THE FARMER NEXT DOOR by Patricia Davids

From the back of the book:

HE WOULD NEVER MARRY AGAIN

Adrian Lapp had taken that vow after losing his wife and son.  But the newest resident of the Amish community of Hope Springs captivates him from their first meeting.  Widow Faith Martin is strong, courageous and determined to make her farmstead profitable.  Her fight to raise her six-year old orphaned nephew in the Amish community brings her closer to the members of Hope Springs...and Adrian.  Now if only Adrian can open his heart to the possibility of love again...

From page 48

Adrian blinked back the sudden sting of tears.

Gideon would have loved to see Faith's animals, and Lovina wold have liked this new neighbor with her ready smile and determined ways  It was so unfair that their lives had been cut short.  So unfair that he had to go on living without them.

He heard Faith softly inquire, "What's wrong?'

He took the pan from her.  "My wife and son passed away not long ago."

"I'm so sorry.  You must miss them very much."

"I do."

Adrian met Faith's gaze.  Oddly, he found he wanted to talk to her about Lovina and Gideon.  He hadn't been able to save his wife or his son.  That bitter truth haunted him day and night.

He blinked hard to clear his vision.  Faith's face swam into view.  She understood.  He was it in her eyes.  It was more than sympathy and compassion.  She had been in the same dark place that surrounded him.

AN AMISH CHRISTMAS by Patricia Davids

From the back of the book:

His Past Was A Mystery

When Karen Imhoff finds a beaten man lying unconscious by the road in her Amish community, she doesn't hesitate to help.

"John Doe" needs a place to stay while he regains his memory, and she has a room to rent.  The handsome Englisher proves invaluable around the family farm, yet his presence wreaks havoc with her emotions.  Karen has her younger siblings to care for.  She can't fall for an outsider who doesn't know his own identity.  But as Christmas draws closer, the simple grace of this life - and this woman - could inspire John to make Karen's dreams come true...

From page 28

"It seems you've come to my rescue once again."

He held out his had to seal the deal and gave her a crooked grin.  It deepened the lines that bracketed his mouth, lending him a boyish charm.

With only a brief hesitation, she accepted his hand.  Her pulse skipped a beat, then pounded erratically as her small hand was swallowed by his large warm one.  It wasn't soft - it was calloused and rough like the hand of a man who worked outdoors for a living.  A blush heated her cheeks, but she couldn't take her eyes off him.

She remembered him so clearly.  The shape of his brow and the stone-gray color of his eyes, even the way the stubble of his beard had felt beneath her fingers.  She remembered, too the husky sound of his voice when he told her she was beautiful.

Something light and sweet slipped through her veins.  An echo of time when she'd been a giddy teenager smitten with a local boy.  A time before she'd had to become a surrogate mother to her younger siblings and put her girlhood dreams away.

The Doctor's Blessing by Patricia Davids

A Very Special Delivery

As a nurse-midwife in Amish country, Amber Bradley helps expectant mothers have their babies safely at home.  But when Hope Spring's new doctor arrives, he insists all maternity patients deliver at a hospital.  Amber is determined to show Dr. Phillip White that the Amish have a different way of life, one he needs to respect if he expects any patients at all. But even as he becomes more a part of the community, Amber must remember his stay is just temporary. Unless she can convince Phillip he's found the home - and heart - he's always been looking for.

"When can we begin seeing patients, again?" Amber 

asked.

Phillip's gaze deepened into a fierce scowl. "You're planning on seeing maternity patients?"

Amber didn't care for his tone. "I haven't since Harold left, but now that you're here, I have one waiting now."

"I see." His glower lightened.

Amber continued to study him,  He was a hard man to read. "We haven't exactly been on vacation while we waited for you to arrive.  We've traveled a lot of miles letting people know what happened.

He raised an eyebrow. "Wouldn't a few phone calls have been easier?"

Smiling with artificial sweetness, Amber said, "It would if our patients had phones. The majority of our clients are Amish, remember?"

"I'll let you get to work, but there will be changes around here that you and I need to discuss. Come to m office when you're done."

Amber didn't like the sound of that. Not one bit.

Katie's Redemption by Patricia Davis

Will The Amish Welcome Her Home?

After two years away, Katie Lantz returns to her Amish community nine months pregnant - and unmarried. With nowhere else to tun, she nervously knocks on her family's door, fearing she'll be shunned.  Yet the handsome stranger who now owns the farm welcomes her in - just in time for Katie to give birth.

Carpenter Elam Sutter and his kindly mother care for Katie and her newborn in a loving way she never dreamed was possible. But in the face of a heartwrenching choice, Katie learns just what family, faith, and acceptance truly mean.

Elam wasn't sure he would ever be ready to trust his heart to someone again.

