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.

The Heart's Frontier


Lori Copeland - 2012
    Walking into the nearest trading settlement, they pray to the Lord for someone to help. When a man lands in the dust at her feet, Emma looks down at him and thinks, The Lord might have cleaned him up first.Luke Carson, heading up his first cattle drive, is not planning on being the answer to anyone's prayers, but it looks as though God has something else in mind for this kind and gentle man. Plain and rugged--do the two mix? And what happens when a dedicated Amish woman and a stubborn trail boss prove to be each other's match?

Noah's Sweetheart


Rebecca Kertz - 2013
    When handsome Noah Lapp rescues her from a runaway buggy her first day in town, things seem hopeful. Then Rachel hears talk that Noah is expected to court her cousin, Charlotte. Yet Noah spends all his free time with Rachel. Will Rachel discover the truth without losing her heart? And find a happy-ever-after in Happiness, Pennsylvania?

Abby Finds Her Calling


Naomi King - 2012
    There, she mends the town's clothes and their torn relationships. But the town maidel has sworn off any suitors of her own because of her unrequited love for James Graber, who is about to marry her younger sister, Zanna...On the wedding day, Zanna is nowhere to be found, breaking James' heart. Zanna has brought shame to her family, but there's more in store for them when they discover how far she has fallen. Long-buried secrets come to light, and they test the bonds of the Cedar Creek community. Abby is at the center of it all, trying to maintain everyone's happiness. But will she ever find her own?

Plain Fame


Sarah Price - 2012
    The limo’s passenger, Cuban-born superstar Alejandro Diaz, takes responsibility for her injuries and vows to oversee her recovery. Leaving the fame circuit behind, Alejandro returns Amanda to her family in Lititz, Pennsylvania.Desperate for a break from the stress of the spotlight, the famous singer offers to stay on the family farm for a week to help—an offer guardedly accepted by the deeply religious kin who surround and protect Amanda. As different as they are, she and Alejandro find that a genuine friendship begins to blossom, along with the realization that it might be something more. But if the paparazzi get wind of the superstar’s whereabouts, will they threaten the peace of the faithful community for a sensational story? And in the glare of an unwelcome spotlight, and with the unexpected feelings between them, can this couple build a lasting bridge between their vastly different worlds? Revised edition: This edition of Plain Fame includes editorial revisions.

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?