Amisch & Mennonitisch

Autumns in Southern Indiana blaze with vibrant colors and nowhere are they bolder and more spectacular than across the rolling hillsides around Jasper and Huntingburg in an area known as Yellow Wood. Against this fiery backdrop of fall colors begins an enchanting and unusual love story that puts conscience and faith in conflict. Physician and amateur photographer, 35-year-old Aaron Fain is obsessed with a beautiful Amish woman who has the uncanny ability to see things before they happen. When Aaron looks at the photographs he took of Emily Yoder, he is shocked by what he sees. Immersed in an eerie white light as she stares into the camera lens, in her eyes are images that are not only fascinating but also inexplicably frightening.<BR>In the seductive heat of a sweltering Midwestern summer overwhelming passions push their relationship beyond the boundaries of propriety. Fear of having to choose between her love for Aaron and her devotion to Amish customs and obligations weighs heavily on Emily’s conscience. Captivated by the simplicity and innocence of the Amish, Fain ‘s perceptions of the culture, despite his efforts toward a deeper understanding, remain idealized and superficial. One evening at sunset while sitting uneasily in a sparsely-furnished Amish living room, Fain sees a cloth doll without a face, without hands and arms, propped against the back of a stiff wooden chair. He immediately realizes that Emily has knowingly revealed aspects of her life that would shatter his romanticized perceptions. It is this harsh reality that causes a disenchanted Aaron Fain to turn away in disappointment. Susan Adams has returned to Jasper after a recent divorce, and it is to her that Aaron reveals a conscience darkened by guilt and anguish.<BR>Late on a summer night a slender shape on the stone pathway in Fain’s garden, her arms reach for Aaron as she tells him she wants to hear one last time her name on his lips, and that he must once again proclaim his love for her before the night sky changes forever. It is then that Fain understands the mystery that is Emily Yoder. Above them in the stone-cold blackness that is space, a new star blinks icy white and no longer is the vain Cassiopeia the reigning queen in the starry sky.<BR>Yellow Wood is a sensitive and magical love story about a materialistic starry-eyed doctor and an enigmatic Amish woman who has a profound knowledge of the stars and a mysterious alliance with the Lyra constellation. Set in the Amish Triangle of Southern Indiana, the story with its paranormal overtones reveals the tenuous and fragile nature of relationships and is guaranteed to keep the reader’s attention from beginning to end.<BR>

New York Times bestselling author Shelley Shepard Gray brings us another compelling suspense in her Amish of Hart County series, this time featuring an undercover English DEA agent who will do anything to protect the Amish girl he loves.Calvin Fisher left the Amish community at fourteen and never looked back. Only his brother’s illness can bring him back to Hart County.  Now, as Calvin works to make amends, he meets Alice, a local nursery school teacher, and falls hard for her. But he has a secret that could threaten the happiness he’s finally found.Alice shouldn’t like—or want—Calvin. He’s English, has a questionable past, and an even more questionable job. Still, she can’t help being intrigued. Though Calvin assures Alice that he’s worthy of her, she’s torn between surrendering to her growing feelings and steering clear of him. When a sudden surge of criminal activity alarms the community and even targets Alice, Calvin fears that his double life has put everyone he loves at risk. As for Alice, she can’t help but wonder if the brave and honorable man she’s lost her heart to is far more dangerous than she could ever imagine.

In the third Pleasant Valley novel, the Amish community welcomes back one of their daughters, but she hasn’t returned alone...<BR><BR>After spending three years in the English world, Anna Beiler has come back to Pleasant Valley with a baby girl, which will surely cause a stir since Anna is unmarried. She is also hiding secrets: the baby is not hers by birth, nor does she intend to stay. Rather, she desperately needs sanctuary from the child’s violent father...<BR><BR>It surprises Anna how quickly her Amish habits return to her, and how satisfying it feels to reconnect with her friends and family. Even Anna’s childhood friend Samuel, whose slow, thoughtful manner used to frustrate her, becomes a fond and reassuring companion.<BR><BR>But Anna hasn’t fully faced the consequences of her irresponsible youth, and now, her mere presence may endanger the family she holds dear. If she wants to stay, she must seek forgiveness from the community whose blessing she took for granted, and experience the true change of heart required to make a new beginning.

When Anna decides it's time to leave her abusive boyfriend, she doesn't know where to turn. Rob has completely won over her parents, and the entire community, with his good looks and smooth charm. Only Anna has seen his dark side.Desperate, she runs to the only place she's ever felt completely safe--the Amish Brenneman Bed and Breakfast, where Anna met life-long friend Katie Brenneman. The family welcomes her in, and with few questions asked allows her to stay, dressed in Plain clothing, and help around the inn.Katie's older brother Henry is the only one who doesn't take too kindly to the intrusion. He tries to ignore Anna, knowing no good would ever come from caring for an Englisher like her. But as he gets to know Anna, he discovers her good heart and is surprised with her readiness to accept their lifestyle.The more time Anna spends with the Amish, the more she feels she's found a true home. But how can she deny the life she left behind? And will her chance for happiness be stolen away by the man from her past?