If that time did come, it would be only with a woman he was certain shared his love of God and his Plain faith.

"Once burned, twice shy," he confided to his tiny listener, Katie's newborn daughter, nestled in the crook of his arm.

He waited for the anger to surface, but it didn't.  For the first time in over a year he was able to think about his broken engagement without bitterness.  Maybe the sweet-smelling babe in his arms had brought with her a measure of God's peace for him.  To her, life was new and good and shouldn't be tainted with the sins of the past.

He began to sing a soft lullaby.  Baby Rachel stared back at him intently for for a few minutes, but she eventually grew discontented with his voice and the fingers she couldn't quite get into her mouth.  Her little fussing noises became a full-fledged cry.

"I guess I can't fix what ails you after all.  I reckon I'll have to wake your mother."

"I'm awake." Katie's low voice came from the bed.

He looked over to find her watching him with dark eyes as beautiful and intense as her daughter's. How long had she been listening to him?

Anna"s Gift by Emma Miller

Surprise Proposal In Amish Country

from back cover:

No one in Seven Poplars, Delaware, expects Anna Yoder ever to marry.  Among her six pretty, petite sisters, big and plain Anna feels like a plow horse. 

But then Samuel Mast, the handsome widowed father she has secretly loved for years, asks if he can court her.  Surely Anna has misheard - Samuel has his pick of lovely brides!  She's convinced he seeks a wife only as a mother for his five children.

Or could a man like Samuel actually have a very romantic reason for wanting Anna by his side forever?

"It's really you I want to talk to,"

Samuel said.

"Me?" Anna's mout gaped open and snapped it shut. Her stomach turned over. "Something I can do for you?"

"YA. I want..."

Anna shifted her weight and the wooden step under her left foot creaked.

"If you would..." He took a deep breath and straightened his broad shoulders.

Staring at him, Anna couldn't stop the fluttering in the pit of her stomach. "Ya?" she coaxed. "You want..."

"I want to court court you, Anna," Samuel blurted out. "I want that youshould give me the honor to become my wife."

Anna froze, unable to exhale. She blinked as black spots raced behind her eyes. Abruptly, she felt her hands go numb. Her knees went weak and the ladder began to sway. There was an ominous crack of wood, the step broke, and paint, ladder and Anna went flying.

MIRIAM'S HEART by EMMA MILLER

from back cover:

An Impossible Choice

Miriam Yoder always thought she'd marry Charley Byler.  Steady, Dependable Charley, who grew up on the neighboring farm, and has been sweet on her since they were young.  But then local veterinarian John Hartman catches Miriam's eye.  Hes handsome, charming, cares for animals - and is not Plain.  While Miriam is known as the "wild" Yoder sister, she is still expected to marry a good Amish man.  But what if it's God's plan to match her with John?  Miriam must listen to her heart to truly know which man will claim her love and her future.

My thoughts:

Growing up Miriam always figured that she and Charley Byler would get married. He was everything that she would want in a husband, until John Hartman came along.  Miriam has always had a way with animals and finds that she enjoys being with the new veterinarian, John Hartman. As time goes on, will Miriam realize that being Amish is not as important to her as being with John and perhaps practicing along side with him?

Once again, the author, Emma Miller takes the reader into the home of Hannah Yoder.  Since her husband has passed away, it is up to Hannah to help her daughters make the right choice.  I loved reading this second book in the series "Hannah's Daughters".  If you enjoy reading about the Amish, this one will not disappoint.  I would give this book a 5 star rating.

COURTING RUTH by EMMA MILLER

from the back cover:

A PLAIN WOMAN...

AND A WILD MAN?

Amish widow Hannah Yoder prays her daughters will each find a husband someday.  Still, sensible Ruth believes it's God's will that she stay home and help are for her younger sisters.  But when a handsome young man comes to Kent County, Ruth starts to rethink her plans.  Not yet part of the church, Eli Lapp is allowed to run wild.  Yet something in Ruth's sweet smile and gentle manner makes him yearn to settle down - with her at his side.  

Can Eli convince her that their lives should be entwined together on God's path?

my thoughts:

When Ruth Yoder's father passed away, she felt that it was God's plan for her to stay at home and help her mother take care of her younger sister's. This was the plan, until Eli Lapp pulled from the fire at the school house. Never had Ruth looked into eyes like his.  Determined, to stay on course, Ruth continued to rebuff his attentions. 

With rumors flying about him, from his hometown and his attention to Miriam, Ruth's sister, how could she even entertain thoughts of Eli?

I loved this  book and before I got through reading it, I had ordered the next two books in the series. I am hoping that the uu, Emma Miller, will continue to write about this family.  I would give this book a 5 star rating.