Christmas Admirer

Hilton (The Amish Wanderer) transports readers to an Amish community in modern-day Missouri in this enjoyable inspirational romance. Twenty-year-old Susanna King has known she was destined to be the wife of Benaiah “Ben” Troyer since they were young, yet he inexplicably broke her heart and ended their engagement after the death of his parents. In the year since, Susanna has been receiving unexpected, thoughtful gifts from a secret admirer. Now Susanna’s life is falling apart, quickly. In the space of a few hours, she finds out that her father is marrying a woman Susanna knows nothing about and that she’s expected to uproot her life and move to Iowa with him. Benaiah’s life is not the easiest, either. After his parents were killed in an accident, he has been the caretaker for his younger sisters and grandparents—circumstances which convinced him that there was no room in his life for another responsibility. The sweetness and joy of the romance is heavily overshadowed by the seemingly unrelenting hardships the young couple are forced to endure as well as the on-again, off-again quality of their relationship. Although many lingering questions are left unanswered, the faith component of the book is subtle and practical. Agent: Tamela Hancock Murray, Steve Laube Agency (Sept.)