Spring is in the, well it’s on the calendar if not in the air. With that is a whole new spat of books coming out for me to comb through and find those that I can’t wait to read. Well, let’s face it I don’t have to do a lot of combing because I’ve had many on my radar for more than a minute. And before you say anything, yes this list is late. . .again. I can’t blame the Minions this time but I will blame the Day Job, what with a 1 day weekend (for Easter at that!) last weekend and the fact that winter is still lingering with all the precip that goes with it and well, I’m exhausted. But, it’s here, it’s late, but it’s here.
I’m going to break them down over the next three months as I comb through books coming out that I can’t wait to get my hands on. Trust me, this is no where near a comprehensive list!
April 2018
Starting From Scratch by Kate Lloyd
Starting from Scratch by Kate Lloyd
Series: Lancaster Discoveries #2
Published by Harvest House Publishers on April 3rd 2018
Genres: Amish & Mennonite, Christian, Clean & Wholesome, Fiction, Romance
Pages: 352
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An Old Flame Brings a Spark of New Hope
En Alt Maedel—an old maid.
At age twenty-nine, that’s what Eva Lapp considers herself. And who could argue with her? Finding a good Amish husband at her age will be next to impossible. Plus, Eva’s unwarranted bad reputation in Lancaster County precedes her. Maybe living the Englisch life would be better.
Squeezed out of her childhood home by her brother’s boisterous family, Eva finds lodging and a new job managing a small café at a local plant nursery. But the challenge of her new position isn’t enough to distract from her current predicament.
To Eva’s surprise, her first love, Jake Miller, suddenly returns to Lancaster County. Flooded with emotions and filled with questions about Jake’s past, can Eva trust what she’s feeling?
Jake and Eva face many obstacles in their quest for a fresh start in the community, but perhaps with God’s help, they can find the redemption they both desperately need.
The Road Home by Beverly Lewis
The Road Home by Beverly Lewis
Published by Baker Books on April 3rd 2018
Genres: Amish & Mennonite, Christian, Fiction, General, Religious
Pages: 320
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Sent from Michigan to Pennsylvania following the tragic death of her Amish parents, Lena Rose Schwartz grieves her loss and the separation from her nine siblings. Beside the fact that Lena has never been so far from home, she hasn’t met the family she will now be living with. But worse than that is having to live apart from her close-knit brothers and sisters. How will they manage without her to care for them–especially six-year-old Chris? And will her new beau, Hans Bontrager, continue to court her despite the many miles between them?
Yet even as Lena Rose holds on to hope for a reunion with those she loves most, she discovers that Lancaster holds charms of its own. Is she willing to open her heart to new possibilities?
An Amish Heirloom by Amy Clipston, Beth Wiseman, Kathleen Fuller, and Kelly Irvin
An Amish Heirloom by Amy Clipston, Beth Wiseman, Kathleen Fuller, Kelly Irvin
Published by Zondervan on April 10th 2018
Genres: Amish & Mennonite, Christian, Clean & Wholesome, Fiction, Romance, Small Town & Rural
Pages: 400
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A Legacy of Love by Amy Clipston
Local volunteer fire fighter Leon King agrees to repair his ex-girlfriend Susie Bontrager’s grandparents’ antique rocking chairs for her future home with her fiance and is forced to acknowledge that his feelings for her have not quite gone away. As Susie spends time with Leon, she begins to recognize she is marrying the wrong man for all the wrong reasons.
The Cedar Chest by Beth Wiseman
Decades after inheriting her great grandmother’s cedar chest, Emma Fisher decides to pry it open only to discover a beautiful love story in the form of letters between her great grandparents. But as Emma immerses herself in their story, family secrets are revealed, and she must decide whether to share them to preserve family history or honor her great grandparents’ decision to leave them hidden.
The Treasured Book by Kathleen Fuller
For the past two years, Shane Broyles has felt God leading him to join the Amish. He’s staying with his friends Noah and Ivy Schlabach in Birch Creek, OH, where he is reunited with Lucy Fisher, an old friend of Noah’s family. Shane and Lucy have never revealed their feelings for each other, but when they stumble upon an antique Bible at a flea market, they feel drawn to each other and to the mystery of the contents found within.
