A Beautiful Arrangement

Wiseman’s delightful third installment of the Amish Journey series (Listening to Love) centers on the struggles and unexpected joys of a marriage of convenience. After a shotgun wedding, 17 year-old Lydia and 20 year-old Samuel Bontrager scramble to create a stable home for their six-month-old daughter, Mattie, a process that drains their relationship of emotional and physical intimacy. As Lydia and Samuel play matchmaker to two friends, Beverly and Joseph, who quickly hit it off, they both determine to work on their own relationship. Just as they get to know each other on a deeper level, they encounter Margaret, a homeless woman suffering from dementia. Many people in the small Indiana community think Margaret is some sort of witch, but Lydia wants to help her. Worried for Lydia and Mattie’s safety, Samuel demands she stay away. When Lydia defies his wishes and lies to him about it, it threatens to destroy their marriage. But Lydia also begins to see that God could be using her to help Margaret. Meanwhile, Beverly keeps a secret from Joseph that may cause him to walk away from their fledgling romance. Series devotees and newcomers alike will find this engrossing romance hard to put down. (Apr.)