The Midwife’s Dream by Kelly Irvin
Iris Beachy serves as a midwife in her district where she longs for a family of her own. When her friend’s brother Mahon Kurtz seeks her help in delivering the baby of two young teenagers who have sought refuge in their town, they begin to see each other in a different light. Unprepared for parenthood, the young couple leave their baby girl behind in an antique crib quilt resembling the one destined for Iris when she becomes a mother. Mahon and Iris come together to take care of the baby as they try to find her parents, and they begin to see new possibilities for their future.
May 2018
Together Forever by Jody Hedlund
Together Forever by Jody Hedlund
Series: Orphan Train #2
Published by Baker Books on May 1st 2018
Genres: Christian, Fiction, General, Historical, Romance
Pages: 352
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Marianne Neumann has one goal in life: to find her lost younger sister, Sophie. When Marianne takes a job as a placing agent with the Children’s Aid Society in 1858 New York, she not only hopes to give children a better life but seeks to discover whether Sophie ended up leaving the city on an orphan train.
Andrew Brady, her fellow agent on her first placing trip, is a former schoolteacher who has an easy way with the children–firm but tender and funny. Underneath his handsome charm, though, seems to linger a grief that won’t go away–and a secret from his past that he keeps hidden. As the two team up placing orphans amid small railroad towns in Illinois, they find themselves growing ever closer . . . until a shocking tragedy threatens to upend all their work and change one of their lives forever.
Room on the Porch Swing by Amy Clipston
Room on the Porch Swing by Amy Clipston
Series: Amish Homestead #2
Published by Zondervan on May 8th 2018
Genres: Amish & Mennonite, Christian, Clean & Wholesome, Fiction, Romance, Small Town & Rural
Pages: 336
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When tragedy strikes, can two young Amish people find the hope that lies on the other side?
Laura Riehl is no stranger to heartache. Less than a year after her mother’s death, Laura finds herself burying another loved one: her best friend, Savilla, who has died after a brief and sudden illness. Laura feels heartbroken and alone, but her pain is nothing compared to that of Allen, the husband Savilla has left behind. He now faces a life so different from the one he imagined—plus a baby to care for on his own.
When Laura offers to help Allen with baby Mollie, he jumps at the opportunity until a permanent solution can be found. She’d do anything to lend a hand to Allen and to honor her best friend’s memory. Rudy, Laura’s boyfriend, is initially supportive of her plan, but the more time Laura spends with Allen, the more jealous and frustrated Rudy seems to become.
As Laura and Allen face hardships together, their friendship takes a surprising yet comforting turn—and she discovers an attraction she’s never felt with Rudy. Would falling for Allen betray the people she cares about most, or would denying those feelings betray her heart? This latest installment in the Amish Homestead series returns us to Lancaster County, home of the beloved Riehls, where a family’s strength—and advice from a new friend—may help Laura find God’s direction.
The Hidden Side by Heidi Chiavaroli
The Hidden Side by Heidi Chiavaroli
Published by NavPress on May 8th 2018
Genres: Christian, Contemporary Women, Fiction, Historical
Pages: 448
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New York, 2016Natalie Abbott offers answers for hurting listeners on her popular radio program. But she struggles to connect with her teenagers, with her daughter in an unhealthy relationship and her son uncommunicative and isolated. When one member of the family commits an unspeakable act, Natalie is forced to uncover who she truly is under the façade of her radio persona.
New York, 1776Mercy Howard is shocked when her fiancé, Nathan Hale, is arrested and hanged as a spy. When she’s asked to join the revolutionary spy ring in Manhattan, she sees an opportunity to avenge Nathan’s death. But keeping her true loyalties hidden grows increasingly harder as the charming Major John Andre of the King’s Army becomes more to her than a target for intelligence.
Mercy’s journals comfort Natalie from across the centuries as both women struggle with their own secrets and shame, wondering how deep God’s mercy extends.
June 2018
The Hawaiian Discovery by Wanda E. and Jean Brunstetter
The Hawaiian Discovery by Jean Brunstetter, Wanda E. Brunstetter
Series: Hawaiian #2
Published by BARBOUR PUB Incorporated on June 1, 2018
Genres: Amish & Mennonite, Christian, Fiction, Romance
Pages: 256
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An Amish Woman Finds Love in Hawaii
Ellen Lambright mourned when her best friend, Mandy, moved from Indiana to Hawaii. But now Ellen has received the Amish church’s permission to go to Hawaii and help Mandy through challenging times. Rob Smith works on the Williams family’s organic farm, far from his past mistakes and burning regrets. When Ellen befriends Rob, the attraction is mutual, but her commitment to the Amish faith stands between them. Could a heartfelt discovery lead to forgiveness, reunion, and love? Or is Ellen’s destiny waiting for her in Indiana?
Find out in this sequel to The Hawaiian Quilt from New York Times bestselling author Wanda E. Brunstetter, writing with her daughter-in-law Jean Brunstetter.
Arms of Mercy by Ruth Reid
Arms of Mercy by Ruth Reid
Series: Amish Mercies #2
Published by Thomas Nelson on 2018
Genres: Amish & Mennonite, Christian, Clean & Wholesome, Fiction, Romance
Pages: 352
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“Ruth Reid continues her Amish Mercies series with Arms of Mercy, exploring the question of what do you do when all hope seems lost. On the eve of a new year, Catherine Glick is expecting Zach, her beau of five years, to propose, but instead, the unexpected arrival of an old boyfriend, Elijah Graber, causes her life to spiral out of control. Acting nothing like herself, she proposes marriage to Zach. But he is not only unreceptive, he’s upset by her boldness-by her desperation. Disheartened by his rejection, Catherine leaves for Florida to work in her cousin’s bakery. Elijah Graber knows that he hurt Catherine when he left their Amish district six years ago, and he’s come back to explain his actions-even if it means following her to Florida to do so. He sets out to win her trust and hopefully her heart back on the two-day bus journey from northern Michigan to Florida. Just when Elijah is starting to tear down the walls around Catherine, the bus skids on the icy road and crashes into another bus. In the following mayhem, Elijah is separated from Catherine and forced to go to a hospital to recuperate. As the news of the bus accident becomes ever more tragic and Elijah still hasn’t heard word from Catherine, everyone around him gently encourages him to prepare for the worst. But Elijah knows that his hope comes from the Lord, and he will not give up his search for Catherine. He lost her once to a rash decision; he will not lose her again. With supernatural nudging from a red-headed man, Elijah’s determined to find Catherine, no matter the cost”–
The Love Letter by Rachel Hauck
The Love Letter by Rachel Hauck
Published by Thomas Nelson on June 12th 2018
Genres: Christian, Contemporary, Fiction, Historical, Romance
Pages: 352
Amazon|Barnes&Noble|Goodreads
From the New York Times bestselling author of The Wedding Dress comes a story of long-lost love and its redemption in future generations.
With the colonies at war and his country divided, Hamilton Lightfoot must choose sides: Fight for the British Crown or for the Independence of America. But after witnessing the death of his family at the hands of redcoats, he fears he’ll fight for revenge instead of honor. On the verge of a great battle, he pens a letter to Esther, the woman he loves.
Esther Longfellow is in love with Hamilton, but her father is a loyalist, living in upcountry South Carolina and working for a wealthy British lord. When the Revolutionary War comes to her doorstep she is forced to choose between devotion to her father and her love for Hamilton.
Chloe Daschle is the daughter of Hollywood royalty–a great director and an Oscar-winning actress. Yet her career has taken an unexpected turn: She’s the queen of death scenes. Trying to break out, she accepts a supporting role in a revolutionary war film. But she longs for the perfect role and the perfect real-life romance. Does happily ever after only exist in the movies?
After a life-changing tragedy, MIT graduate Jesse Gates decides to leave his life behind and move to LA to try his hand at acting and screenwriting. When he finds a page from one of his ancestor’s letters, he becomes consumed with the love he finds there. Determined to help his grandfather find happiness at the end of his life, Jesse writes and sells a screenplay based on the events surrounding the lost love of previous generations.
When Jesse meets the woman he has cast to play Esther Longfellow–his grandfather’s one true love–the stories of all four collide across time and space. The love letter from the past might have more power to affect the future than any of them could have imagined.
Great list! I’ve got the Amish books on my list, too! 🙂
It’s so hard to narrow it down to a manageable list. I’m certain that I’ve overlooked something somewhere that I will kick myself for later!